This is our first time with extended days at sea…this cruise having 3 right off the bat. So please pardon the lack of reading material for yesterday (Saturday). Not much was accomplished.
Some time was spent in the theatre becomming acquainted with the shopping opportunities on the 3 islands that are coming our way. St Maarten and Antigua are both well known for tax and duty free methods of spending money. Jewelry, tobacco, spirits – they’re all here waiting to be exchanged for hard earned cash. Legitimate deals can be had if you know exactly what you’re looking for and how it compares with what you’re actually buying.
Looking beyond purchasing power, there are quite a few other activities that can be enjoyed depending on personal preferences. In St. Marrten there is a zoo, butterfly farm, an off-island trip to St. Barts (a very close neighboring French island), horseback riding, Rhino riding (which isn’t the horned variety, but rather a 2 person inflatable motorboat) and even helmet diving at Sea Trek Underwater Park. No shortage of experiences await almost any interests.
After the shopping lessons a trip down to the Wheelhouse Bar which (on Saturday) was hosting an English Pub-style lunch. Bangers and mash, fish and chips, beer – certainly food that one would expect on any local pub in merry old. And well done here in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle as well. (oh yeah…I may have neglected to mention that the possibility exists we may become just another mysterious statistic given the route we are travelling. If you see this post, so far, so good.)
While mental relaxation is definitely meant for some, for others the calming call of wheels spinning and bells ringing are too enticing to refuse. The casino has long been referred to as a money grabbing pit, designed to relieve the weight of money from one’s pocket. Many diatribe has been heard about losses incurred. However, so far I’m up a net total of $125 on an initial investment of $50. What am I doing wrong??
Saturday was also the first formal dining night on this journey, which we elected to pass on. There will be another that we will enjoy, but on this occasion a fine spot for viewing the Champagne Waterfall and antics around it seemed an acceptable choice.
Sunday has become a repeat of Saturday including no real change in the weather. Warm, to be sure, but rainy and a little bit of a wind kicking up a few whitecaps and making walking onboard more of an actual exercise than a stroll. It’s not a problem for us, but we are on the low side of the average age onboard. Other people are having more excitement than they have been used to for a while.
The casino continues to provide a reduction in cost to the trip so I will have to study the manual a little more to better determine where my error lies. 😉