Our final port before Miami was St. Croix, another new port for me, and where we had mandatory immigration due to it being a US port. You weren't allowed to leave the ship without doing it. The tour groups were first, which was good. The queue outside the theatre was horrendous though. US citizens had to go to deck 5 on the Aquarius dining room. The border people didn't board the ship until 7.15am and doors open fifteen minutes later. I was finally done at 7.40am, one of the crew punching your card as you left to prove to the security officers you were free to go ashore. With now no time for breakfast before my tour, I ate two apples which where in the room then went to do my panoramic tour. Janet and Paul were also on that while some people had been turned back at the gangway because they hadn't been to immigration. It may have helped if there had been announcements in the cabins instead of only corridors and public rooms. It wasn't AS dull as the scenic railway tour in St Kitts but pretty close and seemed like an amateur operation. The guide would point out this tree or that, this fruit or that. We even had photo stops to see a tree! One included part of the golf course. They must think we couldn't cope with the excitement of real sights. we were shown boats which had been damaged in a hurricane but the driver stopped "for a better view" behind some trees! The air conditioning was knackered and he had no idea how to fix it. First it was freezing, then too hot while those in the back seat had no cool air at all. There were objections by the guide and driver to the windows being opened to help. Fair enough on the left side because the tree branches kept whacking them but the right was free from that. Due to heavy rains causing mud, the viewing point was unreachable and their Plan B was an extra 15 minutes in Christiansted. The weather was really bad, even the chickens sheltered. We had an hour here, most of which was spent trying to keep dry. I dashed to a bandstand where two young locals, now living in Atlanta, were. They were telling me how they get angry the local government ignores the heritage of the island and about all the overgrown trees hiding a lot of it. As we were talking, my bus drove off! We hadn't been told that would happen, just be back by 11.15am, and there was still half an hour to go. I went over and thankfully the rain had stopped. I eventually found a woman working for the tour company, though she had no identification so you only knew because she spoke to other drivers. She was quite rude. "I told the bus to move" but not where it was, why or when it would be back. Some people on another bus said I could get on theirs if mine didn't return. Well if FINALLY did and, despite the driver seeing me there soaked in the rain, kept it locked while he went off, despite four people still being aboard. Then it was back to the ship, pausing at a viewing point but not letting us get out for a couple of minutes to make up for the last one. The guide now sat at the back and understood about the heat. She had old posters to give away and like a nit, I answered one of her questions and got a 2009 agriculture festival one. When we returned to the port at Fredericksted, some got off at the gate to go shopping. They were prepared to dump us all there and seemed surprised to be told we are THEIR responsibility so have to be taken back where they picked us up from. And they'd done this how many times???? Lunch and I spied Chilli Con Carne in the Windjammer! So either someone lied to José about not knowing how to cook chilli or they were practicing for my dinner. To the dock with brolly for photos of the favourite ship out of the twenty-eight I've sailed on. Radiance almost became numero uno after the best cruise ever in March, but as soon as I saw Vision sail to Europe on the Port Fever webcam, there was no doubt she still reigned supreme. P&O's Aurora USED to be my favourite and I don't know what happened for Ducky to replace her in my heart. Could be P&O's cost cutting, maybe because the last three trips were crap, or just because Vision is fabbo. Whatever it was, my world was certainly going to be an empty place with her the other side of the Atlantic. As I'd thought, it flipping rained. I hadn't changed since I knew I was going out again so would when I was back in the dry. There was a free shuttle between gate and ship so I hopped on that rather than walk in more wet stuff.
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