St. Thomas and other things

(copied from a post I did to the Disney Cruise Line forum I frequent)

We did the Doubloon Sail & Snorkel yesterday in St. Thomas. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!! We left the Magic at about 12:15pm…which initially bummed me out because it seemed to cut my day in half. And once we got on the boat (about 40-some of us…lots of wee ones so it wasn’t very crowded!) it was pouring rain. Cold rain. Very choppy waves. Some queasy sailors. Prospects looked dim.

But our captain assured us it was typical St. Thomas weather and it would disappear quickly. And it did. By the time we got to Turtle Cove, it was sunny and clear.

Once at the snorkel site, you had to either ‘walk the plank’ or climb down a ladder to get into the water. I am not a strong swimmer, so despite the various flotation devices I was offered, I chose to remain on the boat and sunbathe while my husband snorkelled.

Some of the kids got back onto the ship pretty quickly — it’s daunting bobbing about in the water when you’re small — so I got a great persepective of how great the Doubloon staff is with kids. The first 2 kids back on board got to help ‘make’ the rum punch. Which was (hic!) fantastic. The staff was so nice that many parents didnt’ feel badly about staying in the water once the kids decided they were finished.

BvP saw sea turtles, lots of coral, and LOTS of fish! In fact, a school of yellow and black fish swam directly under his belly and around his legs while he was floating.

After about 45 minutes, the snorkelers were called back in, and the kids helped raise the sails for the ride back to the island. (We used engines on the way there..sails back due to wind direction). The staff cranked up the music, passed around rum punch (hic!) and chips and salsa, and we partied the whole way back. Everyone got a free pirate tattoo, and the captain let some of the kids help steer the boat. It was gorgous standing on the edge…holding onto the lines…feeling the wind.

We stopped back at their store once we hit land to buy the obligatory cool t-shirts and baseball cap. We were encouraged to take a sharpie and sign anyplace on the store that we wanted — fixtures, walls, shelves, etc.

We were back on the Magic by 4:15 — All Aboard was 4:30.

Their website is: www.doubloon.com Great for adults. Great for kids. Great for chickens who don’t jump into 15-foot deep seawater for fun.

We were hungry so we stopped at Pluto’s once we got back on board. Then off to the couple’s massage (part of a package) at Vista. BvP and I had the Spa Taster..so once they were done with our backs, we had a mini-facial.

Afterwards, they tried to sell us some product…which I don’t happened at last year’s couple’s massage. My masseuse also told me I had a some knots (I call one “Wilma” and the other one “Stateroom alchohol bill”) and that one product would break down the lactic acid under my skin. Hmmm…I’m not a medical professional…but that sounds weird. We passed on the products.

Because of our late lunch, we weren’t hungry for our 8:30 dinner, so we skipped*. BvP and I took over the deserted basketball court for the longest game of HORSE ever recorded. We’re internet geeks. We don’t do this “sports” thing very well. Walked the decks, enjoyed life, etc.

We’re also skipping the Character breakfast* this morning to take advantage of the REAS Champagne breakfast (no champagne though…my liver needs a few hour break)

The Bingo jackpot goes off today. I’ll be there. We’re still debating booking a Western for this time next year. April and October are usually our vacation months…but Mother Nature is showing her increasing displeasure with October lately.

Oh, and if I see “Madagascar” or “Miracle” one more time on my stateroom TV, I’m going to have a fit.

Maybe more later…

I like to move it move it. I like to move it move it…I like to move it move it…I like to … MOVE IT!

edited to add:

Wilma looks like she isn’t touching Florida until Sunday. Our flight leaves Saturday afternoon so I think we’ll be home on time.

I’m very pleased to see a comment from _d, since he and Online Salesperson Extrordinaire are manning the dept. by themselves. _d is surviving, y’all!

It’s raining here. :/