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Azamara Journey - Traffic was at a standstill in Chicago, snow drifts were high in Montreal and Toronto, streets were covered with ice in New York, the Midwest was freezing, London was cold and damp and dark. It seemed to be snowing everywhere. Even Florida was cold. We had more than 600 passengers on board our cruise from 18 different countries, mostly from the U.S., and more than 100 each from Canada and the U.K. We all had the same reason for being there – to get away to the warmth of the Caribbean sun. Our ship, the Azamara Journey, started out from Miami with two days at sea, getting warmer and warmer each day. People sprawled on lounges around the pool soaking up the sun, or got into the many activities offered – workouts in the fitness center, bridge, bingo, computer classes, dance lessons, cooking demonstrations, wine tasting, and the casino's Texas Hold'em lessons and tournaments. We met our officers, staff and crew. There was an internet center open 24 hours a day and you could email home for 60 cents/minute to brag about the warm sunshine and ask how cold it is at home.
After the two days at sea, our first port stop was at St. John one of the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was raining, but it was 80 degrees. Better than snow. Despite the rain, most passengers went on shore excursions, either sailing on a catamaran, hiking the tropical forest trails, kayaking, or hitting the beach for snorkeling and sun. St. John is mostly national park with 60 percent of the island set aside for preservation. Some 12,000 acres of water surrounding the island are also protected. Their conservation program has succeeded in restoring sea grass beds along the shore and several passengers reported seeing sea turtles when snorkeling. Environmental scientists by the way are finding toxic forms of sunscreen in the water that can kill coral. They urge people to not use sunscreen with the ingredient benzophenone, but instead to use titanium-based sunscreen, which is less harmful to the coral. Deer are plentiful on the island, and their numbers are growing so you may see some if you hike. (Hikes can be moderate or strenuous so choose carefully to match your ability.) For shopping, at a 5-minute walk from the dock was Mongoose Junction with many artisans and galleries gathered in one complex. And of course there was Cruzan rum to sample or buy and bring home.
Next day was St. Martin, and we had to tender from the ship in to Marigot, the main town on the French side, much less crowded than the Dutch side of the island. Local vendors sell craft items next to the dock area, and there are other shops across the street and up the hill. It's a friendly port. One coffee shop owner let us use his computer when we could not locate an internet cafe to check emails. Many passengers either went on an art tour to visit local artists and galleries, went to the St. Martin Museum and climbed up to the old fort with a great view of Marigot Bay, or took a bus to the Dutch side of the island to sail in restored America's Cup boats, including the famous Stars & Stripes. Some passengers went to the Man of War Shoal Marine Park, recently opened as a step toward preserving the Proselyte Reef, the island's most important underwater habitat. Others headed out to beaches. On the French side most beaches are European style, meaning topless. Those wanting a nude beach went to Orient Beach. (If you go, be sure to order some barbecued ribs from the restaurant where you enter from the parking lot.)
Next port was St. Barts and we were there at anchor for two days, from 8:30 one morning until 5 the next afternoon, giving those interested an opportunity to go back to shore by tender to sample the night life. As usual there were gorgeous yachts in the harbor. The island is very French and prices in shops and restaurants were very high. We did find one inexpensive thing – an internet cafe with computers available to use in English as well as French. It's on the second floor, just one street up from the waterfront. St. Barts was called that by Christopher Columbus after his younger brother Bertome. When France gave the island to Sweden they named the main port Gustavia after their king Gustav III. Today it's French again. Beaches enjoyed by our sun-seeking passengers included a secluded beach that was once the private beach of the Rockefellers.
The next two stops were to be Nevis,
then Antigua. But the seas were a little rough so the captain opted to switch so
that we could have a deck party without rain and wind. (One of the advantages of
small ships, you can work last-minute changes without it being a big deal.)
In Antigua we were tied at the
dock, always preferred by passengers so you can get on and off with ease.
Many
walked up the hill to the fort built by the British in 1706. Some took a taxi to English Harbour, with its
old dockyards and historic buildings when it served as an important British
naval base because of its safe
protected harbor. Many chose to sit in a waterside restaurant and compare Antigua rum with Cruzan rum.
One special excursion was a canopy tour of the
Antigua rainforest including a walk on a suspension bridge and several zip
lines. Another was a helicopter tour to Montserrat to see the volcano there and
the destruction it caused when it erupted. Much of the island is still under ash
in the Exclusion Zone that is still off limits, dangerous enough that even
people with homes there cannot enter.
There are two museums a few minutes walk from where the tender comes in to Charlestown that tell interesting stories of Admiral Horatio Nelson who married Nevisian Frances Nisbet here and of Alexander Hamilton, first U.S. Secretary of Treasury who was born here in 1757 and grew up in Nevis. The slave center was next to Hamilton’s boyhood home, where the museum is now, and what he witnessed there is thought to have been a major influence on his opposition to slavery, a man ahead of his time in trying to end it. We spent the day with the Nevis Tourism Authority to learn about Nevis’ geothermal project and other environmental programs. The geothermal project, delayed by the poor economy, now appears to be back on track, a spokesperson for the project said , and when completed should be able to generate hundreds of megawatts of power, enough to supply much of this part of the Caribbean with power. We visited Four Seasons Resort, newly reopened after repairs to hurricane damage with all 196 rooms and villas now in top shape again. Cruise passengers are invited to use the spa and golf course or rent beach huts at day rates. Nevis is doing much to preserve its natural state. You don't see trash lying around in Nevis, nothing is allowed to be built over two stories high, and a program to track and save endangered turtles in underway. Farms are organic using manure rather than chemical fertilizer and other organic ways of producing food and herbs. We visited several of the farms and the restaurants they supplied with their fresh organic foods. Many locals also have private herb gardens for family medical needs. Wherever you go on Nevis you see the (not active) volcano mountain that soars above the landscape. And you see goats and sheep walking the roads (you can tell the difference we are told because goat tails go up and sheep tails go down).
And at some ports, a few passengers did
not even go on shore, choosing instead to relax in the sun on board with a good
book or to be pampered in the spa. There was a delightful private deck off the
spa with a therapy whirlpool (but you could not use it without paying for a
special membership). We were very pleased to see an acupuncturist on board and I
used his services for a pain problem that was slowing me down considerably. His
appointment schedule was very full, with passengers seeking services for
everything from pain management to help in becoming non-smokers.
Before dinner in the lounge
adjacent to the main dining room a harpist Jacqueline Dolan entertained. Usually
a house band played for dancing before the evening shows which typically started
at 8 and at 9:45.
Next to the cabaret theater was a
pianist with passengers and staff sometimes joining in with vocals. Late night dancing was in the
Looking Glass, swaying with the sea motion up on Deck 10 with a vocal duo, then
a DJ. Evening entertainment in the Cabaret Lounge included violinist Jane Hunt
playing classical and pop solos as well as original music, vocalist Jamila,
formerly a member of The 5th Dimension who gave us soul, jazz and Broadway hits,
and music by cruise director Tony Markey and his wife Cristina. Each star was
accompanied by the Azamara Journey Orchestra.
What about future plans? CEO of Azamara Club Cruises Larry Pimental promises a continued emphasis on destinations with its two ships continuing to sometimes stay two days in ports as we did in St. Bart, giving passengers more time to explore. Formerly head of SeaDream Yacht Club, Seabourn, and Cunard, Pimental recently took over Azamara. Jazz festival cruises are planned for Norway and the Netherlands, and Azamara Club Cruises has partnered with Perry Golf for golf packages, allowing passengers to play golf at top courses on cruises in Asia and in the Mediterranean. Future cruises for Azamara Club Cruises include Southeast Asia, India, Israel, Egypt, the Mediterranean, Croatia, Greek Isles, Black Sea, Adriatic, Baltic, Scandinavia, North Africa, Bermuda, South America, British Isles, Antarctica and the Falklands, and also back to the Caribbean. There is rumor of a possible new build if revenues increase.
Story by Shirley Linde, editor,
SmallShipCruises.com
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