We arrive as scheduled at 7:00am. It is a beautiful, warm day, as they all have been on this cruise. It is no wonder that the Caribbean is mobbed with tourists and cruise ships during the winter, which is the annual dry season here. This is the view from our stateroom balcony, in a three-photo series:
We are at anchor, as the harbor is too small and too shallow to accommodate cruise ships, even one as small as ours.
Please hold on as we rhetorically lurch to elaborate on that subject:
Not-so-quick aside: ‘Small,’ when describing the mammoth machines that cruise ships are, is a relative term. MS Riviera has a gross tonnage of 68,000. Royal Caribbean’s new Wonder of the Seas, due to set sail on her maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale FL on March 4, 2022, has a gross tonnage of 236,857. That means that Wonder of the Seas is the equivalent of 3 ½ Rivieras.
What is Gross Tonnage? Well, an explanation in sophisticatedtraveler.com reads: “What most people don’t know [including Steve and Cathy] is that GT does not equate to the weight of the ship. Rather GT is a measurement of the ship’s internal volume of its enclosed spaces (above and below the water line), where 100 cubic feet of volume equals one ton.
“Gross tonnage was initially used for cargo ships to determine the maximum amount of space for the storage of goods that could be stuffed inside a ship. While it doesn’t seem particularly relevant to cruise ships, it is also used to determine which rules and regulations apply to a ship, its crew staffing levels, safety rules, and port fees. Because of this, it is the standard that most commonly is used to define a ship.
“For cruise ships, typically the larger the gross tonnage, the larger the ship is, the more passengers it can hold, and the more restaurants and entertainment facilities you’ll find onboard.” Now wasn’t that interesting? End of not-so-quick aside.
Okay, where were we? So we are anchored what we guestimate is three to four miles away from Gustavia. While the harbor is small, it still must have room for mammoth private yachts – lots of them, we see.
The name Gustavia seems an odd one for an island controlled by France. Here’s a part of a Wikipedia entry that explains it: “Saint Barthélemy was first claimed by France in 1648. The island was given to Sweden in exchange for trade rights in Gothenburg in 1784 and Sweden founded the Swedish West India Company. Prospering during the Napoleonic Wars, assets were low thereafter, and the island was sold back to France in 1878.
“The eventual site of Gustavia was first called Le Carénage (The Careening) after the shelter it provided to damaged ships. According to the archives, the name Gustaviaappeared between December 28, 1786, and February 9, 1787. Gustavia remains as a reflection of the Swedish period, during which a minority of the population of approximately 4% were of Swedish origin.”
And here’s a Wikipedia entry that explains St. Barts’ history in a bit more detail: “Saint Barthélemy, a volcanic island fully encircled by shallow reefs, has an area of 25 square kilometres (9.7 sq mi) and a population of 9,961 at the Jan. 2017 census. Its capital is Gustavia, which also contains the main harbour. It is the only Caribbean island that was a Swedish colony for any significant length of time (before the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Guadeloupe came under Swedish rule for a year before the Treaty of Paris). It remained so for nearly a century before it returned to French rule after a referendum. Symbolism from the Swedish National Arms, the Three Crowns, still appears in the island’s coat of arms. The language, cuisine, and culture, however, are distinctly French. The island is a popular tourist destination during the winter holiday season, geared towards the high-end, luxury tourist market.”
Cathy and I did not sign up for any excursions because we had, in fact, visited the island way back sometime in the mid ‘80s. Back then it was certainly French, but far, far less “aimed at the high-end, luxury tourist market,” as is stated above. It was prosperous without being gaudy, with hotels we could afford and restaurants that did French cuisine proud. There were middle class people. That was then ; this is now, and it’s hard to reconcile that this is the same place we remember. The ultra-rich, globetrotter set has made it theirs, similar to what has happened to Nantucket. One is there to see and be seen. Do we sound disappointed?
Our plan is to take the tender to Gustavia, wander around the downtown area just to see it, and return. The tender is actually a lifeboat that is used to ferry passengers to shore when the ship is anchored. In our case today, three tenders are operating. First those who have scheduled excursions are ferried in, then it’s open to anyone. You load on Deck 4, obviously right at the water line, off a dock placed there for the purpose.
Because there is an order by which passengers may board the tender, we first must wait our turn in the Riviera Lounge on Deck 5. Destination Services hands out ‘tickets’ of different colors to keep track of how many people will end up on a given tender. Each tender can comfortably accommodate 50-75 people (as a lifeboat, capacity is shown as 150, which would make for nightmarish conditions we think). When your color is called, you make you way to Deck four and board.
We arrive around 10:30, and there are lots of folks waiting, despite there being three tenders running. The reason is the rough sea conditions, which is making loading difficult and the transit longer than expected. So we wait around for 45 minutes. Cathy is getting antsy and suggests packing it in; Steve talks her out of that. Soon thereafter, our color is called.
We work our way to the little dock, and we begin to see why the traffic jam. The tender we are to board is pitching and rolling, and the crew members assisting us have their hands full. None of us are exactly athletes in our prime, and some really need help. We have been given elaborate instructions on how to board in advance, and it’s a good thing. But we do get on board and head for shore.
The trip lasts about a half an hour. The boat is very seaworthy, of course, and the pilot is experienced in dealing with these rough conditions. Everyone on board is uncomfortable and cannot wait for the ordeal to be over. We gratefully arrive in Gustavia. The port itself is quite small, shaped like a horseshoe. It’s a perfect “safe harbor” in a storm, large enough for a half dozen giant yachts and many smaller ones. It is quite beautiful.
We disembark around 11:45 and spend the next few minutes orienting ourselves. What we see is nothing but high, high, high-end stores catering to the cognoscenti and a couple of open-air bistros. The street, named Ruse de la Republique, is busy with cars, most of them the size of Morris Minors because the town is so compressed.
Cathy spots a food market, of all things. Not a huge one, and Steve speculates it serves as an upscale convenience store serving the yachts across the street. We enter and shop. Cathy is pleased to find things to buy such as lentils and a spice blend that she can’t obtain at home. Plus chocolates from France! At checkout, she inquires how much extra a bag would cost. The answer is 5 Euros, or US $5.70! Uhh, no thanks.
We stuff our purchases in our pockets and continue to walk down the street. The sidewalks are packed, the streets are teeming with cars, the bistros are full. Ten minutes later, we are ready to turn around and head for the tender and to the ship. We arrive at the dock around 12:30, have a nice chat with several other waiting Riviera passengers, board the tender and leave.
Interestingly, we are not disappointed. St. Barts appears to be exactly what its reputation has become. In our mind, the “rich ‘n famous” have taken over the island and made it just what they want: Palm Beach FL in the Caribbean. Steve says: “I’ve never felt like a tourist more than in this place.” Oh well, we still have our memories of a different St. Barts to cherish.
The trip back to the ship is way easier. We arrive in twenty minutes and have lunch at Waves. Cathy naps in our stateroom and Steve blogs on the Pool Deck. Later on in the afternoon, the captain comes on the ship-wide speaker with a special 5-10 minute lecture that is perfectly suited for our visit.
The subject is those super-yachts and mega-yachts we have seen all day. He has been here many times, as well as other ports where they hang out. Here are just a few facts he shares with us:
- Length determines whether a yacht is a ‘Superyacht’ (70 to around 200 feet) or a ‘Megayacht’ (200 feet and up)
- The megayacht reputed to be the world’s most expensive is the Eclipse: Owned by the Russian billionaire and oligarch, Roman Abramovich. The vessel was launched in the year 2009 at a developmental cost of over 700 million Euros.
- The annual upkeep of these yachts is estimated to be 10% of its initial cost.
- 50% of annual operating expenses are for crew salaries, which gives an indication of how many crew members are required to be on board when these yachts are at sea.
- The rule of thumb for estimating cost is one million Euros per foot, although it can be much higher depending on the opulence requested by the owner.
Our captain, having been in port many times in the company of these yachts, has made friends with many of the captains. He has had the opportunity to tour many of them, and has developed an interest in these phenomenally expensive vessels. He has been asked if he would ever want to be a captain of one, and has said no because he prefers to be with cruise ships.
Below is a photo of a chart he posted on the Pool Deck that gives additional information as to some of these amazingly extravagant yachts and their owners:
Sailaway is at 4:00pm. We watch from the stern on Deck 15, which we find the best views. Eagle-eyed Cathy spots a neat sight: our ship has cast its shadow on the hills of St. Barts:
We return to our cabin to await what we are sure will be one of the high points of our cruise: the Dom Perignon Experience, which begins in a couple of hours. The time passes quickly. We dress and arrive at the La Reserve dining room around 6:45.
Cathy now describes the Dom Perignon Experience as only a foodie can, with journalistic embellishments from Steve:
The menu says “You are about to embark on a culinary journey of a lifetime.” Well, they weren’t kidding!
At 7:00pm, we arrive at La Reserve, the small dining room on the stern of Deck 12 used for wine tastings and wine-pairing dinners. This event is only available at an extra charge; admittedly a fairly hefty charge, not surprising given the name of the dinner. When we first signed up, our dinner was scheduled for the 20th. We received a call from the staff person early in the cruise, telling us that reservations were few. They asked that we move ours to the second dinner, scheduled for the 25th. He explained that, otherwise, they might have to cancel both events. Of course we agreed.
A very fancy invitation arrived at our stateroom a day in advance. The dinner was on! The cruise line limits this to twelve people to make it a most memorable experience. When we arrived, we were seated at a small round cocktail table a few feet away from the dining room. A woman named Alison (from the Chicago area) was seated there.
There are three waiters. One gives us our amuse bouche, little goat cheese puffs, and another pours Moet. I want to say “Whoa, where’s the DP?” But I don’t. A few minutes later, a couple from Three Rivers, Quebec named Susan and Rick joined us. We chatted for about ten minutes while final preparations for us were being made. To our amazement and delight, this was the entire guest list. It’s Cathy and Steve and only three other people! Rick tells us that usually Oceania would have cancelled this dinner due to low turnout, and “somebody must have some pull to get this to happen. And it’s not us.” Steve and I think “Could it be us? ATW people?” How cool would that be…
We move to the beautifully set table. Steve sits across to me, Alison is next to me, and Susan next to her, across the table from her husband. The table centerpiece was perfect white roses and there were several glasses at each place. Tulip glasses, apparently the correct way to serve champagne now! Juni the Head Waiter describes the three different Dom Perignon vintages we will enjoy. He also enlightens to the fact that in Dom Perignon’s over 100-year history, only 46 vintages of brut champagne have been released, and only 23 vintages of rose.
Also in attendance besides him and the three waiters are three chefs, Head Sommelier Manuel from Italy and Executive Chef Frederic from France. (Yes, the Executive Chef, the person in charge of the entire culinary operation of the ship!) All in all, there are nine people serving just us five diners. Never have we had such attention at any meal we have ever had – anyway.
The six-course meal follows, with each course served separately, accompanied by a descriptive introduction from Chef Frederic. His remarks include instructions on the proper way to enjoy each bite to the fullest and how the food could best bring out the special qualities of the champagne or rose we were tasting with each course.
First course: Scallops Rossini, mole’ negro, and roasted pineapple. I would never think of putting a grilled slice of foie gras and a grilled sea scallop on the same plate, but it somehow worked. Chef even recommended that a piece of each be on our fork. The sauce was good too! Paired with Dom Perignon vintage 2009.
Second course: Brittany blue lobster, yellow curry broth, and coco foam. Nice piece of lobster claw, fortunately not from an actual blue Maine lobster (a one in a million rarity). The claw was sitting in broth with foam on top. I’m not a huge fan of foam but I mixed it with the broth and it was good. At the end of this course was a lovely palate cleanser consisting of whole leaves of basil, mint and dill with a light creamy dressing in a little bowl. Paired with Dom Perignon vintage 2006.
Third course: black truffle risotto with aged parmesan, topped with a piece of edible gold leaf, no less! I have no words! It was perfect. Again we were served Dom Perignon vintage 2006.
Fourth course: seared Wagyu beef, arugula, blood orange jus, caviar osetra. This is also perfect. The beef is very flavorful. The pairing is a Dom Perignon vintage 2004 rose. We were unaware that DP produced a rose champagne, but it pairs perfectly with the beef. The champagne has an interesting color – a deeper shade than the rose wine we are accustomed to.
Fifth course: French cheeses. One semi-firm goat and one soft Brie-like cheese, both AOC**. Served with little black current gum drop things are surprisingly good with it! This course continued with the Dom Perignon vintage 2004 rose.
** AOC does not in any way refer to the loopy US Rep from New York City. It means Appellation d’Origine Controlle, a French label used to describe a product whose authenticity and originality comes from its geographical origin and the way it’s made (definition taken from lacuisineparis.com)
Sixth course: Flower tea ice cream, lemon caviar (not the fish egg caviar!), and mignardises, which are little pastries. Paired with the Dom Perignon vintage 2009.
The evening ends quietly around 9:15pm. Quietly, because all of us are still in awe at the service we have received, the food we have enjoyed, and, most of all, the opportunity to consume some of the world’s most admired champagne. It was an unforgettable experience which we are definitely signing up for on our next cruise when we are on one of Oceania larger ships.
What a day this has been. The dining experience just enjoyed was perfectly “paired” with a day in St. Barts. We viewed some of the most luxurious vessels imaginable, and topped it off with an incomparably luxurious meal the likes of which we will only have but a few times in our life. We now head back to Miami, 1,100 miles away.
