Eastern Caribbean Cruise Part 1: Charleston, S.C. and St. Thomas, Virgin Isles. March 2019
Our 7 day Cruise aboard the Carnival Ecstasy took us to St. Thomas, San Juan and the Dominican Republic. This is part 1 of the cruise. It will cover our arrival at the port in Charleston S.C., and our day in St. Thomas, Virgin Isles.
Charleston, S.C.
We arrive
We were the first to arrive (from our group of 10) to board the Carnival Ecstasy in Charleston S.C. and begin our Eastern Caribbean cruise. At noon the line threw customs was long but it moved continuously. We were quickly on board and heading to the Lido deck.
As we’ve done before on other cruises, our group decided we would meet up at the Red Frog Rum Bar upon arrival. I think anyone going on a group cruise should have an initial meet up place. You can’t get into your cabins yet and you don’t have your luggage. Everyone will be waiting somewhere so why not do it together. The Red Frog is located on the Lido deck next the pool. It’s outdoors but has a covered area, making it my gathering choice on all Carnival cruise ships.
When Donna and I first arrived I was surprised to see the pool area almost empty. The last time I boarded the Ecstasy, if was already full of children. And it rained that day.
I got a few pics of Charleston S.C. from the upper Lido deck. It was warm but overcast that day. I’m glad it didn’t rain like the last time we embarked from Charleston.
Lucy
After taking a few pics I decided to order my first drink. That’s when I saw Lucy! Last year when we took our Carnival Ecstasy Bahamas cruise, she lead our dining room team so we saw her every night and everyone fell in love with her.
So when I saw her walking by I stopped her and said, “I’m sure you don’t remember me, but I remember you!” And as I began to explain that it had been a group cruise a year ago, she stopped me and said, “I remember you! You were with the young couple that got engaged in the dining room!”
As I stood there stunned that she could remember our group, she added, “You drank coffee every night, lots of coffee!” I was floored. How, after a whole year of serving hundreds of other passengers, could she recall this?
Others arrive
Soon others in our group started to trickle in. Ivana grabbed a Guy’s burger on her way to the Red Frog.
And the drinks began to trickle down! Our server suggested we begin with a drink called the Fun Ship. I got one because it was the drink we toasted with on our previous cruise together, but not my favorite.
7 of us wore matching t-shirts saying, “If you think I’m naughti now, you should see me with my ship faced cruising friends”. At first I didn’t like the idea but now I’m glad we did it. It’s fun to be silly on cruise ships.
Right on time, it’s 5 pm and we are on our way. Goodbye Charleston Harbor.
Sea Days
This was Donna’s first cruise, so for the rest of the day and the following, we enjoyed exploring the ship. We laid out on the Lido deck while performers in the Gazebo put on dance classes or played steel drums. They had contests for the hairiest man and a lip-sync battle. We joined others at Carnivals adults only area called Serenity which has 2 hot tubs. And there was food everywhere we went. Lots of food. Guy’s Burger Joint was the first place we hit. Ask anyone, these are the best hamburgers on earth, but no one can explain why.
Bingo
I can’t remember which day we did what, but at some point Donna and I played a little bingo. We didn’t win anything but it was fun.
Dining
Menu
The menu each night offers a mixture of new and standard items, plus a “Port of Call” menu featuring local recipes from the area we are visiting. There was one appetizer added to the menu each night that would be highlighted as something unusual to try. Like frog legs or escargot. I tried to order things I was not familiar with. Some items I liked and some I didn’t, but at least I’ve now tried them. And when you don’t like something you just order something else. I also ordered something off the Port Of Call menu each night.
Formal Night
Your first Sea night is usually the Formal dinner night. To be honest, it’s not my favorite because you have to pack a special outfit just for this dinner. Men have to pack suits, Ladies pack dresses and heels etc. When you’re trying to pack everything into one suitcase per person, it’s just stupid, lol. I can’t imagine doing it with children also. But some people love it.
Robin and Lisa had just gotten married, and the waitstaff brought out a special cake just for them. Then we all waited for Lisa to take pictures of it.
Lobster
There is always a lobster night on Carnival. They’re usually served on formal night but can be other nights as well. Some at our table ordered 3! I had 2 myself, after enjoying 3 shrimp cocktail appetizers.
Stripes Nightclub
After dinner everyone went our separate ways. Some headed to the Blue Sapphire Lounge to see a broadway show, or the Starlight Lounge to watch one of the two comedians that performed each night. Some hit the Crystal Palace Casino. Others went to Stripes Nightclub to dance the night away.
Donna and I usually enjoyed a show and then stopped by Stripes before heading back to our cabin.
St. Thomas, Virgin Isles
The first destination on our Eastern Caribbean cruise was the Isle of St. Thomas.
Port Charlotte Amalie
After arriving in Port Charlotte Amalie, some of our group members did excursions. Donna and I spent the day exploring and shopping in the port area.
The stores lined both sides of the busy street and sometimes the midday traffic made it difficult to get across. There was little breeze and it was hot. Donna likes collecting bells and I collect shot glasses and love beaded jewelry. We found some stores to shop in, but most of the time we tried to find shady spots with wi-fi.
Like other port shopping areas, there were plenty of high end jewelry shops. Many were beautiful yet near empty like this one.
Paradise Point
Although some of our group had spent their afternoon on excursions, everyone agreed to grab dinner together at Paradise Point before returning to ship. After joining up with 2 others from our group, we headed to the Paradise Point skylift station located within the port area.
Skylift
To get up the 700 ft. side of Flags Hill to the Paradise Point observation area, restaurant and gift shop, you must take a gongola style skylift. All day tickets were $21 per person. When we arrived at the base station, there was a long line of tired hot people waiting to go up. Some had already been drinking that day and arguing about everything, making it worse. It was probably the least enjoyable time I had that day.
However, the ride up was definitely entertaining since one of our friends had never been in a lift before. I laughed the whole ride up and she praised Jesus for making it to the top alive.
Restaurant & Bar
Once you exit the Skylift, you go threw the gift shops area. The shops basically offered the same type of things you could find at the port shops. However after dinner I returned to one of them to buy a pair of silver earrings and matching necklace I had seen earlier.
Past the shops is the observation deck that overlooks Charlotte Amalie, providing an outstanding view of the harbor and the cruise ships. Our ship, the Carnival Ecstasy, (tied off at the end of the dock) looks tiny compared to the other cruise ships in port that day.
We then walked into the outdoor restaurant and easily found a table. This covered area had a wall of windows down one side and a bar and kitchen on the other, but was open on each end and the breeze was delightful. I began with the local root beer while waiting for the rest of the group to arrive.
The food was good. Not outstanding or rememberable, but good. And so was our server. Donna and I posed for a photo and I later realized we had been photobombed by the guy on TV, lol.
Everyone eventually arrived and we enjoyed dinner together. The Paradise Point Bar boosts that their Bushwacker has won many “best drink” awards, so of course we had to try one. Or two.
The sun was setting so it was time to take the skylift back down and head to the ship. The view from the observation deck was even more spectacular with all the lights from the ships and Charlotte Amalie.
It was dark when we made it back to the ship.
End of the day thoughts
I think our day in St. Thomas would have been more enjoyable if we had booked an excursion like we did for the 2 upcoming ports. The shopping was fun but we had too much time before meeting everyone at Paradise Point. And after visiting other Caribbean ports since then, I think it was the least enjoyable.
However the locals seemed nice and I never felt pressured when shopping. I also enjoyed all the time we spent at Paradise Point.
In conclusion, I don’t plan to come back to St. Thomas unless it’s part of another cruise featuring locations I want to visit. If I do, I will be booking an excursion. Or maybe go straight to Paradise Point and then back to the ship to hit the spa, since spa services are cheaper on port days.
Fortunately the next day of our Eastern Caribbean cruise was a lot of fun.
Towel animals
After cleaning your room each day, your Stewards will always leave a towel animal. It brightens your day to walk into your cabin and see one of these waiting for you! I just had to mention them. And I’ll post more of them on day 2 and 3.
Watch the video of our visit to St. Thomas during our March 2019 Eastern Caribbean Cruise!
Continue with Part 2, San Juan Puerto Rico!
Skip to Part 3, Amber Cove!
Not interested in the Caribbean? Check out our cruise to the Bahamas!
