It is November 29th or Black friday 2024! I haven’t blogged in a few days so I need to catch up. We had port days the last few days. Today is the last sea day before we go to Cococay tomorrow.

We are having a great week. Wednesday, we decided to stay on the ship in St. Maarten. We went to breakfast and Johnny Rockets. Breakfast is free at Johnny Rockets on oasis class ships and it is a secret people don’t know about so it wasn’t very crowded and a great way to avoid the crowd in the Windjammer. Greg and I both got egg sandwiches and really enjoyed them.

Next, we walked down the stairs. by the aqua theater and sat in our favorite chairs on the AFT of the ship on the walking track. The view of St. Maarten was beautiful and it had been raining that morning so we saw a double rainbow.

We noticed they had put up the Christmas tree on the promenade deck and several other smaller trees throughout the ship.

Next, I decided to go to the pool while the majority of guests were off the ship. Wonder has 3 different pools. Only 2 were open. I chose the forward pool because it was less crowded. It was wonderful and I enjoyed floating around. I always bring my floating chairs when we visit cococay. I have a tiny air pump that is easy to pack and blows them up quickly.

Dinner Wednesday was at the Mason jar which is a new southern style specialty restaurant that is only on Wonder and a few other ships. This was our second time at Mason jar having had brunch earlier in the week. We ordered the crab beignets for the table and the pimento cheese. I also tried the Caesar salad. For my entree, I got the shrimp and grits. Greg ordered the southern burger which he really liked and the waiter also brought us the brisket for the table which we both tried. For dessert we got the twice fried oreos.

We enjoyed eating at the Mason jar this week more than we expected. The dining area was quiet and it was a nice experience. There is a bar outside of the restaurant where a band plays nightly. This bar has been one of our favorite places on the ship to visit listen to music. We also like the cocktail menu here!

We had the ice show booked on Wednesday evening. It was a great show called 365.

Yesterday was another port day in St. Thomas. I got up to watch the sunrise from the top deck. Having a central park balcony has really forced me to go out other places on the ship for great views, sunrises, sunsets, sailaway, etc. When we have an ocean view balcony, I tend to just do those things from our balcony.

I got my morning iced coffee and some breakfast burritos in Park cafe. Today was also thanksgiving and we had a very short port day and needed to be back on board by 2:30.

Since we were ported in Crown Bay, I decided to take the ferry over to water island and visit honeymoon beach. The ferry terminal was easy to walk to from the cruise ship dock.. I walked out past where the cabs and transportation are and walked around the circle to the marina. You keep walking through the marina until you get to the ferry terminal.

Since yesterday was a public holiday, the ferry scheduled followed the sunday operating schedule so the first ferry of the day was at 9am. The larger boat takes 40 passengers. There were a few more than 40 waiting, but the crew was going to come back and get them vs. making them wait the whole hour until the next hourly departure.

Once you get to water island, you can take a free shuttle to the beach that is operated by Dinghy’s beach bar. You can also rent chair and snorkeling equipment at Dingy’s for fairly cheap prices. If you get to the beach early, there are a fair amount of shade to sit under. I didn’t rent a chair or anything since I brought my float. I was planning to spend most of my time in the water and then get back to the ship to meet Greg for lunch. The beach was absolutely beautiful and not very crowded. There were several Catamaran’s and boats parked out in the bay. While I was floating a cycle boat came to the beach and let a lot of passengers off.

The beach also had several picnic tables for guest to use. I didn’t visit the beach bar, but they have food and drinks. There was even a pickleball court. I will definitely come back next time I am in St. Thomas and maybe get a beach chair next time!

The shuttle back to the ferry dock leaves every hour on the hour. After floating in the ocean for around an hour, I decided to head back and catch the 11:15 ferry. The water was so clear. I didn’t bring my snorkeling gear, but many people were snorkeling and it is supposed to be a good spot for turtles.

The ferry back was nice. Only me and 1 other couple were returning at this time. We passed right by the cruise ship and it is a great view of St. Thomas from the water.

I quickly changed clothes and met Greg at Playmakers for a light lunch.

Dinner last night was back at 150 Central park. I ordered the scallop appetizer and beef this time. We also visited Giovanni’s wine bar and I really enjoyed the experience.

Today is a welcomed day at sea to relax and recover.