Day 7 of CruiseNReview's ChristmasNTheCaribbean stops in St. Maarten
It's hard to believe that seven days of fun have already come and gone. I've yet to understand why time moves at warp speed when you're on vacation.
Our ChristmasNTheCaribbean group cruise crew has seen and done a ton over the past week but the fun is not over yet. St. Maarten is one of our favorite ports of call in the Caribbean and we knew when we scheduled this hosted trip that we wanted to use this final day at a port we are very comfortable with to send our guests off in style.
Our Chief Party Officer Norris Frog treated our clients to his "Get Smashed Beach Bash" at Great Bay Beach in St. Maarten. This day was free of charge to our guests as CruiseNReview wanted to thank them with an all-inclusive beach party.
Norris Frog surprised the group with t-shirts so we could all match at our group cruise farewell event.
Great Bay Beach is located near the cruise port. You can walk or take the water taxi. The water taxi is easy and only costs $7 per person. The walk is only around a 10 minute walk.
The beach is beautiful with calm water, soft sand, plenty of bars/restaurants, beach chairs for rent, and shopping. It's the perfect spot for a relaxing beach day without any hassle if that's what you are looking for.
Our group set-up shop on the beach and had a great day soaking in the Caribbean sun for one last day.
Coconut shrimp is the popular food item on Great Bay. There are tons of restaurants that sell it but our favorite is Oualichi.
Waiters will work the beach so there is no need leave your chair or even the water if you don't want to . It's truly a great beach day. CruiseNReview provided food on the beach for our clients, including the famous coconut shrimp.
As we enjoyed the cool, calm water of St. Maarten, I reflected on how much fun this group has had and just how much we've gotten to see and do. The group didn't really know each other before the cruise, but they've made great friends and have truly been a joy to spend time with this week.
When Blake and I decided to host this group cruise, we had just a few goals:
To show others the beauty of the Southern Caribbean.
To share the awe of some of the beautiful beaches we have found in the area.
To show others that cruising is more than just a few sea days and a call in Cozumel.
To bring together a group of travelers who share the love of travel and want to find beauty on this earth.
I believe we accomplished that mission while simultaneously bringing together a group that thoroughly enjoyed each other's company. This has been an amazing trip.
We stayed at Great Bay as long as possible before heading back to the ship just before all aboard. The weather was great, the food was great, Norris Frog is a bad influence, and the scenery was beautiful. It was a great final port day for the cruise.
Back onboard Resilient Lady, we had our final dinner reservation at Razzle Dazzle. This is an upscale American restaurant that features a unique menu and twists on American cuisine.
The fried chicken with the biscuit and honey butter is the best item on the menu by far. There is also a secret menu item available each night. It was a smash burger during our dinner. Everyone loved the restaurant but most of the group was confident that The Wake was their favorite restaurant of the cruise. I'll do a larger review of this cruise that covers all of our dining in a separate blog post that recaps the entire cruise.
After dinner, we went to the Persephone show in The Red Room. This show is very unique. The theatre seats are gone and the entire room is transformed into a cross between a night club and a circus. You literally stand during this show, the stages move, and become part of the show. Those that attended from our group loved it. It was probably the best show I've seen on Virgin Voyages.
There was a similar show with a similar set-up when Blake and I sailed on Valiant Lady last year. Regardless of the Virgin ship you choose, the shows will be similar with different names and themes. You'll still get the full experience. I love this about the cruise line.
It was time to pack and get ready for bed as our cruise officially draws to an end. Some of our crew will be returning home tomorrow while others (myself included) will be spending one more day in San Juan.
I'll work on an overview blog that recaps this cruise and gives our thoughts on everything.
I will say that this cruise has been an absolute blast and everything we hoped it would be. Great cruise line, beautiful destinations, and a great group of travelers made for great memories that will last life time.
Coming Up Next!
With our cruise coming to an end, we'll make sure there is plenty of content on various items from this cruise. We have a lot of interest and questions about Virgin Voyages and this particular cruise so we'll make sure we get those answered.
In terms of our travel plans for next year, we know for sure that we'll be doing Disney in December of 2025 but everything else is up in the air. We plan to see how Blake's recovery is going and then go from there.
Thank you all so much for following along this week. Most importantly, thank you to our wonderful clients that trusted us to plan this trip for them and to come with us to our favorite places in the Caribbean.
In the meantime, you can review previous blogs from this cruise and follow along with our adventures if you are just now joining us.
You can find our itinerary and links to previous days blogs below:
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