It was quite chilly on the day our cruise began, but the check-in process went smoothly and we didn't have to wait out in the cold more than a couple of minutes. On return, however, the temperature was in the low teens with a fierce north wind - it was COLD! Fortunately there were plenty of cabs to whisk us to our hotel.

We chose to walk about a mile into town from the pier. It was warm, so we stopped along the way at a roadside market to rest and drink a soda before continuing, but it was not a terribly long walk. In town we visited several shops and stopped by a church and a synagogue each of which is among the oldest still in continuous use anywhere in the Americas. Lunch at the Green House Restaurant and Bar gave us a great view of the harbor and a very tasty meal.

My wife went snorkeling while I found a rustic island hideaway cafe for internet access. When my wife was done swimming, she joined me for a great lunch. Otherwise, there was not much of interest to us in Tortola.

We joined 60 or so folks from our Cruise Critic Roll Call for an island tour, traveling to both the Dutch and French sides of the island. We had a wonderful lunch, then spent some time at the end of the airport runway, where the planes pass just a few feet overhead as they land and the jet wash from planes taking off can literally sweep you off your feet. Quite a sight to behold.

When our ship approached the dock about 6:00 AM on this Sunday morning, a steel drum band already was playing so loudly that we were awakened by the noise. They played continuously throughout the day, making it difficult to carry on a normal conversation anywhere in town. My wife went snorkeling while I spent time in an internet cafe. She joined me for lunch, then we tried walking around the shops, only to find the same sort of products that we had seen in several other ports. After putting up with the overly loud band as long as we could stand it, we returned to the ship long before the sailing time.

We fought our way through dozens of overly aggressive cab drivers and tour operators at the port and made our way on foot along the shoreline into the town. It was a very pleasant one-mile walk. In the main town we visited a number of shops, found an interesting museum of island history, and had a wonder lunch at the harbor. After watching the fishing boats come and go for a while, we resumed our walk past the shops and back to the ship. A very pleasant and relaxing day.

We were in Martinique on Mardi Gras, so almost all the shops were closed, and the parade which began in the afternoon blocked most of the routes through town. We spent the morning strolling past many remarkable examples of colonial architecture, then found the main city park where pop-up restaurants abounded. Choosing some Caribbean specialties for lunch, sitting under an awning in the park, and watching the costumed locals gather to participate in the parade made for a fun day.

Once again we chose to stroll through the town on our own. The local history museum and a quaint old church under renovation attracted most of our attention during the morning. After lunch, we ventured to the open market, but it was closed for Ash Wednesday. A few shops were interesting, but we returned to the ship early after wandering through most of the town.