St. Vincent

Day #9: Saturday, February 20
St. Vincent

Heather had rehearsal at noon on St. Vincent day, so we were lazy and slept in until about 11:00, then she left to rehearse for about an hour. While I waited for her, I was amazed at the pretty scenery out the porthole - lots of mountains and beautiful water. Thanks to Heather's rehearsal, St. Vincent was one of the islands we spent the least amount of time on, but it was one of my top two favorites (interestingly enough, San Juan was my other favorite port, and our time there was also cut short due to rehearsal - but we'll get to that one!). It was just so, so gorgeous. Fun fact: much of Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed on St. Vincent!

Now THAT is a porthole view.

While Heather rehearsed I called Eric, then went up to Deck 15 to take some pictures and pick up lunch for us from the buffet. I just could not get over how gorgeous St. Vincent looked, and I was so eager to get off the ship and check it out. The water was such a stunning turquoise color, and it was so clear I could see rocks under water from Deck 15! Spectacular.

Look at that water!

Breathtaking.

As soon as Heather was done rehearsing, we ate quickly and went ashore. I'll tell you what, the island certainly did not get any less beautiful with a closer look.

Welcome to St. Vincent!

We're ready to hit the beach!

First things first, I bought my postcards and magnet. Then we took a water taxi to a beach on another side of the island. The ride was a little scary (fast and rough), but the scenery was stunning. The cliffs are just so gorgeous and the water is so beautiful. I know, I know, I'm gushing...but I warned you that I loved this island. You could also see other little islands all over the place, tons of boats out on the water, and even a huge rock (island?) that reminded me of Bass Rock in Scotland (but with much warmer temperatures).

On the water taxi, with our ship behind me

The rock that made me think of Scotland

Our water taxi driver pointed out things of interest as we went, which was nice. We passed an incredible natural rock wall, and a big white cross on a rock that apparently is the tomb of the man who discovered the bay. He is buried in that cross standing up, looking out over the bay.

The natural rock wall

The cross

The boat pulled right up to the beach and we had about an hour and a half to spend there. The sand was darker (more brown) than previous beaches we had been to, and it was very hot. We laid out in the sun for a bit and also spent some time wading in the water. Again, I was amazed at how clear it was. While we relaxed I also filled out my postcard for Eric and took some pictures.

On the beach in St. Vincent
(In case you are wondering, my eye was nearly better by this point [over 48 hours later], but I was still playing it safe with my floppy hat. At least this hat is more fashionable.)

I've almost got the "pose" down pat!

On the beach there were all kinds of people trying to make some money - selling seats on their boats for snorkeling, renting lounge chairs, and even a little boy with a watering can who would rinse your feet for $3 U.S. He had some takers! I guess it's hard to say no to a cute little boy, even if he's just pouring water on your feet as you sit in the sand.

It was time to leave much too soon. We boarded our water taxi again and made the trip back. Again the driver slowed the boat down as we passed alongside the cliffs and pointed out some neat things, like volcanic rock and cacti growing out of it. He also pointed out a couple of birds.

Heather on the taxi ride back

What a cool house! Would you want to live on top of a cave?

Doesn't this just look like a movie?

When we got back to port, I dropped Eric's postcard in the mailbox and we boarded the ship.

I had Heather take my picture mailing a few of Eric's postcards in case they didn't make it to him - then I would have proof that I really did send them!
(So far, Eric has received five of the nine postcards I sent! The St. Vincent postcard is not one of them. Good thing I have this proof!)

We dropped our stuff off in Heather's cabin then went to the buffet for some food. Heather had sound check again at 6:00, so we watched sail away from her cabin as she got ready. We were able to see a beautiful sunset from her porthole.

Lovely

That night Heather was doing another new show called Motor City, this time in the Vista Lounge instead of the Princess Theater. I went to both her shows that night, of course. This show was probably my favorite. I loved the music, and it was very high-energy with lots of dancing.

"Tears of a Clown"

Supremes Medley

"I'm Coming Out"

Heather being introduced at the end of the show

Naturally, I took video of this show, too. So, I am back here presenting you with yet another really long video. What can I say? I just can't cut Heather down to quick clips. At least my video skills were a little better by this point, with the exception of people's heads in the way. Not much I can do about that. Once again, I'll give you the breakdown of what songs start when in the video in case you want to skip through:

• 0:04 "Tears of a Clown" - lovely!
• 1:14 The Supremes Medley - this was my favorite. Heather is adorable in this one, I think. She wants to be the diva and doesn't want those other girls taking her spotlight! Want some behind-the scenes info on this one? Watch during "Come See About Me" (around 4:13), when the girls are fighting over the microphone. One of the microphones breaks and a piece falls to the floor. You can see Bobbie Jay, the other main girl singer, bend down to pick it up then toss it off stage. Then as Bobbie takes over singing "Baby Love," Heather is supposed to be pouting about Bobbie's solo, but she has trouble because she can't stop laughing about the microphone! Haha. Okay, perhaps I shouldn't be telling you about prop malfunctions, but I thought it was funny.
• 6:16 "I'm Coming Out" - for this one, Heather has to get dressed then run out on the decks in full costume to make her entrance from the back of the theater. It's kind of crazy, so APPRECIATE HER ENTRANCE, people. (I don't have good video of it, but please appreciate it nonetheless.)
• 9:08 "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" - Love it!
  
• 10:26 "Proud Mary" - GO HEATHER!
• 12:21 "Dancin' in the Streets" - the big finish! Also featuring my "wooo" for Heather when they introduce her at the end.
  

VIDEO: Selections from "Motor City"

After Heather's second show of the night, we met up outside the theater and went to the Ward Room (a.k.a. "The Wardie"), a bar for officers and performers, for drinks. We met up with a bunch of Heather's friends and stayed up until nearly 3:00 a.m. talking. Then, bedtime!

Up next: A leisurely day in St. Kitts!

Don't forget - there are more pictures of both gorgeous St. Vincent and Heather's Motor City show on the photo share site!