Spicy Cruz Bay

Monday 1 January 2007

For the second time on this cruise we visited St. Thomas. The boat docked exactly where it was before, but this time there were two different ships ahead of us.

Carnival Destiny at the dock ahead of us

One of them was Carnival Destiny that we had just seen in Barbados. We decided on this trip to revisit St. John where we had spent five days before chartering a sailboat in 1997. St. John has no airport, so - since it is an island - the only way to get there is by boat. The easiest way to do this is to take the ferry from either Charlotte Amalie or Red Hook to Cruz Bay.

We got off the boat about 9 am, and took a taxi to Red Hook

Taxi rate sheet from Red Hook - Crown Bay dock - 2 or more people $11.00 each

to take the ferry over to St. John.

Ferry ticket booth at Red Hook

We got on the ferry and went up to the top deck. I wanted to sit in the shade, but to be able to take pictures. I remember the wheelhouse of 10 years ago to be such that we could sit on the deck beside it and see the helmsman steering with his (bare) feet. But now that wasn't possible.

The ferry was supposed to leave on the hour, but quite a few last minute people came on board at the end - we didn't actually leave until about 10 after 10. The ferry was $5 each for this trip. On the way over, we saw a CSY ketch on a mooring there in Red Hook.

CSY ketch

From one ferry to another

Approaching St. John

Houses on the hill behind Cruz Bay from the ferry

The Battery - Government House on the hill

St John ferry dock

We arrived in St. John about 15 minutes later.

After we got to Cruz Bay, the first thing I did was look to see when we'd have to return if we were going to go back to Charlotte Amalie.

Schedule for ferry to Charlotte Amalie

We've never taken that ferry. The one time that we'd taken a ferry, we went from Red Hook. Those boats left Cruz Bay at 15 past the hour and got to Charlotte Amalie 45 minutes later. That meant that the latest we could leave Cruz Bay was 2:15 to be there at 3:00 and 1:15 would be better. It takes longer to make that run (and it costs $10 each), but it is a shorter cab ride to get to Havensight, where the ship is docked. That way there is less possibility of the cab being held up with rush hour traffic.

Next I looked for St. John Spice - this is a shop that is run by Ruth who was on the old AOL Virgin Islands board.

St. John Spice

So I climbed the stairs (with the sign that said "Do not sit on stairs")

Steps with sign

and at the top I saw a lady cleaning the glass door. I said - I'm looking for Ruth. She was Ruth.

There are actually two stores, one on each side of the stairs. One is St. John Spice,

Gives a new meaning to "Spice Shelf

and the other is St John Kids. St. John Kids has children's toys and clothing items.

St. John Kids

I ended up buying baseball hats for some of my grandsons (one of the St. John hats, and one with a picture of a shark on it that said "Bite Me" which my husband said a young teenager would really like), Pirate T-shirt, large bags (for going to the beach) for my daughters, coffee beans for my son-in-laws who grind their own coffee beans, BBQ spices for my son, and some dresses for my younger granddaughters.

Clothing and gifts

Soap and lotions section

I had them ship the stuff for two of my daughters and 6 grandchildren. The items for my other two children and four grandchildren I carried with me. They also said they would mail my roll of film that I took in Dominica. The PO was closed for New Years Day, and was going to be closed Tuesday for the national day of mourning for Pres. Ford.

Shopping took about a hour, and then we walked around Cruz Bay a little bit, looking at places we had been when we were here in 1997

Franklin A. Powell park

Nazareth Evangelical Lutheran Church

Cafe Roma from the street where we had dinner in 1997

Humorous sign

Go for a Swim?

Taxi area near ferry dock

After Bob used the facilities near the dock,

Bob using the facilities

we decided to have lunch.

High Tide sign

We went to a place called High Tide which was across from the ferry dock.

Bob's coconut shrimp appetizer ($11.00)

My chicken club with macaroni salad ($10)

I had iced tea ($2) and he had a virgin colada ($6.50). Our total bill before tip was $28.50.

We ate out on the deck where we could see the ferry terminal.

Ferry dock from Rip Tide Restaurant

Several people came down to the docks with a lot of luggage and they sat here and had lunch.

Bar area

I had told Bob to go get a ferry ticket when we arrived and he refused, so he went to get one now when there wasn't a line. There wasn't a line because they wouldn't sell him a Charlotte Amalie ferry ticket until 13:00. They said it was because the Red Hook ferry left first and they didn't want people to get confused.

So we sat at the ferry dock.

Rules for sitting at the ferry dock

I sat in the shade with our packages and Bob sat near the ticket office in the sun.

Sitting in the shade

Bob did get the tickets.

Car ferry in St. Thomas

Life ring on the ferry

Enclosed ferry pilot house

I took a bunch of pictures on the way back.

Leaving Cruz Bay

Aid to navigation outside Cruz Bay

Leaving St. John on public ferry - another ferry?

Parasailing

- we saw someone parasailing. We came around the point where we could see the Sky Ride,

Skyride on the hill

and then docked across on the other side from the ship about 2 pm. Then we got a taxi around to the ship.

Maasdam from the ferry

Arriving in Charlotte Amalie

People waiting to get on the ferry in Charlotte Amalie

Fruit cocktail

Chilled cranberry soup

Roasted quail stuffed with spinach and goat cheese

Monkfish medallions in Pancetta Bacon with onion tomato and fig relish - served with asparagus spears

Strawberry sensation cake - my dessert

Bob's Tropical Sundae

Tomorrow we will be at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas for Parasailing

Route on the map on the ship