There were a few fancy yachts in port. I've been binging Below Deck on my Delta flights, and it's been pretty eye-opening what the crew goes through to deliver amazing experiences to guests.



Sharky's! Is this the latest Senor Frogs/Margaritaville-like franchise of the Caribbean? (We have a Sharky's in Los Angeles.)

Thankfully, Chesterfields was not another Chefette situation.


Thorough documentation of our route so that it can help others get to the dock -



The walk over was not too far, and our catamaran, Random Wind, was easy to find.

We were greeted by Anna, Jackie, and Captain Scotty. They directed us to stow our bags inside to keep them dry and safe.

The bar area was also set up in here. Also, they live onboard, so their quarters were closed off, but there was a small bathroom available for guests. It was very clean and charming.


There were about 30 people total on the catamaran - a few other families. We were the only family from the cruise ship. Others were staying in St. Maarten. One of the passengers lived on the island and had friends in town - she told me that she's been on Random Wind a few times before, and that she books this excursion when people visit. Repeat passengers - that was a great sign that we were in for an awesome day!

Aaron snagged this very cool seat in the front of the catamaran -

Our guide, Anna, was so hospitable. She always kept us up-to-date with what we were doing next.






Aaron gave me his seat on the bow and went to the opposite side.

The little doggo is Queenie, she lives on Random Wind. Anna is an animal lover and had handcrafted jewelry for sale, proceeds going to the local Humane Society.


How incredible is this?!



Also a net seat, so many options.


Our first stop was Mullet Bay, which is north of Maho Beach. You still have a view of the planes coming in, but it isn't as loud/crazy.


Time to drop anchor!


There were several other yachts and catamarans in Mullet Bay, but it still felt very secluded.

It was very picturesque, so as other people hopped in the water, Aaron and I hung back to take some photos.






Well, I think I iced myself out because suddenly I was scared to jump. I'm not one to be afraid of heights, but yikes, I could not jump off the catamaran! It took my like 10 minutes to work myself up to jump in the water.

Forever looking for the Valor from Below Deck....

Victoria on Vacation -

I spy a plane coming in -

After swimming, we were provided lunch which included salad, chicken, and Caribbean rice. She also had a very hot hot sauce for us to try.


After lunch, we headed toward our second destination, Little Bay.

Queenie is a vibe.

I talked with Captain Scotty for a bit, and he told me how we really lucked out with the weather. It was such a clear day today, compared to the past week.





















I'm sure that hillside construction in the Caribbean is such a challenge!



Little Bay is another secluded area, back closer to the cruise port.

When we got to Little Bay, it was time to pull out the Tarzan Swing.

Anna gave us a full demonstration, explaining that we needed to lean back, then remember to drop off.






Stove was excited to give it a try.


There was a manual aspect to the swing - Captain Scotty adjusted the length of the rope based on your height.



This kid almost nailed a backflip.

Rachel's turn!

Aaron had some style.






I did put the camera away and give it a try. I think they were a little nervous that I wasn't going to drop since I had such a difficult time jumping off the boat earlier, but I knew that once I launched myself I would be committed to let go, so it was actually a little easier for me.

Rachel and I took snorkeling gear out to the snorkeling spot. Anna came by on a dingy with bait, so we had a lot of fish action.... mostly near the surface of the water.

There's a replica underwater submarine, as well as a helicopter that you can swim through. I dove down to get a little closer, but after sucking in water through my snorkel just a few days prior, I wasn't feeling brave enough to go into the submarine. I would love to do more scuba classes to get my confidence back (seriously - getting my scuba certification back in 2014 taught me so many helpful skills for snorkeling).













Stove secured a paddle board.



Then he handed it off to Rachel and me.


Aaron yelled at us to stand for a photo.

And we promptly fell.






Divi Little Bay Beach Resort is pretty close to the cruise port. I looked it up, and there are day pass options which could be a good cruise excursion option.

Time to make our way back to port.









Lifestyle of the rich..... 









Captain Scotty, Anna, and Jackie were amazing. Anna truly seems to be working her dream job - she's so nice and hospitable, and encouraging. Definitely the best, most personable tour operators... I think ever!



10/10 would book again.






Sad walk back to the ship...






Rachel, Landon, Aaron, and I were having too much fun, so we stopped for a drink in port before returning to the ship.





We passed the time waiting in line by dancing and taking photos.



Oof, we definitely weren't departing on time.

Don't even mind with a gorgeous view like this -





There were a lot of officers down there. They may have been annoyed.



St. Maarten is one of my favorite Caribbean ports. It's been several years since I've been here, but definitely would book a future cruise to return.






We returned to the room where Aaron promptly passed out while I packed up our suitcases.



I had asked Rachel and Landon to get me some pizza from the Solarium. When I finally went up to join them, Landon greeted me, "Ughh you're finally here! I just ate the whole pizza by myself waiting for you!!"




They started playing the Barbie Movie on the pool deck.


We headed up to the Crown Lounge for hors d'oeuvres.

According to previous Cruise Compasses, this was supposed to be White Night. However, there was no White Night designated for our sailing.... perhaps Christmas festivities took away our White Night? They still had 70s night earlier in the cruise, though. Anyway, we actually coordinated white outfits for tonight, but there were no festivities.

At dinner, I ordered the Mediterranean Tapas Medley. I thought the presentation was weird...


Rachel had the Grilled Steak which was alright. She described it as nothing special - not bad, not good.

Aaron had the Braised Lamb which was tender and had good flavor.

I went with the Chicken Chettinad which was fine.



For dessert, I had the Crema Catalana which I thought had a weird texture, a little too custardy.

This is the Layered Peach Trifle.

After dinner, Rachel and Landon went to the casino. Aaron and I don't really gamble, so we set out to explore the ship a bit.

We watched the final karaoke competition in the Centrum. The judges took an absurdly long time deliberating.... like 15 minutes to decide the winner. Come on, it's a karaoke competition - who really cares?




We headed back to our stateroom to prep for disembarkation in the morning. Good night, Jewel of the Seas!