Nothing really looked familiar when we arrived to Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas early this morning. Guess it has been longer than we remember as to when we were here last. On the earlier visits here, we had taken tours, mostly to a beach for the afternoon. The last time, we went on a boat to St. John's for a day of snorkeling.
History here is interesting in the fact that the three largest of the US Virgin Islands were acquired by President Teddy Roosevelt for $25 million in 1917. At that time, Denmark owned this area. This island is 32 square miles, 13 miles long and 4 miles wide, roughly the size of Manhattan. Sixty thousand people live here, most of them US citizens.
In the old days, St. Thomas was a magnet for pirates , and often attacked ships bringing silver and gold back to Europe. Plantation owners grew sugarcane (for rum making), cotton, and indigo for export to the rest of the Caribbean, Africa, and Europe. This area is famous for their johnnycakes, a bread snack eaten while working in the plantations. Imported slaves from Africa were given these cakes so as not to stop field work eating a proper lunch. Time is money…..nothing has changed, has it?
Today, there is much to do here such as sailing, beaches, diving, snorkeling, golf, and horseback riding. Naturally, it has become a shopper's paradise with gold, diamonds, and emeralds. High end shops are here by the dozens, as well as upscale resorts and hotels. It can be very expensive during the peak season of December through May.
The front desk crew are still working on our shipboard account, with most of the problems resolved. Getting a good signal in our stateroom has continued to be evasive, although the IT manager did say today that they will try to remedy it with a little extra work. We happened to be sitting at the side table near the Front desk while a big drill was announced. Took them almost an hour to complete it.
Leaving the ship after the thundering herd got off, we strolled through Havensight Mall with over 60 shops. Not all of them were occupied or opened today. By the way, we were in port with the two Carnival ships, creating many crowded venues everywhere. Close to lunchtime, most folks were searching for bars and restaurants. Once again, we decided not to eat out. Most of the guests from all of the ships wore masks, but many did not. Signage for wearing masks was posted on every building, as well as plenty of hand sanitizer dispensers available for use.
Turning left out of the gates, we wandered to The Shops, a place which houses nice shops with cafes and restaurants here and there on the Bayfront. Mega yachts, sailboats, catamarans, and dinghies filled the small harbor. When we come back here, this is where we might go to an outdoor bar and grill. It was far less crowded here.
We did walk through Havensight Mall on the way back, and did manage to find nail polish remover. This is one item we do not want to ship in luggage or pack in luggage on the airplane. The other small items we need will have to wait a few days until we return to Ft. Lauderdale.
Getting hungry and thirsty, we went back on the ship and went to the Lido for salads and sandwiches. A few cookies and a small ice cream cone were good also. All aboard was 4:30pm, so we sat on the veranda to watch the sail away. We have enjoyed this immensely. Over in another bay, we could see the stacks of the APEX. So there were at least 4 ships here today. We read that as many as 8 ships can be here in a day, making St. Thomas one of the busiest ports in the Caribbean. Many of the water-related tours were taking place right near our veranda. Namely, the boats and catamarans were loading and unloading both morning and afternoon. We did not have a chance to check out the ship's tours here, but most of them must have been on a boat. What caught our eye more so were the 6 fellows working on one of those mega yachts. They wore us out just by watching them paint, polish, and clean all day.
Dinner tonight was in the Pinnacle Grill at 8pm. This is such a bigger venue than what we knew on the Amsterdam. For one thing, there are windows, which is nice, even in the dark, we could see waves from the ship. Jumbo shrimp was suggested for an appetizer, so we shared them on top of our Caesar salads. A bowl of bread sticks were served with two types of butter spreads. One of us had the 7 ounce filet mignon, and the other had chicken….both delicious. We split an order of French fries, then ended the meal with Key lime pie. Excellent cuisine and even better service. The manager Ada, her assistant, and even the chef checked on us throughout the meal. We left happy campers…full to the brim.
Laundry service has been swift, with the return time the same day. Our clean clothing even came with a thank you note from Paryono. No, we should be thanking him!
Tomorrow, we will have a restful day at sea, thank goodness. We need it!
Bill & Mary Ann
Friday, December 24, 2021
Report #6 Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands December 23, 2021 Thursday Mostly sunny & 80 degrees
