Morning at sea from the Suite. Beautiful ocean view, and it seems I am still enamored with the many moods of the stateroom. Our stateroom attendant Rudy was exemplary. He has had experiences on other Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines ships, and he believes that ours is not the most elegant Royal Suite stateroom. I can't imagine what else they could add (other than maybe another half bath), but I'm looking forward to finding out! jpmeyer.com
Sunrise over the Caribbean Sea. Then it's off to challenge the rock climbing wall, after which more pictures of the Voyager of the Seas are presented.
On the Rock Climbing Wall. The crew was very helpful in getting us ready to "ring the bell." It took more time to read and sign the release form than anything else. From our vantage point on the observation deck of the rock climbing wall, you can see the inline skating track behind the full-sized basketball court. Next to that is the miniature golf course, which is particularly challenging on a rolling ship. It was very windy that day on the high seas. Personally speaking, there's an exhilarating sense of accomplishment at ringing that silly bell. Sebastian's assessment: "It gave me a wedgie." Priceless. jpmeyer.com
Royal Caribbean was the first Cruise Line to have an onboard ice skating rink. Not exactly big enough to play a regulation NHL Hockey game, but they do a lot with what they have. Here's a couple minutes of highlights from the show on the Voyager of the Seas. Later on in the trip, we get to take to the ice ourselves. (We're not as graceful.)
Approaching St. Thomas, I explore like Columbus this heretofore uncharted land with my hi tech spy glass. In the beginning, the fantasy of discovery can be maintained, but alas: this Island is inhabited. Not too shabbily, either! jpmeyer.com
Lovely, lovely pictures of the outer islands of St. Thomas as the Voyager of the Seas approaches Charlotte Amalie, plus some pictures of early morning sunlight on the insides of the ship. Then, some Snuba, that combination of SNorkel and scUBA, is presented in still pictures, but is really best experienced in person. By the way, this location was at least a 20 minute drive from the ship. It was comforting to know that the Voyager of the Seas would not leave until we returned, exclusively because this was a Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines sponsored trip. If we had hired our own taxi, for instance, and it broke down on the hills of St. Thomas, the ship could leave without us.
Snuba in St Thomas! OK, the video is just of us snorkeling, but the adventure was to snuba. Someday I'll invest in a submersible video camera. Snuba is a combination of SNorkle and scUBA. You wear a weight belt, and learn how to breathe using a scuba-style regulator before you submerge 20 feet below the surface. Your air tank is in a small raft on the surface, and you are connected by a truly unobtrusive hose. Very exhilarating, if you've never done more than snorkel before. My favorite part was swimming above and thru someone else's bubbles.
Driving tour of St. Thomas. Some breath taking views of the Island, including a view of the Voyager. Magan's Bay Beach is consistently rated as one of the top 10 beaches in the world. A brief view of neighboring Islands, including Hans Lollick (which for whatever reason remains undeveloped), Little and Great Tobago, Jost Van Dyke, Tortola and St. John from the aptly named "Mountain Top" viewing point on St. Thomas. A final view of Charlot Amalie at dusk, from the Voyager of the Seas. jpmeyer.com
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Day 4: St. Thomas driving tour slideshow, and the end of Voyager of the Seas Day 4
As the Voyager of the Seas sits in Charlotte Amalie, we get a driving tour of St. Thomas. For only $45M, the undeveloped island of Hans Lollick (and it's little neighbor) can be yours! That's just a short rowboat ride from Magan's Bay Beach, consistently voted one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet. President Bill Clinton stayed at one of those not-so-little villas in the pictures (but who remembers which one?). From Mountain Top, the highest point on St. Thomas, all neighboring islands are visible. The day is finished with dinner and a show. Clearly, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines packs too many opportunities for fun into one day!
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Day 3: Walking around the Grand Promenade of the Voyager of the Seas
The Grand Promenade of the Voyager of the Seas is a stretch of the ship that is cosmopolitan, eclectic, international, and never for a moment boring. In this snippet, there is actually English spoken at one point! Every time we walked this corridor, the mood was different, the people were different, the lighting was different. Here's the late-nite set. (That's especially obvious when the drunk guy plows into the shoulder of the other guy.) The lighting was tough on the little digital video camera, but you get the mood.
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