*St. Maarten and More!

(Tuesday, February 25, 2014 – AM and afternoon)

Tuesday morning Sharon and I were awake at 7 so I leaned over my sleeping Hannah and turned on our port hole to find that we were docking in St. Maarten.  It was neat to see land outside as well as other cruise ships as we moved into the dock.  It was a busy day with 5 other ships in port the same day.

Originally we were scheduled for our Port Adventure in the morning but the previous evening we’d been able to switch our time to the afternoon so that we could visit the island with Tonya and her family.  These are the precious people that we were seated with each night at supper and whom we enjoyed so much! 

It was nice to have a quieter morning and start our day at a slower pace.  On days that the ship is in port there is not as much happening on board the ship such as  no character greetings until later in the day.   As we were eating breakfast in the Enchanted Garden we looked at the window and it was covered with water droplets.  At first we thought it was raining until we noticed that the port holes on either side of it were almost dry.  We quickly found out the Disney washes the entire ship from top to bottom every single time it’s in a port!  Can you imagine??  This ship is  4 football fields long and 14 decks high!  At one point I looked up at the ship and could count 8 different people washing different parts of the ship and – that was only the ones I could see!  Each and every veranda, window and part of the ship is washed even if the ship docks 2 days in a row!

After breakfast we relaxed with a slow walk around Deck 4 which houses shuffle board, a walking and running track plus relaxing lounge chairs.  If you’re lucky you’ll also catch a glimpse of this adorable little girl as she waits patiently for her Mommy and Nana!

Precious moments with Nana

After our leisurely stroll we changed into bathing suits and took advantage of emptier pools and short AquaDuck lines as many passengers were already on shore.  Hannah wanted to swim first so I went for a ride on the AquaDuck myself.  Sharon caught this pic as I floated by.

After seeing that it doesn’t go too quickly Nana decided to give the AquaDuck a try!   Hannah joined her and they had a great time!!  LOL – Hannah said she sang all the way around!  Hehe – that’s our Nana!  She was really glad she tried it and would have gone again if she wanted.  Way to go Nana!

I purchased a waterproof case for my camera last summer and after testing it carefully to ensure it truly was was waterproof I tucked my camera into it and snapped some fun pictures and videos of Hannah enjoying the nearly empty Mickey pool.

After our swim we enjoyed an early lunch near the pool deck over looking St. Maarten and then freshened up for the day.  Hannah and our sweet room steward Giesel.  She was so kind and made such a big impact on our cruise!  So thankful for her and not only the great care she took of us but the personal interest she took in, ‘Princess Hannah!’

We met Tonya’s family as well as the rest of our tour families in the Buena Vista Theatre at 12:30.  We were all issued Chip ‘n Dale stickers and made our way off the ship.  This was the first time we had disembarked and I was once again very happy with the security measures.  Hannah was the first of our family to scan her card and the crew member stopped us.  Either Sharon or I needed to scan our card first in order for her to leave the ship.  Just one more reason to love Disney Cruise Line and everything about it!

This was the first time we saw our regal ship in her full beauty and she was breathtaking!!  I love the navy hull with gold trim.  

(If you zoom in and look carefully at the blue area just in front of the lifeboats you’ll see a guy suspended on a platform washing or painting the ship.)

Welcome to St. Maarten!

We took a bus tour around the island that stopped on the French side at a little market and then at a second stop at an ice cream parlour with an old fashioned carousel in it.  Hannah and Jacob (also 4yo) chose to ride together. 

After our bus tour we enjoyed some shopping time before boarding our ship again.   I’d say this Port Adventure was the only slightly negative part of our entire trip.  It was okay but the bus was hot and we couldn’t hear the tour guide.  If you’re headed to St. Maarten I’d recommend finding a tour other than the ‘Under Two Flags’ tour. 

I took this pic as we were boarding.  It gives you a better view of the AquaDuck portion that swings out over the ocean.

All aboard!

A bit of quiet time before we got ready for our next adventure – Pirate Night!!