A View of St Thomas

Yesterday we were at Crown Bay in St Thomas. We had a wonderful sail in from our balcony. We supposedly passed the super yacht of Jeff Bezos. It was a perfectly sunny day. We had no plans to get off the ship. After we docked, we decided to try breakfast at Luminae which is the restaurant for suite (aka Retreat) guests. It has some dishes created by Chef Daniel Boulud. I ordered a Greek yogurt parfait and a potato waffle and Angie had a dish that was similar to a shashuka. It was quail eggs on top of a savory tomato ragu. 

 And we both had cheese grits. My dish was the least successful. It was just a normal waffle with a fried egg and cheese. I think they were trying for something like a McGriddle. Nothing special about it. Angie's dish had some good flavor. I had high hopes that the cheese grits would save the day. But it was not going to happen. The texture was fine. Unfortunately any attempt they made to add flavor failed. They had a pasty flavor and were devoid of any cheese, butter or salt. Even adding more butter and salt, it was a lost cause.  

After breakfast I went to the gym for elliptical and weights and Angie did her walkabout on the open deck. We met up in the cabin after that and just enjoyed the view from the cabin. Lots of good people watching. Our lunch would be back at Sushi on Five for more of that delicious lobster ramen, a Dragon Eel roll and a Tataki Trio Roll. All so good!!  

We then headed to Deck 14 Aft to the Sunset Bar to enjoy the great weather. 

There was a nice breeze and the bar area had a good amount of shade. It was then back to the cabin for some afternoon snacks. Jess our butler had brought some shrimp cocktail and a beautiful cheese plate. Made me glad I had gone to the gym. We watched sail away from our balcony and then got ready for dinner. Stopped at Michael's Club for a pre dinner cocktail. I had a Woodford Manhattan and Angie had a Cosmo made with Ketel One Botanical with Grapefruit. Both very good.  

Dinner was excellent at Luminae.. The chef had a great amuse bouche of spicy tuna. Then we both had soups. I had a turkey escarole consomme and Angie had Daniel Boulud's signature corn soup. Both had excellent flavor. The corn soup had been emulsified into a super creamy broth. Then we both had crispy kale salads with a well balanced balsamic vinaigrette. And also had butternut squash and Swiss chard lasagna. Thin slice of squash, alternated with Swiss shard between layers of homemade noodles. All surrounded by a velvety bechamel. A well done dish. No dessert tonight.  

After dinner we stopped by to see Raju at Cellar Masters and check in on his roommate situation. Since his roommate had adjusted his watch to the correct time, things had improved. Raju said his roommate was always extra quiet. After a glass of tawny port for me and a Domain Chanson for Angie, we headed back to the cabin.  

Today we are docking in Phillipsburg Sint Maarten. This is one of a few countries that is shared between nations. Sint Maarten is the southern region of the island and comprises about 45% of the land. It's a territory of The Netherlands. Saint Martin is the "neighbor" to the north comprising the remaining 55% and is part of France. You can travel freely between the countries. No passport checks are required when crossing over. The airport and cruise port are both located on the Dutch side.  

Speaking of the airport, we will disembark the today and head on a tour. We'll head over to Maho Beach which is situated directly at the beginning of the Princess Juliana airport runway. While you're on the beach, large planes are flying over head. You can find a lot of videos on YouTube if you're curious what it's like.