A Week in the Caribbean

We flew out of Charleston to Fort Lauderdale where we spent a night prior to boarding the Celebrity Silhouette for our week in the Caribbean. Our ship put in for a day in Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and Sint Maarten. Dwayne's brother, Brian and his wife, Janet traveled with us. We have visited these islands in the past and knew what we wanted to do while ashore. It was a very relaxing week. The weather was perfect - warm and sunny. The food was good and the drinks plentiful (the drink package was included as a perk). The on-board entertainment was entertaining. Carla really enjoyed having her morning coffee on the stateroom balcony. Overall, we had a wonderful time.

Coffee on the Balcony

Celebrity Silhouette - San Juan, Puerto Rico

San Juan, Puerto Rico: We spent our time in Puerto Rico riding the trolley through historic San Juan and up to the Castillo de San Felipe del Morro. We had dinner at an out of the way restaurant that Brian discovered on Trip Advisor with good reviews. We were not disappointed with our meal. After dinner, we admired the holiday lighting in the streets and plazas as we wandered back to the ship.

Castillo de San Felipe del Morro

Dinner in San Juan

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands: We spent our day in St. Thomas on Megans Bay Beach which is reportedly, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It is beautiful, but very crowded when six cruise ships are in port at the same time. We will pass on Megans Bay Beach the next time we visit St. Thomas. Perhaps we will head off to one of the less touted beaches on the island which may not be as crowded. We did enjoy our time on Megans Bay despite the crowd. The water was warm and clear. We spent much of our time in the water. Our fading tans were somewhat renewed.

Megans Bay - St. Thomas, USVI

Megans Bay Beach - Resident Beach Bum

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten:  We took the water taxi downtown so Janet and Carla could do some shopping and redeeming coupons for free items at various businesses. Dwayne finally gave in to pressure from the ladies and now has two Hawaiian shirts. He got the vendor to throw in a can of beer to close the deal. Two shirts and a beer for less than $18 US. Next year these shirts will be out of style - guaranteed. Brian's notable purchase was $1 bottle of Carib beer at May's One Stop. He remembers when she sold her beer out of a bucket full of ice years ago. Now she has a fancy booth and roof over her head. More ships in port means more thirsty tourists means more sales means good times for May. Brian makes it a point to stop by each time he is on the island to get his $1 Carib from May.

May's One Stop - Philipsburg, Sint Maarten

We returned to Fort Lauderdale rested and ready for the holidays. Carla flew off to her daughter's home near Nashville. Dwayne, Brian and Janet didn't fly out until the following day. They spent the night with Janet's sister, Debbie and her mother, Carol. It was a nice way to end our vacation.