It’s the 5th day of this 7-day Eastern Caribbean cruise on Carnival Celebration and today’s port-of-call is St. Thomas. It’s the last stop, followed by two days at sea before returning to Miami on Sunday. It was quite an interesting day, to say the least, so be sure to keep reading.
The Carnival Celebration arrived at Charlotte Amalie the capital of St. Thomas a little after 7:00 am. The port itself is old, run-down, and surrounded by the Havensight Shopping Mall which has seen better days. The view from one side of the ship is of the port with its rusted-out storage tanks and the run-down mall which doesn’t give a very good impression. The view from the other side of the ship paints a different picture – million-dollar yachts in the harbor and houses perched on cliffs that look out over the clear blue water of the Caribbean.
There is very little to do around the port, so if you want to spend time in St. Thomas, be prepared to pick out some shore excursions or use the day to chill out on the ship while others are out exploring, taking a break at one of the beaches, or snorkeling. This time, I didn’t even venture out for a selfie, as I find the port area less than desirable.
When I was here two weeks ago, I mentioned that the area around the port has obviously suffered from the lack of tourism thanks to COVID. It’s become run down, dirty, and downright sketchy, but now that ships have returned, hopefully, the area gets cleaned up and becomes a tad more welcoming for visitors.
Mother Nature turned the heat on yet again, and like San Juan the previous day, it was very hot and humid, but an excessive heat warning was not issued for St. Thomas. Summer in the Caribbean can be brutal, so be sure you are prepared by packing plenty of sunscreen, practicing staying hydrated (not with beer or alcohol, but by drinking plenty of water), and knowing your limits when you’re out on shore excursions or laying out in the sun. Over the years, I have seen many who are not used to the heat succumb to heatstroke and display the telltale signs of being out in the sun far too long.
All aboard was 3:30 pm and as usual, some did not make it back in time as calls were made to try to find the scallywags who didn’t check their watches. Remember, if you’re out on your own and not on one of the ship’s excursions if you’re late… the ship sails without you! We ended up leaving about 15 minutes late, around 4:15 pm to begin our trek back to Miami.
I returned to my stateroom to get ready for dinner, and the kids in the room next to me were at it once again. Not exactly sure what goes on over there, but the loud screaming and what sounds like bodyslamming off the walls was enough to get me to call security for a second time. This time the security officer arrived right away, heard the screaming and banging for himself and entered the room.
There was a bunch of shouting, parents were summoned to the room, and after 20 minutes things quieted down – hopefully for good this time. Carnival has recently introduced a Guest Conduct policy that will levy fines and possible disembarkation at the next port should guests fail to abide by its guidelines. They have also introduced a $500 fine for smoking in rooms and on balconies.
At 7:30 pm the captain made a ship-wide announcement that a guest was in urgent need of medical attention and the ship would be making an emergency stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico so the guest could be taken off the ship. A little before 9:00 pm Carnival Celebration entered San Juan Bay and we docked around an hour later.
From the time we arrived in US waters off Puerto Rico, the ship’s shops and casino were closed. To say that some casino players were not happy was an understatement. As each hour passed, the natives grew more and more restless and grumpy that they couldn’t gamble.
Something to note… since we were back in Puerto Rico, any food or beverage purchased during that time was subject to an 11.5% sales tax. Another bone of contention to many.
Being diverted or having to disembark ill guests is something that happens very frequently. I’ve been on cruises where a Coast Guard helicopter was called to medevac a guest, urgent calls were made for blood donors, someone passed away, and on one longer Holland America sailing had not one, not two, but three diversions to disembark sick passengers.
In the middle of this, I ventured over to Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse for dinner. I didn’t have a reservation but was accommodated right away.
I started out with French Onion Soup and the Young Lettuce salad. The soup was a bit of a shocker in a few ways. First, the melted cheese on top was (wait for it) a square slice of yellow American cheese! Second, for onion soup, it was devoid of onions. Third, the temperature was nuclear.
The salad was typical, no complaints there.
For the main course, I went with the Cowboy Ribeye which was cooked as I asked – medium rare – seasoned well, and tender with just the right amount of marbling to bring out the flavor. Good choice.
For dessert, I left it up to my server to choose and she brought over a piece of cheesecake, which was light – not dense like a New York Style cheesecake would be. A pretty good choice to end the meal.
Service was on-point although a bit rushed as the restaurant was quite busy and they were looking to turn tables quickly. For me it wasn’t a big deal, but probably not for those wanting to spend a little time in between courses.
The steakhouse does charge $48 per person which is worth it.
After dinner, most passengers were out on the ship’s upper decks watching the operation taking place on the dock as the ship was getting prepared to disembark the ill guest. At around 11:30 pm lines were pulled in and the ship started to pull out and continue on with the journey. The shops did not reopen, however, the casino resumed operations around 12:15 am once we were in international waters.
That alone I’m sure put a smile on plenty of people’s faces.
There were no further updates given on the condition of the guest.
FunTimes for June 8, 2023:
The FunTimes for June 8, 2023, is also available as a PDF.