Day 5! St. Thomas!
As I was replying, I realized I hadn't included a few important details. I'll add them in above, but I'll include them here as well.
When I had returned to the room after talking to Guest Services, the phone rang. It was the Activities Manager, calling about the Escape Room. I explained again that we had come back from our excursion late and we were rushing but did not make it on time, and was there any chance we could reschedule or possibly get a refund. She said there were no spots left (so if you want to do the Escape Room book it in advance or as soon as possible on the ship because this is very popular, apparently) but she would gladly give us a refund. I thought that was a great example of excellent customer service, and I thanked her over and over. She really did not have to do that, we missed our reservation, but maybe the fact that I was polite and apologetic helped? When I was at Guest Services I heard some other people really giving the GS person hell over something that was not remotely under their control (they were unhappy that their excursion left later than planned and that lunch on the excursion was served late). They must see the worst of people in Guest Services. They would see worse from me later, though it was over something that was more within their control.
So on to day 5. There is something else I forgot to include but will in a moment, as it is both about The Key and exiting the ship in port.
But first, Compasses!
We had to wake up earlier today, as we were supposed to meet on the pier at 8:15 for our excursion. We had booked the Buck Island snorkel through Royal. This was the only excursion I had booked through RCI, actually. FYI, if you book excursions through Royal in Cruise Planner, keep checking the price. This excursion dropped in price during one of the "sales", so I cancelled and rebooked at the new price.
I woke up with the alarm and checked out where we were. Hello, St. Thomas!
We got our call that breakfast was on the way, so I roused the teens and before we knew it, breakfast had arrived. I set up my plate on the balcony, and I think maybe DS joined me but probably DD ate in her bed again.
You will all be happy to know that the pancakes were much better than the eggs etc. from the day before. I forgot to order butter. You had to order butter and syrup separately, silly me I only ordered the syrup. We finished eating and headed off the ship. Don't forget the Sea Pass cards!
Now here's what I forgot to mention yesterday, and one of the other things I had been discussing at Guest Services on Day 4.
The Key: When reading the benefits of The Key, it sounds like you get priority debarkation at all ports of call. The wording, however, is quite nebulous, and inconsistent. Let's review, from the Key letter in our room, the confirmation email I received from RCI, and Royal's own website:
So it sounds like Key guests get priority when leaving the ship in ports of call, no? Now, I don't especially care about this, but since it is a listed benefit I wanted to try it, especially in St. Kitts when there was a massive herd of people exiting all at once. I looked everywhere and could not see any priority line, or any sign for where we were supposed to go, nor had it been communicated how the "priority" would work. Never saw a line or anything for debarking in a port of call. I have heard it is only for tender ports, but doesn't the wording sound like it is for all ports?
So when I was talking to Guest Services about the Escape Room, I also asked about this, not in a "WHERE WAS MY PRIORITY DEBARKATION" way, but in a "Hey, I was looking and I didn't see it, could you let me know how to get this priority debarkation?" Well the guy said "Oh no, that's only when the cruise is over." I said "No, it is at ports, see this email from Royal Caribbean?" "Oh no, that is only for tendering ports." Well I pushed back a little and said "But it doesn't say that, it says 'ports of call'". Well he made some phone calls and apologized and said we would have priority debarkation if I just said something to the crew members as we were leaving. But there were no crew members anywhere except as you are actually exiting the ship. Like at the doorway, checking your Sea Pass card. At which point there is no need for priority because you are 4 steps away from exiting the ship. So it never happened.
This was not a benefit to us at all but we pretty much did not need it as it never took long to get off the ship.
So I looked for the priority debarkation again when we were leaving St. Thomas, just to see if I had missed it during the mass exodus in St. Kitts, and did not see anything. But it didn't matter because there were no masses leaving this time.
Welcome to St. Thomas!
We found the people holding signs for our excursion, and lined up. There were 2 excursions lined up here, and we then split into 2 lines.
We boarded the catamaran and headed out to Buck Island. We would be visiting 2 sites: one where we might see turtles, one where we would see a shipwreck. When we sailed on
DCL we visited Grand Cayman and snorkeled over a shipwreck, and it was really cool. So this sounded really cool, too!
It took 20-30 minutes to get over there, and we were sitting in the shaded part of the catamaran because I had this weird sunburn. Does anyone else get that? I feel like when I look at other people sunning themselves they are 100% evenly tan, and I look like a patchwork quilt. I had sunburn in lines on my upper arms up to my shoulders, plus like one blotch near my wrist, and my chest was 100% red, my knees were sunburned, I had blotches of sunburn on my back... why does this happen to me? I swear I use sunscreen and reapply often!
We have our own snorkel masks. I really do not like the snorkel thing that goes in my mouth. Not only for sanitary reasons, but just because. It always gets misaligned with the mask, there is so much adjusting, etc. And I just don't like having it in my mouth.
So we use these:
I do not work for the company or anything like that. It has just changed snorkeling for us. Nothing in your mouth, full view of the water, etc. I really like these masks!
Mask in action:
I think the first place we went was the shipwreck. I could be wrong. It doesn't really matter, right? So there were 2 "guides" but one seemed to be more in charge than the other. Once we got to the spot, he was all business. They had been handing out masks, fins, and vests, and everyone was getting ready, and it seemed like everyone else was ready WAY faster than we were (you probably guessed that would happen). My fins were a bit too big, so remember to try them on as soon as they give them to you, because when I asked for a new pair I was told "Hmmm, that seems to be the most popular size, I don't think we have any left!"
Well she searched high and low and found... one. Meanwhile the 2 guides had divided people up into groups and my kids were already out snorkeling and I had no idea which group they were in. Some people were already coming back up, mostly kids who for one reason or another were already done. Luckily one of them was wearing the fins I needed, so she handed them off to me and I hurried up and got out there.
The good thing about us wearing our own masks is it is VERY easy to spot my kids. And we all go our separate ways, then come back together, then swim away, etc. So it is nice to be able to look up and make sure I can still spot them. When everyone has the same snorkel that is not as easy.
My snorkel photos stink. the only time I can get good under water photos is when it is really sunny and really shallow. It was neither of those things. Well it was kind of sunny, but it wasn't shallow. The photos look dark, because of whatever setting I was using on this camera. Ugh I don't like these. So here. (Imagine me dumping a pile of photos in your lap and stomping off.)
The shipwreck was actually really cool. At one point there was a barracuda but I don't think I got any photos of it. I think that was right when I joined the group.
So the one guide, the one who seemed more in charge, dove down to the ship, which completely freaked me out because it was far down there!!! So naturally I did what anyone would do, I took photos.
I don't know what he was doing down there. Maybe just showing off. After I took this photo I swam away because I couldn't take it anymore. I'm that person who, when I see someone on TV who is under water, I hold my breath as though *I* am also under water. It makes me crazy.
It was cool, but there weren't many fish. We did see some as we came back to the catamaran.
We called these "Baby Narwahls"
Then we were all called back into the catamaran so we could go look for turtles. This time I had all of my equipment, so while I waited for others to get in the water, I was mostly with the group this time.
It wasn't long before someone spotted turtles.
We left them to go explore some. The guy dove down again, but this time he had a purpose.
He was picking up a conch shell that turned out to have a hermit crab in it and fire coral on the outside.
We saw some striped fish.
There was a blue fish that was really pretty. DD and I followed it around for a while. It looks like everything else in this photo. Can anyone recommend a good under water camera? I need a new one.
I guess this one is OK, but it is just coral. But you can tell it was shallower here, which is why this turned out better.
There were other fish, but it wasn't terribly exciting.
DS spotted a stingray, so I went over to see that.
At some point the guy dove down again. This time maybe he was just showing off, but it was actually cool so I'll allow it.
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