We then spent the better part of the morning lounging about on the cabin’s balcony while Emerson played on beach tools that we placed down for her. The weather was “perfect” for us: overcast and slightly cool with the breeze. We grabbed some pizza for lunch and awaited our afternoon arrival in the Turks and Caicos (#72).

Our docking in Grand Turk was delayed as Regent’s Seven Seas Navigator was in our berth unexpectedly for a medical evacuation. I’ve never personally seen this before (a ship diverted to another port to offload a sick or injured passenger), though we’ve witnessed countless passengers getting carted off in ambulances at planned stops. After the Regent ship departed, we docked a few minutes later than our scheduled arrival time.

Knowing this would be a short duration call and an afternoon arrival (a recipe for everyone trying to leave at once), we waited a bit for the masses of humanity to depart the ship before heading out. Grand Turk is a small and uninteresting island for sightseeing. Knowing this, we planned to just stroll around the port area, replace a favorite Margaritaville t-shirt of mine that met an untimely demise in a washing machine mishap, look at the beaches (surf was too high to take Emerson swimming), and enjoy a couple of drinks with fruit slices and cute little umbrellas. And, that’s pretty much exactly what we did.

On returning to the ship, I noticed that HAL’s Nieuw Amsterdam was stopped in the channel a few ship lengths behind our stern on the starboard side. Shortly after, she steamed away. I have to imagine that she too was here for a medical evacuation, which is not surprising given HAL’s manifest of ancient mariners… but still… two unplanned stops in Grand Turk in one day? WTF?

Here’s a photo of sunset (and the HAL ship):

Tonight we (aside from Libby’s parents, who are now both in norovirus purgatory) had dinner at the Crown Grill, Princess’s steakhouse at sea. It was excellent. Libby and Pop had huge veal chops. Mom and I ate beef tenderloin. As usual, I asked to make mine ‘surf and turf.’ But, our waiter produced five lobster tails for the entire table! As not everyone wanted lobster, let’s just say I ate well more than my fair share, lest I completely embarrass my gluttonous self. The ‘Black and Blue Onion Soup’–basically French Onion soup made with Jack Daniel’s and blue cheese added to the gruyere–was also a highlight and better than I’d remember. The only disappointment was the smoked scallop appetizer. While the scallops were fine, I thought the dish generally lacked flavor and the potato plank was undercooked (unless you’re eating fries, potatoes shouldn’t be al dente).

Emerson was very good at dinner (as she’s been all trip), but she grew tired before dessert. So, I finished up with Mom and Pop and then returned to the cabin with a molten lava cake and double chocolate ice cream for Libby. She ate it while we chatted on the balcony, Emerson sleeping peacefully inside the cabin.

What a good day!

Today’s box score: +1 country (Turks and Caicos)

We awoke early today in order to take full advantage of our 7:00am arrival in St. Thomas. While most the the ship was still waking up, we three were taking a private tour of the island with my grandfather and mother. On prior visit to St. Thomas, Libby and I hung out only in downtown Charlotte Amalie, which was a mistake. St. Thomas is beautiful!

Megan’s Bay and Atlantic Ocean view:

Caribbean view, including our ship:

Unfortunately, Libby’s parents weren’t able to join us or take the optional excursion they’d booked. Instead, they were in the ship’s infirmary, as Dad came down with the norovirus. He’s now quarantined for 24 hours. All in all, the stomach flu isn’t a gift to be thankful for. It’s especially unfortunate/unlucky as they cruise less frequently than us. Poor guy–he’ll be spending his Thanksgiving in his cabin.

Libby and I also did some shopping today in Charlotte Amalie while Mom and Pop watched Emerson. No major purchases for us… honestly, I don’t think St. Thomas is a bargain paradise. We can do as well or better at home or on the Internet…

Tonight’s our second and final formal night, a Thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings (though I’m going to have the beef tenderloin in brioche).

That’s all for now… gotta go: the ice is melting in my rum and Coke (and, yes, I snuck the rum aboard, being the rebel that I am).

Happy Thanksgiving!

This truism pretty much sums up our day. We passed up an otherwise delightful destination and leisurely day to go island hoping in search of additional “countries.” In this case, our objective was Anguilla — a British outpost that I couldn’t have identified on a map a few years ago, back when I didn’t know Anguilla from Antigua or Barbados from Barbuda.

To get to Anguilla, we took a a shared taxi ($20) from Dutch St. Martin (#69) to French St. Maarten (#70). We then proceeded through short ferry booking, embarkation tax ($5/pp.), and immigration queues in order to board the boat for Anguilla ($15/pp.). Paperwork in order, we embarked on a blissfully pacific ride over to Anguilla at which we cleared immigration and customs.

Anguilla (#71) done.

Of course, getting right back on the boat would have seemed a bit lame, even if technically allowable. So, we took a quick island tour (45 or so minutes; $30) before returning to the ferry pier. Tour “highlights” included the airport and high school.

We then repeated the process in reverse, spending an extra half hour or so in Marigot (the primary town on the French side of the island) before returning to the pier.

Mission accomplished! We had only eight hours from docking to departure, but we managed to do everything in about five hours. I figured we could do it in three at best (with no sightseeing), and I think my calculations were largely correct.

I sometimes think Libby humors me on days like today. She doesn’t quite have my sense of adventure. And, while this was fairly “mild” in reality, there’s a certain uneasiness associated with independently island hopping when a) having no prior local knowledge, b) only a scant amount of information to go on, and c) needing to be back aboard a ship on the first island in only a matter of hours. Nonetheless, our confidence as world travelers grows each time we so something a little less ordinary (such as driving across the UAE).

It’s the journey that is so much fun!

Today’s box score: +3 countries

Now they’re old hat: wake up, have breakfast, waste some time, have lunch, waste some more time, have dinner, waste yet more time… go to bed. Cruise ship activities don’t hold much allure anymore (to the degree they ever did), especially when there are no compelling port lectures. It all makes we wonder how much I’d really like to do a transoceanic passage? Or, sail around the world on one? Certainly not with a toddler. What would we do for days on end with one who’s too young to participate in the ship’s formal kids program?

No, for us, sea days are just a means to an ends.

Tomorrow will be far more interesting. We’re going to make a run for Anguilla and bring Emerson along with us. I figure that we’ll need to take her on ferries next summer in less hospitable places. So, we might as well give it a go here in the Caribbean.

Emerson had a blast in the water. I’ve been paying seemingly ridiculous rates for months at what Libby tells me is an “elite swim school” (whatever that means) for her. On this trip, I could finally see some return on our investment as she was far more comfortable and capable in the ocean than other kids around her age. All told, she spent the entire morning in the surf with us before heading back to the ship.

For lunch, we had pizza (IMHO, Princess offers the best at sea). We then headed back to our cabin to shower off the sand and salt, as well as to take an afternoon nap. Dinner was once again in the main dining room–Italian theme night–and generally very good. After dinner, we took Emerson to the Explorer’s Lounge to see/hear a vocalist perform.

Tomorrow’s a ‘relaxing’ day at sea…

Here’s a view of Princess Cays from our balcony.

Hungry, we headed for lunch in the Da Vinci dining room. In the interest of time, I won’t recount everything we ate, but I’ll say the food was very good, especially my mother’s fettuccine alfredo in a crisp parmesan basket. After lunch, we headed to our cabins to unpack and get settled in.

Sail away was scheduled for four o’clock, but we departed closer to five.

With the entire family aboard, we opted for traditional fixed seating dining at 5:30. It’s a little early, but it works well for our schedule. We met up with Libby’s parents (who arrived at the port an hour or so later than us) for the first time just before dinner.

Our meal was enjoyable and ran very smoothly. The menus (both for adults and kids) are nicely varied with a good number of selections. Too many selections to talk about, but I’ll note the creme brûlée was especially a hit with those who tried it (though mine is better).

We retired fairly early given the early morning drive down from Tampa.

It’s good to be back aboard Princess. We enjoyed our cruise on the Caribbean Princess out of San Juan in 2011. Ruby Princess, our current ship, is very similar — so, Libby and I feel right at home.

Here’s a view of the Ruby Princess’s atrium:

7 Day Eastern Caribbean on Ruby Princess

We’ll be aboard the Ruby Princess, adding at least three new “countries” to the total (St. Martin, St. Maarten, and the Turks and Carcos). If I can pull it off, Libby and I might also try to make a run for Anguilla from St. Martin / St.Maarten as well, which would give us one more. Emerson, on the other hand, will bag at least five: she’s not been to the Bahamas nor the US Virgin Islands yet.

More to follow… I’ll try to write most days from the ship.