{"id":11877,"date":"2020-10-18T06:56:59","date_gmt":"2020-10-18T10:56:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/?p=11877"},"modified":"2020-10-25T15:36:31","modified_gmt":"2020-10-25T19:36:31","slug":"january-26-2020-7-night-southern-caribbean-cruise-part-9-st-lucia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backtothemouse.com\/index.php\/january-26-2020-7-night-southern-caribbean-cruise-part-9-st-lucia\/","title":{"rendered":"January 26, 2020- 7 Night Southern Caribbean Cruise, Part 9: St. Lucia"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Day<\/a>
Day 6 – St. Lucia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today was one of our most anticipated stops for multiple reasons.  When we originally discussed taking this cruise, I asked the girls what they most wanted to do on the trip.  Our younger daughter said she wanted to try riding Segways.  St. Lucia was the only stop that Disney offered a Segway adventure, so we signed up for this excursion right after we got our sea day Palo Brunch.  We were also excited to visit St. Lucia because our daughter’s preschool teacher was from St. Lucia and would always tell us how beautiful the island was.  Her descriptions left us with the desire to visit.<\/p>\n

\"St.<\/a>
St. Lucia Port Area<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our excursion today would be leaving from the Azure lounge (one of the adult area clubs) at 10:15 am.  We woke up around 8:30 to get ready and go to Cabanas for breakfast so we wouldn’t be hungry during our trip.  After breakfast, we made our way to Azure to get signed in, which was relatively painless.  After sitting for a few minutes, we were led off the ship.<\/p>\n

\"Leaving<\/a>
Leaving the Azure Lounge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Our group was relatively small, maybe 12 people total.  We were led to a small tour bus and introduced to our guide and Segway leader, Lloyd (pictures down below).<\/p>\n

\"Excursion<\/a>
Excursion Bus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The trip to the Lucian Style Experiences<\/a> store took about 30 minutes and Lloyd kept us entertained the entire time.  He gave running commentary on the island, some of the places we were passing, and kept the mood really light.  Once we arrived, we were led into the store.<\/p>\n

\"Lucian<\/a>
Lucian Style Experiences<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once we entered the store, everyone got helmets and wrist guards if we wanted them.  We also signed tons of forms releasing the company from any liability.  There were restrooms and a water fountain if you needed them.  They also stored any backpacks that we had brought with us since they said the weight would throw the balance off when we were on the Segways.<\/p>\n

\"Helmet<\/a>
Helmet and Waivers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After everyone got helmets and signed forms, we went across the street to a practice area.  Lloyd (pictured below) then demonstrated the workings of the Segway, including starting, stopping, and turning.  It looked complicated at first, but he explained that the Segway will do a lot of the work for you.  You lean forward to move forward, and lean backwards to slow down.  If you are going too fast, the Segway will lean back to slow itself down.  You move left and right by moving the handlebar in the direction you want to go.  After a little bit of practice, it really is very easy to control.<\/p>\n

\"Lloyd<\/a>
Lloyd Demonstrates Use of the Segway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the explanation, they helped each person one at a time onto a Segway and followed closely for a minute to make sure you understood how to operate it.  After they were sure that you understood the operations, they sent you on a small dirt track to practice while they helped other riders get comfortable on their Segways.<\/p>\n

\"Joe<\/a>
Joe on the Segway<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once everyone got some practice time in, we were off.  Lloyd led us out of the parking lot and onto a nearby trail.  The trail was a part of some land that had been used by the US Military during World War II.  We stopped a few minutes into the tour so the guides could show us some of the natural spices and flowers that grow on St. Lucia.<\/p>\n

\"Headed<\/a>
Headed To The Trail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After the brief stop, we were back on the Segways and moving through the woods.  We eventually stopped at an overlook so we could take in some of the natural beauty of the island.<\/p>\n

\"Stopping<\/a>
Stopping to Look Around<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Pigeon<\/a>
Pigeon Island<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We were then back on the Segways and headed up to higher into the woods.  We stopped occasionally to see some of the fortifications that were built to hold either guns or ammunition.<\/p>\n

\"Gun<\/a>
Gun Emplacement<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Ammunition<\/a>
Ammunition Bunker<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After about an hour on the Segways, we stopped and were led to a small Koi pond that had been built for a nearby spa that went out of business.  The tour participants were encouraging us to rest and put our feet in the pond, where the fish would nibble on their skin.  That isn’t really our thing, but we did get some nice family photos that the guide took.  While one of the guides talked about the various plants around us, Lloyd had prepared a light snack of fresh fruit for everyone to enjoy.<\/p>\n

\"Fruit<\/a>
Fruit Snacks<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There was a small gazebo that you could sit in and enjoy the view. <\/p>\n

\"Overlook\"<\/a>
Overlook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After resting for a bit, Lloyd adjusted the Segways so they would go faster.  We took off at a rapid pace flying around the various trails in the woods.  Eventually, Lloyd led us down to a small beach.  There was a restaurant (Marie’s Fish Shack) along with vendors selling wares at the beach.  My daughter ended up buying a necklace she liked from a vendor.  The beach was a part of Rodney Bay, where there are a lot of tourist destination hotels.<\/p>\n

\"Rodney<\/a>
Rodney Bay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After resting a few minutes on the beach, we mounted back up on the Segways and returned to the Lucian Style Experiences store front.  We turned back in our helmets, collected our backpacks, and got ready to return to the ship.  Our return trip to the ship on the bus seemed much faster.  Everyone had a great time and readily agreed this was one of the best excursions we had ever done.<\/p>\n

\"Disney<\/a>
Disney Wonder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The bus dropped us back off at the ship, but we decided to walk around the port area a bit before re-boarding.  Right next to the terminal was a farmers market that we walked past.  We were walking to the craft market that was a block away.  The craft market reminded me of the straw market in Nassau.  Most of the goods were the same between the stalls. <\/p>\n

\"Farmers<\/a>
Farmers Market<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After quickly looking around the craft market, we returned to the Wonder.  Our first stop was Cabanas so we could grab some lunch.  We ran into our wait staff and spent a few minutes chatting with them.  Once we finished lunch, we headed to the room to change and then up to the pool deck.  Deck 9 was full, so we moved up to Deck 10 to get some sun and a good view of funnel vision.<\/p>\n

\"Deck<\/a>
Deck 10 View<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We spent the afternoon watching movies (Planes and Ratatouille) in between grabbing snacks and going down to the Cove Cafe to get some ice coffee. <\/p>\n

\"Funnel<\/a>
Funnel Vision<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We stayed so long on Deck 10 we got to watch the sun go down!<\/p>\n

\"Sunset\"<\/a>
Sunset<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Once it started to get dark, we went back to the room to shower and get ready for our Pirate Night dinner in Animator’s Palate!  The tip-sheet and envelopes were waiting for us on the bed.  We had already prepaid our gratuities (and added to them) for the cruise, so we just needed to put the slips in the envelopes and hand them out tomorrow.<\/p>\n

\"Pirate<\/a>
Pirate Night Dinner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Pirate night menu<\/a> is a standard across the fleet.  Usually, this is a great night to head to Palo for dinner.   We decided to skip Palo dinner on this cruise since we had brunch scheduled for tomorrow.  After dinner, we headed up to Deck 9 for the Pirate’s in the Caribbean Party!<\/p>\n

\"PIrates<\/a>
PIrates in the Caribbean Party<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We’ve seen the party quite a few times, but its always fun to see fireworks at sea!<\/p>\n

\"Mickey<\/a>
Mickey Comes to Save The Day — Err Night<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Fireworks<\/a>
Fireworks At Sea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The other part of Pirate’s night that fascinates me is the buffet<\/a> that follows the party.  Since we had just finished dinner thirty minutes prior, we’ve never eaten at these buffets.  We really like the various fruit carvings though. <\/p>\n

\"Pirates<\/a>
Pirates Night Buffet<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After getting pictures of the buffet, Nancy and I headed to the room for bed.  We found another fantastic towel animal waiting for us.<\/p>\n

\"Towel<\/a>
Towel Animal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tomorrow, we would be enjoying our only sea day of the cruise!<\/p>\n

Planning<\/a> | Travel<\/a> | Boarding<\/a> | Ship Exploration<\/a> | St Maarten<\/a> | Antigua<\/a> | Martinique<\/a> | Barbados<\/a> | St. Lucia<\/a> | Sea Day<\/a> | Travel Back<\/a><\/p>\n

 If you have enjoyed this article, please be sure to check out our Disney Cruise Line information page<\/a>, which has useful hints in addition to our cruise trip reports!<\/p>\n

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