St. Kitts

Day #10: Sunday, February 21
St. Kitts

Once again, we did not have an excursion planned for this island, so we slept in until about 10:30 after our late night the evening prior. We had our usual buffet breakfast out by the back pool so we could admire the scenery of St. Kitts while we ate, then took some quick photos from the deck before going ashore.

Ah, another decent porthole view!

Not a terrible thing to look at while you eat, I think.

You know why I like those mountains out there? Because they are not covered with snow. BECAUSE THEY ARE IN THE CARIBBEAN. Those are my kind of mountains.

Heather on the deck at St. Kitts

Heather had told me that St. Kitts was another fun place to just walk around, so we planned to do that for a bit then perhaps catch a taxi to the beach. She was right - the port area was very nice with lots of shops and restaurants. We did some shopping right away, as planned. I bought my postcards and magnets as well as a new dress, and Heather got some cute clothes as well. Then we found a spot to sit so I could fill out my postcard for Eric.

Welcome to St. Kitts!

The main street in port

We then walked further into town in search of the post office so that I could mail my postcard, but we couldn't find it. Everything outside of the main port area was closed (I'm assuming because it was Sunday) and it was pretty deserted. We got a couple of nice pictures of the area then headed back to the main port. On the way, we asked a very nice man handing out samples of rum (there's your first clue that he's nice) for directions to the post office, which was just a half block to the right. Success! Another postcard in the mail.

This is a big tree.

Pretty fountain, with some more of those lovely mountains in the background

I just loved this palm tree/bush/fan/thing. Also, a pretty church behind it.

More postcard proof! Also, a tiny glimpse at the cute beach bag I bought in Aruba.

We then debated whether or not to go to the beach, but the cab was a little pricey and it wasn't super sunny out. So, we decided instead to just have a drink and something small to eat.

We stopped at a little bar called Tiffany's Bar and Grill, where we got a table outside so we could watch the happenings along the street. The sign in front of the bar advertised three Carib beers for $5 U.S., so Heather and I each ordered a set of those (to our waitress's surprise - "You mean, you each want three beers?" Yes. Yes, we do). We also split a delicious lunch of fried fish, rice, and plantains. It was a very authentic Caribbean lunch that really hit the spot. We sat there for quite some time, just drinking our beers and enjoying the day. Some dancers and drummers came through and put on a bit of a show, and Heather and I had some nice conversation. It's so nice to just get to talk to her. She's really a good person.

Heather and our bucket o' Carib

Our glorious lunch

That beer hit the spot like never before. Nothing like a cold Carib on a hot island day.

Dancers that came by while we had lunch
(Eric suggested I should have offered to buy one of their hats to wear to this year's Easter Bonnet Parade!)

VIDEO: Dancers in St. Kitts

After paying for our Lunch of Deliciousness, we walked back towards the ship and ran into Heather's friends Hayne (auctioneer) and Richard (photo and video manager). We walked back to the ship with them and agreed to meet them for sail away drinks. Before that, we went to the pool at the back of the ship for a quick dip, which felt wonderful. Then we met up with Hayne and Richard again and went up to the bar on Deck 15. I took some time to take a couple of pictures before relaxing with my Three Berries Daiquiri (okay, two Three Berries Daiquiris. Hey, I was on vacation).

View from the ship

Me and St. Kitts

Enjoying our sail away drinks at the bar on Deck 15

During sail away we were treated to a couple of little interesting things to watch. First, on the island they were doing some kind of burn that really got large at one point. That kept us entertained for a while.

View of the burn from the ship. I was sure that little white building was a goner.

The Ruby Princess was also in St. Kitts that day, and they were docked right next to us. So, during sail away, everybody on our deck waved farewell to everyone on theirs (they actually left before us, so I guess it was really during their sail away).

So long, Ruby Princess!

That night Heather had the evening off again, so after sail away we went back to the cabin to get ready for a fancy dinner at The Painted Desert, the steakhouse on the ship, with Heather's friends Andrew (fellow singer) and Rebecca (shore excursions manager). We ended up being ready to go in time to catch the 7:45 show in the Princess Theater, a vocal impressionist named Tony Cherry. He was very good, but unfortunately we had to leave his show a little early to make our 8:30 dinner reservation.

When we arrived at the steakhouse, Andrew and Rebecca weren't there yet, but the portrait area was nearby so Heather and I had a quick portrait taken. Fancy!

It's been a while since we did this!

By the time our photo shoot was done, our friends had arrived so we went in for dinner. I must say, everything was excellent, and you get all that I am about to describe to you for only a cover charge of $20. This is an UNHEARD OF deal in my neck of the woods. (Unfortunately, I dropped the ball and did not take pictures!)

We started, of course, with a delicious bottle of red wine (okay, that did cost extra). To start, I had scallops and pan-seared foie gras, followed by a shrimp and pancetta bisque. My entree was, of course, filet mignon, and was accompanied by an assortment of side dishes (potatoes, asparagus, spinach, etc.). Then the dessert...oh, the dessert. The dessert was to die for. On Heather's recommendation, I had the Seven Layer S'mores Stack. As I mentioned, I did not get a picture of it, BUT Heather did one time when she had it before. You must see this magic-on-a-plate, so here is Heather's picture:

Oh yes. Graham cracker and chocolate goodness, topped with toasted marshmallows and served with some raspberry goo on the side. GLORIOUS.

Everything was absolutely amazing, BUT...there's a "but." After my soup course, not only was I already feeling full, but the ship had started doing the worst kind of rocking a ship can do: that slow, deliberate side-to-side rocking. Nothing super rough, just baaaack...and foooorth...and baaaack...and fooorth. Blech. So, I started feeling seasick before they even brought my steak. Now, I had been looking forward to this meal for days, so I was NOT about to just throw in the towel. I did take at least a few bites of everything, and that is how I know it was all delicious. But, I just couldn't enjoy it like I had planned, and that was very disappointing. I need a do-over!

Since apparently when I get seasick I cannot even stand the smell of alcohol, much less letting it touch my lips, I did not finish my glass of wine and the second bottle we had ordered got corked up and brought back to our room. By that time it was about 11:00. Since we had another early (and awesome) tour planned for the next day, we decided to call it a night.

Up next: Swimming with sea lions in St. Thomas!

Hey, have I mentioned? There are more pictures of our time in St. Kitts on the photo share site!