Tuesday 24th December (Christmas Eve) – St Kitts
Breakfast today was in the MDR as my excursion wasn’t due to leave until 09:30 I was in no hurry. Once again it was a sharing table and all new people to chat to. We are docked on the other side of the pier to Mein Schiff 2, one of the TUI fleet serving the German market. On the other pier is AIDA Luna another crowd of Krauts, but AIDA is another branch of Carnival, just like P&O, Cunard, Princess and several cruise lines.

© WorthingGooner 2025, Going Postal
This morning I fancied a small change, so after my Rice Krispies, orange juice and square toast, I had a mushroom omelette, and my, did I enjoy it. I have noticed that this holiday, all the plates seem to be coming out of the kitchen red hot. I’m not complaining—it’s just the way it should be and hasn’t always been in the past.
After breakfast, I had to pop back to my cabin to pick up the photocopy I have of my passport photo page. They were making announcements that everyone needed to carry ID on St Kitts. Apparently, it’s ‘the law,’ and I don’t like taking my actual passport ashore unless I really must. I joined the queue for my short coach trip entitled ‘Panoramic and Fairview House’ in plenty of time, and a girl came round, took the ticket, and placed a wristband on me. She told me we were still waiting for two people to arrive, and if they weren’t there by 09:30, we were off—and tough. I think they arrived with about 30 seconds to spare.
We were led through a side gate into a huge coach park and onto a mini coach, I guess about a 20-seater. Every trip I have ever been on in St Kitts starts the same way: a tour of the town centre. Past the National Bank, up the main shopping street, around ‘Independence Square’ where they used to auction slaves, past the Police Station, the prison (built in 1880), past the town clock modelled on Big Ben (I didn’t have the heart to tell the guide Big Ben was the bell and not the clock), and then out on the coast road.
When we turned off the main road, I knew I had cocked up—I had done the trip before. Fairview House is a nice old plantation house with extensive grounds but not worth a second visit. Still, there was a free rum punch at the bar and a lovely view over the fields to the sea. We set off again, looped around the back of Basseterre, and up a hill to a viewpoint where you can see both sides of the island, with the Caribbean on one side and the Atlantic on the other. It would be a nice stop if it wasn’t for half a dozen men with tiny monkeys trying to get you to pay to have your photo taken with them.

© WorthingGooner 2025, Going Postal
Then it was back to Port Zante and the ship. Someone was telling porkies, as all that was needed to get back to the ship was your cruise card. Another form of identification was not required. Back in the cabin, a card and Christmas present had been delivered by P&O. The present this year is a Christmas tree bauble, a small book about the history of P&O, and a bar of chocolate with pretzels in it. I guess nut chocolate is not allowed because so many people are allergic.
As always, there is an ‘all aboard’ time clearly published for each port of call. Today’s was 17:00. Nearly every day, just after ‘all aboard’ time, they broadcast for some people to contact reception. They are often already on board, and it is the swipe-out, swipe-back-in system that has screwed up. Today was no exception, and they were making announcements looking for half a dozen people. By 17:05, it was just two people they were looking for—‘Mr and Mrs White from Deck 12.’ Obviously, the passengers on the Mein Schiff 2 could all hear this going on and were hanging over the rails watching. Mr and Mrs White, who were actually Black, came running down the pier at about eight minutes past five and got a huge round of applause from the Germans. I bet they won’t be back late again.
Dinner tonight was a bit more upmarket as it is Christmas Eve. I had French onion soup, which I know is excellent. But it is served with a giant crouton, which is like a big lump of cheese on toast floating on the soup. Now, I like cheese, but cheese doesn’t like me—it gives me migraines—so I always ask not to have the crouton. Invariably, I must explain to the people sitting next to me why I am not having the crouton. My main course tonight was cannon of lamb. It was fabulous, tasty and tender; I could eat it again right now. Then, instead of ice cream, it was a Christmas Eve sundae with ice cream, nuts, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. I rather enjoyed my dinner this evening.
Wednesday 25th December (Christmas Day) – at sea
It seems that I am waking up at about six most mornings—I have no idea why. I took the opportunity to text a few people as it was only about ten at home, and to post a bit on GP. I pottered about until 8 a.m. when I headed to the Meridian Restaurant for breakfast. It was not terribly busy, and I was shown to a sharing table where I was first to arrive. The table quickly filled, but the restaurant still wasn’t that busy. P&O traditionally hand out a glass of Buck’s Fizz with Christmas Day breakfast, and today was no exception.
I ordered orange juice, Rice Krispies, a plain omelette with a serving of mushrooms, and, of course, square toast—all washed down with several cups of coffee. As it’s a sea day and we are plodding along at just three knots, there is not a lot to rush about for. We seem to be doing a circuit of the island of Saba as it is staying in sight off the port side. I had a wander to see what was happening around the ship, and the highlight was the under-fifteens queuing up to get a present from Father Christmas. He had a big gold throne and some reindeer and was being assisted by some elves, who I am sure I recognised as members of the ship’s entertainment team.

© WorthingGooner 2025, Going Postal
I stopped to watch for a while, and the little ones were so excited—it was lovely to see them. I understand they all got a personal invitation, and if they didn’t come to see him, Santa still delivered the present to their cabin. I hope it was better than my present from P&O. Talking of presents, the LGND’s daddy sent me a video of her opening her present from me. She had a huge pile of things under the tree and picked up mine, sitting cross-legged on the floor to rip the paper off. When she saw what it was, she shouted in delight, “Mummy, it’s a Barbie set!” Then she looked straight into the camera and thanked me.
In the background, Mummy could be heard saying, “Have you read what Barbie it is?” and the LGND read, “It’s a Barbie school teacher, and look, there are pupils and desks. It’s amazing!” It is the best part of Christmas, seeing the joy on children’s faces.
Dinner is early tonight, and I have been allocated the five-thirty sitting. It was that or eight-thirty, and I thought that was a bit late. Consequently, I had a very early hot dog and beer lunch at about midday. As we are moving so slowly, there is very little breeze over the open deck, and it is beautifully warm sitting in the shade and bloody hot in the sun. I took my Kindle and sat in the shade near one of the pools, watching events. A nice, easy Christmas Day afternoon with waiters on hand to bring me a beer whenever I fancied.
I popped back to the cabin for a shower and to change into my dress suit and Christmas bow tie. It was just before 5:30 when I got down to the restaurant and joined the queue. It was quite a long queue but moved rapidly, and as everyone was allocated a place, it was no problem. I was taken to a table for six, where we were only five. I am told number six checked in for the cruise online but didn’t make it to the plane to Barbados. As usual, there were crackers on the table and, this year, bottles of house wine. When the waiter realised we were all drinking white wine, he swapped the bottle of red for another bottle of white.

© WorthingGooner 2025, Going Postal
An amuse-bouche to start. I had a tiger prawn cocktail for my starter, which was followed by a Buck’s Fizz sorbet. For my main course, I chose a medium-rare fillet steak, and it was absolutely perfect, with the meat so tender you only had to threaten it with the knife. For dessert, I was going to have the trio of chocolate desserts, but as I was feeling a bit full, I had the cranberry and chestnut pavlova with cranberry vodka granita—absolutely delicious. To finish, it was petit fours and coffee—a fantastic meal.
The five of us paid a visit to the Crow’s Nest for a nightcap and were surprised to find it not too busy. I suspect that was because half the ship was eating at 20:30.
Thursday 26th December (Boxing Day) – St Martin
I have woken up with a streaming cold. I have had the sniffles for a day or two, but my nose is running well this morning. It was a good thing I checked the time of my excursion before I went to bed last night. The booking paperwork says 08:30 departure, but the ticket says 07:30. The routine is that you are on the dockside 10 minutes before departure time, but as the ship is not due in port until 07:30, that is not going to be easy!
I nipped up to the buffet, which at just after six was not very busy, thank God, as I hate using it when it gets so crowded. I had a bowl of cereal and fried eggs and bacon as we manoeuvred into the cruise pier—the shorter of the two piers here. We moored on the bay side of the pier, but looking at the other pier, there were already three ships moored there: the Queen Mary 2, the AIDA Mar, and a small Explorer-class ship. As I watched, they were joined by Celebrity Ascent. It was going to be a busy day on the island.

© WorthingGooner 2025, Going Postal
We were able to go ashore at about 07:15, so I was able to make my trip around town on the tourist train. The guide was complaining she was guiding five trips today, and this first one had been pulled forward an hour to accommodate the unusually large number of ships in port. We trundled off through the deserted streets on our trip, past shuttered shops and bars. Of course, it was not only early, but it was also Boxing Day, and no one was going to be opening very early. We trundled down Back Street, one of the town’s two main parallel roads, to the far side of town and then back along Front Street, where a scattering of shops were slowly opening.
Our first stop was at the Amsterdam Cheese Shop, where we were given samples of cheese and some biscuits. The biscuits were rather nice. Back on the train to the next stop—the market—which was about a third set up and only selling tourist tat. I had no interest in a $5 Bob Marley T-shirt. Our final stop was at the Rusty Parrot Pirate Bar for a drop of rum, and it was a drop, served in a thimble-sized plastic glass. We were invited to go upstairs to the roof garden, where there were better-sized rum punches on offer and a nice view over the port, where Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas had now arrived on the other side of our pier.
We were back at the port at 09:30, and thousands of people were swarming off the various ships. Walking down the pier against a tide of Yanks heading the other way was not very easy. The Symphony of the Seas is supposed to carry 5,500 passengers, or 6,800 when full, and Christmas cruises usually operate at maximum capacity. With a population of 18,000 on the island, I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more visitors than natives on St Martin today.

© WorthingGooner 2025, Going Postal
Mind you, it was lovely on board today; you could get a sun lounger anywhere, and it was very quiet in the pools. I had a burger and chips for lunch, and there was no queue at all.
After lunch, I went to Brodie’s Bar to watch the football, and it was so quiet even the waiters were watching the match. They seemed very happy that Chelsea lost. I retreated to my cabin to watch the late game, as I also needed to have a shower and change before dinner.
I was first on a sharing table for eight, so I chose to sit at the head of the table, which filled quickly. Three people I had dined with before, but they were all at the far end of the table. One of the ladies sat next to me turned out to be a primary school teacher, and she was telling me how this holiday fitted exactly with her Christmas break. She finished school on Friday afternoon, spent the night at an airport hotel, and flew on Saturday morning. She would be going back to the U.K. overnight Saturday/Sunday and back to school on Monday.
Tonight, it was back to good old reliable tomato soup, then roast lamb, and Monmouth meringue pudding. The lamb was really tender; I must say that P&O meat is usually very good, and if you get a tough bit, it will be replaced without question. I wasn’t quite so keen on the Monmouth pudding as it was made with plums, and they are not my favourite fruit. I much prefer it made with raspberries. Still, I enjoyed my meal, and the company was good. Next up is a nightcap.
Friday 27th December – Tortola, British Virgin Islands
I have woken up feeling still full of cold but not quite so streaming. A letter under the door tells me that I have had another excursion cancelled, this time on Antigua tomorrow. I suppose I could have a look to see if there is anything on offer I fancy doing, but if I am still full of cold, I would probably prefer to sit in the sun and do nothing! Which brings me to another thing—it is raining! Not heavy, fairly light, but constant. The only good thing is it is warm out there at 25°.

© WorthingGooner 2025, Going Postal
Down to breakfast, and it’s a sharing table for six this morning, again right by the stern windows. As usual, the restaurant receptionist says there isn’t a sharing table open and that it could be a long wait. But I am only going to wander ashore today when the rain stops, so I am in no hurry. She opens a new sharing table. I had only just sat down when a couple arrived. They told me that they had been breakfasting in the buffet but got fed up of fighting for a table. More first-time cruisers who didn’t realise they could eat breakfast in one of the main dining rooms.
Before taking the orders, the waiter was round with tea or coffee and racks of toast. The girl said to me, “Now this is civilised. I think it’s here from now on.” It has only taken them a week to find a decent place to eat breakfast. Orange juice, Rice Krispies, and a bacon omelette this morning. Oh, I nearly forgot—square toast and several cups of coffee. Back up to the cabin, and it has not been done. Come to think of it, the cabin stewards’ various carts and buckets are not in the corridor, and the ‘gone exploring’ magnetic notices are still on most doors.


© WorthingGooner 2025, Going Postal
I walked onto the balcony, and the heavens opened. Good job there is cover overhead. I decided to write up today’s postcard entry instead of venturing out, and in a short while, there had been three downpours. None lasted very long, but my, did it piss down. It’s the reserve cabin stewards this morning—an Indian man-and-woman team. She looked around and said, “This is an easy cabin; it’s nice and tidy.” She made the bed and hoovered while he did the bathroom and supplied clean towels. It only took them minutes.
The sun has finally put in an appearance, and it is warm out in the sun. Just had an announcement new to me and my many cruises. Apparently, a ship is about to dock on the opposite side of the pier to us, and the port authorities have asked for the pier to be clear while this happens. So, no one can go ashore for half an hour. This certainly didn’t happen yesterday when we shared a pier with the giant Symphony of the Seas. That was the world’s 10th biggest and 3rd biggest ships together. I can’t see what is coming in alongside us as it’s on the opposite side to my cabin, but I doubt it is any bigger than Symphony. I’ll have a look when I go to lunch.
It’s the NCL ship Norwegian Jewel, and we are towering over it. Quite strange to be eating my burger and chips and looking down onto their pool deck way below me. I am even above their radar dome. I suppose they have half their radar screen blocked out by us. I am going to find a nice comfy seat somewhere and finish my John Grisham book. I must admit this one is, as usual, about American lawyers but is a little different. Book done. Next up is a Michael Connelly, but it’s not a Harry Bosch.
A pleasant afternoon doing nothing. Now it’s time for a shave and a shower and to put on a decent pair of trousers and a reasonable shirt for dinner. The main dining room wouldn’t object if I turned up wearing a Caribbean shirt, but I have standards, so it is one with little bulldogs playing rugby tonight! Tonight, I started with minestrone soup, then a sirloin steak with a mushroom sauce, and an old favourite—vanilla ice cream to finish. An excellent meal, and now it’s a vodka and lemonade or two before bed.
Coming Next – Part 3 – Changeover Day in Antigua
© WorthingGooner 2025