December 25, 2023

Merry Christmas! Santa showed up early and gave gifts to the few kids between 11 and 17 who are on board this voyage.

St. Lucia is a stunning Caribbean island located in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It is part of the Lesser Antilles and is situated north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados, and south of Martinique. The island is of volcanic origin and is known for its iconic twin peaks, the Pitons, which rise 2000 feet dramatically from the sea. St. Lucia’s lush, mountainous terrain is complemented by beautiful beaches, dense rainforests, and stunning coral reefs, making it a perfect destination for nature lovers and adventure seekers. The island is only 27 miles long and 14 miles wide with a shape that is said to resemble an avocado or a mango.

Mark and Ramsay got married in October of 2019 at a Viceroy resort in Snowmass, Colorado. They had a free night in any Viceroy hotel gifted to them for having their wedding there. But COVID interfered with being able to do that. There is a Viceroy hotel here on St. Lucia and they agreed to let Mark and Ramsay spend the day at the hotel and beach. It is about 1 1/2 hours from where our ship docked, so they hired a taxi to take and return them. This ended up being an interesting tour of the island as well as a nice beach day for them. Mark did some snorkeling along one of the large Pitons. He said the coral was pretty bleached but there were nice fish.

St. Lucia is known for its banana exports, which have historically been a significant part of the island’s economy. The agricultural sector, including banana production, plays a crucial role in St. Lucia’s economy and cultural heritage. The island’s lush, fertile lands are conducive to growing bananas, and the industry has been a key source of livelihood for many St. Lucians. While facing challenges such as natural disasters and international trade dynamics, the banana industry remains an important aspect of St. Lucia’s identity and economy. Mark and Ramsay learned that the roads here are so much better than, for example, those in Dominica. This is because bumpy road travel bruises the bananas making them unacceptable for export!

We chose to take a walk around town, and because it was Christmas, most things were closed but we enjoyed the many local people who wished us a Merry Christmas (and wanted us to hire them to take us around the island!)

Here are a few sights from town.

The flowers in every port are lush and beautiful!

After our walk, we had lunch on the ship and they had a beautiful Christmas cake. We didn’t eat any of it but they did cut and serve it. There are also frequently replenished cakes and cookies at the gingerbread village in the atrium. I try to stay away from there but the powdered Mexican tea cake cookies call my name once in a while!

At trivia we placed second and had a lot of fun. We didn’t know that Jimmy Carter caused a scandal by kissing the Queen Mother on the lips. You learn something new with every trivia game.

Norm and I had the invitation to the Moet and Chandon tasting at 7, so the rest of the family went to dinner alone. It turned out to be a private tasting!

Vitaly from Ukraine talked to us about Champagne in general before we tasted

Champagne is a small region located northeast of Paris. It is about 87,178 acres in area but accounts for only about 1% of global wine productions. Moet and Chandon is known as the most iconic Champagne Maison in the world.

We tasted three champagnes: Grand Vintage 2013, Nectar Imperial and Moet Rose Imperial. Each was paired with a compatible food. The first was a ceviche which was delicious. The other two were a foil gras on mint jelly and round bread and a beef carpaccio with grilled bread. I don’t eat meat so had another ceviche and the waiter brought me two mussels and a seafood on grilled bread.

All of the champagnes were really good. Vitaly told us that the 2013, which is made using only the grapes harvested in 2013, is comparable to Dom Perignon. But this one sells for only $125/bottle!

The Rose Imperial is the #1 Rose Champagne in the world. And the Nectar Imperial undergoes 21 months of maturation which gives this Demi-Sec champagne a sweet and luscious taste. That one was Norm’s favorite. I liked them all!

We did have a bit more to eat in the terrace, and then went on to the show. It was called Headliners and it showcased the onboard entertainment team singing and dancing to popular songs. They are very talented.After the show, I played in the casino for a while and then Christmas was over for another year. We do like this idea of Christmas cruising, especially since we live close to the Miami port. Who knows, maybe we will plan for next year.

Tomorrow we arrive in St. John’s, Antigua.