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We slept until 7:30 Tuesday morning, since we hadn’t gone to bed until around 1:30. We heard the usual sounds of Century slowing down and positioning herself early in the morning. We opened the cabin curtains and saw the tall, lush hills of St. Thomas surrounding us. Century was resting peacefully in blue-green water. We were scheduled for a longer visit in St. Thomas, from 8 in the morning to 6 in the evening. We had a quick buffet breakfast (great cheese blintzes with blueberry sauce.) We then walked off Century’s gangplank and took a cab ($2.50 per person) to the main street of Charlotte Amalie, which was maybe a couple of miles from the dock. As our taxi circled around the harbor, we got a nice view of Century and other magnificent cruise vessels lined up in the clear, warm water. Downtown Charlotte Amalie had narrow and crowded streets. The main attraction was shopping, purportedly at bargain, duty-free prices. We saw no obvious bargains, but lots of persistent salespeople clogged the streets, handing out flyers and urging us to go into their stores. It seemed to us that most of the stores sold exactly the same items: tee shirts, gold or tanzanite jewelry, liquor, and tacky imported souvenirs. Most of them were run by Indian merchants. We were warned by a local citizen not to linger in alleys or off the main street, making it clear that crime against tourists was a distinct possibility. By 11:30, the heat, humidity, and hard-selling stores had tired us out. We weren’t impressed with the shopping, either downtown or at the Havensight Mall right by the dock. Some fellow passengers said the deals on jewelry were excellent, others said you'd do as well buying at home, without the worry of getting expensive items that might not be as represented. About the only thing everyone seemed to agree on was that liquor was cheap. |
We took our only purchases (cheap tee shirts) and went back to Century. A refreshing shower raised our spirits, even though the main dining room was closed for lunch. We settled for lamb curry, vegetable lasagna, carved meats, and desserts and salads in Island Café. Most passengers were still ashore, so the ship was nearly deserted, even on the pool deck. The casino and bars were closed, so it was a good time to take pictures of the various public areas. We napped for awhile in the nicely cool cabin and read. Some quiet time was welcome after the hot hustle, bustle, and noise of Charlotte Amalie. We couldn't wait for dinner, since we really didn't get any the night before. I had lobster bisque, salad, baked marinated tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella, filet mignon with a potato basket, and a hazelnut chocolate raspberry cake. Along with lots of the great Century breadsticks and rolls, of course. We were glad to see Mustafa and Piotr again, and they asked us where we'd been the night before. Century pulled out from St. Thomas during dinner, so the casinos and bars opened back up. It was energizing to feel the on-board activities get back to normal. We bought a very nice picture the ship’s photographer had taken of us at the first formal dinner, and then went to the evening’s show, a Broadway themed musical that we all liked again. Later, the band Moses and the High Brows played 50’s music at a sock hop in the Crystal Room. The midnight buffet was oriental, with sushi, stir fry, spring rolls, rice, and many desserts, among other items. We had a light snack there and were in bed by 1:30, which was fast becoming our normal bedtime.<< Previous page >> Next page |
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