We had to meet at the terminal. When there were a few of us, we were told to follow a man, no idea where to or for what since normally you leave when everyone is there (or the majority). He opened the security gate, demanding the tickets before handing some back and generally getting us confused. He then started to ask how many there were in each party and ordered me and a family of four to go with someone else while the rest stayed. It turned out it was just to fill the first bus, so why not say? Once everyone was squashed on, we headed on our scenic drive. We saw some egret nests and a baby one was in the bushes, monkeys in cages, various buildings then arrived at the famous train. We were in the first carriage, squashed in like sardines. When I posted on Facebook and Twitter I was doing this tour, most comments told me to enjoy the rum. Absolutely nothing about the ride itself. Soft drinks with painkillers anyway. Well, what can I say? The video of the tour on the TV is misleading. Green one side with some rocks towards the end, sea and the odd town the other, no wildlife (the guide said there were more monkeys than people so one should have been noticed), four bridges crossed from angles you can't even tell how high the drop is - wooo! The excitement of those wore off by the third. Singers were a novelty to begin with but by their last time hardly anyone paid attention. Some of us had trouble hearing the guide despite the microphone thanks to the ice grinder for the Pina Coladas drowning everything out bar the awful racket the train made. It was difficult taking photos with your back to everything one side and the people in the way the other and frankly, you saw more on the bus tour. I wasn't the only one who stopped even trying and couldn't wait to get off that sardine can! Not worth $99 RCCL charge and perhaps you need the free booze to enjoy it. The family of four agreed, saying it had been falsely advertised and planned to complain. One woman was objecting to having to get on the bus again to return to the ship. She thought she could just walk down the road from the train to the shops. Her husband had remarked during a quiet moment that the guide knew her stuff. No kidding, Sherlock! She'd be very poor at her job if she didn't have a clue about the island she lived. These were both Brits as well, their friends saying they all came from the same village. Looks like they lost their idiots! At the terminal there were the usual touts trying to get you to have a picture taken with their monkeys. I declined, took some photos of my beautiful ship then went onboard. Upon entering the cabin afterwards, I found the mandatory immigration information for St Croix and some shinier spot on the ceiling panel. Lunch in the Windjammer and much to my surprise, what should be safe bolognese sauce contained green bell peppers. Pack it in putting it in food it shouldn't be!
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