Cruise Day 5: St Thomas
We didn't have anything planned for this day, so we took it easy on this port visit.
We woke up late and had a quick breakfast in the Windjammer before heading off the ship. The port of Charlotte Amalie was built just for cruise ships, much like the one in Costa Maya in Mexico, so it's very "Tourist trappy" when you first get off, and you have to take a taxi of some variety to get to where all the shopping and attractions are. We opted to just take a little stroll around the surrounding area, and then get back on the ship to change into swim clothes and head to a beach of some variety, since we'd gotten most of our shopping done in St Maarten the day before.
We decided on Emerald Beach, which was only a $4 taxi ride from the pier. This beach came recommended by a few folks that had gone to St. Thomas before, and it really was a beautiful place. It's a small secluded beach tied to a nearby hotel of the same name, so it wasn't packed but it certainly was crowded. The water was crystal clear, and my cousin and I decided to do some impromptu snorkeling. I've got some video of that which will be up on my YouTube channel some time soon. We saw lots of tiny fish, as well as a few surprises along the rocks. As it turns out, we swam quite far away from the swimming area, but it was well worth it given the sights we'd seen.We headed back to the ship around 2:30pm, and made our way to the Solarium, where we enjoyed the refreshing pool in the center. It had spray jets in the center which my cousin and I nicknamed "The People Washer" - clearly this had become my new favorite pool on board.
While I love listening to the Caribbean band playing "Hot, Hot, Hot" and other island hits, I also love my serene quiet peace time as well. While the rest of the family dined at Chops Grille, my cousin and I decided we weren't in the mood for steaks so we had our dinner that night in my favorite specialty restaurant: Izumi. Since we'd done the Hibachi experience already, we decided on doing the regular sushi menu, and I couldn't resist revisiting my meal from my last Izumi experience on Anthem of the Seas.
It was amazingly delicious, and I honestly can't recommend Izumi more highly. For those mildly curious, we had the Chicken Karan-Age and Spicy Miso Ramen appetizers, and I had a Snow Crab California Roll. I'm not an overly adventurous eater, but this hit the spot beautifully and I recommend all of those if you're unsure what to try when visiting Izumi.
After dinner we visited the casino, and I made a few more donations before calling it a night early. Stay tuned for more about the last 2 days of the trip!