Historical Perspective. This will be the fourth time we have visited Antigua. In December 2018, we explored the town and the cathedral area. In December 2021 (cruising post pandemic), we were still under Caribbean COVID rules (we had to carry VAX cards with us and masks were required). We did get off for a brief look around – we found a magnet and Ellen bought a colorful mask. We also stopped in a drugstore on the way back to the ship because we had forgot Tylenol and Advil. The prices were sky high so we didn’t get anything. We were back in January 2022. COVID rules were still in effect and COVID was on the ship. We did not get off due to an abundance of caution.
It is another beautiful day in the Southern Caribbean.
I got early morning shots of the seas and sunrise from my cabin.
The air temperature has been the same since we started this cruise – either the climate in the area is stable or someone just didn’t feel like getting the actual current conditions to put in the Insider.
Kind of an up and down night – was up early – wanted to
sleep more but couldn’t. The ride was
smooth, the temp in the room was OK – who knows?
A few days ago, when we docked in St Maarten, there were noises and a metal cable was stretched across my window. Here's the cable that appeared during the docking in Antigua.
Here's where out ship is docked.
Went to the Windows Café at around 7:00 AM and had breakfast on the Sunset Veranda. Today, it was pancakes and eggs day – the timing was all wrong – cold pancakes and late arriving eggs. But drowned in syrup evened things up. One crazy thing today – while I was eating I wanted to take a picture of the sail in. Even though my meal, magazine, and coffee were still at the table, a passenger decided it was the dirty dishes table and she deposited two juice glasses on the table. Someone needs their eyesight checked. I moved my meal to the next table and ordered a new cup of coffee. Ironically, the woman that put her used juice glasses on my table actually sat a different table. Passengers are just people and they come in all types.
I watched the approach into St John's.
And a panorama shot as well.
I did get some shots of St John's from the ship. Hard to tell how many people are getting off.
Today, Onward is joined by two UK ships, the Marella Explorer 2 and the relatively new and massive P&O Arvia . The Marella ship in a previous life was Celebrity Century (we sailed on this ship in 2010). It’s a medium size cruiser with a capacity of around 1800 passenger (to our 780). The stack has been painted but you can still see the Celebrity X.
The P&O Arvia, launched in 2022, is
currently the largest British Cruise ship carrying 5200 passengers nominally
but can be fully loaded with over 6200 guests.
Down in the room now – real time 8:54 AM AST.
After going back and forth I decided not to get off the
ship for a couple of reasons. With three
ships here today and two of them pretty large, the people density in the
shopping area will be high. Secondly,
it’s Sunday and a lot of the shops will be closed (although the presence of
ships may convince some shop owners to open up).
But, if I stay on board, I will have a pretty quiet ship today. I found a nice lounger on Deck 5 and spent the day in the cool Caribbean breeze and quiet. I am about half way through my book. I did have an excellent view of the Marella Explorer 2.
Lunch of course, was on the Sunset Veranda – today I opted for a Beyond Burger, some nachos with guacamole and salsa, and a small salad. I also had a Diet Coke instead of a beer. The burger was very good but one little onion slice is not enough on the burger. I will get an onion slice off the salad bar. Also, the baked nachos are better than the fried nachos (they are mixed together so you have to forage).
I was able to save my seat on Deck 5 so I was back down
there, this time sipping an iced Café Americano.
I was up early in Windows because the ship departed at
6:00 PM. The sail away involved a 180
degree turn in the harbor before heading out.
I got good views of the other ships from a different angle.
Tonight was “Taste of Britain” in Windows Café. I was one of the first in line for the freshly deep fried fish and chips – they came right out of a boiling skillet of oil so they couldn’t be fresher. They were good but not spectacular. I also tried the Broccoli and Stilton Soup – the Broccoli soup the other day without the cheese was better. I tried a Bakewell Tart and it was OK – a cheesecake adjacent tart. The Jellyroll was so-so. Britain Night was a good meal choice. I got my own packet of decaf coffee and had that with the dessert. Here's the view at dinner.
I didn’t stay long because there was one passenger that
was so loud I am sure they heard him on shore.
I decided to pass on the show tonight which featured Eric Walton, magician and entertainer,
even though we had never seen him before.
Maybe, next cruise.
Went back to the room early and read and surfed.
Lights out at 11:00 PM.
No comments:
Post a Comment