Get Off The Ship - we are running out of towel animals! Update 10/25 Day 31

[annmarieda]

Right behind the market was a walkway up to Fort Louis and we decided to hike up and enjoy the view from up there.

That view was simply stunning!!

and the remnants of the Fort,

I am fascinated by stuff like this. Dd and her dh have been exploring local abandoned towns.... remnants of what once was. Cemeteries and mine shafts (although they can't go into the old mines) Amazing!

We still had about half an hour to spare when we started our walk down again and quickly found ourselves back near the harbour.
Having miscalculated the small bills we would need for tips and being thirsty we decided to head to the Mall across the street to get something to drink and buy a few small items to get some small bills. The Mall was beautiful

It is so bright! very beautiful!

Yeah, small bills filled my purse again. About 5 minutes before we were supposed to be at the bus again we headed over and since it was only a one minute walk we made it there in time easily.

Glad you made it there on time.

Our driver told us that we would now go back to the Dutch side and that he would show us some of the areas that were good for shopping and that people who wanted to, could get off the bus there and make their way back to the ship on their own.
We had been thinking about going back to the ship and then walking back to Philipsburg, but that way it was much easier. So once we had made it to the center of town, we got off the bus, tipped the driver and walked through the narrow streets, peeking into a few shops.
We then made our way over to the beach promenade

It looks like such a relaxing place to visit.

and walked along the it. By that time it was way past noon, so we decided to get some lunch.
We looked into some of the open air restaurant, but we both did not feel like eating in the heat, so when we saw the Hard Rock Café,
which offered air conditioning, we knew we were in the right place. We headed up the stairs and at the check in desk were asked if we wanted to sit inside or outside. “Inside please”.
They led us to a nice table by the window

Inside, but buy the window seems like it would be the perfect table!!!

I had set my mind on the



Raspberry Lemonade, a classic with a twist, superior rum, raspberries, raspberry syrup and fresh, made from scratch lemonade. Our server, who had taken our order talked us into getting their special, which meant that we would get a free refill and a souvenir glass if we ordered the slightly more expensive special. Oh well, we were tired and hot, so why not.
Our drinks were delicious, so we sat and sipped while waiting for our lunch. I had ordered the

That sounds like something I would totally enjoy! YUM!

We stopped into a few shops and bought a lovely hand painted bottle of rum and some beers for Tom to try. We stopped at the Del Sol store and needless to say we bought a T-shirt or two. Soon we had made it back to where the Hard Rock Café was.

Nice shopping trip.

And after a short deliberation we decided not to walk back to the ship, but use the water taxi that was offered there.

It sounds like it had been quite a warm day. I think I wouldn't have wanted to walk back either.

So we walked over and there was a boat ready to leave, but they waited and made room for us and another family who was behind us. The ship was FULL, but we did find a seat and were even able to purchase a bottle of icy cold water.

glad you made it to the boat!!!

he sparkling wine we had received from DCL a try. We had already received a lot of sweets and so we nibbled on the sweets and enjoyed our drinks. And while we were still sitting out on the veranda there was a knock at the door and a cast member brought a model of the cabana we had booked at Castaway Cay and our wristbands.

What a nice way to look forward to something...even if it was a tad early in the trip to receive it. Course... maybe that even made it better.

There was no show that night as it was Pirate Night and at around 6pm we got ready to go to Palo for dinner. At 6.15 we walked up to the restaurant and were asked to take a seat inside Meridian until our table was ready. It didn’t take very long and we were taken to our table and greeted by our server, Ophelie from France.

Dinner looked amazing! And how cool to be treated to it since you are
Platinum members.

We changed into some more casual clothes and rested in the stateroom for a while, watching a movie, having some beer and sparkling wine and sitting out on the veranda in the dark.
It seemed like a very short time until it was time to head up to deck 12 again to view the fireworks.
We loved the Pirate show on the Wonder, but are not impressed with the one on the Dream and Fantasy, so we just watch the fireworks. We found a nice spot to stand, leaning against the railing and waited. The fireworks went off only about 5 minutes late and were beautiful as always.
I had talked Tom into not bringing a camera and enjoying them for a change. Once the fireworks were over we followed the masses down, then made a beeline for Cabanas and picked up a few late night snacks from the buffet. Tom filled his plate with

The little breads look yummy... the giant turkey leg a little scary. I know that in WDW and DLR for that matter, turkey legs are favorites of many. They just seem so big to me... so a little scary.


GREAT UPDATES!!! I loved all the pictures!!!

 

[RGirl]

Yikes! I am having a hard time keeping up with everything lately.

Your upcoming vacation plans sound great! Will you be doing mini-TRs???

Your Palo meal looked really great - I have to say, I was less of a Palo fan this trip. After Remy, it just didn't seem as special.

Looks like they had pretty good post-fireworks snacks!

Isn't it amazing how special it feels to just sit on that verandah, sip a tasty beverage, and just do nothing? Ugh - I want to be doing that now!

 

[dizneeat]

That view was simply stunning!!

We were so happy we had decided to walk up there. It really paid off, the view was wonderful.

It looks like such a relaxing place to visit.

We really enjoyed exploring Philipsburg. But then all of Sint Maarten is a beautiful place.

Inside, but buy the window seems like it would be the perfect table!!!

We really lucked out with the table at the Hard Rock - ACing AND a great view. You cannot ask for more, can you?

It sounds like it had been quite a warm day. I think I wouldn't have wanted to walk back either.

It was HOT that day and it is quite a hike over to the harbour, so taking the boat was the best solution!

What a nice way to look forward to something...even if it was a tad early in the trip to receive it. Course... maybe that even made it better.

We love the paper Cabana they give you. It is such a sweet reminder of what is to come.

Dinner looked amazing! And how cool to be treated to it since you are
Platinum members.

It makes you feel more special once they roll out a few more perks, even though considered what you pay for the cruise they should treat everyone to a meal there.

The little breads look yummy... the giant turkey leg a little scary. I know that in WDW and DLR for that matter, turkey legs are favorites of many. They just seem so big to me... so a little scary.

The Pirate buffet is pretty good. Unfortunately if you go to the MDR and have a regular dinner you are far too full for it.
We always take something back to our room, where we have more time to finish off things. Thankfully there is a fridge as well, as sometimes the eyes are bigger than the stomach.
That turkey leg is enormous! I need to go find the photo of the one they sell in DLRP. It is TINY!!!

GREAT UPDATES!!! I loved all the pictures!!!

I am glad you like them.

Yikes! I am having a hard time keeping up with everything lately.

Your upcoming vacation plans sound great! Will you be doing mini-TRs???

Your Palo meal looked really great - I have to say, I was less of a Palo fan this trip. After Remy, it just didn't seem as special.

Looks like they had pretty good post-fireworks snacks!

Isn't it amazing how special it feels to just sit on that verandah, sip a tasty beverage, and just do nothing? Ugh - I want to be doing that now!

Don't worry, I feel like all I do is playing catch up myself.

I guess I will sneak in a mini trip report for our DLRP trip and a real one for the cruise and WDW trip in February. I do have some news to share about it as well.

We just love the brunch at Palo - so many yummy choices and I guess we just had too much fun with Ophelie as well.
And we "had to" do dinner, as I wasn't sure that the free meal at Palo was for brunch as well.
We also wanted to skip the pirate menu in the MDR - not a huge fan of it.

We just LOVE having that veranda. And even more now that they ban smoking on the verandas.
It is so nice and peaceful to sit out there, especially early morning or at night and watch the waves.

 

[MEK]

Had to get a yummy food fix this morning and you did not fail to deliver. WOW. Nice!

And great view as the ship was pulling away from port!

 

[dizneeat]

Had to get a yummy food fix this morning and you did not fail to deliver. WOW. Nice!

And great view as the ship was pulling away from port!

I feel honoured you chose my report to get your food fix.

It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed it, up to the very last minute.

 

[englishrose47]

Busy weekend working everyday till I go to Disney too !! Gotta earn those Disney Bucks

 

[cindy1098]

Karin - I love reading your trip reports. We are doing our first Disney cruise in Feb. I can't wait!

Hey! I messaged you back on our meet thread...did you see it? Can't wait for February!

 

[scottny]

Great updates and pics.

 

[dizneeat]

Busy weekend working everyday till I go to Disney too !! Gotta earn those Disney Bucks

You are so close to your trip, Rosie! I cannot wait for THAT trip report!

Great updates and pics.

Thank you! I wish I had a little more time to update more often.

 

[dizneeat]

Day 8, August 14

Banana Daiquiri saves the day! - Part 1

And even though we had gone to bed fairly late we got up early that day. So, around 6.30am, after having had a quick shower we headed up to Satellite falls and the bow of the ship to see the Disney Fantasy make her way into St. Thomas.

























We were within the first few people up there, but while we enjoyed the view, more and more guests arrived to watch. When we had arrived it had still been a bit overcast, but soon the blue skies appeared and we were in for a beautiful day. We stayed for about 45 minutes until the Fantasy had reached her position in the harbour,













then thought about where to have breakfast and since we were already walking through Cabanas to get to the aft elevator, we decided to try breakfast there.
So we picked up a plate, got in line and filled our plates with yummy breakfast items. I had some



breakfast potoatoes, a grilled tomato, some bacon, an Egg Benedict and a pancake with strawberries in syrup and some whipped cream. Tom had picked



the same things plus a breakfast burrito and some toast. The tables inside were either taken or dirty, so we headed outside and found a larger unoccupied table, where I sat down and took some pictures of the food while Tom went to get some juice for me and some coffee for himself. And while the food was really nice, there was just the same issue I always have with buffet food, it is just luke warm once you start eating.
And while we were eating our breakfast and enjoying the view,



who should we see having their breakfast a little further away? Yes, Jean and Paul and they seemed to be chatting with the people at the table next to them and having a lot of fun. They left their table right around the time we left ours, but they went in the other direction. And after a short pit stop to pick up our IDs and bags for the day we were on our way to the D-Lounge to sign in for our tour.

To be continued ............

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Hi Karin! Great pics of your port entry! I can't wait to see what you did on your tour!

 

[RGirl]

Karin, I just love your early-morning pics! They are beautiful.

We were really impressed with Cabanas - such great variety there at both breakfast and lunch. I prefer a table-service experience, but Willow is a HUGE fan of breakfast buffets.

 

[KatMark]

Beautiful pictures as you pulled into Port in St. Thomas, Karin.

With the holiday the day after tomorrow and the kids coming for the weekend and someone I know is going to Disney on Tuesday, I may not be here for awhile. I promise to get caught up again when I can.

 

[MEK]

Pulling into St Thomas looks so beautiful. What a great way to start the day (and that fantastic breakfast didn't hurt either).

 

[dizneeat]

Hi Karin! Great pics of your port entry! I can't wait to see what you did on your tour!

We really enjoyed our ports of call. And to see the ship being manouvred into port was awesome.
The tour was fun - even more after ONE special drink.

Karin, I just love your early-morning pics! They are beautiful.

We were really impressed with Cabanas - such great variety there at both breakfast and lunch. I prefer a table-service experience, but Willow is a HUGE fan of breakfast buffets.

Thank you. We really thought the view was well worth getting up early.

Tom and I are not huge fans of buffets. I just love being served. But for a change it was nice to try it.

Beautiful pictures as you pulled into Port in St. Thomas, Karin.

With the holiday the day after tomorrow and the kids coming for the weekend and someone I know is going to Disney on Tuesday, I may not be here for awhile. I promise to get caught up again when I can.

Thank you, Kathy!

I hope your Thanksgiving will be a very memorable one, especially with the new additions to your family (DIL and furbabies).
And I hope you are going to have the most wonderful trip to WDW with Mark, Mary and the girls.

Pulling into St Thomas looks so beautiful. What a great way to start the day (and that fantastic breakfast didn't hurt either).

We just loved these islands. They were beautiful and it was so nice to watch the ship pulling into port.
Breakfast wasn't shabby either.

 

[dizneeat]

UPDATE time!!!!!


I have a few updates I wanted to share with you all, but just didn't have time to do so.

Update 1:
As you might well know, we usually fly Lufthansa, as it is one of only two carriers flying out of our home town (there are a few others but they are charter). Now after our summer trip both Tom and I had a lot of airmiles and who would have guessed it, I could not stop but playing around with them. So after weighing my options it turned out that we had enough miles to pay for an upgrade to business class either on the way to the US or back home. Once I figured that out it was a no brainer - I would much rather change my three seat in a row asignement in coach to a nice and relaxing - turns to a bed - seat in business class. I called Lufthansa, but we didn't get the upgrade, all they could do was put us on a waitlist.
Now, all that was in September, right after we had gotten home.
Last Friday I got an email from Lufthansa, that our waitlist has gone through. We are now flying business class to the US! That means, that we will arrive rested and be able to take advantage of the MK opening hours until 1am. We are staying at VGF, so getting there should be a breeze.

Update 2:
Remember when I told you about my mix-up on MDE?
The first time I called the CM on the phone promised me that things would be resolved soon and for the next two weeks nothing happened, then I got a generic email and nothing more.
So last weekend I called again, got the sweetest CM on the phone, who said that it was no big deal and that she would get everything done while I was on the phone. About 20 minutes into the call she made a remark to my home-country being Austria and after making sure that I indeed WAS in Austria, she too told me that there was no way she would keep me on hold for that long, but she would get together with a supervisor right now (as they also had to change things on DVC) and if she had any more questions she would email me. Well, I got an email about 3 hours later and it was just to tell me that now everything was in its right place and I was set to make reservations as soon as my window opened.
Goes without saying that I went and checked into the affair and low and behold I AM able to get into the account and will be able to make FP+ selections soon.

Then I wanted to wish all our DISboards friends a

VERY HAPPY THANKSGIVING






And since Christmas and Advent is just around the corner .......

Here are this year's two Christmas countdown calendars!

Food Christmas calendar

Funny Hats Christmas calendar ​

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[Teri1]

Great news update Karin! So happy you got the MDE set up correctly. We are freezing here with snow, still waiting on baby Otto's arrival.

 

[jedijill]

Great news on both the upgrade and the sweet CM who fixed your MDE and didn't make you wait on hold!

Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!

Jill in CO

 

[englishrose47]

Great update Karin !! I too prefer a sit down breakfast , but the Lunch on boarding day was fantastic!! Great news on getting Business class on your flight to the US !!!Also for getting access to your FP+ I can't believe how close my trip is and I hae so much work to do before going But I will make it

 

[podsnel]

Your dinner in Palo looked delicious! For now, we are skipping that one on this next trip- for dinner, anyway. Having brunch there, though!

Glad to see you enjoying your verandah with some prosecco- looking forward to hearing what's on the agenda for STT!