St. Maarten/St. Martin

Our arrival at this island was very early in the morning, and our tour (such as it was) started almost immediately upon arrival.  So we opted to skip breakfast in the dining room.  We ordered muffins and etc.  from room service.  Meh.

Music:  "Volcano" by Jimmy Buffett

What you first notice about this island is that the mountains come all the way down to the sea.  St. Maarten was formed by volcanic activity.

We arrived on the Dutch side of the island and boarded a bus for our excursion.  Our journey took us through an international border crossing to the French side of the island.  Easiest border crossing in the world -- if you didn't see the flags along the side of the road as the bus passed through, you'd never know you entered a different country.

Since the glass bottom boat was out of commission, we spent our time in Marigot.  Shopping.  It was ok, but not terribly exciting.Frankly, without the boat ride. . .it just wasn't worth the trek across the island.

Music:  "Cheeseburger in Paradise" by Jimmy Buffett

Back in Phillipsburg, we had lunch at the Greenhouse, an open air bar and grill.  Frozen drinks.  Conch fritters (first time I tried them.  They're ok but conch is a bit chewy.)  And, of course, cheeseburgers.  Nice restaurant.

Major shopping in Phillipsburg.  I bought jewelry.  The pirate king bought a very expensive lens for his very expensive camera.  And, of course, he could not resist the tee shirt that proclaims he is a member of pirates local number 5.

From the ridiculous to the sublime.  Took the water taxi back to the ship. . . Small boat vs. big ship. . .

Music:  "My Generation" by The Who

Dinner in the main dining room, then on to the British Invasion show.  One of the assistant cruise directors is British, so she did a pre-show trivia contest -- she'd play a British Invasion song and you'd have to finish the lyric.  The pirate king  and I each  answered a question correctly.  No prizes, but it was a lot of fun.

The show itself?  It's a combination of live action and animation -- Peter Max style artwork and scenes right out of those old Beatles cartoons. The show relies too heavily on the animation and not enough on the talents of the performers, and it's way too short.  But it's a fun show.

Next up, our last port -- St. Thomas.