How many cruise ships are in town today, you ask?

Today was a "5-ship day". Charlotte Amalie, the capital of St. Thomas, is a cruise ship port. When you live here, you take note of the number of ships due into port, as it can affect your travels on the island.

Check out the photo below, from today's local newspaper. For a town of approximately 11,000, that's quite an influx of people for Charlotte Amalie. There weren't any cruise ships in town on Saturday, November 21st. We drove through town and every store was closed; it was like a ghost town.  One of St. Thomas's attractions is that it is famous for duty-free shopping, so when the ships aren't in, there's no point in opening the stores.

The Allure of the Seas must be a huge ship

Yesterday was a 6-ship day, and everywhere we went there were "taxis" (as they're called here) doing island tours. Skyline Drive, which has a great vantage point for photos, was packed with taxis. I wonder how the locals feel, as it disrupts their quiet, but brings much-needed tourism revenue. A dilemma, that's for sure.

This "taxi" is open on both sides, which can be scary on some of these roads

So today we chose Lindberg Bay (named after the aviator), away from the beaches frequented by the cruise ships, or so we thought. As we settled our belongings on the beach, the man next to us said "So, what ship are you on?". Yep, there were lots of cruisers there, but it actually made for a nice atmosphere. There were three hotels fronting this beach, with a live calypso band and lots of activity.

We snorkelled for the first time this trip. Greg spotted a large stingray, about 6' long, buried in the sand except for his eyes and tail showing. I thanked him for showing me ... and then quickly moved away! We also saw a beautiful group of squid, who moved so gracefully together through the water. Some of the coral and plant life was also different from any we've seen when snorkelling before, so it was a good outing.

I also learned from the Internet that the sea temperature here is almost a match to the air temperature ... a lovely 82 F. 

After lots of play last night, they curled up together on the couch

Update on our friend Teddy: He's doing better again today and is playing and running around like a youngster. It's good to see!

Reminder: We have the prior approval of the pet owners to post photos and stories.