Our day began under mostly cloudy skies, which quickly cleared to brilliant blue punctuated by the occasional, floating puffy cotton ball. Unlike prior mornings, we all had breakfast in the Garden Cafe. And, then we passed the morning enjoying the sights of nearby Nevis and the sail into our port of call, St. Kitts.
We docked around 11:00. Mom, Pop, and I headed ashore almost immediately. L opted to stay aboard the ship and skip the island tour as it wasn’t going to be well-timed for E’s lunch (and really she wasn’t that excited about ‘driving around another island’ anyway).
So, that’s how I found myself in a taxi mini-van driven by Harris, who was whisking us around the southeastern peninsula of St. Kitts — the ‘tourist side of the island’ made up primarily of resorts and the homes of wealthy foreigners. Tourism in St. Kitts is relatively new and the southeastern part of the island remains largely undeveloped (or under construction). It is, however, in a word simply spectacular in terms of natural beauty. I’m also sure that the development will be successful given the appeal of the setting and all of the similarities–for good or bad–with contemporary master planned communities in the US (e.g., all under ground utilities, homogenous floor plans, etc.). I wondered whether or not the locals were sorry to see the landscape of their West Indies paradise changed forever, as it seemed bittersweet at best to me. But, Harris told me that they welcomed the development for the associated economic growth and prosperity.
We returned to the ship by 1:30. I dropped off Mom and Pop and then picked up L and E to explore the town and allow Libby to get her “shop on” (as she likes to say). The port itself is relatively new, well-maintained, and fully pedestrianized. The surrounding town is less ‘constructed’ and a bit shabby around the edges, but it is nonetheless somewhat charming… and the home to obviously friendly and inviting people. We didn’t do too much in town, but we did stop off for refreshments (at which time I sampled the local brew, Carib lager).
Overall, I really liked St. Kitts. For me, it was tops in terms of natural beauty. I’d be happy to return to explore more of the island.
Being Thanksgiving, we opted for dinner in the Venetian. NCL put up a respectable Thanksgiving menu… actually better than the Turkey Day food on Royal Caribbean that I recall from a couple of years ago. Standouts included the duck confit, pumpkin bisque, and Parma ham rolls. The main entree (we all opted for the roast turkey and trimmings) was also very good… with moist turkey and especially good mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, E carried on more than usual at the table, and I ended up leaving with her about halfway through the main course (which is less problematic on a cruise ship as food is always available). Dining outside of the casual buffet (and Libby’s less than usual amount of sleep while on holiday) are the primary challenges of traveling with a baby on a cruise-only vacation for us.
Here’s a photo of St. Kitts (with Nevis in the distance):
