We decided to hire a taxi to go to Coral World (aquarium) and then walk to Coki Beach, which is right next to the aquarium. When we got back, we decided to go to a restaurant on Main Street and enjoy an Ole Wife fish lunch, after which we did some walking and shopping.
Photos from 2015 cruise pages C to E of the old site will appear here.
St. Thomas
April 2, 2015
Sunrise
Getting closer to Charlotte Amalie
Charlotte Amalie
Coral World
This and the next photos show the different displays
Coral World, St. Thomas
April 2, 2015
This stingray is trained how to show visitors how it eats
A diver in one of the tanks feeding the fish
Feeding a turtle
Coral
More coral
Coral World and Coki Beach
April 2, 2015
Barracuda
Coral Nursery
Colorful fish are Fairy Baslet
Sea Lion Differences between Sea Lion and Seal were explained.
Coki Beach as seen from Coral World
Coral World as seen from Coki Beach
Coki Beach, Charlotte Amalie, sunset
April 2, 2015
Beautiful Coki Beach
Elton enjoying himself
The Gem, St. Thomas
A close-up
Charlotte Amalie
Pilot Boat
Sunset
As it got darker
Towel animal
Peek-a-boo
We left St. Thomas at 6 p.m. and would arrive in Tortola by 6 a.m. the next day. Keep in mind that the distance between St. Thomas and Tortola is 29.49 km. This distance is 18.3 miles and 15.91 nautical miles. The ship slowly went out to sea and then turned back and headed to Tortola
On April 3rd, we arrived in Tortola's (British Virgin Islands or BVI) harbor after 6 a.m. We could not dock because the pier and the surrounding area was being upgraded.
We took a tour excursion to Virgin Gorda (Fat Virgin). We took a ferry from the ship to Virgin Gorda. It was about a 45 minute ride. After about a 5 minute taxi ride, we were at the Baths. The Baths National Park on Virgin Gorda is a must see!! We walked, crawled, climbed, held on to a rope, etc., to get through the "caves". The beach at Devil's Bay was very nice.
The Gem was only in port for a few hours.
The photos of April 4th were taken aboard the Gem. It appears I took no photos on April 5th. The photos of April 6th were taken as the Gem returned to Pier 88.
Tortola, Virgin Gorda: The Baths
April 3, 2015
Entering the harbor
Rock formation that looks like a skull
Another view - On our way to the Baths
Various views as we walked through the "caves".
The Baths, Virgin Gorda
APRIL 3, 2015
At one point, we could look up and see this.
Similar to photo on the left.
More views as we walked through the area
Here we had to walk in water
More water
Cliffs were seen
More of The Baths
April 3, 2015
Beautiful rock formations
More water
Me posing
Another pose
It is just incredible
Devil's Bay
A beautiful beach
The Baths, returning to the ship
April 3. 2015
Devil's Bay By the way, there was another way to get here without going through the "caves".
Leaving Virgin Gorda Virgen Gorda in Spanish
The Gem anchored in the harbor
One of the ferries dropping passengers off
After the last of the passengers returned, the ship left Tortola
The Gem as seen from the ferry we were on
Back on board
April 4, 2015
Atrium, Deck 7
Elton's outfit blends in with the Atrium
The big screen by one of the bars
The pool area
Time to sunbathe. Eventually, it got too cold and windy to sunbathe.
Reflection on glass of Decks 13 and 14 Can you find Elton and myself?
Grand Pacific Dining Room
Another mural
Towel animals, back in New York City
April 4 and 6, 2015
What do you see?
Figured it out?
Beautiful moon
Back in NYC. Coney Island area
Many of the streaks left by planes
Beautiful sunrise
Verrazano Bridge
Downtown Manhattan
April 6 and card used for all transactions/entering cabin
Sunrise, NYC skyline
Card used for everything
The following are photos taken by Elton using his Tablet. Photos may not appear in date order.
Photos Elton took with his Tablet
During the cruise, 2015
More of Elton's photos
During the cruise, 2015
This, and next two photos, San Juan, PR
St. Maarten
Sorry Elton, I cut off your head.
Elton outside the kiosk on Back Street where we had a delicious lunch
The balance of Elton's photos
During the cruise, 2015
Coral World, St. Thomas
The Gem, docked in St. Thomas
On out way to the Baths
Elton, The Baths, Virgin Gorda
Is this me? What was I doing?
Jorge? What was I saying?
That's it for photos
I placed this photo here to avoid cutting off Elton's head
Same as Elton's. In the smaller box, my head got cut off.
We enjoyed the cruise. We had a great time on the Gem and in each port. As always, it was great spending time with Titi Mery while we were docked in San Juan. Even though we spent time with Titi Mery, we still had time to tour Old San Juan.
We enjoyed the trip to Coral World and Coki beach on St. Thomas. Lunch at Gladys' Café on St. Thomas was great. I hadn't eaten Ole (Old) Wife fish in a long time. (Sorry, I do not know the scientific name. The fish has little or no scales and the skin has to be cut off or peeled off.)
We walked to the beach in Philipsburg, enjoyed time at beach and then later walked around town. We found a kiosk on Back Street where we enjoyed great food at a reasonable price and great company. Locals enjoy watching visitors eat local food.
The best part of the cruise was Virgin Gorda. The Baths is incredible!!
The entertainment on the ship was great, especially the acrobatic duo (husband and wife). There were also comedians, magicians and singers/dancers.
"Washy washy" was always present at the entrance of the Garden Café, making sure everyone sanitized their hands before entering to prevent Norovirus. There were sanitizing equipment all over the ship.
For most of the cruise, I did not feel well. That did not prevent me from enjoying myself. What did I have, allergies? Elton put up with my bad moods as best he could.
The free postcards that once could be found in the cabin are now 85 cents in the gift shop. The once free tour of the galley/bridge/etc. now costs $79.00. Automatically added gratuities were increased from $12.00 per day to $12.95. Since we had prepaid ours, we paid $12.00. One can adjust the gratuities up or down before the end of the cruise. How much that is collected really goes to the staff?
The staff was very friendly and always eager to help.
And with the islands so close to each other, why can't the ship say longer in each port? While in port, the ship cannot open their gift shop, casino, etc. Also, the ship may have to pay more in docking fees.
I had planned on taking 10 photos a day. It didn't work out that way as you can see. The ship's photographers take great photos but one has to pay $12.99 per 5x6 and $19.99 per 8x10.
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