This was a special anniversary cruise to celebrate our mother’s 90th.
The ship was a new one for me: the Summit from the Celebrity line.
I have to say we booked a concierge level cabin, which was a new, and very pleasant, experience for me. Among other amenities, we had a butler who delivered a daily platter of tea time/cocktail time nibbles. He also organized a nice cocktail party for her on THE day.
And of course the daily towel sculptures were there too!
Having said that, the ship was fine save for the dining room service which was very poor. We had opted for a beverage package which is a pleasant option to have if your beverages are not included in the price of your cruise.
We boarded the ship in San Juan Puerto Rico, which is not ideal because there are no direct flights from Montréal, but we managed without any delays with a stop in Toronto.
After boarding and getting ourselves oriented, we had our first supper and then, after a night of sailing arrived at the island of Saint Croix, in the US Virgin Islands
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We chose to visit the Whim Planation, a former cane plantation, with an interesting museum and lovely flowers through the grounds.
Our next stop, logically, was in a rhum distillery: Cruzan.
Afterwards, stopped at the St George Village botanical garden…
The next port of call was St Kitts, also known more formally as Saint Christopher Island, in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders theCaribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and neighbouring Nevis are separated by a shallow channel known as “The Narrows”.
We chose a visit to another great house and gardens: the Fairview Great House. Even under the rain it has a great view!
We lifted anchor once more and arrived, the next morning, in Dominica. The island is located near Guadeloupe to the northwest and Martinique to the south-southeast. Dominica has been nicknamed the “Nature Isle of the Caribbean” for its lush mountainous rainforests.
We chose a Caribbean cooking class up in the tropical forest of Roseau.
After a lovely sun set we set sail for Grenada
It is located northwest of Trinidad and Tobago, northeast of Venezuela and southwest of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Grenada is also known as the “Island of Spice” due to its production of nutmeg and mace.
Our first visit was at Concord Falls, a refreshing stop.
The next stop was at a nutmeg processing plant. It smelled nice. Interesting to see that the mace is a reddish “net” enveloping the nut.
Needless to say I purchased some of both, but the nutmegs were so hard that I was never able to grate any of them.
There also was a chocolate processing facility nearby…
Back on board we held our celebration supper et their “fancy” restaurant the Qsine. Each dish was a spectacular production…
We kept on celebrating the next day…
After a day at sea we arrived in St Thomas the gateway to the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean, it is renowned for its beaches and diving spots. Charlotte Amalie, the capital of the territory founded by the Danes in the 1600s, is a popular marina that attracts obviously very wealthy people.
This time we all chose the same excursion and opted for a day at the beach. The sand was like flour and the water was every colour of blue, turquoise and green… divine!
And we lifted anchor for the last time, before returning to San Juan Puerto Rico.
As our flight only took off in the afternoon, we chose to take a guided tour of San Juan on our way to the airport. Unfortunately, the minibus’s AC was defective, so it was a very very hot visit…but San Juan is still a lovely place to visit.
We started with the Bacardi plant. It was interesting to learn that the bat is the emblem of the company, because bats are natural friends of the rum industry as they pollinate the sugarcane crops and prey on insects that damage them and also they are seen as a source of good fortune throughout Latin culture… It was nice to taste a couple of different rhums too.
We drove by the fort and along beaches, we drove through small streets…it was all very picturesque…but too hot to take lots of photos…
Thus ends our anniversary cruise. It was memorable and the last cruise my mother ever took.