Dominica

Picking up from our recent post focusing on San Juan, Tortola and St. Kitts, our cruise aboard the Viking Sea continues with stops in Dominica, Barbados and St. Lucia.

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Roseau, Dominica

We arrive to the friendly island nation of Dominica on a sunny, Sunday morning as the sound of steel drums welcomes visitors to port. The colourful town of Roseau looks so inviting that we opt to get off the ship after breakfast before the heat of the day sets in, and walk around the old town.

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The streets are filled with unique Creole style buildings with their distinct verandas. We pass by the stately President’s House as well as the Neg Mason Emancipation Monument, symbolizing the freedom of enslaved Africans who led a life of barbaric treatment and forced hard labour which in turn developed the nation’s agriculture industry.

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The memorial also serves as a reminder to keep the African culture alive.

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Dreamy mountain views, balmy breezes and stunning turquoise waters have definitely helped the Commonwealth of Dominica to get chosen as one of 2020’s top destinations by Condé Nast Traveller.

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Bridgetown, Barbados

It’s a beach break kind of day! We’re in for a treat this morning as our booked tour just happens to be a three-hour visit to crescent-shaped Carlisle Bay, following a 10-minute drive through lively Bridgetown.

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Carlisle offers one of the longest and widest beaches on Barbados. Upon arrival at the Copacabana Beach Club, a pair of beach chairs, umbrella and glass of rum punch (or Prosecco) await us.

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The water’s a brilliant turquoise colour, the stuff of dreamy beach escapes. Together with pure white sand and gentle current, we’re both elated to swim out to where the sea turtles and manta rays are being fed by boat tour operators.

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Back on the ship a few hours later, we’re ready for lunch and our spa afternoon on deck one. I’m booked in for a 50-minute Swedish Mindful Massage (consisting of long, soothing strokes); my husband gets treated to a 50-minute, more intense Swedish Deep-Tissue Massage.

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The masseuses here are experienced in checking your body posture and muscle pain points for a fully-customized massage. It was pretty magical looking out the window following my massage to find the boat once again in motion, this time sailing overnight to St. Lucia!

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Castries, St. Lucia

Today, we headed off on our own to visit a resort in Gros Islet: Windjammer Landing. We’ve covered our experience over on our Instagram account (@vancouverscape) if you’re interested in seeing what we got up to.

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Back on the Viking Sea later that day, we receive the royal treatment with an Asian-themed Chef’s Table dinner.

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[Main course: Peking Duck]

The five small courses are each paired with either a standard or premium (USD $25 extra) selection of wines.

The Asian Panorama is one of several themed set meals offered during the cruise. The dishes were all well paired; the Lemongrass and Red Chili Granita with lychee foam was particularly delicate and brought a perfect palate cleanser prior to being served the main course, Peking Duck with Mandarin pancakes and hoisin sauce. A finishing touch of three small desserts complemented a glass of Moscato Dulcis in Fundo from Italy’s Apulia region.

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[Gorgeous homemade breads, served with Parmigiana Reggiano at Manfredi’s]

Both Manfredi’s and the Chef’s Table are Viking’s two signature, reservation-only venues. Passengers can book one night at each restaurant during the cruise.

Look for the third blog in this series where we sail to St. John’s, St. Maarten and St. Thomas!

We were guests aboard Viking’s West Indies Explorer sailing. Opinions, as always, remain our own.

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