St. Thomas, August 30 to September 5, 2009

When Julie suggested we visit warm Caribbean waters, because, after all, we would be in the Eastern Time Zone already dropping Amy off at UConn, I have to say I dragged my feet a bit. We had just returned from a terrific vacation in Northern Europe, and at the risk of damaging my reputation as a travel agent who will go to the ends of the earth to keep my Peeps informed (yes, I have a big following of pastel colored marshmallow animals), I must confess that I didn’t think I was ready for another vacation yet.

Once again, Julie was right. We enjoyed a terrific trip, and it made the transition of dropping my baby across the country more tolerable. It reminded us that we could enjoy the couples life, and this would just be a return to Xanadu (no, Olivia Newton-John was not there, and in fact I never saw that movie and have no idea if this reference makes any sense at all).

We also discovered a tie-in to our Northern Europe cruise from Copenhagen, Denmark. It turned out that 150 years after Columbus explored the New World, Denmark laid claim to St. Thomas and what became the other US Virgin Islands. They built sugar plantations, importing slaves from Africa to do the dirty work. As despicable as slavery is to us from our more enlightened perspective today, it had been prevalent throughout world history, and the Danes used St. Thomas as a slave trading port, too. In 1848, just a few years ahead of the United States, Denmark abolished slavery. Rather than adapt to the changing economic reality, most of the Danish plantation owners abandoned their holdings, and the island fell into economic decay.

In 1917, the United States bought St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix for $25 million. According to the local magazine I read this in, that would have been about $300 per acre, which would have been pretty steep at the time. The US wanted it for defensive purposes in World War I, to protect the Panama Canal and Caribbean from German incursion.

We flew from the patriotic stronghold of Boston in the morning and arrived in St. Thomas that afternoon despite a two hour layover in San Juan. We rented a car for the first day so we could buy some essentials (Diet Coke, chips, bran muffins, beer and Cruzan Estate Light Rum). Before getting groceries, however, we took a drive around the island.

As my son Jay pointed out, for some reason cars on islands travel on the left side of the road. Presumably because the U.S. Virgin Islands, of which St. Thomas is a major part, are American, however, the cars are set up like American cars, with left hand drive. It’s always a little disorienting driving on the wrong side of the road, and getting into the car through the same door as we would back home means we don’t have a cue when we get behind the wheel to keep left. Nonetheless, I had no trouble negotiating the winding roads, which at least were wider than the streets in my neighborhood back home.

We drove up to Drake’s Seat, a scenic spot where it’s said Sir Francis Drake would watch the coming and going of ships in the turquoise water far below in the late 1500s. Drake, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I of England as a world exploring hero and considered a pirate by his victims, was apparently only interested in protecting his booty (or grabbing some more) rather than developing prime real estate, or perhaps St. Thomas would have been part of the British Virgin Islands. Not that the island was deserted when Columbus, Drake or the Danes arrived. Carib and Arowak natives, however, did not fare well upon arrival of the Europeans, who brought disease and forced labor. Then again, military strength and social Darwinism have always resulted in survival of the fittest.

Notwithstanding the ethical dilemmas of history from a remarkably different time and culture, we drove to a site overlooking Magen’s Bay Beach which is dubbed one of the 10 Most Beautiful Beaches in the World by several sources. Unfortunately, with such fame comes crowds. We drove down to take a closer look, and while it is certainly lovely, we decided we wouldn’t keep the car an extra day to return here on this trip.

On we went to the Marriott Frenchman‘s Reef, where we would stay for the next six nights in a fantastic ocean view room. Julie had been unsure about this hotel based on what she had read in guest reviews at some web sites. I always say the reviews say as much about the people as the properties reviewed, and the conditions constantly change. I’ll grant that the elevator could use some primping, and the hallway leading to our room smelled a bit musty from beach goers dripping seawater on the carpet, but otherwise, this is a terrific property. If you’re a person who enjoys great views, you’d love it, because there are many wonderful, comfortable places to take in panoramic views.

Lest there be any mistake, I sell the best land vacations as well as cruises. Call me at 866-554-5553 to book your next great vacation.

St. Thomas/St. John: August, 2006

The Eastern Caribbean may not feature the most ports per cruise, but the overall trip proves to be quite satisfying for several reasons, not the least of which is the excellence of the ports.

On a recent Caribbean Princess cruise, we visited St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Princess Cays. Because we had plenty of time to enjoy the ship on the sea days, we didn't find ourselves rushing back, instead making the most of each port.

Featured in many Southern Caribbean itineraries and essentially every Eastern Caribbean cruise, St. Thomas is a repeat destination for many cruisers, including us. This time, we elected to take the ferry to nearby St. John. Our good friends Mike and Linda, who joined us on this cruise, probably had a better idea: take a shore excursion on a boat from the cruise port over to St. John to visit a couple of great snorkeling spots. That is apparently too simple for our family. Instead, we caught a taxi to Red Hook, where we caught the ferry to St. John, where we then took a taxi to Trunk Bay.

Someone wrote that visiting St. John without visiting Trunk Bay was equivalent to visiting France without seeing Paris. I'm not sure I would go that far, but it certainly is a beautiful beach with great snorkeling. The population of colorful tropical fish isn't as diverse and plentiful as in the South Pacific, but it definitely is quite a satisfying swim.

In the early afternoon, we caught another cab over to nearby Cinamon Bay. With fewer people to enjoy the beautiful beach, this is another excellent destination, though the snorkeling is not quite as good as at Trunk Bay. Soon we were hot and ready to head back to the ferry station at Cruz Bay, where we were supposed to have lunch in the little town at a restaurant regularly frequented by actor Kelsey Grammar of “Cheers” and “Frasier” fame, but somehow we ended up with a Subway sandwich on the ferry headed back to St. Thomas.

We lucked out, finding a Lincoln Town Car to take us up the hill for a scenic view of Magen's Bay on our way back to the ship, and the driver charged only a few dollars more than the price of the regular taxi directly back to Charlotte Amalie. I guess we saved a couple of Jacksons by traveling as we did rather than on a shore excursion boat, and we were in complete control of our own day, which is extremely important to my wife. We had taxi rides instead of a fun boat ride, but the ride to see Magen’s Bay was a nice bonus.. You can decide what works best for you.

Which Caribbean Island's Best for You?

Playa Lagun, Curacao

An ideal Caribbean vacation puts a smile on your face every morning that doesn't fade throughout the day.

While there's certainly history and more serious pursuits as in other parts of the world, that's really not the point of going there.

The Caribbean's all about reaching that state of mind Jimmy Buffett and Kenny Chesney sing about, just kicked back in a lounge chair, barefoot, sipping an ice cold beverage before taking another dip in the warm turquoise water.

Beach At Tulum, Mexico

If you do it right, the only stress is getting there, so I'd recommend  considering air schedules carefully.

From the East Coast, it's much easier, with non-stops to places like Punta Cana and Jamaica, but from the West Coast, you have to plan on having at least one stop, and try to make it a quick connection.

However, there are non-stop flights to Cancun from the West Coast.  You can find beautiful beaches and warm Caribbean waters in the Riviera Maya region.  If you're planning to stay at an all-inclusive resort, you'll want to put this area on your list under convenient and cost-effective.

With great properties by Excellence, Hard Rock and many others, you can enjoy a terrific Caribbean vacation geared to your preferences coupled with easy flights to Cancun.

Wes and Friends at Frenchman's Reef Marriott, St. Thomas

All-inclusive resorts like Sandals and Beaches sometimes render what island you choose as mostly irrelevant, because you may never want to leave the property.

As long as you stay on site, you can enjoy the beaches, entertainment and parties without encountering hassles of transportation.

In that case, you want to focus on a property that's geared to your objectives featuring the amenities you want, whether scuba, golf, kid-friendly activities or rocking nightclubs.

Turtle Seen While Snorkeling in St. Thomas

A resort that suits a family may not be ideal for a couple on a honeymoon.

But you want specifics.

St. Thomas in the Eastern Caribbean has lots of activities.  Julie and I enjoyed a wonderful week there after dropping Amy off for her freshman year at college in Connecticut a few years back.


Because it is one of the U.S. Virgin Islands, there's no problem with language or currency (although this is generally true throughout the Caribbean).

St Lucia Pitons

It's easy to take a boat trip from St. Thomas to neighboring islands like St. John and Tortola for a change of pace, but there's plenty of great snorkeling, beaches and restaurants without leaving the island.

On our recent extended Southern Caribbean cruise, Curacao became my personal favorite Caribbean island.

And sometimes it comes down to making a dream come true.  Perhaps the word Jamaica excites you, or you saw a great spread in Travel+Leisure about St. Lucia and could never get it out of your mind.

By all means, go there next.  Live your dream at least once.

Spoiler alert: Living your dreams can be habit forming.

Wes and Julie at Margaritaville in Ocho Rios, Jamaica

If you truly want my opinion about the best way to visit the Caribbean, I have to say cruising.

Royal Caribbean Solarium Pool

Flying to Miami, Ft. Lauderdale or Orlando non-stop is easy from many major airports, and from there you can board a floating resort that will bring a few of these wonderful islands to your doorstep.

There are also Caribbean cruises embarking even closer to home from ports like New Orleans, New York City and Galveston, Texas.

In a week, you'll usually get three or four ports, and while that sounds like a lot of time at sea, you may find by the end that you're reluctant to get off the ship for the final port.

This is especially true if you're on a truly amazing ship suited to your personality.

Consider the cruise Julie and I took recently to the Southern Caribbean.

I can say that every port would make an excellent place for an extended stay.

Eclipse: Rare and Unexpected

I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane

Aruba

The Dream Isle of Curacao

Playa Lagun in Curacao

Barbados

St. Lucia

Antigua and Dining Aboard Eclipse

St. Kitts

St. Maarten

St. Martin View from Celebrity Eclipse

To get that many ports took two weeks, and other than St. Maarten (St. Martin), which can be found on many Eastern Caribbean sailings, most have been reached in the past primarily by flying to San Juan, Puerto Rico, which is another great place to visit but is a considerably harder flight from most of the country than Miami/Ft. Lauderdale.

However, recently Princess, Carnival and others lines have added 7 or 8 night cruises from Florida that reach pretty deep in to the Southern Caribbean to ports like Aruba and Curacao.  We saw Carnival Sunshine at several ports on our cruise, and she was only on an eight-night voyage.

That's the nature of cruising.  Cruise lines figure out what the market wants and then make it happen, competing to tempt vacationers to sample their newest twist, whether that be adding new islands or unexpected onboard experiences.

But if you still prefer a resort stay on one island, that can certainly be arranged too.

Don't make it harder than it needs to be. Book through a friendly travel agent.

St. Thomas: October, 2000

Monday morning before we awoke, we arrived in St. Thomas. We had breakfast on the Lido Deck at the outdoor buffet, where we were treated to not only delicious food but also a beautiful view of the white buildings with red roofs rising along the hillsides near the dock. I had a light breakfast of fruit, orange juice and coffee....and a croissant...and scrambled eggs, hash browns and sausage.

 

AT THIS POINT, LET ME SAY THAT JULIE AND I HAVE BEEN VERY FORTUNATE IN NEVER HAVING PROBLEMS ON ANY OF OUR EXCURSIONS, BUT FOR ULTIMATE SAFETY, STAYING WITH OFFICIAL TOUR GROUPS IS ADVISED. IF YOU WANT TO BE AS WILD AS US, ANOTHER TIP WOULD BE TO FIND SOME TRAVELING FRIENDS ON THE SHIP WHO CAN SHARE THE COST AS WELL AS GIVING YOU MORE STRENGTH IN NUMBERS. OUR VACATION STORY IS NOT INTENDED AS AN EXAMPLE BUT TO TELL YOU ABOUT SOME OF THE GREAT PLACES TO VISIT IN THE PORTS.

After breakfast, we got off the ship and walked to find a bus stop, which wasn't as easy as it seemed like it should be. We finally learned that the best spot to catch a bus was by a hospital up on a hill, and we sat there waiting for a bus for twenty minutes or so, telling several jitneys and vans that stopped for us that we were waiting for the bus. It turns out that the jitneys and vans were just as much busses as the busses, however, and we took a van for a dollar a piece to an area called Secret Harbor. An extra buck a piece enticed the driver to take us down right next to the beach. A taxi cab will take you straight to Secret Harbor, if you're not as cheap as us. In fact, you can set it up for him to pick you up with whatever standard cab trick you like to employ (i.e., tear a ten dollar bill in half and give half to the cab driver with the understanding you'll give him the rest when he comes back for you).

Secret Harbor is a beautiful beach. Although there's a hotel right there, we still had the beach to ourselves and a half dozen others. We found great snorkeling near the rocks on the left side of the beach. The Blue Moon Cafe, a covered open air bar perched on the beach, provided the perfect place for a Diet Coke during a break, and $2 per soda seemed very reasonable for such a cool place with a great view. After some more snorkeling, we hiked up the hill to find a bus to Magen's Bay, but when we didn't see any for a long stretch of time, we instead flagged down a jitney going the opposite direction. It happened to be a shuttle between the Bluebird Resort, located in the town near the cruise dock, and the Elysian Resort, its sister on an otherwise deserted stretch of beach. We gave the driver a tip for the ride to the Elysian, where we had Diet Cokes ($2.25 each) and split a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich ($4.25) at its cafe on the beach. A three foot iguana joined us briefly, walking around the beach like he owned the place. This is another beautiful beach, but we didn't even go in the turquoise water, since we wanted to take the jitney toward town, having become concerned about making it back to the ship on time. For tip only, the shuttle driver dropped us in town, where we walked around checking out the shops. The people all speak with a dialect similar to Jamaica, mon.

As a special note, Carnival told us about shopping in St. Thomas in a presentation on the night we boarded the ship, and the hilarious cruise director, Greg, handed out free shots of flavored rum which can be purchased in St. Thomas. This presentation turned out to be a lot of fun, although it's not really entertainment. We planned to buy this rum at one of the recommended shops at three bottles for $18, but for one reason or another we put off the purchase until we had already taken a $5 taxi ride back to the smaller shopping center by the ship. If you want to buy the booze to take home, listen to the presentation, and buy it at the recommended shops in town and have it delivered to the ship. We ended up buying some Bailey's Irish Cream for $10.95 and rum for $3.95 at a store near the pier, but we didn't get any souvenir bottles like we planned.

I went to an art auction, which is an event they hold several times during the cruise. They claim to sell art at a substantial discount from gallery prices. They definitely seem to be good values. I have a feeling most aren't super bargains, but some people seem to buy a lot. I just liked watching and listening. By the end of the trip, we almost bought some signed and numbered lithographs by Alexander Chen at $80 each but chickened out. Time will tell if they would have been great investments.

When onboard during daylight, Julie usually laid by the pool and read, taking occasional slides down the water slide or dips in the pool to cool down. If you're interested in such, there is an adults only/clothing optional sunning area on the top level, but we aren't quite that liberated ourselves.

That evening, we went to our assigned dining room table, where we met our waiter, Johan, a young man from Romania, and our waitress, a pretty girl from Slovania. Although we sat by the picture window overlooking the ocean at a table for eight, the other passengers assigned to our table never once came to join us during the cruise, so we enjoyed intimate dining in the deluxe, two story dining room every night.

I started with cold grilled baby vegetables with soy sauce and then a salad with honey mustard dressing. I ordered the filet of sole marinated in Chardonnay and lemon sauce, which turned out to be the best seafood I've ever tasted. I had apple pie a la mode for desert. I also had a glass of Berringer White Zinfandel with dinner. The menu said this was $4, and I was charged $4.50 plus tip, but it seemed too trivial to complain over. I'd give this meal five stars, as one of the best I've ever tasted.

Julie had the grilled baby vegetables followed by tomato and gin bisque. For her main course, she had veal chops, and for desert, tiramisu.

After dinner, we went shopping at the jewelry sale on the ship. Julie bought some ten dollar red earrings to match her new red dress. We continued to the casino for the rum swizzle party (free rum swizzles for an hour) and bought twenty dollars worth of quarters. Julie dropped most of them quickly into some slot machines before giving me the rest while she went to look at one of the other shops. I switched to video poker, and when I hit four of a kind, winning a hundred dollars, I left a winner, looking for Julie so I could brag.

We headed to the Palladium for the comedy show, which had funny moments but was not what I would call great. We decided to check out the 24 hour pizzeria after the show, and, as embarrassing as it is to admit, we had some pizza as a late night snack before returning to the room to watch the movie RULES OF ENGAGEMENT on television. The nightclubs rocked without us.

Marriott Frenchman's Reef, St. Thomas

During our recent week in St. Thomas, our home away from home was an ocean view room at the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef. The comfortable, beautifully decorated room included a balcony with an amazing view of the coast and a refrigerator where we could store Diet Cokes and beer purchased in town.

The beach could be reached by stairs or a combination of stairs and elevators. While not always there in the morning, in the afternoon several large iguanas would greet us along the staircase going to or from the beach.

Because we traveled during hurricane season, the gorgeous stretch of white sand beach was never crowded. The first three days, it was generally deserted, but near the end of the week, vacationers began arriving for the long Labor Day weekend despite a hurricane watch.

On Wednesday evening, there was a Manager’s Reception, which turned out to be a casual version of a cruise Captain’s Cocktail Party. The managers all went out of their ways to come chat with us personally, and it was a pleasant affair overall.

On Thursday, we planned to take a ferry to the nearby island of Virgin Gorda, but a hurricane warning snuffed our plans. While the day included occasional rain, it was still mostly sunny, but the waves got much larger, making the snorkel visibility cloudy.

There’s a pool with hot tubs on Morning Star Beach and also up by the main Frenchman's Reef building. Everywhere we looked, there were beautiful views.

As I mentioned previously, prices for meals and beverages at a deluxe resort are frequently costly, but all the food we had here was excellent. Whether $15 at Coco Joe’s Cafe on the beach or $16 at Captain Cafe in the main building, the hamburgers would definitely fulfill Jimmy Buffett’s dream.



On Friday, we had stormier skies, so we signed up for a ninety minute tour of time shares at Marriott Frenchman’s Cove next door. The units are truly gorgeous, and of course we liked the location, but while we wanted to see what they looked like, our primary objective was to cash in their offer of $100 resort credit, which we used for dinner at Window’s On the Harbour, one of the ocean view dining rooms. Even the salesman understood we were only there for the freebie, and he didn’t even bother trying to bring in a closer or apply much pressure at the end. Before you accept such an offer, however, bear in mind that the time share offers can sound very tempting, and you might end up spending $30,000 or more on the spur of the moment in exchange for a $100 gift. If the odds didn't favor them closing a lot of deals, they couldn't make these offers.

When we arrived at Windows On the Harbour for dinner around seven, we were disappointed to learn they had a buffet on Friday evenings, with a tab of $55 per person. Most of the other diners were dressed casually like people eating at a cruise buffet on a sea day or at Las Vegas fast food. We were disappointed to say the least.

However, we asked the waitress, and she said there was a limited a la carte menu. While the other diners grazed on large portions of what was undoubtedly a tasty buffet, Julie savored Filet Mignon and I had delicious Pan Seared Red Snapper.

The next morning, we took a taxi to the airport. It cost a total of $22 for the two of us, made up in some combination of per person plus baggage cost, so you can see that the Marriott is convenient to the airport. During our flight, we could luxuriate in great memories of our hurricane season escape in St. Thomas. If you’ve wanted to take advantage of those great fall rates but feared storms, give me a call at 310-546-9618 to figure out how to limit your risk while maximizing your travel dollars. Better service leads to better trips.

Coki Beach, US Virgin Islands

If you insist on freshly groomed sand and lounge chairs that obviously get replaced or refurbished annually, then you would never have a reason to leave the gorgeous white sand of Morning Star Beach by the Marriott Frenchman’s Bay. A waitress will cater to your every need as you recline under an umbrella, or you can take a stroll over to Coco Joe’s yourself to soak in the ambiance of a wonderful beachfront bar and grill to enjoy your snack. There’s even decent snorkeling right there.

If you want the best snorkeling, however, you need to step outside your comfort zone to take a trip to funky Coki Beach. We had our rental car until late afternoon on the day after we arrived in St. Thomas, and rather than return to the more pristine Magen’s Bay, we headed for the snorkeling of Coki Beach. After all, the warm water and snorkeling is what we came for.

Coki Beach is located next door to Coral World, which from what I can discern is primarily a place for people who don’t want to get wet to see the marine life from an Undersea Observatory 15 feet below the surface. All I know is that when I swam under the rope in search of an elusive turtle that Julie saw on two separate dives, they threw me out.

The empty parking lot of Coral World tempted me, but we ended up parking on the street. The area looked very much like a third world despite construction projects. I had brought my laptop computer in case we found free internet somewhere, but I left it locked the trunk.

When we got out of our car, a big local wearing a tattered tank top and shorts greeted us with a smile. “Welcome to Coki Beach,” he said in that unique Caribbean accent. He said he would take care of us, walking us through an opening between buildings to the beach. Pointing to a guy who rented old, soiled lounge chairs with broken straps and a shack where an old Rastafarian sold organic smoothies, he gave us the lay of the land. I slipped the guy a couple of bucks, although he really had provided no service. I figured maybe he’d watch out for our car, for which I felt a bit of trepidation.

I put on my mask and snorkel and immediately waded out in the water. Since we were the only ones on the beach other than the locals mentioned above, Julie waited with our stuff. The snorkeling was amazing, the best I’d seen anywhere in the Caribbean other than Roatan. When I returned for Julie to take her turn, I told her I had a feeling I should get the computer out of the trunk before she swam, and she asked me to get her purse, too.

As I arrived where I could see our car, I noticed three locals, each wearing white tee shirts and non-descript shorts surrounding it. Unmistakably, one was about to jimmy the lock while the other two were on lookout. At first, they just observed me, but when they saw I was indeed heading to the car, the two lookouts scattered. The third guy tried to look nonchalant as he wandered off last, but he was guilty as sin, or at least he would have been had he been given an extra couple of minutes. It’s a good reminder to never forget when traveling that no matter who smiles at you and makes you feel welcome, you are a stranger in a strange land, and the locals will generally not be on your side against their cousins.

After a couple of hours, we bought a smoothie. The Rastafarian said he charged $7 because he only used fresh fruit, and if we wanted rum in it, he would charge $8, no matter how much rum was in it. Then again, rum is pretty cheap in St. Thomas, and we had arrived early in the morning, so we ordered the virgin pineapple and banana version. The Rastafarian added a couple of juices, one of which was definitely coconut, and blended them all up. As I watched him prepare my drink, a local policeman came up and told the Rastafarian that he could not operate there. The Rastafarian argued back that he had permission from some local government official, and they went back and forth. In the end, the policeman left, and I had a feeling this same argument took place every day. This definitely wasn’t Pinkberry.

We had a fun day of snorkeling. A highlight for me was a squid I happened to see dart at a fish from his hiding place in the sand, but there were great varieties of tangs, butterflyfish, parrotfish, grouper and many others. (Our underwater photos, as usual, are terrible, but click on them and you can see turtles in the enlargements.) If you insist on great snorkeling rather than simply good, Coki Beach is the place to go on St. Thomas.

Smuggler's Cove on Tortola, BVI

If you’re adventurous and have your passport, you can visit the nearby British Virgin Islands from St. Thomas. We woke early and took a taxi to the Charlotte Amalie station ($6 per person) to catch the ferry departing at 8:25 AM. We found out that the latest return ferry would be from a different company and return to the Red Hook station. A roundtrip ticket would be cheaper, but we decided we wouldn’t be in Tortola often and decided to keep our options open, going one way at $30 pp.

After a 50 minute ferry ride, we arrived at the West End of Tortola. This Tuesday wasn’t a big day for tourists, and in fact we might have been the only non-locals on the ferry. We found Barry, a physically-imposing black man, polishing his new gold taxi-truck that had seating for about 40.

We asked him about going to Smuggler’s Cove, and he told us that was a very deserted place that had a washed-out road with lots of exposed rocks that made it difficult to reach. He suggested Brewer’s Bay near Roadtown, which was more distant but easier travel.

At first, I thought he bordered on being rude, stalling because he really didn’t want to take us. I saw a smaller taxi come by and asked if she was open. She pointed at Barry and drove off.

When Barry realized no other tourists were forthcoming, his entire approach changed, and he said he would change to a small SUV to take us to Smuggler‘s Cove for $48 roundtrip. He had apparently been directing us to where he expected most people to want to go, and when we said something about going to Brewer’s Bay instead, he said, “You had a plan and good reasons for it. Go to Smuggler’s Cove.” I told him I didn’t have enough cash, and he agreed to take us by an ATM on our way.

The ride to Smuggler’s Cove was beautiful, but the roads became very bumpy. I can’t deny thinking that he could be taking us to the middle of nowhere to rob us. I pushed that out of my mind, contemplating instead how I would assure he picked us up, possibly tearing a twenty in half as I had other places. My worry was for naught. Barry asked for no payment and said he would return for us at 3 so we could catch the 4 o’clock ferry to St. John that connected to Red Hook, St. Thomas.

Upon arriving at Smuggler’s Cover, Barry introduced us to Eugene, who had set up a snack shack on the deserted beach. Barry waved farewell and drove off. Eugene offered us tattered lounge chairs for free. Later, we would order drinks and lunch from him. Considering he had no competition for miles and a very limited audience, Eugene’s prices were very reasonable. Diet Coke: $2. Carib, Red Stripe or Heineken: $3. Smoothie: $4. Hot Dog and Cheetohs: $4. Fish plate with rice and beans: $12. He had a more extensive menu, but that was all we ordered. I had a Carib, but not the other beers, and Eugene stuck a lime in the refreshing, light-tasting tropical brew.

Smuggler’s Cove is the best beach I have been in the Caribbean. It has everything. The setting is gorgeous. An isolated white sand beach that stretches about a half mile between craggy rock sides surrounds warm, turquoise water, with distant atolls providing a nice back drop. The beach is surrounded by jungle foliage. Looking back at shore from the warm water, the hillside is covered with trees, but scattered houses improbably peak through, looking perfectly harmonious with the setting. We enjoyed just standing in the water and taking in the 360 degree views.

There literally were more pelicans than people most of the time we were there. At its peak time, maybe a dozen people were on the beach, and most of the time, half that many or less. At one point, I saw three pelicans take flight from the water in unison, fly a short distance and then dive lie synchronized Olympic divers to catch fish. It was amazing, and then they repeated the trick three more times.

Eugene had a few tricks of his own. When we ordered a smoothie, he went to his nearby truck and started it up, apparently generating the power for his blender with which he made a delicious strawberry smoothie. His kitchen for cooking mostly consisted of a barbecue, and his refrigeration was a standard tailgate cooler. All in all, it was a more sophisticated version of a Gilligan’s island makeshift cafe.

Where Coki Beach had great snorkeling in moderate depth water, something like Black Rock on Ka’anapali Beach in Maui, this snorkeling was shallow, meaning we had to be careful of approaches, especially where small waves broke on the reef. Once again, we found terrific visibility in the clear water through which to view diverse, brightly colored fish.

All too soon, it was 3, and we were happy we had stretched our day to the max allowed by ferry schedules. We walked out to the clearing. and as if by magic, Barry drove up. As we drove, I asked Barry about an abandoned restaurant I saw disappearing into the jungle by the beach. He said years earlier he had worked for a contractor who regularly took him there for lunch, and it had the best burgers anywhere. It had been the bar and grill for a small hotel of a dozen rooms, but when the original owner died, it had fallen into disrepair and then ruin. Certainly, these bumpy roads couldn’t have been good for business. His eyes showed a sense of loss.

On the ride back to town, he stopped to show us his duplex, which he rents to vacationers. He was hoping this would be a good season for him. Barry said next week he would be arranging transportation for 150 cruise passengers on a tour from Roadtown. This guy, I began to realize, epitomized American entrepreneurship, starting out as a laborer, somehow getting into the taxi business where he rose to become the head of the taxi stand in West End, recently buying his newest big taxi-truck. Branching into vacation rental units. When we walked over to get a soda before the ferry left, we saw Barry playing dominoes with three older men on a porch. He played passionately, clapping those dominoes down emphatically and laughing with joy over his points scored.

We had to clear customs on the island of St. John on our way to Red Hook, so it wasn’t as easy as the trip would have been to Charlotte Amalie, but we had enjoyed the full day in Tortola. We would pass Bolongo Bay on our way to the Marriott, so we broke up our ride home with dinner at Iggie’s Beach Bar and Grill. The cab rides were $7 pp from Red Hook to Bolongo Bay and then $6 pp from Bolongo Bay home.

Back at the resort, we sat in the 75 degree night air at the Rumbar, basking in the distant lights of Charlotte Amalie and waiting for Carnival Liberty in the foreground to set sail for her next port.

Rewind to Destiny

I like this title.

Wes in Guadeloupe

It sounds like an epic movie I would want to see, but in fact it is a reference to my first Southern Caribbean cruise taken almost 17 years ago.

How time flies.

As I wrote in my new blog ten years ago, "Julie and I went hurricane hunting in the southern Caribbean in October, 2000, and the trip turned out to be a disaster.....if finding a hurricane would have been the measure of success for our venture. Instead of focusing on what we didn't find, we decided to look at our trip for what it turnend out to be: a relaxing adventure in a sun drenched paradise."

Now if I had at my fingertips the technology we have now, I would have linked a video from the movie, "Semi-Tough," to tie in my reference to that 1977 movie that few people probably recognized even back then but which made sense to me.

Years later, I know the movie clip I want but it's not available on youtube, so I will summarize.

Barbra Jane (Jill Clayburgh) comes back from a safari where her photos of wild animals turned out to be nothing but foliage, and she laments how bad her pictures are.  Fresh from EST-like training, Shake (Kris Kristopherson) --- or was it Billy Clyde (Burt Reynolds)? --- advises that she needs to stop focusing on what she didn't do (take pictures of elephants) and focus on what she did do (take lovely pictures of bushes).

On the other hand, I can now use this not-quite-right trailer to mention that in my blog summarizing our 2016 Southern Caribbean cruise aboard Celebrity Eclipse begins by talking about the Super Bowl, which we had watched aboard Eclipse the prior year.

Photo of large purple jelly fish which 2017 photo editing now makes visible.

Can you see how my mind must suconsciously tie all this stuff together?

Anyway, I found these early posts originally written for my weekly CruisePlanners1.com newsletter right after the trip to be interesting in terms of how I observed and wrote about things back then versus my current approach.

Of particular interest is how I actually managed to include details on all of my meals, having taken careful notes, versus my tendency now to re-interpret my trips through a much more abstract prism.

In any case, it makes me wonder how I always lose weight on a cruise and raises the question, how much do I eat when I'm at home?

Elysian Beach in St. Thomas

Anyway, you can follow these links to my Southern Caribbean cruise long ago.

Starting in San Juan

Embarking Destiny

St. Thomas

Antigua

Guadeloupe

Destiny at Sea

Aruba

Completing Destiny

By the way, Destiny has been totally re-imagined, refurbished and re-named Sunshine.

Antigua: October, 2000

When we awoke the next morning, we were in Antigua's port. We had breakfast at the indoor Sun And Sea Restaurant on the Lido Deck. The industrial view from the ship in Antigua isn't nearly as inviting as St. Thomas. I had another light breakfast of grapefruit and coffee...and bagel...and melon, banana and veggie omelet du fromage (thanks, Steve Martin, for that long ago French lesson).

After breakfast, we took a taxi ($12 plus tip) to Hawksbill, an area so named because of a reddish rock formation that juts out of the turquoise water and looks like a hawk's head. We found fantastic snorkeling at the second jetty on the left. We swam out to Hawk's Bill rock. As Julie and I swam about two feet away from each other, I spotted a giant purple jelly fish between us and yelled through my snorkel. Julie looked over and we avoided being stung, but I wish my underwater picture of that jelly fish had turned out more clear.

We came across three more large, purple jelly fish, so we headed back to shore, fortunately avoiding contact.

We took a break at a hotel restaurant, where two Diet Cokes inexplicably came to a total of $4.75, and then did some more snorkeling.

Walking to some tide pools, we found sheared sheep frolicking by the beach along with a few nude sunbathers.

We taxied into town ($12 plus tip), where we bought some shirts and other junk. The shop owners had good selections and welcomed haggling. We went back on the ship for a late lunch at the New York style deli on the Lido Deck. I had a great corned beef sandwich, low cal coleslaw and lemonade. Julie had turkey on a country roll, french fries and iced tea. We headed back into town to do some more shopping, including exchanging a shirt I’d bought that didn't fit, and then we returned to the ship to rest a little before dinner. The people in Antigua, which has strong British ties, seemed to be genuinely nice, very Christian people who smiled a lot despite not being as wealthy as their St. Thomas counterparts. The language remained kind of Jamaica, mon.

Tuesday was formal night, which started with a Captain's Party where waitresses carry around trays filled with complimentary drinks including Martinis, wine, screwdrivers and others, while other waitresses served hors d'eurvres. We chatted with a newlywed couple from Allentown, Pennsylvania, who had never cruised before, and another couple from Puerto Rico, who said they preferred Cunard Lines.

For dinner, I had Mississippi Delta prawns as appetizers, minestrone, lobster tail for the main entrée, and finished with cherries jubilee, a meal I rated at four stars. Julie had cream of tomato soup with gin, Caesar's salad and prime rib. The waiters stood on one of the gorgeous staircases and sang "O Solo Mio" as a group after dinner.

We strolled around the ship, taking in the sights and sound of formal night, and then went to the main show, 'Formidable," starring the Destiny Dancers, Pattie Speed and Trent Webb. What an excellent show! Fantastic costumes that were sexy but in good taste and tremendous performances. They started with songs from 1950s musicals like "Gigi," with the women wearing costumes of bras and skin tight pants. It eventually changed to a Cirque de Soleil type of show with surreal costumes under black lights. They finished with an ultra modern fashion show, where dancers draped flowing material on underwear-clad models in a way that reminded me of the cartoon version of "Cinderella" where animals make Cinderella's dress.

We went to one of the other night clubs after the show, where we danced to rock performed by a sensational Philippine band who seemed capable of covering every great song ever recorded. When they took a break, we wandered over to the jazz club, where a four piece jazz combo got mellow. We went back to the room and watched the last inning of an American League playoff game where Seattle beat the Yankees.

Our Stricklands of Sizergh Castle

Having mispronounced its name for years upon learning it to be the Strickland family's ancestral home, I confirmed at Sizergh Castle that its name is actually sigh-zer, possibly pronounced sigh-th-zer in Old English.

While admission to the estate does not include a guided tour, volunteers well-versed in the history Sizergh Castle and Strickland family lore await in each room, happy to share what they know, which is considerable.

One guide was particularly well-informed.  I'd like to think this handsome, dapper chap in the prime of life could be a distant cousin, perhaps a grandson of Angela Hornyold-Strickland, who passed away in 2015, and Lt. Commander Thomas Hornyold-Strickland.  Pure conjecture, if not out-and-out hallucination, but it nonetheless introduces the hyphenated surname of the current residents, which I've mentioned previously and usually brings an embarrassed, adolescent smile to those who hear it.

While not exactly clever, I hope you find that somewhat amusing.

That possibly Hornyold-Strickland chap confirmed something I find very interesting indeed, which is that George Washington is my distant cousin.

Getting into the weeds of exactly how that is possible, unfortunately, soon reduces me to being subject to the same criticism to which Emma chided Miss Bates in the video at the end of my prior article.

Nonetheless, here it goes:

Elizabeth d'Eyncourt married Sir William de Strikeland, and they had two children, a daughter named Joan born about 1260 and a son named Walter in about 1265.

Through primogenitor, Walter inherited Sizergh Castle despite being the younger child by virtue of being male, but Joan certainly took a nice dowry and pedigree into her marriage with Robert de Wessington.

At some point, Wessington became slurred into the spelling "Washington" in those nearly illiterate times.  Yes, they were grandparents twelve generations up from George Washington.

Going back further, Adam de Castle Carrock had a son named Sir Walter fitz Adam (literally, Son of Adam), who married Christiana de Leteham, the heiress of Great Stirkeland, which means great pastureland of stirkes (cattle).

Walter decided to take the surname "de Stirkeland."  His son Robert had a son named Robert, and by the time his son William married Elizabeth and became Lord of Sizergh Manor, the name had morphed a bit to Strikeland.

On Elizabeth's side, William de Lancaster, Lord of Kendal, granted Sizergh to Sir Gervase d'Eyncourt in about 1175 for meritorious service, and upon his death, the estate passed to his son, Sir Ralph.

Ralph died without an heir, so his sister, Elizabeth d'Eyncourt, inherited the property.

According to the family tree in the National Trust guidebook of Sizergh Castle that our son Jay gave me during our visit, the Strikeland family proceeded from Joan's brother Walter, with subsequent senior sons alternating between the first name Walter and Thomas for a total of six generations, with the surname eventually morphing to Strickland.

Each achieved distinction for military service.  While Elizabeth d'Eyncourt descended from Scottish kings, the Stricklands fought in the Scottish wars of Kings Edward I and II.

In the Hundred Year War against France, their Kendal archers fought under Kings Edward III and Henry V.  

At the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the second Sir Thomas carried the Banner of St. George, which was considered the banner with the highest honor.  This white flag with a red cross was the English flag, forerunner of the Union Jack.

The royal "standard-bearer" Sir Thomas had a son named Walter, who was the only leader of the Strickland family not dubbed a Knight during the medieval period, though he did fight on the White Rose side in the War of the Roses.

His son Sir Thomas was knighted during the War of the Roses in the heat of the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471.  He fought for King Edward IV, who was a York.  The Yorks were represented by the White Rose, and the Lancasters by the Red Rose.  While the White Rose won that seemingly decisive battle, the crimson tide later turned.  In 1485, King Henry VII won the throne for the Red Rose.

Despite being on the wrong side of that war, Strickland fortunes actually improved under what became known as Tudor rule.  King Henry VII married Elizabeth of York to unite the country, an effort to bring former enemies together under the same flag.

Before Tewkesbury, Sir Thomas Strickland had married Agnes Parr in 1464.  Their grandniece was Queen Consort Catherine Parr, who became the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII in 1543.  She was charged with the care of the girl who would grow up to be Queen Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen (and conjecture on that subject is at the historic root of Steve Barry's novel The King's Deception, which I recently read in conjunction with this trip).

Back to the Strickland family line, the next Walter Strickland broke the trend, naming his son Walter, and that Walter named his son Walter. That third Walter in a row was Walter Charles Strickland Esq, for those of you keeping score.

In addition to military service, they began a tradition of serving in Parliament, with government service being a family tradition through the twentieth century at least.

As the family fortunes improved over time, the family home became more elaborate.  In 1310, a more substantial stone manor house with a large great hall replaced the original structure.  Sir Thomas, hero of Tewkesbury, built the four-story tower, "adding swagger" according tot he guidebook.

Sizergh Castle tripled in size during the Tudor Period, despite the Stricklands being staunch Catholics who were philosophically opposed King Henry VIII's Protestant Reformation.