Friday December 8, 2017
Today was the excursion that I was thinking was going to be the most “Caribbean” of all of the excursions planned (I mean we were not doing one of the rum factory ones so this was the best we could do). It’s snorkeling time!! It was a 930 departure from the dock for the catamaran, so we grabbed a quick breakfast and slathered on the sunscreen and headed out. There were a fair amount of people on board, but I was glad I got to try out my water shirt and aqua shoes to wander around in and out of the water.
Our first stop was our intended snorkeling spot. Unfortunately, there was a weather system kicking up the waves and the sea was choppy where they had intended to take us. They stopped and let some people get off the catamaran to explore. I jumped in and was shocked at how cold the water was. I was expecting dreamy warm temperatures, but I had to remind myself that it was actually December. I quickly got exhausted due to the waves and the cold so I got out fairly quickly.
Next stop was a beach location where they tied off the catamaran and gave us our provided lunch and ample free time to either chill in the water or buy some local made merchandise. We had fun relaxing in the warmer water of the cove and just chatting with other people on the excursion. After 90 min or so we were back on the catamaran and headed into the port. We checked out the shopping village on the way back to the ship and scoped out the usual souvenirs. I did notice that the town of Saint John looked pretty neat from the bow of the ship and I regret that we didn’t have a chance to explore the town more. The catamaran while fun was a bit of a let down due to the choppiness of the water. Also, this stop was the make-up stop for Saint Martin so perhaps if I do another cruise I will try and come back to here and Saint Martin.
Tonight we dined at the Teppanyaki restaurant on the ship and the filet was really good. Its still fancier than I usually eat, but we had a great time with food and drinks so it was a good end to the day.
Tomorrow we are back in the US at the Virgin Islands which means cell service!
