What a wonderful week I spent on the Royal Clipper. This cruise experience has fast become one of my favorite all time cruises. The ship, the crew, and the relaxing destinations: Barbados, The Grenadines, Grenada, Martinique, and St. Lucia add up to cruise heaven.

Today we spent the day in St. Lucia. The first half of the day we moored in Marigot Bay, one of the prettiest anchorages in the Caribbean, is surrounded by lush hills and ringed by drooping coconut palms. James Michener described it as the archetype for paradise in the Caribbean. On the bay are restaurants (Doolittle’s is the most famous) and inland you can go zip lining through the rainforest. This was my first zip lining adventure and I can’t wait to do it again. The second half of the day we stopped in the little town of Soufrière, which was named after a nearby volcano by the French, who ruled St. Lucia before the English took it over. Locals call it the world’s only drive-in volcano. Prettier sights are to be seen at Diamond Falls and Mineral Baths where you can walk the gardens and take a dip in the pool under the waterfalls.

We ended the day with a tender ride around the ship at full sail with the famous Pitons in the backdrop. And if that wasn’t enough we were treated to a double rainbow! Check out these spectacular photos!

I am off to Southampton and the Queen Victoria inaugural – stay tuned for blog updates of the event.