Aboard Silver Moon with Silversea Cruises
Cruise Overview
Dutch settlers came here in the 1630s, about the same time they sailed through the Verazzano Narrows to Manhattan, bringing with them original red-tile roofs, first used on the trade ships as ballast and later incorporated into the architecture of Willemstad.
Much of the original colonial structures remain, but this historic city is constantly reinventing itself and the government monument foundation is always busy restoring buildings in one urban neighborhood or another.
The salty air causes what is called "wall cancer" which causes the ancient abodes to continually crumble over time.
The city is cut in two by Santa Anna Bay.
On one side is Punda (the point)—crammed with shops, restaurants, monuments, and markets and a new museum retracing its colorful history.
And on the other side is Otrobanda (literally meaning the "other side"), with lots of narrow, winding streets and alleyways (called "steekjes" in Dutch), full of private homes notable for their picturesque gables and Dutch-influenced designs.
In recent years the ongoing regeneration of Otrobanda has been apparent, marked by a surge in development of new hotels, restaurants, and shops; the rebirth, concentrated near the waterfront, was spearheaded by the creation of the elaborate Kura Hulanda complex.There are three ways to cross the bay: by car over the Juliana Bridge; by foot over the Queen Emma pontoon bridge (locally called "The Swinging Old Lady"); or by free ferry, which runs when the pontoon bridge is swung open for passing ships.
All the major hotels outside town offer free shuttle service to town once or twice daily.
Shuttles coming from the Otrobanda side leave you at Riffort.
From here it's a short walk north to the foot of the pontoon bridge.
Shuttles coming from the Punda side leave you near the main entrance to Ft.
Amsterdam.
If you fly to the 32-square-mile (83-square-km) island of St.
Thomas, you land at its western end; if you arrive by cruise ship, you come into one of the world's most beautiful harbors.
Either way, one of your first sights is the town of Charlotte Amalie.
From the harbor you see an idyllic-looking village that spreads into the lower hills.
If you were expecting a quiet hamlet with its inhabitants hanging out under palm trees, you've missed that era by about 300 years.
Although other islands in the USVI developed plantation economies, St.
Thomas cultivated its harbor, and it became a thriving seaport soon after it was settled by the Danish in the 1600s.
The success of the naturally perfect harbor was enhanced by the fact that the Danes—who ruled St.
Thomas with only a couple of short interruptions from 1666 to 1917—avoided involvement in some 100 years' worth of European wars.
Denmark was the only European country with colonies in the Caribbean to stay neutral during the War of the Spanish Succession in the early 1700s.
Thus, products of the Dutch, English, and French islands—sugar, cotton, and indigo—were traded through Charlotte Amalie, along with the regular shipments of slaves.
When the Spanish wars ended, trade fell off, but by the end of the 1700s Europe was at war again, Denmark again remained neutral, and St.
Thomas continued to prosper.
Even into the 1800s, while the economies of St.
Croix and St.
John foundered with the market for sugarcane, St.
Thomas's economy remained vigorous.
This prosperity led to the development of shipyards, a well-organized banking system, and a large merchant class.
In 1845 Charlotte Amalie had 101 large importing houses owned by the English, French, Germans, Haitians, Spaniards, Americans, Sephardim, and Danes.
Charlotte Amalie is still one of the world's most active cruise-ship ports.
On almost any day at least one and sometimes as many as eight cruise ships are tied to the docks or anchored outside the harbor.
Gently rocking in the shadows of these giant floating hotels are just about every other kind of vessel imaginable: sleek sailing catamarans that will take you on a sunset cruise complete with rum punch and a Jimmy Buffett soundtrack, private megayachts for billionaires, and barnacle-bottom sloops—with laundry draped over the lifelines—that are home to world-cruising gypsies.
Huge container ships pull up in Sub Base, west of the harbor, bringing in everything from breakfast cereals to tires.
Anchored right along the waterfront are down-island barges that ply the waters between the Greater Antilles and the Leeward Islands, transporting goods such as refrigerators, VCRs, and disposable diapers.
The waterfront road through Charlotte Amalie was once part of the harbor.
Before it was filled in to build the highway, the beach came right up to the back door of the warehouses that now line the thoroughfare.
Two hundred years ago those warehouses were filled with indigo, tobacco, and cotton.
Today the stone buildings house silk, crystal, and diamonds.
Exotic fragrances are still traded, but by island beauty queens in air-conditioned perfume palaces instead of through open market stalls.
The pirates of old used St.
Thomas as a base from which to raid merchant ships of every nation, though they were particularly fond of the gold- and silver-laden treasure ships heading to Spain.
Pirates are still around, but today's versions use St.
Thomas as a drop-off for their contraband: illegal immigrants and drugs.
To explore outside Charlotte Amalie, rent a car or hire a taxi.
Your rental car should come with a good map; if not, pick up the pocket-size "St.
Thomas–St.
John Road Map" at a tourist information center.
Roads are marked with route numbers, but they're confusing and seem to switch numbers suddenly.
Roads are also identified by signs bearing the St.
Thomas–St.
John Hotel and Tourism Association's mascot, Tommy the Starfish.
More than 100 of these color-coded signs line the island's main routes.
Orange signs trace the route from the airport to Red Hook, green signs identify the road from town to Magens Bay, Tommy's face on a yellow background points from Mafolie to Crown Bay through the north side, red signs lead from Smith Bay to Four Corners via Skyline Drive, and blue signs mark the route from the cruise-ship dock at Havensight to Red Hook.
These color-coded routes are not marked on most visitor maps, however.
Allow yourself a day to explore, especially if you want to stop to take pictures or to enjoy a light bite or refreshing swim.
Most gas stations are on the island's more populated eastern end, so fill up before heading to the north side.
And remember to drive on the left!
Mountainous St.
Kitts, the first English settlement in the Leeward Islands, crams some stunning scenery into its 65 square miles (168 square km).
Vast, brilliant green fields of sugarcane (the former cash crop, now slowly being replanted) run to the shore.
The fertile, lush island has some fascinating natural and historical attractions: a rain forest replete with waterfalls, thick vines, and secret trails; a central mountain range dominated by the 3,792-foot Mt.
Liamuiga, whose crater has long been dormant; and Brimstone Hill, known in the 18th century as the Gibraltar of the West Indies.
St.
Kitts and Nevis, along with Anguilla, achieved self-government as an associated state of Great Britain in 1967.
In 1983 St.
Kitts and Nevis became an independent nation.
English with a strong West Indian lilt is spoken here.
People are friendly but shy; always ask before you take photographs.
Also, be sure to wear wraps or shorts over beach attire when you're in public places.
Much of the original colonial structures remain, but this historic city is constantly reinventing itself and the government monument foundation is always busy restoring buildings in one urban neighborhood or another.
The salty air causes what is called "wall cancer" which causes the ancient abodes to continually crumble over time.
The city is cut in two by Santa Anna Bay.
On one side is Punda (the point)—crammed with shops, restaurants, monuments, and markets and a new museum retracing its colorful history.
And on the other side is Otrobanda (literally meaning the "other side"), with lots of narrow, winding streets and alleyways (called "steekjes" in Dutch), full of private homes notable for their picturesque gables and Dutch-influenced designs.
In recent years the ongoing regeneration of Otrobanda has been apparent, marked by a surge in development of new hotels, restaurants, and shops; the rebirth, concentrated near the waterfront, was spearheaded by the creation of the elaborate Kura Hulanda complex.There are three ways to cross the bay: by car over the Juliana Bridge; by foot over the Queen Emma pontoon bridge (locally called "The Swinging Old Lady"); or by free ferry, which runs when the pontoon bridge is swung open for passing ships.
All the major hotels outside town offer free shuttle service to town once or twice daily.
Shuttles coming from the Otrobanda side leave you at Riffort.
From here it's a short walk north to the foot of the pontoon bridge.
Shuttles coming from the Punda side leave you near the main entrance to Ft.
Amsterdam.
If you fly to the 32-square-mile (83-square-km) island of St.
Thomas, you land at its western end; if you arrive by cruise ship, you come into one of the world's most beautiful harbors.
Either way, one of your first sights is the town of Charlotte Amalie.
From the harbor you see an idyllic-looking village that spreads into the lower hills.
If you were expecting a quiet hamlet with its inhabitants hanging out under palm trees, you've missed that era by about 300 years.
Although other islands in the USVI developed plantation economies, St.
Thomas cultivated its harbor, and it became a thriving seaport soon after it was settled by the Danish in the 1600s.
The success of the naturally perfect harbor was enhanced by the fact that the Danes—who ruled St.
Thomas with only a couple of short interruptions from 1666 to 1917—avoided involvement in some 100 years' worth of European wars.
Denmark was the only European country with colonies in the Caribbean to stay neutral during the War of the Spanish Succession in the early 1700s.
Thus, products of the Dutch, English, and French islands—sugar, cotton, and indigo—were traded through Charlotte Amalie, along with the regular shipments of slaves.
When the Spanish wars ended, trade fell off, but by the end of the 1700s Europe was at war again, Denmark again remained neutral, and St.
Thomas continued to prosper.
Even into the 1800s, while the economies of St.
Croix and St.
John foundered with the market for sugarcane, St.
Thomas's economy remained vigorous.
This prosperity led to the development of shipyards, a well-organized banking system, and a large merchant class.
In 1845 Charlotte Amalie had 101 large importing houses owned by the English, French, Germans, Haitians, Spaniards, Americans, Sephardim, and Danes.
Charlotte Amalie is still one of the world's most active cruise-ship ports.
On almost any day at least one and sometimes as many as eight cruise ships are tied to the docks or anchored outside the harbor.
Gently rocking in the shadows of these giant floating hotels are just about every other kind of vessel imaginable: sleek sailing catamarans that will take you on a sunset cruise complete with rum punch and a Jimmy Buffett soundtrack, private megayachts for billionaires, and barnacle-bottom sloops—with laundry draped over the lifelines—that are home to world-cruising gypsies.
Huge container ships pull up in Sub Base, west of the harbor, bringing in everything from breakfast cereals to tires.
Anchored right along the waterfront are down-island barges that ply the waters between the Greater Antilles and the Leeward Islands, transporting goods such as refrigerators, VCRs, and disposable diapers.
The waterfront road through Charlotte Amalie was once part of the harbor.
Before it was filled in to build the highway, the beach came right up to the back door of the warehouses that now line the thoroughfare.
Two hundred years ago those warehouses were filled with indigo, tobacco, and cotton.
Today the stone buildings house silk, crystal, and diamonds.
Exotic fragrances are still traded, but by island beauty queens in air-conditioned perfume palaces instead of through open market stalls.
The pirates of old used St.
Thomas as a base from which to raid merchant ships of every nation, though they were particularly fond of the gold- and silver-laden treasure ships heading to Spain.
Pirates are still around, but today's versions use St.
Thomas as a drop-off for their contraband: illegal immigrants and drugs.
To explore outside Charlotte Amalie, rent a car or hire a taxi.
Your rental car should come with a good map; if not, pick up the pocket-size "St.
Thomas–St.
John Road Map" at a tourist information center.
Roads are marked with route numbers, but they're confusing and seem to switch numbers suddenly.
Roads are also identified by signs bearing the St.
Thomas–St.
John Hotel and Tourism Association's mascot, Tommy the Starfish.
More than 100 of these color-coded signs line the island's main routes.
Orange signs trace the route from the airport to Red Hook, green signs identify the road from town to Magens Bay, Tommy's face on a yellow background points from Mafolie to Crown Bay through the north side, red signs lead from Smith Bay to Four Corners via Skyline Drive, and blue signs mark the route from the cruise-ship dock at Havensight to Red Hook.
These color-coded routes are not marked on most visitor maps, however.
Allow yourself a day to explore, especially if you want to stop to take pictures or to enjoy a light bite or refreshing swim.
Most gas stations are on the island's more populated eastern end, so fill up before heading to the north side.
And remember to drive on the left!
Mountainous St.
Kitts, the first English settlement in the Leeward Islands, crams some stunning scenery into its 65 square miles (168 square km).
Vast, brilliant green fields of sugarcane (the former cash crop, now slowly being replanted) run to the shore.
The fertile, lush island has some fascinating natural and historical attractions: a rain forest replete with waterfalls, thick vines, and secret trails; a central mountain range dominated by the 3,792-foot Mt.
Liamuiga, whose crater has long been dormant; and Brimstone Hill, known in the 18th century as the Gibraltar of the West Indies.
St.
Kitts and Nevis, along with Anguilla, achieved self-government as an associated state of Great Britain in 1967.
In 1983 St.
Kitts and Nevis became an independent nation.
English with a strong West Indian lilt is spoken here.
People are friendly but shy; always ask before you take photographs.
Also, be sure to wear wraps or shorts over beach attire when you're in public places.
Cruise Itinerary
Aboard Silver Moon
Launch Year: 2020 Length: 213 Width: 26 Currency: USD Capacity: 596 Crew Count: 411 Deck Count: 8 Cabin Count: 288
Built by cruise lovers, for cruise lovers, Silver Moon is the epitome of 21st-century luxury travel.
Building on the phenomenal success of Silver Muse, Silver Moon mirrors her sister ship and establishes a new era of Silversea. At 40,700 gross tons and with a capacity to accommodate 596 passengers on board, Silver Moon maintains the small-ship intimacy and spacious all-suite accommodation, which are the hallmarks of the Silversea experience. Silver Moon also features the all-new Sea And Land Taste (S.A.L.T.) programme – an immersive culinary concept that enables guests to travel deeper through a range of destination-based gastronomic experiences. Get ready for a new world of travel.
Silver Moon Facilities
Silver Moon Includes
Cabin Details
Silversea’s suites offer one of the highest space-per-guest ratios of any luxury cruise accommodations. All Silversea suites have ocean views, and most include a private teak veranda so that you can breathe in the fresh sea air simply by stepping outside your door. And regardless of the ship or suite category, all guests will be pampered with the personalised services of an attentive butler.
For a truly personal experience, customise your suite with an abundance of thoughtful options and luxurious amenities from Bvlgari toiletries and personalised stationery to a bar with your favourite wines and liquors. Settle in with a complimentary movie or choose instead to simply watch the ocean swim by. You can even have dinner in-suite served course by course by your butler. Then, when it’s time to retire, curl up beneath Egyptian cotton linens and a fluffy duvet, with your choice of nine different pillow types. The ultimate in luxury cruise accommodations, Silversea’s suites are your home away from home.
