Day 4 August 25, 2008
The clocks were set ahead one hour overnight so we rose a bit later in the morning and headed down to the Seven Seas for breakfast. We arrived closer to the peak rush period to find the dining room more crowded than on the first morning. Although our seat assignment was at a window table, it was awkwardly wedged in a narrow thoroughfare by a dish clearing station. Service was very uneven (and not as impressive as on the first morning). Following breakfast we immediately headed to the sun deck in order to secure some lounge chairs. We were about to find sufficient chairs to seat our group in the forward section of the deck. The skies were partly cloudy and there was stiff sea breeze blowing across the deck (it was so windy that the front deck was roped off). We began to see land shortly after NOON and picked up our pilot boat at about 1 PM. The passage in to St. George’s harbour over tourqoise waters was extremely picturesque. The closer to the island we got, the warmer the sun and air became (Ryan left his feet exposed and without sunscreen on the deck and wound up with a bad burn).
We were in port almost bang-on the itinerary docking time at 3 PM. We exited off out the gangplank at shortly after arrival. The mid afternoon sun was particularly hot and zapped our energy quickly but we did manage to explore around the old town before pausing at a lakefront resto-bar patio for refreshments. Gary, Cathy & I sampled the local specialty drink—the rum swizel- served on the rocks. It was extremely refreshing and potent. Rejuvenated, we left and hiked up the hill to the fort, past a gold course to tobacco beach. Taylor and Gary took a dip on the shallow waters among volcanic looking rock formations while the rest of us relaxed on the shore.
Following our town visit, we returned to the ship, showered and dressed for dinner. We were assigned a table within 5 minutes if reporting to the hostess stand at the Seven Seas. We were given our worst table assignment yet. Located on a main traffic pathway, our table was anything but peaceful. The food quality (apps and entrees) was fine but the dessert selection was particularly disappointing. The table sampled all of the cheesecake, mousse and bread and apple pudding sweet selections and none impressed, with the latter being almost inedible.
We have vowed to try the other onboard restaurant (the Four Seasons) tomorrow night, after three mediocre meal experiences in the Seven Seas. Perhaps the anytime dining option is to blame for the subpar dining service since wait staff have left invested in impressing diners than in traditional dining where an extra tip can be earned by providing fine service over the whole course of a cruise. Following dinner there was an island-hop party up on the pool deck featuring line dances, a congo line and limbo. There was also a competition where groups of women had to dress a target man up in female garb to win a “Miss Majesty” contest. Following the deck party we retired for the evening.
The clocks were set ahead one hour overnight so we rose a bit later in the morning and headed down to the Seven Seas for breakfast. We arrived closer to the peak rush period to find the dining room more crowded than on the first morning. Although our seat assignment was at a window table, it was awkwardly wedged in a narrow thoroughfare by a dish clearing station. Service was very uneven (and not as impressive as on the first morning). Following breakfast we immediately headed to the sun deck in order to secure some lounge chairs. We were about to find sufficient chairs to seat our group in the forward section of the deck. The skies were partly cloudy and there was stiff sea breeze blowing across the deck (it was so windy that the front deck was roped off). We began to see land shortly after NOON and picked up our pilot boat at about 1 PM. The passage in to St. George’s harbour over tourqoise waters was extremely picturesque. The closer to the island we got, the warmer the sun and air became (Ryan left his feet exposed and without sunscreen on the deck and wound up with a bad burn).
We were in port almost bang-on the itinerary docking time at 3 PM. We exited off out the gangplank at shortly after arrival. The mid afternoon sun was particularly hot and zapped our energy quickly but we did manage to explore around the old town before pausing at a lakefront resto-bar patio for refreshments. Gary, Cathy & I sampled the local specialty drink—the rum swizel- served on the rocks. It was extremely refreshing and potent. Rejuvenated, we left and hiked up the hill to the fort, past a gold course to tobacco beach. Taylor and Gary took a dip on the shallow waters among volcanic looking rock formations while the rest of us relaxed on the shore.
Following our town visit, we returned to the ship, showered and dressed for dinner. We were assigned a table within 5 minutes if reporting to the hostess stand at the Seven Seas. We were given our worst table assignment yet. Located on a main traffic pathway, our table was anything but peaceful. The food quality (apps and entrees) was fine but the dessert selection was particularly disappointing. The table sampled all of the cheesecake, mousse and bread and apple pudding sweet selections and none impressed, with the latter being almost inedible.
We have vowed to try the other onboard restaurant (the Four Seasons) tomorrow night, after three mediocre meal experiences in the Seven Seas. Perhaps the anytime dining option is to blame for the subpar dining service since wait staff have left invested in impressing diners than in traditional dining where an extra tip can be earned by providing fine service over the whole course of a cruise. Following dinner there was an island-hop party up on the pool deck featuring line dances, a congo line and limbo. There was also a competition where groups of women had to dress a target man up in female garb to win a “Miss Majesty” contest. Following the deck party we retired for the evening.
More to come...
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