Day 10- another busy day as we were heading off the ship today when we docked in Saint Thomas.
Back in 2006, during our first Disney cruise (our family of 4), we visited Magen’s Bay and LOVED it. Beautiful, quiet, crystal blue waters- our favorite stop on our then 10 night cruise to the Southern Caribbean. We could not wait to go back!
Today, we decided to head to Cabanas for breakfast and we were meeting Mike’s parents at the gangway at 10am. Mom decided she would get off but explore the shops in port, she could do that with her scooter (a beach is impossible to do with a scooter and she didn’t want to hold anyone up with transportation issues with her scooter as well). Mike’s sister’s family was getting a later start and would meet us at the beach by noon.
We were off the ship by 10 and headed towards the cabs. The one we were assigned was …. Interesting. Basically a pickup truck with a hand constructed roof over the back with benches to fit a dozen or so passengers. This cab fare was $8 per person, though kids were free. Once we got to the beach, we paid $4 per person there for admission (kids under 12 were free). At this point, the temperature was brutally hot and the humidity was high. We set ourselves up and the kids headed straight for the water. Mike and his father went to rent us some loungers as well ($7 per lounger plus $5 refundable deposit once the loungers were returned).
The beach was as beautiful as I remembered, but not the quiet seclusion that I remembered back in 2006. I guess the secret was out! None the less, it was a gorgeous day and the kids had an amazing time in the water. It truly was magical just watching them from my lounger as they played in the water in this priceless surrounding. Mike’s sister’s family arrived around noon and we took the kids for a quick-lunch at the food stand which was fairly reasonable as well. After lunch, we stayed a bit longer to swim and then we decided we had enough sun and hopped into a cab after showering off a bit. As everyone was seated in the cab back to the ship, the clouds rolled in and it POURED! It made the long and twisty ride back to the ship a tad more interesting, but we managed. Once we arrived at the ship, the clouds had disappeared and we wandered in and out of a few shops before heading back onboard.
Tip of Day 10: Research beaches in Saint Thomas and consider trying to go on your own. To do the Disney excursion the cost would have been $47 for ages 10 and up and $37 for ages 3 to 9 (0-2 years old are free) and includes transportation and a lounger per person. We paid $28 per adult (we each had a lounger) and $21 for Jacqueline (who is 13, she didn’t need a lounger), my two younger kids were free (who were 10 and 6 years old and also didn’t need a lounger). St. Thomas has over 40 major beaches, so next time we might try a different beach on our own since it is so easy to do as far more cost-effective.
Once back on board, we all showered and got ready for dinner. The kids were all headed to Royal Court with their grandparents and Mike, Melissa, Brad, and I were headed to the adults’ only restaurants tonight for dinner.
Melissa and Brad went to Remy tonight for dinner and thoroughly enjoyed their experience. Melissa was presented with a rose at the end of their meal as well as their menus (we were given our menus after our brunch earlier in the week as well). Keep in mind, Remy has an upcharge of $75 per person for dinner.
Mike and I headed to our favorite, Palo. We were seated right in front of a window which was perfect for sunset. We ordered Mozzarella and Plum Tomatoes with Balsamic Dressing, Lobster and Mascarpone Ravioli, our favorite Beef Tenderloin “Palo”
served with Palo signature Barolo with gorgonzola sauce, a Chocolate Souffle with Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Sauces, and Apple Crostata with Salted Caramel Sauce, Sugar Dough, Braised Cinnamon Apples, and Whipped Cream. Absolutely worth the $20 per person upcharge for dinner here.
Palo Tip: Before dinner starts, order at least one Chocolate Souffle. These take time to prepare and the chef will need to know before your are served dinner if you would like one for dessert.
After dinner we met Brad and Melissa back at Meridian (which is located between both restaurants). Tricia, Arnie, Sandy, and Joe also met us there for a few drinks and chatter after that night’s show (we were too late at dinner and missed tonight’s show. My Mom took my 3 kids to the show- the girls then went back to the pool together with their cousins and Mikey into the club. ). But, just as our night ended in Skyline, our night was over when our younger kids buzzed us from the kids club!
