We arrived at the port on St. Maarten on Day 4 of our cruise on RCCL’s Wonder of the Seas. Ann and I had been here before, so we chose to take the water taxi into Philipsburg to shop around and have lunch. After another spectacular sunrise, we ate breakfast in the Windjammer Café. Then we went to our cabin to gear up for our shoreside adventure.
The water taxi cost $7.00 round trip. We bought tickets ashore at the shops directly by the port and were given a plastic wrist bracelet to wear for the return.
The taxi surprisingly dropped us at a pier I hadn’t seen before at the far end from the center of town. We trekked a short distance to the next pier over that’s been our normal stop. Facing the courthouse, we turned right on Front Street. Shopper’s Haven is a store I’ve frequented before, so we had to stop in there. Ditto for Mr. Tablecloth and other favorites. Unfortunately, the Guavaberry Emporium that is mentioned in my cruise mystery, Killer Knots, was closed today. We aimed for the Amsterdam Cheese Store at the end of the block. Their almond cookies were recommended by our cruise director, so I bought a pack of these and some individually wrapped gouda and edam cheeses. I can verify that these are tasty items and merit a return visit.
We lunched on mahi mahi sandwiches with fries at the relaxing open-air Ocean Lounge Restaurant in the Holland House Beach Hotel off Front Street. We sat in the shade and admired the ocean views as we ate facing Great Bay Beach.
After lunch, we headed back to the closest dock for the water taxi. We saw evidence of hurricane damage to structures along the way. We still had time to shop around by the port before heading back to the ship.
At 4:30, we went for cocktails and appetizers in the Crown & Anchor member lounge. As a Diamond member, I got four drink vouchers per day. Ann exceeded me by one more. Then we went to dinner in the Main Dining Room where I had shrimp cocktail, chicken and broccoli, and coconut cake. We’ve been disappointed that they eliminated the alternate choices that used to be offered every night on the menu. It’s clearly a cost-saving measure but not one that benefits guests. The ice-skating show came next and was as amazing as on other ships. I liked the theme of changing seasons. It was a pleasant end to a long and exciting day.
Coming Next – Day 5 in St. Thomas