Viking Holiday - Part 2
We had a fabulous Christmas on the Viking Sea...and the next morning we woke up to this glorious sunrise over St. Kitt's.
After getting off of the ship and a short bus ride we arrived at Fairview Great House...which was originally a sugar plantation and has been preserved.
Beautiful botanical gardens and fascinating to explore the gardens and home...
the basement had a wonderful display about the slave trade that brought slaves from Africa to work on the plantation. I will never hear the Beatle's Penny Lane again without thinking about James Penny, who was one of the slave traders and the street was named after him.
On our way back to the ship we were able to see a parade for
"Sugar Mas" - an island celebration. The costumes, dancing and music were great.
When we returned to the ship we went to the beautiful Winter Garden for afternoon tea - a lovely treat offered at 4 PM. You can see we had already been eating way too much of Viking's delicious food, so we asked for tea and some scones...skipping the tea sandwich and pastry selection. It was the perfect treat!
It is so relaxing to enjoy tea and some piano or violin music!
That night we met in the atrium for the Viking Explorer Society and enjoyed a glass of champagne and a toast...
took a quick walk around the deck...
then headed to dinner - the food is fabulous and we opted for the always available salmon. This is on the menu as poached salmon, but we requested it to be grilled and it was perfect...with some caviar - yum!
Then we went to a fabulous ABBA show in the theater...such fun and everyone singing along!
The rest of the cruise just flew by, with visits to the islands of Dominica, Barbados, Antigua, St. Lucia....
with beautiful gardens,
delicious and wonderfully plated food,
historic churches,
history,
and beautiful views!
We loved having lunch on the Pool Deck cafe...burgers, and great cheesesteaks...which we split so we could have...yes....
more gelato!
We did not stop to help, but there are puzzles set out for guests to enjoy - along with board games and books to read.
We so enjoyed all the islands and the gorgeous views!
Then returning to the ship, heading to the pool, and enjoying
"boat drinks"!
The sad part is when you find your de-embarkation information...but we still had a day or two to enjoy!
We enjoyed a great time at the pool after dark
playing Name That Tune under the stars.
Woke up on New Year's Eve to a sunrise over St. Martin
a tour of the beautiful island,
memorial to the emancipation of the slaves,
and that evening, a delicious lobster dinner -
with fun hats and noise makers all ready to celebrate...
and then the BEST New Year's Eve ever...with a great band, wonderful music, dancing under the stars...
such a nice change for us...we usually stay home and try to keep awake until midnight.
Ice sculpture count down to the new year...the 4 went into the pool when the New Year arrived.
Happy New Year !
Wanted to mention how much we appreciated the hand sanitizer at the restaurant and other places on the ship...
as well as the sinks at the World Cafe to wash your hands before entering.
New Year's Day brought a fabulous brunch located in the World Cafe, the Pool Grill, and all around by the Pool Bar -
soup, lobster rolls, all kinds of food...
and of course....gelato!
We enjoyed our last day relaxing on the ship...
and that night had dinner at Manfredi's - one of the two specialty restaurants on board. There is no upcharge for these...and we find it hard to choose where to eat because every venue is wonderful.
A delicious Caprese Salad
we split the Chicken Parmigiana so we could enjoy some pasta, too -
and a great dessert! Manfredi's is an Italian style restaurant...the other specialty is called the Chef's Table and has a set menu with special wines for each course. We did not get to that venue this time, but will put it on our list for our next ocean cruise in August.
And thanks for stopping by Our New Vista and coming on the West Indies Explorer with us. Do you like to cruise ? Have you enjoyed a Viking River or Ocean cruise ? I loved looking at these photos today as it is cold and snowy here in PA...remembering the warm weather and wonderful trip.
I love hearing from you - please leave a comment below. Wishing you a great week ahead...stay warm!
