Carnival Splendor Journeys Review: Day 6 – St. Kitts & Nevisfeatured
We were already docked in St. Kitts when I woke up, and I was ready to get up and get out: we had a big day planned.
This was our third visit to St. Kitts, and our first time not going to the Brimstone Fortress and the batik studio at Romney Manor. We loved the excursion so much we did it twice. We were ready for a change, though. We contemplated just doing things on our own – the downtown area was full of shopping as we remembered it – but it’s a good thing we didn’t, as there were three other ships in port, which meant we didn’t dock at Port Zante like we had in our previous two visits, but rather, across Basseterre at another berth – one without shopping. And after contemplating another catamaran tour, we booked a tour to Nevis. We’d never been to Nevis before and since the tour would bring us there by boat, we’d get the boating thing in, too. What can I say – I just can’t get in enough time on the water!
Our tour didn’t depart until 10:30 AM, which gave us plenty of time for a normal wake-up time and a leisurely breakfast up on Lido. Mom was still getting over her bout with seasickness, so it would just be Stephanie and I making the journey over to Nevis. Mom got off the ship with us to check out the shopping, but other than a few vendors selling under some tents, there was nothing – she immediately circled back to the ship. Stephanie and I found our tour under a shaded tent and we grabbed some seats to wait for it to depart.
The tour departed promptly at 10:20 AM, one of the port operators walking us over to a private water taxi, for the 45-minute ride over to Nevis. The water taxi was plenty spacious for our small, 24-person tour group and the crew was really fantastic, pointing out all of the major sites (like the new Park Hyatt hotel right on the water). The topography of both St. Kitts and Nevis is really stunning to take in from the water, with craggy, imposing hills that slope dramatically from the sea up to the sky, lush greenery covering every peak as far as the eye could see. From the water taxi, with St. Kitts behind us and Nevis ahead of us, we basically sat there with our jaws dropped the entire ride. It was absolutely stunning. The waters were a little choppy as we moved into the space where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea, but other than a little extra motion, the ride was nice and peaceful.
Once we got to Nevis, two vans with tour guides were waiting for us. Stephanie and I were in Ellory’s van, and he wasted no time in getting us on the road (first of many fun facts about Nevis: there is only one main road called Island Main Road that goes around the entire island…21 miles around). There are no stop lights in Nevis and very few traffic signs (to the point where they’re largely considered suggestions, at best). Ellory was a treasure chest of Nevis facts, which he regaled with for the entire time we were together. Did you know that Nevis only has a population of 12,000 people? That’s crazy to me. My high school was over 4,500 students and the town we’re from just outside Chicago has a population of nearly 50,000 people. Nevis covers just around 36 square miles, but has more than 70 churches. The island is obsessed with cricket and everything will stop when there’s a big match. They like soccer, too. Interesting, huh?
Ellory kept the facts coming, but I was fascinated by the landscape outside of my window. Tourism is the main standard of industry in Nevis (and while the government is the largest employer, the second largest employer is the Four Seasons resort), but as we drove through the streets, we didn’t see any tourists. In fact, nothing seemed built up specifically for tourists the way it is in St. Kitts and in that sense, the island felt relatively untouched. As we drove through the town center, it was bustling with people walking around, hanging outside their storefronts and chatting, while live music played jubilantly in the background. Nevis may be the sister island to St. Kitts, but it’s like, the cool, more laid back sister. Everything felt a little more peaceful in Nevis, a little more deliberate.
Fun fact #2: Nevis is the birthplace of the man who inspired the greatest modern musical — Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton was born on the island and lived there until he was nine, and the house where he was born still stands, now as a museum. We didn’t get the chance to go outside, but Ellory drove us past for a quick photo op from the van, giving a brief history lesson on Alexander Hamilton to those on the van who hadn’t yet seen the musical (…twice).
We continued our drive through Nevis, making our first stop at the geothermal hot springs. The hot spring is a natural phenomenon where naturally hot water (really hot – it averages 104-108 degrees Celsius) flows down from the ocean and into this spring, where a manmade pool has been built for people who want to bathe in it. The water has a high sulfur content (which makes it smell…not so great) and contains over 70 minerals, which give it healing properties. Ellory urged us to stick our feet in or go up to our knees. The entrance to the pool was slick (an older woman fell all the way in when she slipped on the stairs) and the water was boiling hot to the point where I couldn’t imagine getting my whole body in that hot of water without feeling like I was being made into soup, but my feet felt amazing when I got out.
Ellory continued our drive, telling us about the school system and the socioeconomic dynamics of Nevis, before coming to a quick photo stop at a vista that overlooked Nevis Peak, a 3,000-foot high volcano that is visible even from St. Kitts.
The next part of our tour had us driving through some old plantations that have been turned into hotels. We got out of the van to do a quick walking tour at the Hermitage Plantation, which happens to be the hotel where Princess Diana took Princes William and Harry for a two-week vacation after she divorced Prince Charles. If it’s good enough for Lady Di, it’s certainly good enough for us, and I could see why she was drawn to the property: it’s private, peaceful and absolutely beautiful.
Nevis fun fact #3: on our way up to the plantation, we passed numerous herds of goats and sheep. The sheep don’t have any wool because of the climate, so they look like goats. The only way to tell them apart is their tails – the sheep’s tails point down and the goat tails point up. The goats are set free every morning to graze by their owners, and are trained to roam home in the evening. Oh, and Nevis also has a monkey problem. Apparently the French brought them over as pets and they overpopulated. As we left the plantation, Ellory pulled over on the side of the road to pick a leaf off a tree to lead us in a game of guess-what-this-leaf-smells-like (spoiler alert: it was a cinnamon tree) and we saw a monkey sitting under the tree. As it ran away, five other monkeys appeared and dispersed as quickly as they appeared.
We continued on towards our next stop, and Ellory pointed out how many businesses were using solar panels. The government wants the island to go green by 2022, and with so much sunshine (rainy season lasts from April through November and more days than not are full of pure sunshine), it makes sense to leverage those bright Caribbean rays for clean energy.
As we reached our next stop, Ellory dropped my favorite Nevis fact on the group. Nevis fun fact #4: swearing is illegal, and the first time you’re caught and cited can land you with a $500 ticket. Subsequent offenses can land you in jail for up to two months at a time, so leave those four letter words in St. Kitts. Oh, and it’s considered a diss if someone wishes you a Good morning or a Good Day and you don’t respond in kind.
Our final stop on the tour brought us to the Lime Beach Bar, where we were greeted with punch (with rum or without) and led to tables where a server took our orders with a choice of barbecued chicken or grouper fish with pesto sauce. Stephanie and I both opted for the chicken and it was absolutely delish, grilled to perfection with a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce. Oh, and the bar had primo Wi-Fi that was infinitely faster than the internet we had on the ship (where it may or may not take over an hour to post a single picture to Instagram).
After lunch, we had two and a half hours to spend at the beach across from the bar, where complimentary beach chairs and umbrellas would be waiting for us. We had the option of walking down to the Four Seasons Resort, but the day was too gorgeous not to spend it at the beach. The water was pristine and the shore was filled with seashells. There was a nice breeze coming in over the water and even though this was a public beach, there was no one else but our group.
The sunlight was intense and we headed back to the bar (our designated meeting place) a half hour early so we could browse our social media feeds before heading back. We had a departure time of 3:30 PM and the bus arrived early. Stephanie went back to the bus early while I checked my work email, only to text me moments later that I was the last person and everyone was waiting on me. It was early, but I was that person. Oops. Sorry, everyone. But you know. Wi-Fi calls and the ship clearly wasn’t answering.
Ellory drove us back to the pier to meet back up with our water taxi and we parted there, with him asking us to leave reviews online if we enjoyed our tours (so, consider this that!). And as we began the 45-minute ride back to the ship, with a reggae version of Baby I Love Your Way playing on a speaker and the sea spray misting my face as the bow of the boat plowed through the waves, I could not have been happier or more at peace. Nevis and this entire excursion was beyond any expectations or hopes I could have had.
We got back to the ship at 4:30 PM – just when all aboard was scheduled. There were dozens of people standing around the deck three promenade watching for pier runners and as Stephanie reminded me, we were the people we’re always watching for!
Back at the room, Mom was literally sitting at the door, waiting for us to get back. She may or may not have called guest services twice to make sure the ship wouldn’t leave without us. And she had room service peanut butter and jelly sandwiches waiting for us so we’d have a snack when we got back. I love those room service PB&J’s. They’re the perfect post-excursion snack.
We took turns showering when we got back, getting all that sand and sunscreen off, and started getting ready for dinner, where we reunited with Alex, our favorite server on the Splendor. Every night he served us, he made sure we had everything we could want or need and was just so happy and jovial and funny. He’s dream team material, for sure.
Asparagus Vichyssoise
Fried Shrimp
Marinated Chicken Tenders
Mixed Greens
Braised Short Ribs
Chicken Milanese
Flat Iron Steak
Cheesecake
Carnival Chocolate Melting Cake
The evening’s entertainment centered on a Playlist show of Epic Rock, which is another one of the better Playlist shows. The Splendor Playlist cast really did a fantastic job, too – this was their best performance of the four we saw over our cruise.
After the show, we headed back to the room to relax for a bit before the late night 80s Rock and Glow Party. I don’t know where MarQ finds the energy: up early in the morning to deal with guests, standing over my shoulder watching me filter my Instagram pictures at the Playlist Shows (he sat in front of us before Epic Rock began and he literally had a never ending receiving line of people wanting to chat with him and take pictures) and then leading high energy dance parties into the night. We barely lasted through Thriller before we dragged ourselves back to the room and into bed. The next day would bring us into San Juan, and after the hurricane, we were eager to see what the reality of the situation in Puerto Rico was.
