PHILIPSBURG, ST MAARTEN - DAY 22

 

        Our position today is docked in Philipsburg.  Circle denotes our position.  In the bottom photo it shows us on one of the two long piers.  We're on the bottom pier.  It was a warm and windy day with rain showers around in the afternoon.

Historical/Background Info:

        St Maarten is part of the Leeward islands in the northeast Caribbean Sea.  The island is divided about 60/40 by the countries of France and the Netherlands.  The larger part is French but the population is basically equal and total population of the island is 78,000.  We will be docking in Philipsburg which is on the Dutch side.  The island lies in the hurricane zone and in 2017 hurricane Emma caused significant damage to the tune of $3 billion.

        Tourism is the island’s main industry with around 1 million visitors annually.  85% of the workforce works in tourism.  The US dollar is accepted in most stores on the island.

        We were here twice on our 2022 world cruise, February of 2025, and probably other times I lost track of.

LAST EVENING

            Here are the fried soft shell crabs I special ordered.  They were a little over cooked.

        We both had the five-spice beef stir fry.  We added some siracha to spice it up some more.  It came with steamed rice and was very good.  Too much food however.

We had another bottle of Rombauer chardonnay and I had a glass left of this wine I had the night before.

                                       We both also enjoyed the lemon meringue pie.

        We finished dinner an hour before the show was to start.  Too long to wait, and as I mentioned, we don't care that much for comedians.  I was in bed by 8:45.

TODAY

        Up at 7am as usual and we were already docked.  I went down and got our Americano coffees and then started working on this post.

           Room service showed up at 7:40.  We split the omelet and sausages as the omelet is big.

        The Grand Princess cruise ship arrived after us and is using the other pier (thankfully).  Maximum capacity on her is 3000 with 1100 crew and was christened in 1998.  Before we discovered Regent in 2009, we did 23 cruises on Princess and 33 cruises on Royal Caribbean.  We now have 31 cruises on Regent for a total of 1098 nights on board.

                                   Here comes another cruise ship.  Sailed in under a rainbow.

        She is the brand new Star Seeker, a 224 passenger luxury yacht launched in December 2025.  Windstar is the cruise line and her ships are small and go where the big cruise ships can't.  They have a fleet of 8 ships.  I had never heard of this line.

                                                                      Gangway is set.

        I felt right at home back in our Dallas senior living facility because one of the aft elevators was inop.  We have 3 elevators at The Tradition and one seems to be out of service much of the time.

                                                  Going to be bunkering some fuel today.

                                                             Tours meeting on the pier.

      It's a long walk to get off the pier.  There are a few carts for guests who have mobility issues.

           There are lots of shops as you walk off the pier.  Tour buses are on the other side of them.

                                                                         Cargo dock 

                                 Photos of my "Historic Philipsburg by Trolley Train".

                                                   Did get a photo of this lovely flower.

Statues remembering the early days of the island when exporting salt was the main economy driver.

                                                                You know who this is!!

                                                             Local crafts market

                                                                              A school

 Rooster and his 3 wives walking down the street.  Two had turned the corner.

          

                                              Another school with kids playing and waving at us.

Old court house in middle of town.  They dumped us off here to shop for 35 minutes (turned into 45).  You can imagine how excited I was about this!!!

                 A block away was a beach.  For $20 you have 2 chairs, 2 drinks, & internet.

From beach looking back toward Court House.  Lots of men (like these two in blue shirts) trying to sell tours.

                                                Looking back towards the cruise ships.

                                       The beach was sandy but there were some shells also.

                                                             Bars along the beach

                                                                   Local market 

        Lunch today was up in La Veranda.  I had the roasted chicken, potatoes, and cauliflower with cheese.  Ok I also had a couple slices of pizza.

        Spent the afternoon relaxing in our suite again.  We are sailing early today at 4pm.  We will have two days at sea before arriving at the Port of Miami Friday morning.  So we are getting organized and winding down before we arrive there.

        Compass Rose menu but we will be dining one last time up in Sette Mari.  Last evening I put in an order for a veal parmesan.  

        Tonight's show is a production company performance, "Divos & Divas".  We have seen this show several time but we expect this show will be very special.  It will be this cast's last show together.  Their contracts are ending when we arrive in Miami and they will be disembarking and heading home.  We will be on the front row for sure!

ROSEAU, DOMINICA - DAY 21

 

                                        Our position today denoted by the circle on the maps.

Historical/Background Info:

        Dominica is an island country also in the West Indies also being just 112 miles from our last port of call, St Lucia.  The volcanic formed mountains here are covered by rainforests and the world’s second-largest hot spring is here.  The island is known as “The Nature Island of the Caribbean” because of its lush rainforests and varied flora and fauna.  The island’s population is just over 70,000 with about 15,000 of them living in Roseau, its capital and where we are docked today.  The island is especially vulnerable to hurricanes.

       Banana plantations once dominated Dominica’s economy with nearly 1/3 of the labor force worked in agriculture in the early 2000’s.  But Hurricane Dean in 2007 caused significant damage to the agriculture sector.  The government has since diversified the ag sector promoting coffee, aloe vera, cut flowers and fruits production.  Tourism is becoming increasingly important to its economy but since it is mostly volcanic there are few beaches.  As a result, the island had the fewest visitors (only 56,000 in 2008) of 22 Caribbean islands.  Surprisingly, its visitors are about half as many that visited Haiti.  Cruise ship stopovers are on the increase now that a modern dock and waterfront facilities have been constructed.  Dominica’s mountains, rainforests, lakes, hot springs, waterfalls, and diving spots do make it an attractive ecotourism destination.  We were here twice on our 2022 world cruise.

LAST EVENING

            Every evening in the lounges canapes are offered.  The canapes change every day.

                                                       But we get these pigs or poppers.

                                               Black mussels to start with in Compass Rose.

        I knew better but ordered this ribeye.  Too tough so did not eat it.  I just had the baked potato that I also ordered.  Rebecca had the chicken stir fry which was good.

                                             This apple croissant pudding was very good.

                                          Set up for the ABBA dance party later in the atrium.

TODAY

Here are some photos taken from deck 12 (sports deck).

                                                      We are docked right downtown.

        Went down to coffee connection to go out and get this photo but it was pouring rain over downtown and that side of the ship.

                                                        Rainbow outside our balcony.

                                                      

        Here are some photos of my "trolley" tour that I took on our 2022 world cruise.  We visited this island twice on that cruise.  I was scheduled to take this tour today but due to the rain I cancelled.  Interesting place but not too photogenic.  Very poor people.

                                                                         The trolley

                         Newest looking thing in town was the soccer stadium built in 2005.

                                                                          Old shack 

                                                              The high school

We stopped at the Dominica Botanical Gardens and our guide named all the different plants and trees.

This thorny plant is used to prevent erosion.  Up in the rainforests they get 365 inches of rain every year.

                     At the gardens we were given a "very small" cup of fruit punch or rum punch.  

                                                                           Coconuts

                                                                             Church

          Hurricane Marie in 2017 blew this 300 year old tree over on a bus.  No one was hurt.

        I actually decided to walk into town in search for a pharmacy this morning.  I was off the ship for 45 minutes.  Glad I took my travel umbrella as there was a brief shower.

                                           Gangway taken from the coffee connection patio.

                                               It was a bit of a walk from pier into town.

                                                       Got a great photo of the ship.

              This is a very poor island and everything very run down.  People here are poor.

              Gotta watch where your walking.  Gutters are along the streets not underground.

        Handicraft stalls in the tents lining the road.  I finally found a pharmacy but what I wanted was a prescription item.

        Lunch up in La Veranda.  This is cannelloni pasta stuffed with meat, spinach, mozzarella & tomato.  A little coleslaw also.

Went out to the pool grill and got this bratwurst.  Not the sausage I was expecting but ate half of it.

        We shall be sailing again at 5pm.  Heading to the last port of call on this cruise, Philipsburg, St Maarten.  We are due to be docked there by 7am tomorrow.

        Compass Rose menu for tonight.  I have ordered some fried soft shell crabs for our starters.  The guest entertainer for tonight's show in the theater is a comedian, Jim David.