Day 7 of this 11 day Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Holland America Line’s Eurodam finds us in the beautiful Caribbean island of St. Lucia, docked in the capital city of Castries. This port is new territory for me, and today we’re sharing the harbor with the Enchanted Princess from Princess Cruises, and the luxurious Sirena, from Oceania Cruises.
While the crystal-clear beaches St. Lucia is famous for are a few miles away, making a stroll impractical for most, there’s no shortage of adventure! Taxis and shore excursions are readily available right at the port, although it is highly recommended to book your excursions only from the cruise line!
I’m itching to explore this island and see if it surpasses my experiences at the last two ports. Stay tuned for an update later today, where I’ll share all about my St. Lucian discoveries! (fingers crossed!)
Lido Market Breakfast Menu
As the day gets started, let’s take a look at what’s being served at the Lido Market for breakfast today.
Main Dining Room Breakfast Menu
Over in the main dining room, here’s what’s cooking for breakfast.
Lido Market Lunch Menu
For those looking for a quick bite to eat for lunch before heading off to explore, here’s what’s available at the Lido Market buffet.
Main Dining Room Lunch Menu
Of course, for a more relaxed lunch you can visit the main dining room. Here’s today’s lunch menu.
Port of Call: St. Lucia
Well this was interesting. Another “I’m going to a die here, get me back to the ship” stop.
It doesn’t look bad from a far, but… wow. Once you start walking around it becomes apparent it is.
The locals are once again VERY pushy with taxis and tours to the point where they keep following you till you give them a very forceful NO!
There are sidewalk shops EVERYWHERE selling trinkets, lucky charms, clothes, cups of ice, melons, and fish. Let’s talk about the fish. On a street corner there are several tents set up with wooden boxes full of fish – not on ice, and it’s hot here. They are gutting and chopping up the fish as people are buying them. Forget fish guts all over the ground and on other fish not cut up yet, imagine the smell. I almost puked. The smell was unlike anything I ever smelled before. The worst part was I had to walk by it a second time to get back to the ship.
A disheveled, presumably homeless guy, who was living on Mars at the moment, grabbed my arm, started speaking in whatever language and tried to take my sunglasses. It was at that point I said it was time to get back to the ship ASAP.
Lido Market Dinner Menu
Back on board and things are getting set up for dinner. Here’s what’s available tonight at the Lido Market buffet up on Deck 9.
Main Dining Room Dinner Menu
For those wanting to eat in the main dining room, here’s tonight’s menu.
Sail Away from St. Lucia
If there’s one thing to be said about the captain of the Eurodam… he’s punctual! All aboard time was 5:00pm with a scheduled departure of 5:30pm. With most of us back on board way before 5pm, we were underway at 5:15pm.
Like our departure from Antigua and Dominica, the views leaving St. Lucia were simply stunning. Rising out of the water were the Pitons, two mountainous volcanic plugs, high enough to have clouds obstructing their peak.
Dinner at Pinnacle Grill
For dinner tonight, I decided last minute to go to the ship’s steakhouse – Pinnacle Grill – once again. This $45 pp + 18% specialty restaurant offers classic steakhouse fare along with stellar service. So far each time I’ve eaten here this cruise, I have not been disappointed, so here’s to keeping that streak going!
I kicked things off with my usual order, the Steak Tartare, which remains absolutely delicious. My second course, the Wedge Salad, was… well, a salad. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t quite live up to the excitement of the tartare.
The main course was a showstopper. I opted for the 8oz filet mignon with lobster dumplings, splurging on a 5oz lobster tail for an extra ten bucks. The steak was cooked exactly as I like it, a perfect rare. The lobster dumplings were divine – two bites of pure deliciousness. The broiled lobster tail lived up to the hype, boasting both sweetness and a melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. This dinner easily takes the crown for the best one yet!
Despite my good intentions of skipping dessert tonight, a towering slice of Baked Alaska paraded past on its way to another table, and I caved. Surprisingly, the portion was airier than it appeared. Layers of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream sat atop a luxuriously moist cake, all generously cloaked in whipped cream that, while a touch too sweet for me, completed the decadent package. It was a delightful indulgence, as beautiful as it was calorie-laden.
Once again, the service at the Pinnacle Grill was fantastic. The dinner itself was worth every penny!
A Tragic Note
Today, we were informed that earlier in the day while sister ship, Nieuw Amsterdam, was anchored at Half Moon Cay an accident occurred on board that claimed the lives of two crew members.
End of the Night
After dinner, I headed for a nightcap and then took in part of the Rolling Stone band’s final set of the night. There was less of a crowd here this evening than there was all the other nights of the cruise (except day 1).
Other entertainment tonight included the piano players at Billboard Onboard and a production show, which I skipped, in the main theater.
Another thing I skipped tonight was the casino. Everyone I’m talking to is complaining about how tight the slots are. I also spoke with a blackjack player who said he’s “getting beat up” at the tables. So the casino is not being too lucky for a lot of us, it seems.
We’re sailing to our next port of call, St. Kitts, where we are expected to arrive at 8am.