February 11 - 13, 2025 - Days Four Through Seven of Our Caribbean Cruise

My Blog Reflection

"To travel is to live."

Hans Christian Andersen

Day 4: Tuesday February 11

We cruised overnight and docked at Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic around 7:00 a.m. The Dominican Republic is very mountainous. I hadn't expected that. One half of the island is the Dominion Republic and the other half is Haiti. They are very different countries due to very different histories and do not get along well. The Dominican Republic was colonized by the British. Haiti was colonized by the French who brought in many slaves. The Dominican Republic is safe for travelers, Haiti is not.

When we arrived in port, just in front of us, three cranes were unloading sand from a ship into bobtail trucks. I never thought about needing to import sand.

We thought about paying for a short tour but decided just to explore a little on our own. It was a short day departing at 2:30 p.m. We walked around the many shops. In the "duty free" shop we purchased a bottle of "Mango Rum". Last year we were given a bottle of "Shipwreck Mango Rum" by friends, Scott and Beth, and really enjoyed it. We thought we would get a bottle here. As we were leaving it started to pour rain. We waited in the duty free shop for a about a half hour. When the rain let up we headed back to the ship for lunch. The cruise ship docked to the right of us was quite a bit larger. On the left you can see the three cranes that were unloading sand all day.

Once back on board the sun came out for the rest of the day. I took a short nap on the balcony after lunch. Life is tough.

After we pulled out of port mid-afternoon we learned that our tour director had taken ill and was left in the hospital in the Dominican Republic. We were told he was subsequently flown to the US for treatment.  We now had to communicate with his assistant, Denise, who unfortunately had little knowledge of everyone's itinerary. This created a lot of confusion. Denise is a very nice and helpful lady but she was about as organized as a hardware store after an earthquake. Overall she did fine having all of this dumped in her lap.

After supper we went to the theater for the show by “Shades of Michael Buble”. These three fellows from New York performed a nice medley of Michael Buble type songs.

Immediately following in the theater was a show by the comedian Julie Barr. Once again she was quite entertaining.

Day 5: February 12

We arrived in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, at 11:30 a.m.

As part of our cruise we had signed up for a golf cart tour of "Waters Island". It sounded great from the description. At noon we had to take a small ferry to get to the island. Once on the island we were assigned to “Lisa's Carts” to get a golf cart for the day. Once we did our golf cart tour we were scheduled to have lunch at 3:00 p.m. at "Heidi's Hilltop Restaurant".

Getting things organized for this "tour" was as chaotic as anything I've ever been involved in. Upon arrival we learned that there was no tour. You just drove the golf cart around the island on your own - no guide, no map, no points of interest given, etc.

We met with our golf cart concessionaire, Lisa. We then rode in a dilapidated old pickup truck which had been converted into a small trolley-like bus to her business place. Once there the cart drivers, of which I was one, signed in and deposited $500 for possible damages. This process took place at the bar and took forever. It was clear they were much better suited to make drinks than complete paperwork. Finally we got our four-person cart. Mike and Carol, a couple from Ohio, were assigned to ride with Kelly and me. 

As I said, we had no map. We were told to just stay on "the paved road" and we wouldn't get lost. Thanks a lot. Shortly down the road we saw a hand-painted sign saying “Fort” with an arrow pointing left. We thought that must be something to see so off we went. The more we drove up the hill the worse the road got. I use the term “road” loosely. It was actually a potholed obstacle course. Once at the top you walked through the woods to a bunker and a big pit where a huge gun was to be installed. I read on the sign that by the time this "fort" was all built during WWII the war was over and the gun was never installed. So much for the being a fort.

There is a storage area and bunker behind the "big gun". It was all trashy and not illuminated for viewing by tourists. It was a joke really. Here is Kelly trying to figure out what might have been in there at one time. You would think they would have kept it cleaned up a little.

We crawled back down the hill in the golf cart, got on the paved road and soon came upon a trailer with a sign stating that they were selling local art. Carol wanted to stop so we did. While there Mike got a beer and Carol got a root beer icy. Now there was no riding around in the golf cart so we sat there for twenty minutes while they enjoyed their drinks. (Ticked me off but what are you going to do?)

By then it was almost our scheduled time for lunch so we headed in the direction of "Heidi's Hilltop Restaurant". We had a choice of French Dip Roast Beef and chips or hamburger and fries. Kelly and I opted for the roast beef. The food was good but the place was nothing to write home about. (Yet here I am doing just that.) LOL. By the time we finished lunch our time on the island was about up. We headed back down to the beach area to turn in the golf cart and to then catch the ferry back to the ship. While we saw nothing on our "tour" there actually wasn't much to see. This little "excursion" was not cheap and everyone in the group thought it was a MAJOR bust. We all expressed to the acting tour director, Denise, about how bad it was and that it was not as advertised.

Back on board the ship, after another nice supper, we went to the Cabaret Show in the theater which was performed by the ship's troupe. While it was entertaining I'm glad I didn't have to pay to see it.

Day 6: February 13

Again we cruised overnight. Upon docking in the morning we all disembarked early for a walk to the catamaran for our scheduled excursion - a day out on a catamaran, snorkeling, swimming, and lunch on the beach. When we got off the ship it was extremely windy. All catamaran companies except ours cancelled. Nonetheless, with the high winds, we opted to cancel even though we would not get a refund. Instead we walked aimlessly around the tourist shops then headed back to the ship. We later learned that the catamaran trip was quite rough and a number of people got seasick. Denise, who said she was a sailor, said she was afraid to eat the lunch and then get back aboard. That tells you something. We were glad we skipped it even though we lost our money.

A fuel barge tied up to the ship and pumped diesel into the ship for over five hours. It was an eight inch filler hose so it is hard to imagine how many gallons we took on. I was told that much would last two days at sea.

We scheduled a guided bus tour of St. John's for the next day. 

Two of our daughters have birthdays on February 13th so we wished them a "Happy Birthday" using "Whatsapp" on the wi-fi. We had no cell phone service so we couldn't call them. The ship provided everyone "basic" wi-fi. It worked fine for me but Kelly was not satisfied with the speed so she opted to pay $80.00 to "upgrade" her connection. Her upgrade was no better than my free wi-fi and she let them know how disappointed she was. I believe that and $3.00 might have gotten her a cup of coffee on shore. LOL

Every afternoon a "snack" was delivered to our stateroom. Here is a picture of one. A tasty treat while sitting out on the balcony.

Supper this evening was a special treat our tour guide arranged for us in the "Tuscany Restaurant". This restaurant is normally only available to those who opt to pay for a cruise upgrade. (About another $1,000.00.) The food was outstanding and more than plentiful, as was the wine of your choice which was poured freely. We had Italian bread, salad, multiple appetizers, a main course or our choice with sides, and a choice of several different desserts. I ordered the fillet mignon and it was the best I've had in many years.

After supper we went to the theater to catch a show by Gen Maldonado, who sang songs of several famous divas. She is an excellent singer from Brooklyn, NY and could really belt out the songs.

Every evening after the shows there were various activities, music, etc. We are not "party animals" anymore, if we ever were. After the show in the evenings we would enjoy a drink in a bar area and then head to our stateroom, calling it a night.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .