Battered But Unbowed, The Eastern Caribbean Is Ready For Cruise Pax

by Bruce Parkinson, Open Jaw

Open Jaw is cruising
on Holland America’s
Eurodam this
week, with a dual purpose. The most important, from a reader’s perspective, is
to take a look at a couple of the Eastern Caribbean ports that were hit with
the one-two punch of successive major hurricanes in September – Irma and Maria.

Many booked and
prospective cruisers are no doubt wondering whether they should give the
Eastern Caribbean a pass for now, while the islands recover. I wanted to get a
deeper perspective on whether the passenger experience is compromised.

The second purpose,
from my own admittedly selfish viewpoint, is to experience a HAL cruise for the
first time, despite the fact that I’ve written about the line for years and
travelled to multiple press announcements in Manhattan and Alaska.

At those events, I have
witnessed the rapid evolution of onboard offerings and innovative partnerships
for the 140-year-old company, under the leadership of Orlando Ashford, a cruise
executive I admire.

Adding to the pleasure
of my first HAL sailing is the opportunity to travel with my 16-year-old son
Neil, who has singlehandedly lowered the average age on this journey. But he
enjoys the company of older people, and they’ve been enjoying his too.

Back to the first
purpose. On this cruise, Turks & Caicos and St. Thomas are among the port
calls. Both were hit hard twice within three weeks in September. Both have
worked very hard to make ports and attractions ready for peak Caribbean
cruising season.

When we pulled into
Grand Turk, it was hard to tell at first that the archipelago had seen better
days. Essentially a collection of limestone outcroppings surrounded by deep
ocean, Turks & Caicos is known mostly for its superb beaches and underwater
opportunities. That hasn’t changed.

The port looks good.
It takes a few minutes to realize that almost all of the palm trees in the port
area are recent transplants. Debris has been cleared, massive deposits of sand
removed and the port shopping area is open and ready for visitors. There was a
good selection of shore excursions available, most of them water-focused.

We chose a clear-bottom kayaking excursion and nature hike offered by a company called
Oasis Divers. After a bumpy ride across the island we arrived on the shore of a
saltwater ‘creek’ and met our guide Roland Parker, a multiple-generation native
whose spouse is currently working as a nurse at a hospital in North Bay, ON.

It was low tide, so
the creek was pretty shallow, and to be candid, there wasn’t a whole lot to see
through the clear bottom of the two-person kayaks. But Roland’s charm, intelligence
and curiosity about the subtleties of the natural environment made the
experience come alive. The dozen or so HAL pax who chose the excursion were not
disappointed.

One of the highlights
was a kayak full of water and natural specimens from the creek, including
lobster, crabs, conch, sea urchins, sea cucumber and others. He showed us each
and told us about their unique properties. It was fascinating.

Roland also told us
interesting stories about the islands of Turks & Caicos and their people,
including the fact that his grandparents were from Middle Caicos, which he
called “the land of the immortals.” His grandparents lived to be 109 and 113,
so HAL guests could be enjoying Roland’s work for decades to come.

After a port call in
Cap Cana, D.R. was cancelled due to heavy swells and the difficulty of tender
transport, we spent a second day at sea before heading to St. Thomas, USVI. I
had visited the island on another ship in May of this year, and it was a little
easier to recognize that it had taken a pounding. The lush hillsides are
greening up again about six weeks after Maria, but there remains a denuded
look, that became more visible ashore.

But again, the port at
Charlotte Amalie is up and running. By afternoon, when the sun made a welcome
appearance, the bars and restaurants were full of cruise revellers and the
multitude of jewellery stores were presenting their shiny wares.

Neil and I hired a cab
and driver in the person of Winston Rollins, originally from St. Kitts, but who
has lived on St. Thomas long enough to experience Hurricanes Hugo and Marilyn
as well as Irma and Maria. His own home was badly damaged, and he’s still
waiting for FEMA assistance to repair his roof.

Rollins took us just
about everywhere on the island. The damage done by the storms was impossible to
miss, with hydro crews from across North America still working hard to restore
power and the
Carnival Vista that was
chartered to house relief workers still docked at the container port. The
island’s lagoon is cluttered with damaged and sunken sailboats and yachts, and
travelling to the heights made clear the extensive roof damage – blue tarps are
ubiquitous. Of the many hotels on St. Thomas, only a couple are able to welcome
guests at this point.

But there are clear
signs of progress. The wonderful beach at Magen’s Bay where I had spent a few
hours with a group of The Travel Agent Next Door folks in May has recently reopened,
and the sandy strand and turquoise water is as beautiful as ever, and new palms
are replacing downed trees. We also visited Mountain Top, the peak of St.
Thomas, where the store that claims to have served 10 million banana daiquiris
is blending and pouring again. We also made a stop at the outlook above the
beach, where a talented steel pan player brightened the day with his smile and
sounds.

As to the second
purpose – experiencing Holland America – that has been a real pleasure. The
quality of food and service is exceptional. An Asian meal at Tamarind was
heavenly, and an evening at Pinnacle Grill was well worth the supplement. The
casual Lido Market offers a wide array of choices at every meal and it has all
been delicious.

We thoroughly enjoyed
an evening at BB King’s Blues Club, where the Memphis players were first-class.
The Lincoln Centre chamber musicians were excellent as well. And, it must be
said, Neil has consumed an alarming number of freshly-baked chocolate chip
cookies which he gives two thumbs up.

We’re enroute now for
a day of play at Half Moon Cay, before taking a leisurely run back to Fort
Lauderdale. Judging from the current volume at the Sea View Pool bar, our
fellow passengers are having as much fun as we are. And dinner reservations
await at Rudi’s Sel de Mer, a once-a-cruise pop-up restaurant that is the
brainchild of HAL executive chef Rudi Sodamin. Neil would rather have a burger,
but I can’t wait.

Hundreds of boats were damaged or destroyed on St. Thomas by hurricanes Irma and Maria.