As we fight to get back to some semblance of normalcy, I'm pleased to report that one aspect of my pre-Covid life is back - with a few modifications. I'm currently on one of the cruises underway once again and operating in our new pandemic landscape. I've decided to chronicle my two-week adventure in two parts here on Hive. I figured my fellow cruisers (and travelers in general) might be interested in what it's like out there in the tourism world.
I'm traveling on the Sky Princess, a new ship put into service in 2019 just before Covid hit the pause button on the industry for 18 months forcing some cruise lines (including Princess) to take on some massive debt to survive dropping to essentially zero revenue. Naturally, the staff and the ports are excited (i.e. relieved) to be back to work and seeing their incomes returns.
I cruise a lot. As a writer, I have the freedom to write anywhere and find cruising an ideal atmosphere for me. I had two cruises cancelled due to Covid and this is my first foray back and wanted to tell you about what I'm seeing and how it's going so far my first week in.
As you probably know, cruise ships are notorious for large numbers of people in close quarters with more than a few past cases of viruses breaking out in large numbers. Because of that, the cruise lines knew pragmatism was essential in getting back to business. Every guest has to show proof of vaccination and a negative Covid test taken within 2 days of embarkation.
On the ship itself, you see that high level of safeguards you'd probably expect. Masks are required everywhere indoors, except when eating and drinking. Even then, guests are encouraged to remove masks only long enough to eat or drink and replace their masks (though this is understandably not expected during meals where it would be impractical). Hand sanitizers are ubiquitous. The buffet has changed in that guests no longer handle community utensils to serve themselves but have staff fill their plates as directed - this in addition to cruisers being required to wash their hands as they enter the buffet area (yes, there is a staff member ensuring this). All staff are religiously double-masked at all times (at least in guest areas). As much effort as can be in evidence to relay safety is being implemented and does relay a sense of responsibility commensurate with what I suspect anyone might reasonably expect.
Most surprising to me is that the ship is only 2/3 full. With accomodations for 3,700 guests, there are only 2,600 on this cruise - and it shows. There are rarely crowds anywhere and sometimes it feels downright like a ghost town (ship). The only exceptions seem to be the main theater and casino which both keep busy during the evening hours following dinner.
So, let's get on to the fun stuff - the stops on the first leg of the cruise:
Princess Caye is the Bahamian island owned by the Princess Cruise Lines. Many, if not most, Princess cruises in the Caribbean make this stop for a day. Personally, it's one of my least favorite spots as it's really just a nice beach with a few activities and a handful of shops. The nice aspect is that, like on the ship, the food is complimentary whereas in other ports you (naturally) have to pay for third-party food and drink. It's a lot like the main pool area on the ship itself where people go to drink, listen to music, play in the water... and drink some more. I find there's generally not a lot to do at this stop for me. I'm not big on sunbathing and generally spend a minimal amount of time playing in the water and find myself ashore for just a couple of hours before returning to the sanctuary of the ship.
Saint Thomas is a favorite port of mine. In the U.S. Virgin Islands, it's nice, clean and there's a lot to do, both right off the ship as well as excursions around the island. It's a bit pricier than some of the poorer islands in the Caribbean, but that's the tradeoff for the higher standard of living the residents have in a place like this compared to some of the poor (sometimes uber-poor) destinations these ships often visit.
I'd been to St. Thomas before, but on this visit I checked out the Pirates Treasure museum for the first time. It's within walking distance from where the ship lets off (past a number of scattered nice shops, bars and restaurants).
It's a relatively small, but worthwhile offering. The two floors offer a number of historic things to read, explore and interact with. I found the artifacts retrieved from various shipwrecks most interesting - my favorite being a pair of 600-lb silver bars that had been sitting at the bottom of the sea for nearly 300 years. There are also a few good photo ops and small gift shop where you can buy predicable pirate-themed gifts as well as actual coins and jewelry from different shipwrecks. Well worth the $15 and a good way to kill a couple hours at St. Thomas.
Saint Martin was a new stop for me and an island I've been wanting to visit for some time. As one of the jewels of the Caribbean, I always though I might one day make this a destination vacation and wanted to get a feel for it. Unfortunately, I didn't leave myself a lot of time and it wasn't one of our longer days in port, so I didn't see as much as I would have liked. I took a cab a couple of miles to the main town where the stores evidence the generally upscale nature of the island and its visitors. There were far more high end jewelry stores and name brand outlets than you would normally see on most other islands (Tommy Bahamas with their $200 shirts are generally only found on the islands frequented by wealthier American and Canadian tourists).
The highlight of the day was a museum called Yoda Guy opened by a special effects artist who worked on a number of notable Hollywood films in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Again, not big by any means (though larger than the outside suggests), it was a very interesting and worthwhile time and it wasn't hard to see why it is the top rated tourist attraction on the island. I was actually going to give more details about this part of the trip, but I think I'll save it for its own post as it was that much fun and certainly worthy of its own post.
Watch for Part 2 next week! Upcoming stops are Costa Maya (Mexico), Roatan (Honduras), Belize and Cozumel.
Cheers.