Lovely St. Maarten is divided into two countries - one Dutch, and one French. We ported on the French side and were absolutely delighted at the beauty of both sides as we traversed both countries. Our exceptional ships's excursion was an art tour visiting five different galleries throughout the island along with a highly informative island tour. Our guide was a resident of Dutch St. Maarten and she fascinated us with tidbits of info regarding island life. For example, most residents have two cell phones (one Dutch, one French) because they correspond across two countries and it's cheaper. Oh, and a small box of triscuits will run you about $6 U.S. - Seriously!! There are a large number of private schools for young people and education is of high priority. There is a top-notch medical school here where many young doctors begin their studies before transferring elsewhere to do their residency. This island attracts people from around the world with its fantastic weather, and cosmopolitan living.
We met with artists and jewelers, painters and sculptors and were drawn to so many of the works. The Minguet gallery was lovingly run by the deceased artist's daughter and son-in-law. We just had to purchase one of the paintings here and we are loving it in our home. This was by far my favorite time in port through drizzle and traffic and lovely island views.
We enjoyed walking through the shopping area near the port and saw beautiful pieces of jewelry along with some pretty dynamite chocolate in a little Belgian shop downtown. I couldn't resist either. We had to sample beer here as well and visited Dwayne and purchased a few cold ones. Strictly Caribbean branded beer for our sampling... And - Dwayne LOVES his job!!
We headed next to St. Thomas, which is a U.S. port and found it to be a shopper's paradise. We visited bookstores, jewelery stores, clothing stores, shoe stores, purse stores, etc. etc. etc. I can certainly see why people visit St. Thomas on a regular basis. Of course we wore ourselves out shopping and had to sample one last Caribbean brew. We had Banks in Barbados, Wadadli in Antigua, Piton in St. Lucia, Carib in St. Maarten and last but not least the Virgin Island Tropical Mango Beer. This beer was technically bottled in the states but labeled in St. Johns. Yumm. They were all pretty tasty, but the Banks was still my favorite.
We truly enjoyed the entire cruise - the ports, the food, the friends, and the laughter. Celebrity Summit was a wondrous adventure in and of itself. Our meals were deliciously prepared, the wine was incredibly tasty, and the staff pampered us to no end. I highly recommend visiting the Persian Garden within any of the Celebrity ships for a lovely respite from all that goes on around you. It is warm and restful and relaxing. I also can't say enough about the specialty restaurant 'Qsine' with its innovative ordering system, menus, and attractive presentations. Delish!
This lovely sculpture below was my favorite piece of art on the entire ship. Most ships have some lovely pieces and you'll find that each ship has a flavor all its own. We love Celebrity!!
If you're toying with the idea of a cruise - do it! It can be both tranquil and relaxing or as exciting as you choose. You unpack once and leave your floating hotel as you visit several ports in a span of a week or more. Cruising is not for you if you love an in-depth visit of a specific duration or if you get panicky out in the middle of the ocean. If you have any kind of motion sickness I do recommend the use of Bonine, a 24 hour tablet, or Dramamine, an 8 hour tablet. Many people do use a medical patch on their skin which you can get by prescription from your doctor.
Check out www.celebrity.com for more information on a Celebrity cruise.
"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it."
~~Buddha
Enjoy the Ride
:) Deb
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