The morning greeted us at 6:30 am!
Charlotte Amalie is a city and cruise ship port on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas. It is the capital of the US. Virgin Islands. Its Danish colonial architecture includes Blackbeard’s Castle, a 1600s watchtower. The 99 Steps ascend to the tower, which has panoramic views. The 17th-century Fort Christian is now a museum with art and artifacts. East of town, the Skyride aerial tram climbs to Paradise Point.
We arrived right on time thanks to Mary’s naughty knowledge (oops, I mean nautical knowledge). The captain wanted to come to the cabin and check her ship’s driver’s license, but we told him to go ahead and park the boat.
Mary helps the captain steer the boat to the dock.
It was a little nerve-racking, so we decided to enjoy breakfast on the veranda. Mary ordered the meal last night, so I was surprised we didn’t get raw goat and buttermilk! Dancing requires a lot of fluid (we call it dancing juice).
That was tough, so we decided to have breakfast in our room!
I was allowed to dine with Her Highness this morning and did not have to wear my butler’s uniform.
Good groceries!
The “kids” headed into town, and we stayed on the ship. It rained, but since the temperature was in the high 80s, they did not get soaked.
Time to be pretty! Mary selected a “seaweed delight” from their extensive menu of things to do to your body. Mary ordered some special treatment to make me look better. I think if she had three glasses of wine, her plan would have worked just as well. Before we got wrapped up, they smeared green seaweed all over us; I looked like a giant watermelon!
We smelled like an open can of tuna left on the counter for three days in the heat. Pheeeew!
They rubbed us with seaweed and wrapped us up like two burritos!
After 75 minutes of hand-to-hand fighting with two small Filipino operators, we escaped with our lives, smelling like seaweed and attracting a lot of fish as we walked along the railings. Oh, I forgot, we took a shower TOGETHER to get the green goo off. Together, we worked hard to get the magic exilir off places that at our age, we can’t reach alone!
We made it to the hideaway on the 11th floor and had a drink. Mary did her needlepoint, and I read the last six chapters of my adventure book. I looked over my shoulder and saw three cats following us. The tuna smell had not gone away yet!
After the massage, we headed to the sky lounge for some quiet time.
We were a bit hungry and dinner was four hours away, so we went to the trough, where Mary found a salad, and I devoured a great hamburger. Colleen and Mark joined us for a light snack before we went to our rooms to get ready for dinner. The photographers begin snapping shots at 5:30 pm.
Tonight is “Dress You Best” night, so tuxes and gowns are the dress of the night. We pulled out of port exactly at 5:30 pm, heading to St. Croix, USS Virgin Islands. I had a problem getting dressed; I could NOT find my suspenders. I had forgotten that I had them on my bright pink thong from yesterday’s stroll around the deck!
We departed for a drink, some photos, and a walk around the ship around 6:15 pm. I must admit, we overachieved. We had dinner at the steakhouse at 7:00 pm and want to see the show at 10:00 pm.
We returned to the steakhouse for a wonderful dinner. The kids were all dressed up (as dressed up as kids get).
I was in the steakhouse when the waiter brought me my steak, holding it over the plate with his thumb. I said, “Are you crazy? What’s with your thumb on my steak?” “Sorry,” answered the waiter, “but I don’t want it to fall on the floor again.”
Surf n’ Turf, here we come!
The waiter asked Mark how he liked his steak. He said rare. The waiter replied, “You’re in luck, today’s special is panda”.
Chops for dinner.
After dinner, we went to the show!
Off to the show.
The music and vocals were outstanding. The “Andrews Sisters” did their act. It was a show-stopper!
The Andrews Sisters never looked like this!
After the show, we found the Schooner Bar and met up with Job and Sarah, who had saved us a front row seat. We did our best to reduce the alcoholic content of the bar; I even had a peanut butter delight.
Mary accounted for six men stumbling over themselves as they passed by us… I heard two of them whisper “whiplast” as their heads turned violently.
Oh La La! A few drinks and a few dances, and we are off to bed!!
I was on my bestest behavior for twenty-two minutes!
We had to sit up to drink!
Then it happened, I could not resist my inner evils!
She can dress me up, but should NOT take me anywhere!
We hit the sack around midnight. I offered our life jackets to the neighbors because, as I recall, alcohol floats, and if so, I would be bobbing at the top of the water for hours!
Today, we spent two hours working in the garden and then prepared for our visit to the cardiologist. It was a good visit as the BP is normal, no atrial fibrillation. I need to see him in about six weeks for some additional tests, but he says I am in good shape for an old fart!
After the doctor’s visit, we went to our favorite Italian place and had dinner at 4:00 pm.
Mary was busy ironing for our upcoming trip and establishing her clothes menu. We worked in the office until 3:00 pm, as it was time to get ready for the Starlighter’s Route 66 dance.
