Yes, it sure was a soggy day in Castries, St. Lucia today. But it wasn't the rain that started the day out on a negative vibe. Not that this is a major change, but we noticed that last night the chocolate pillow candies were missing. Then this morning after breakfast, we ran into our room steward who apologized for not leaving the chocolates. In addition, he said that starting today, only gala evenings will have pillow chocolates. And if we had been getting the comical towel animals (we do not), those would be left only on gala nights. Following the HAL blogs on Cruise Critic, we knew the same thing happened on the Rotterdam. For as long as we can remember, this was a nice way to end the day, and it had become an HAL tradition….Signature of Excellence, if we recall correctly. Well, another tradition to bite the dust. Finally, your room would be serviced only once a day, unless you request the turndown service at night. With that, we asked our room steward what happened to the Seattle's Best Chocolates we always got on the world cruise on gala nights. He did say that the suite people here get those on gala nights. OK, if that is the case, we felt that this little nicety should be extended to the 9 President's Club members that are onboard now. Surely those few chocolates will not break the bank. If they are, then HAL is in big trouble. Koko said he would pass that request on to his supervisor, which was fine with us. It wasn't five minutes before there was a knock on the door, and there was his supervisor. She explained the new policy, and said they were just following the rules. She promised to ask about the better chocolates to be given on gala nights for our small group only. So far, we have heard nothing. But we did receive the missing ship tiles that were owed to us from our previous cruises here, thanks to Jonah we suspect.
Anyway, on with our day which began when we left the ship at 11am. Early this morning, an announcement was made that we were free to walk out of the port, and not be forced to take a tour or taxi. That was the good news, but the bad news was that rain was on the way. Packing umbrellas, we set off for a town that was virtually shut down……it was Sunday again. And strangely enough, we were the only ship docked here today.
At the gangway we were held up first to get the St. Lucia bracelet put on our wrists, and second, to wait for a very over-sized electric scooter to come up the steep gangway. Took like forever, but eventually a man appeared with a pizza (hat) on his head and a decorated monkey hanging from the handlebars. Oh boy….guess there is a story there.
The last time we were here, the ship was docked across the harbor, where we walked to Pointe Seraphine, our usual dock. At that time, no one was let out of the gate due to Covid restrictions. We had explained we were from the other pier, and were let loose to explore. Lucky the guard let us go once she saw our room cards were for the HAL ship.
On our way out through Diamonds International, one of us went for the free charms. I was given two birds, so we assume there are many birds on this island. Not so much down at the water, but up high in the mountains.
It had been raining off and on all morning, so there were puddles everywhere. Even a small flock of doves were bathing and drinking out of these deep puddles. It was much cleaner water than in the canals in town. We did get offers for rides to downtown starting at $5. Then it was $4 up the road apiece, and lastly, $1 up at the corner. Downtown was about ¼ mile from here. And very little was opened. Needless to say, we walked.
By the time we reached the Castries Market, the light rain turned to heavy, and kept up. So much for the predicted light passing showers today. Sure wish we could send this rain to California, where we need it big time. No wonder it is so green here. Running into Howard and Gyl, we chatted for a bit. They like to walk like us, and it would not be the same if we did not run into them somewhere in every port.
On the way back, we did stop in the small park and got some photos of hummingbirds dining on the blossoms of the center tree. The longer we watched, the more we saw. The only other birds we spotted were two egrets, a lone frigate, and one pelican.
Oh, and there were many dogs taking shelter at one of the government offices. They appeared to be pets, but you never know for sure if they are feral. If so, we never go near them.
We strolled around the shops and cafes at the terminal, surprised at how few people were out and about. Guess many folks took tours, but today would not have been a good beach day, or even site-seeing.
All aboard was 3:30pm, and after the Captain's talk, we were off and running before 4pm. Scenic cruising was planned for 5:15pm, to see the town of Soufriere and the Pitons just south of Castries. Although it was raining, by the time we reached the Pitons, they were out of the mist and very visible. Today there were a number of small boats there, as well as a Ponant cruise ship. They had a tender boat in the water, and were transporting folks to the mainland. Another smaller ship had their marina extended out, and a lady was actually water skiing behind a speed boat in the bay. A slide was attached to the side of the boat also, probably for the youngest of their group.
The Captain got as close as possible to the peaks, then slowly turned the ship on a dime, so to speak. Having extra time, he turned and turned several times, giving everyone a perfect view. Even after darkness settled, we were still there. The next port of Barbados is only 114 nautical miles away, so we figured he was measuring the time we needed to arrive there. We're just guessing, but we think that if he goes too slow, the ship would roll even more.
Dinner was just the two of us and Barb. She had not heard about the change with the pillow candies, and was also disappointed to see HAL dropping more perks. We have all been around long enough to see many changes, some for the better, and some not. This is in the "not" category. Did we ever mention that the room stewards no longer bring fresh fruit to your room? Now it has to be ordered through room service. Nothing stays the same forever…..
Bill & Mary Ann
Monday, February 28, 2022
Report #72 Castries, Saint Lucia Sunday-February 27, 2022...Cloudy With Periods Of Rain 78 Degrees
