By Jeffrey A. Rendall, Photos by Jeff, Matthew and Bethany Rendall
St. Maarten for non-beach people. It was still worthwhile.
We knew after a relatively late evening the previous night that it would be harder to get going the next day in St. Maarten, but we were greeted with a nice view of the island as we’d already pulled into port before it was 
time to get up.
We’d heard good things about St. Maarten from family who’d been there. The view of the balcony revealed a fairly hilly looking landscape with large homes situated well up the slope. We’d heard there’s only one road on the island, so the access road to get to the houses must feed from that. I doubt the native population lives in the large houses on the hill.
I could also see a long beach and umbrellas, etc. and a town beyond. I’m guessing that’s Phillipsburg, the capital. I think. The hills were covered with foliage. It’s very green in St. Maarten… no surprise there.
There were cranes and containers off to the side of the pier. I surmised this was the main port and most of the island’s commerce is brought by ships (rather than planes, of course).
Because our group had an early excursion, we headed to the Main Dining Room for breakfast. It was the same scenario as the day before at Puerto Rico. I ate a bigger than usual breakfast figuring we wouldn’t have food on the excursion we’d selected. I ordered up another ham and cheese omelet. We had a different server today and every day for breakfast, but there always were the same smiles and efficiency.
It must be a job requirement to be in a good mood if you work with passengers.
I’d dressed in a bathing suit underneath my shorts. Our excursion, called “The Adventure Race St. Maarten”, required one member of our party/team to do some swimming. So, by default, I became the designated swimmer. Was it a one-mile swim? I wondered.
We exited the gangplank and there were tour groups assembling a little before nine on a warm, sunny morning. There was no rain in sight like in Puerto Rico. We asked several of the assembled participants for our group, but none of them indicated where our gathering point would be. It turns out we were a little early for the meeting time, always better than being late.
There was a Celebrity cruise ship parked next to us. I could see the “Magic Carpet” on the side. The Celebrity ship seemed small compared to an Icon Class ship like Star of the Seas.
We’d noticed there was a guy dressed in a pirate costume (Jack Sparrow?) and a photographer from the ship was taking pictures. Some cruise staffer must be anointed to wear the costume. He had a fake sword. Good fun. We all posed for pictures with him, the type of momentary memory lots of people enjoy.
Our tour guide, Marci, arrived just before 9:15 and split the gaggle into five or six groups, then led us off the pier towards the portion of the town that was closest to the ships. It looked like there were high-end shops in the vicinity. I wondered if this is where our family folks had shopped for jewelry. Marci led us to a spot and told 
us we’d have an opportunity for a bathroom run prior to beginning the “race”.
At the appointed time, Marci gathered the assembly and split us into teams of folks who knew each other. Our group of four was one team. Marci explained each team would need a captain, a navigator, a clue reader and cheerleaders. I volunteered to do the navigating and was handed a map which was subsequently explained by a blond girl with braids. A non-native. Turns out she was from the Netherlands. Dutch, right?
This wasn’t going to be a “race” as much as it was the “teams” competing to gather information about St. Maarten itself. An interesting premise. And it was stressed to us that the “winner” wouldn’t necessarily be the one with the fastest time. We were also told we could ask for help from townspeople, with a perfunctory “Good morning” before posing a question. I’d guess some folks get pretty rude under duress. Competitiveness, right?
For the “race”, we were given a series of challenges to fulfill before moving on to the next one. Shari held the clue packet. The map explained where we were supposed to go. We also asked locals for help after extending the perfunctory, “Good morning”. It seemed straightforward enough.
The guides wore orange shirts and helped along the way. They rode bikes to each destination. I don’t think they wanted us to get lost or run into traffic. There weren’t a ton of cars on the streets, but those Caribbean drivers don’t stop for pedestrians.
All along, it wasn’t clear how we were doing in the so-called “race”, but it seemed like we were lagging behind. The first challenge included separating the rice from beans – not cooked – and then receiving our packet of stuff. The second challenge was along the boardwalk. We had to take two sponges, then soak them in ocean water, then fill a cup Shari held on top of her head. Of course, when squeezing out the water, some spilled on her… we were a team!
It felt kind of like a competition on the Big Brother reality TV show.
There was a word search, too. And one stop where we had to take a selfie by a fountain, then continue on to where the police station was. A local explained where to find the police station. I’m not sure we would’ve found it otherwise without the much-needed directions. Then we had to name 15 Caribbean islands as another test. We were told there are more than 7000, but how many were known and had names?
The directions led us to the boardwalk again, one stop was by a church near the beach. There, we were instructed by Marci to sample a local fruit and try to identify it. None of us recognized it right off. It was hard to describe, too. We were told if we had food allergies to let the ones without them sample. I tried it. Couldn’t tell what it was. It didn’t seem to have much flavor. Shari sampled it, too.
Marci then told us what the mystery fruit was when we failed to identify it: Wikipedia described it:
“Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) is a leguminous fruit native to tropical Africa, now widely cultivated in Asia, the Americas, and the Caribbean. The fruit grows in hard, brown, bean-like pods containing a sticky, dark brown pulp that ranges from sour and acidic when unripe to sweet and tangy when mature.
“Nutritionally, tamarind is a dense source of fiber, magnesium, potassium, and antioxidants like beta-carotene and polyphenols. It offers potential health benefits including anti-inflammatory effects, support for blood sugar management due to its low glycemic index, and aids in digestion.”
Soon after sampling the fruit, however, Shari said her lips started tingling. An allergic reaction. Bethany’s nurse’s instinct kicked in. She said we needed to look for a pharmacy to buy Benadryl to combat the fruit-caused symptoms.
This unanticipated detour was clearly the end to our part of our “contest”. The pharmacy stop took about 20 minutes. Matthew and I found a bench on the main avenue there to wait as the ladies sought out a pharmacy in this unusual urban setting. A security guard for one of the jewelry stores had pointed out how to find a pharmacy. The locals spoke with a Bob Marley-like Caribbean accent.
St. Maarten calls itself “The Friendly Island”. From what we encountered, it’s the truth.
Back to the race, we found the clock — Kind of like the clock tower in “Back to the Future”, the clock stood still in time, reading 6:30, though we disputed whether it was actually 6:31 — and eventually wound our way to the boardwalk restaurant where we were supposed to conclude the race.
The blond Dutch girl indicated the final challenge was for one of us to swim. As the “volunteer” to swim, I took off my socks and shoes and shirt. It was already soaked from sweat. It was like being wet. The beach was nice. Lots of umbrellas and chairs. A few people in the ocean. The surf was gentle.
The Dutch guide said I was simply to get in the water, swim out a little beyond a certain point and then I would be done. Easy enough. There was a dip in the sand under the water, which caused me to temporarily lose my balance and fall. I felt kind of dumb. But I swam out beyond a group that was about 50 feet from shore… and that was it.
When I finished, I was caked in sand. This would be a problem. The tour operators had provided a towel. It was hot enough where being wet from the brief ocean dip wasn’t unpleasant.
We headed up to the restaurant on the boardwalk to check-in and finish the “race”. Several of the other teams had already completed their journey. As a reward for swimming, I was given a drink of choice – had a Heineken beer. The others had water. We found a table marked “Reserved” and sat down. I tried getting the sand off my feet at least. It was a local beachside establishment called Nazca Peruvian restaurant (I think).
A proprietor served us a snack of French Fries with a little cup of ketchup.
We turned in our trivia answers. I thought we’d done fairly well, but apparently, we finished second to last… oh well. Must’ve been the allergic reaction that delayed us too long.
Our “team” did win recognition for the “best selfie” for the one challenge. That’s good.
It was 1:30 or 2 when we completed the tour. The guides went over the answers to the challenges. I think we got more wrong than I’d thought. That’s okay. I thought the premise of the tour was clever, and we sure did learn about St. Maarten along the way, including the fact there isn’t a pharmacy on every corner. We wondered what to do afterwards with time remaining in the port stop.
We opted to walk along Front Street (I think) and do some shopping, though we weren’t looking for anything in particular. There were a ton of jewelry stores. Lots of bored looking proprietors and not enough customers. I said it reminded me a little of Alaska in that sense. One store said “St. Maarten; Alaska”. Figures. Are there really that many jewelry customers? Or are the deals that great?
On a whim, we chose an air-conditioned store with touristy type souvenirs. Bethany found a magnet that said “Thor” on it and bought the trinket for Tom’s dog of the same name.
I didn’t really want a t-shirt. Strange how we just don’t crave these types of keepsakes any longer. I thought about getting a refrigerator magnet, but the simple idea was rejected by the group.
Shari wasn’t feeling well – still kind of dizzy. Because of the heat, humidity, and generally mundane nature of the shopping scene — she looked like she was drunk. Benadryl. Drowsy.
We headed to the Boardwalk. Didn’t know what else to try and see, so it was decided to return to Star of the Seas. We took the water taxi back to the original dock. The taxi was packed, every seat taken. I don’t feel like we did that much on St. Maarten, but felt exhausted and spent nonetheless. There were a couple more hours available to further walk or explore, but there just wasn’t energy for it. The party instinct wasn’t there for us.
Impressions of St. Maarten
Like others in the region, it seemed to me like St. Maarten was a typical Caribbean island almost wholly dependent on tourism. Not much to distinguish it. We wondered how the people live there because there’s not much industry or variation. People were outside their shops trying to entice tourists to come inside. I didn’t see many customers, but there were some talking with sales reps behind counters.
Unlike Alaska, it seems like it’d be hot there almost all the time. The shops were air conditioned. It must cost a fortune to power up the places.
The local population seemed like it was a combination of Dutch nationals and mostly island natives, probably descended from slaves.
From Wikipedia: “Slavery was a central pillar of the economy on St. Maarten from the 17th century until the mid-19th century, driven by the salt and sugar industries. Enslaved Africans were forcibly brought to the island to work in salt ponds and on plantations cultivating cotton, tobacco, and sugarcane, eventually outnumbering the white colonial population.
“Abolition occurred at different times on the two sides of the island:
“French Saint-Martin officially abolished slavery in 1848, a date celebrated annually as Schoelcher Day.
“Dutch Sint Maarten did not officially abolish slavery until 1863, though the practice effectively ended locally in 1848 after enslaved people on the Dutch side threatened to flee to the French side for freedom.”
The people don’t seem unhappy there, but there’s a heavy emphasis on coaxing the tourist population into spending as much as they can extract from the visitors there. It’s natural. The “captain” of the water taxi encouraged us to tip him and others on the island since that’s how they earn a living. No secrets. Out in the open.
The natives were friendly and eager to help in a lot of cases. They sounded like Jamaicans. It must be a dialect. English seems to be the main language.
I thought I probably wasn’t interested in going back. In St. Maarten, there’s drinking, eating and shopping for things like jewelry. I don’t consider this a fair assessment because we didn’t see much of the island. The beach was nice. But St. Maarten was clearly a place for partiers and beach people. The restaurants advertised drink specials. They were pretty inexpensive.
This was different from Hawaii where there’s the “chill” vacation vibe and everything is expensive, too.
Apparently, Euros are accepted on St. Maarten. We didn’t go to the French side. I wondered if there were “tours” of the island that could provide more context and color on the uniqueness of it. There’s only one main road. The French side is bigger, apparently.
I also wondered what the island is like by the airport with the planes flying over so low right over the beachgoers. It sounded kind of neat, actually.
We went back on the ship having enjoyed our excursion and only bought a couple things. I saw that the PGA Championship was on at Playmakers. We went back to the room and Shari took a nap. I turned on the golf tournament and relaxed.
Specialty seafood-themed restaurant ‘Hooked’ was a surprisingly good experience
The afternoon seemed shorter as soon as we realized our reservation at Hooked was at Five. The day’s early activities had us feeling a bit fatigued, but we were plenty hungry and looking forward to a specialty restaurant we hadn’t been to before. Matt from Royal Caribbean blog had touted Hooked’s surf and turf, specifically the filet mignon there, which he’s said was the best of any of Royal Caribbean’s restaurants.
That’s high praise considering the cruise line had its own dedicated steak specialty place (CHOPS). And we’d heard good things about the filet mignon at Giovanni’s too. But didn’t order it there, of course.
Hooked is a specialty restaurant specializing in seafood. Our group likes shrimp but there probably isn’t anyone among us who would actually order fish if they had an alternative. Bethany and Shari like crab and lobster. And sushi. So there was some interest there. We’d enjoyed Tracy’s King Crab Shack in Juneau, Alaska.
The atmosphere at Hooked was fairly laid back. Positioned next to the Aquadome, the establishment had a couple of “outside” tables within view of the performance venue.
The table they had for us was right next to the window, so we had an amazing view of the ocean as we departed St. Maarten. Quite a setting, all in all, but the folks facing the sunny side had direct sunlight in their eyes. That couldn’t have been fun after having been outside a good portion of the day.
Like all specialty restaurants, the meal included an appetizer, main course and dessert. Don’t pay the extra fee at a specialty and expect to be skimped on the vittles. I ordered a side of coconut shrimp even though I’m not wild about coconut. But I’d heard the coconut flavor was mild.
Shari and I had arranged to both order the lobster and steak offering, and I’d trade my lobster for her steak. Seeing this, our waitress said, “You didn’t need to switch, I would’ve brought you two steaks.” She was very good. The service was outstanding, just like at every Royal Caribbean restaurant. I don’t know how they do it. Our attractive server reminded me of Usha Vance, the vice president’s wife.
Like all specialty restaurants, the meal ended up providing too much food. In addition to the Coconut Shrimp appetizer, which was big enough to share, the Lobster and Filet Mignon main course was more than adequate. I also requested a “mocktail” red spritzer like the first night. WE ended up buying the photo package, which was probably almost as much as the meal itself.
The Filet Mignon was very outstanding, just as Matt from RC Blog previewed. I requested Caesar salad and steak fries as sides. Too much to finish. But it would’ve killed me with guilt to throw it away. Instead, I finished about half of the steak fries. They were good. But enough is enough.
The steaks were tender and cooked just right. That’s medium rare for you. I had some sort of sauce with it. Delicious. Can we always eat like this? I wish I could grill filet like the Hooked Chefs did.
For dessert, I ordered the “decadent” chocolate desert with vanilla ice cream. I asked if they could package it to go, but they said it wouldn’t really work that way. So I struggled through a few bites and decided that had to be it.
We’d been skeptical about Hooked despite it being highly recommended from various sources. But the group thought the meal tied for “the best” specialty title after the cruise was over. Hooked wasn’t full of diners. A number of tables were open. I wondered if they have trouble getting buyers, but again, it was still early in the evening.
I felt bloated and stuffed, which was an awful feeling. A gentle reminder to not do it again.
Afterwards, we went back to the room and watched more of the PGA tournament. It looked chilly in Philadelphia. Scottie Scheffler was tied for the lead.
Shari and I had a glass of wine on the balcony. The ship had departed St. Maarten by this time, the open ocean stretching as far as the eye could see. I was a little sad that this was the last port destination on the itinerary with nothing but sea between us and Port Canaveral.
Digestion was slow, but I recovered enough to go to the “Price is Right” show in the Royal Theater.
Price is Right “show” at sea. It was more like bingo or a trip to the Casino.
After the heavy “Hooked” meal, it was time to relax a bit and see what Royal Caribbean had in store for us after this busy excursion day – and before two full days at sea before disembarking back where we’d started at Port Canaveral.
Shari said she still wasn’t feeling well, so she stayed back in the room.
The Price Is Right show took place in the Royal Theater. There were plenty of seats available and we found a row on the lower level. We’d heard that the Price Is Right wouldn’t be like the popular TV version. Royal Caribbean clearly tried to design a “show” that incorporated elements of the original gameshow but also brought in revenue. You could use your phone app to “buy” the ability to bid on the item up for bid, though I don’t think you actually win the item. It looked like a good many people in the theater bought the package. A little like bingo, though there was some element of skill involved in guessing the prices for the items.
The host was the Cruise Director (from Australia with accent to match) and the Assistant Cruise Director (who kind of reminded me of “Fat Amy” from the Pitch Perfect series, with accent to match) hosted the show. The visual facade was set up to approximate the Price Is Right. There wasn’t an announcer saying “Come on Down”, though. The hosts did a passable job.
The initial “winning” contestants were from Florida, Alabama and Texas, a heavy SEC-like contingent.
Audience participation was encouraged to cheer on the contestants and punch in their “bids” on their phones. The “show” was kind of mid, actually. The contestants weren’t that interesting. Just like with the TV game 
show version, the players asked for help from the audience to help them with the prices.
Royal Caribbean advertises that everyone who buys a chance to bid has a chance to win a car, but the odds aren’t great. In “our” show, a couple contestants won $250, but there wasn’t anything substantial given away otherwise. Clearly RC makes money off this, just like in the casino. Some people were paying up to $50 apiece to “bid”. The winning scores were flashed on a big screen in front and it looked like a lot of people paid the money to “play” the game.
The theater was mostly full. I was kind of surprised that people were so eager to do this. But again, the Price is Right is kind of like bingo. And it was something to do that wasn’t a long production show on a port day.
I don’t think I’d be interested in going to the Price Is Right show again. In fact, I would say the Price is Right probably ended up in last place of all the shows on our cruise. Nothing special. The “contestants” weren’t that interesting and the game concept was flawed. Did I expect more?
Afterwards, we went back to the room. Shari was sleeping. I used the time to do Friday’s work. Posted it. I decided it’d gotten late enough to go to the “Crazy Quest” show, which Bethany wanted me to join her to see. Shari stayed behind, still not feeling well.
Crazy Quest – Let it all (literally) hang out in fascinating study of human nature and crowd mentality
The time for the Crazy Quest show was 10:45. Sheesh. To start a show that late? We went through Playmakers to reach Absolute Zero, where the SOL show had been. There was a “dance party” set up in the venue before the Crazy Quest. There weren’t that many partiers at the dance party, but the seats started filling up closer to the Crazy Quest showtime.
Tristan was the show host and “Fat Amy” must’ve gravitated over from the Price is Right show to co-host Crazy Quest. The hosts seemed just as into the theme as the audience.
Bethany had been to a couple Crazy Quest shows in the past. It seemed like a lot of people had seen what it was like sometime before. At the beginning of the show, 
the audience was subdivided into sections, seven in all. I think. The people in our section were really into it. Each section had a man and a woman as “captains” on the floor of the arena.
Barbara ended up as one section’s female captain. Also, the “World’s Sexiest Man” winner was in our section. He had his guy friend were in the front row. They were into it like everyone else.
The hosts explained that this was an adults-only show, and no kids were allowed to stay and watch. The rule was mostly for comedic effect. The crowd was nuts. There were team “captains” down below, which would gather the challenge items and be recognized by the host to score points for the section.
Additionally, there were “bonus challenges” where the sections would basically compete against each other to be the craziest and do the stupidest, most outlandish things. There was a middle-aged lady who stood up on a ledge in one of the sections. Tristan motioned to her to get down. It was pandemonium, really. Almost dangerous because the alcohol-fueled crowd bought into the concept so thoroughly.
The show was almost raunchy, especially one challenge where the host asked the volunteer “couples” to come down to the floor and compete in basic sexual “positions” including “Cowgirl” and “Hot dog” where the one partner laid on top of the other. There was a gay couple from our section who ended up winning the challenge. The “World’s Sexiest Man” and his partner (McKay) were nuts. They won the challenge for our side!
The bonus rounds were especially peculiar, with singing, hands in the air. I saw our section had a guy supported by hands like at a rock concert. Sheesh, they really get into it. Two women in our section had a very
intense make out session as well. Pandemonium? I can see why kids weren’t allowed.
It was people of all ages, though mostly a younger crowd at the Crazy Quest. They knew the words to every song, including “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey. I preferred the Journey tribute band to this bedlam. But it is what it is. People were having fun. And it was 
late. I don’t think any harm came from it.
The final challenge was to have the manliest guy from each section come down, give his best roar, then assume a female persona. We were given two minutes to dress him up. It was kind of funny, but not politically correct, these days? The crowd really got into it. Women were taking off their bras to dress him up. Some clothing. Pretty wild. Twerking was the norm, not the exception.
Our section, Team 6, came in third.
The show lasted until about midnight and people wanted more. I can’t believe this event drew the crowd that it did, but the young people seemed to get into it. A LOT. This is cruising at its most vivid.
We went up to our rooms, but I think Matthew stopped at Playmakers to play pool. Shari still wasn’t feeling well, but was watching TV. This was another long, full day on the amazing Star of the Seas.
Next up — Day 6, Friday – First of two At-Sea Days, Trivia, back to the MDR and Love and Marriage
Star of the Seas Caribbean Vacation Blog, Part I – Coming face to face with a giant —
https://www.golfintheusa.com/star-of-the-seas-caribbean-vacation-blog-part-i-coming-face-to-face-with-a-giant/
Star of the Seas Caribbean Vacation Blog, Part II – Private Beach paradise and the best ice show you’ve ever seen — https://www.golfintheusa.com/star-of-the-seas-caribbean-vacation-blog-part-ii-private-beach-paradise-and-the-best-ice-show-youve-ever-seen/
Star of the Seas Caribbean Vacation Blog, Part III — Pier 7, The Sexiest Man in the World, Giovanni’s and Back to the Future the stage musical — https://www.golfintheusa.com/star-of-the-seas-blog-part-iii-pier-7-the-sexiest-man-in-the-world-giovannis-and-back-to-the-future-the-stage-musical/
Star of the Seas Caribbean Vacation Blog, Part IV – San Juan Puerto Rico, the Windjammer, Torque (aqua show) and the soundtrack of your life — https://www.golfintheusa.com/star-of-the-seas-caribbean-vacation-blog-part-iv-puerto-rico-the-windjammer-torque-aqua-show-and-the-soundtrack-of-your-life/