I had such a wonderful time on the cruise that I had to share the next stop, St. Thomas.

JTwisdom and hubby

We arrived at St. Thomas on Tuesday morning after spending Monday at sea. Instead of exploring St. Thomas, my hubby and I planned a different adventure. We rode on a ferry boat to the island of Tortola to play with the dolphins. St. Thomas isĀ  a part of the US Virgin Islands, while Tortola is a part of the British Virgin Islands. We traveled on the boat for about an hour and a half before we reaching our destination. Since Tortola is a British territory, we had to present our passport and Declarations paperwork at the Customs and Immigration Office before entering the country. After being cleared by the office, we boarded a van and headed to the beach where the dolphins live.

After getting our instructions for the trainers, we had an opportunity to get in the water with Ezmeralda, our dolphin. Ezmeralda and the other dolphins are such sweet animals, very playful and happy. It was so relaxing being in the water with them. They are so intelligent and carefree.We gave Ezmeralda a kiss and she returned the gesture. We could also dance with the her. It was truly a remarkable and unforgettable experience for us. I always remember seeing the dolphins on TV, but never imagined being that close to one.

JT and Ezmeralda

After leaving the dolphins, we spent some time at the beach and taking in the beautiful sites: the palm trees, the exotic birds and clear-blue ocean water. I was enjoying every moment of it. When boarded the van and returned back to the Customs and Immigration Office where we had to once again had to show Declaration paperwork and go through a security check point, just to leave the country. We stepped on the the ferry boat and headed back to St. Thomas. It is such a beautiful day and we saw some lovely views.


Views of houses from the Ferry in St. Thomas

Once arriving back in St. Thomas, we disembarked the boat and had to go back through the Customs and Immigration Office. Since we were now going back into the United States, we had to show our passport and submit yet another Declaration paperwork to get clearance to enter into the country. Each time, in Tortola and now back in St. Thomas, we spent about 30 minutes in line, waiting for everyone to their clearance. After getting the okay, we got back on the boat and rode back to the port where our ship was docked.

While waiting in line to get on the ship, we saw a couple iguanas coming out of the ocean and walking along the edges of the sidewalk. I sensed they were used to people because they never came too close to us. This iguana doesn’t look all that friendly but looks can be deceiving.
We returned to our room exhausted from a full day on the ferry boat and with the dolphins. It was time to get a little rest before dinner, the night’s show and to prepare for tomorrow’s adventure – St. Maarten / St. Martin.