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- RCCL Adventure of the Seas Review with Photos
- Barbados and St. Lucia – Cruise 2007 (Blast from the Past)
- Antigua – Cruise 2007 (Blast from the Past)
- St. Maarten and St. Thomas – 2007 Caribbean Cruise (Blast from the Past)
- San Juan, Puerto Rico – 2007 Caribbean Cruise (Blast from the Past)
This is a Blast from the Past post. These posts chronicle our travels and other life events before we started blogging! These posts are usually heavy on the photos, but lighter on the narrative text.
Our fourth and fifth ports of call on our 2007 Southern Caribbean cruise were St. Maarten and St. Thomas.
Unlike the previous two ports, Antigua and St. Lucia, where we took organized shore excursions, we traveled on our own in St. Maarten and St. Thomas (like we did in Barbados, our first port). We like to mix it up!
Our first stop in St. Maarten was the Butterfly Farm.
Butterfly Farm in St. Maarten
![Butterfly Farm in St. Maarten Butterfly Farm in St. Maarten](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935241238_b.jpg)
It was really cute, and we may have gone a bit overboard taking photos of the multitudes of butterflies inside! So, I’ll just post a few of the favorites:
![Butterflies inside the St. Maarten Butterfly Farm Butterflies inside the St. Maarten Butterfly Farm](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16502878183_b.jpg)
![Butterflies inside the St. Maarten Butterfly Farm Butterflies inside the St. Maarten Butterfly Farm](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17122393721_b.jpg)
![Butterflies inside the St. Maarten Butterfly Farm Butterflies inside the St. Maarten Butterfly Farm](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16500589504_b.jpg)
There’s fruit all throughout the farm for the butterflies to eat!
![Fruit for butterflies to eat at farm in St. Maarten (Caribbean Cruise) Fruit for butterflies to eat at farm in St. Maarten (Caribbean Cruise)](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16936844779_b.jpg)
![Butterflies inside the St. Maarten Butterfly Farm Butterflies inside the St. Maarten Butterfly Farm](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17122395001_b.jpg)
Afterwards, we stopped by this nice dock area (sorry, I don’t have specifics beyond that!) before getting in a taxi to go to a beach in St. Maarten.
![St. Maarten beautiful skies St. Maarten beautiful skies](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17121510462_b.jpg)
Just look at those beautiful puffy white clouds that day!
![St. Maarten beautiful skies St. Maarten beautiful skies](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935252978_b.jpg)
![St. Maarten beautiful skies St. Maarten beautiful skies](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17097095896_b.jpg)
![St. Maarten beautiful skies St. Maarten beautiful skies](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16915647667_b.jpg)
![St. Maarten beautiful skies St. Maarten beautiful skies](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16500626254_b.jpg)
Maho Beach in St. Maarten
Next, we stopped by Maho Beach. It just looks like your typical stunning Caribbean Beach, right?
![Maho Beach Maho Beach](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17123085175_b.jpg)
![Maho Beach Maho Beach](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17122438411_b.jpg)
Well, if by the silly tone of my question (can people hear tones on the internet?) you couldn’t already tell, it’s certainly not a typical beach. The first signal that it’s your normal, everyday beach are the signs like this posted all around:
![Danger signs at Maho Beach in St. Maarten Danger signs at Maho Beach in St. Maarten](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17121525032_b.jpg)
![Danger signs at Maho Beach in St. Maarten Danger signs at Maho Beach in St. Maarten](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16915684827_b.jpg)
Literally right as we got out of the taxi at Maho Beach, this jet was coming in for a landing! There was hardly a moment to get the cameras ready to take good photos.
![Jet landing at Maho Beach in St. Maarten Jet landing at Maho Beach in St. Maarten](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17097132846_b.jpg)
We asked around, and the day we were there was not a big “jumbo jet” day. Apparently jumbo jets frequent the island only on certain days, which sounds pretty likely, since some airlines only operate certain routes on certain days of the week. However, there was an Air France jet scheduled to land later in the afternoon.
In the meantime, we were able to see lots of smaller planes landing at St. Maarten’s airport from Maho Beach! And we also took in the sites at the beach in general, and even took a quick dip.
![Planes landing at Maho Beach Planes landing at Maho Beach](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17122437461_b.jpg)
![Planes landing at Maho Beach Planes landing at Maho Beach](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935537230_b.jpg)
![Planes landing at Maho Beach Planes landing at Maho Beach](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935540090_b.jpg)
![Maho Beach in St. Maarten Maho Beach in St. Maarten](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935298218_b.jpg)
![Maho Beach in St. Maarten Maho Beach in St. Maarten](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17121539712_b.jpg)
(That’s not us in the above picture!)
![Planes landing at Maho Beach Planes landing at Maho Beach](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935544250_b.jpg)
![Planes landing at Maho Beach Planes landing at Maho Beach](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935541180_b.jpg)
After a while, we were getting pretty baked by the sun on the beach, so we walked to a neighboring bar and restaurant for some drinks and shade (but were still able to enjoy watching the planes land).
![Bar next to Maho beach to watch planes land Bar next to Maho beach to watch planes land](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935547200_b.jpg)
![Watching planes land at St. Maarten airport from nearby bar and restaurant | Maho beach Watching planes land at St. Maarten airport from nearby bar and restaurant | Maho beach](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16936903219_b.jpg)
![Planes landing on Maho Beach Planes landing on Maho Beach](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17121545652_b.jpg)
Then, everybody started taking notice of the Air France plane coming in on approach. I’m not as good of an airplane identifier as many, but with the four engines I was guessing it was either at B–777 or an A340.
![Air France Jumbo Jet landing near Maho Beach in St. Maarten Air France Jumbo Jet landing near Maho Beach in St. Maarten](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17097154236_b.jpg)
![Air France Jumbo Jet landing near Maho Beach in St. Maarten Air France Jumbo Jet landing near Maho Beach in St. Maarten](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16500651934_b.jpg)
![Air France Jumbo Jet landing near Maho Beach in St. Maarten Air France Jumbo Jet landing near Maho Beach in St. Maarten](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935551890_b.jpg)
We sat around the bar for a little while longer, then headed back to the ship.
![Sailboats near Maho Beach Sailboats near Maho Beach](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17097157146_b.jpg)
![Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas docked in St. Maarten Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas docked in St. Maarten](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16936914019_b.jpg)
![Adventure of the Seas docked in St. Maarten Adventure of the Seas docked in St. Maarten](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16502947413_b.jpg)
St. Thomas
Our last and final stop on the cruise prior to disembarking in San Juan, Puerto Rico, was St. Thomas. Like St. Maarten, we just traveled on our own instead of taking a shore excursion. Our first stop was the Skyride to Paradise Peak.
Paradise Peak and Skyride in St. Thomas
![Skyride in St. Thomas Skyride in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16502952363_b.jpg)
![Skyride in St. Thomas Skyride in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16936921419_b.jpg)
![Skyride in St. Thomas Skyride in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17097167986_b.jpg)
We had an amazing view of the ship from the skyride.
![Adventure of the Seas in St. Thomas Adventure of the Seas in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17122468071_b.jpg)
At the top, there wasn’t much to DO, but the vistas of the water and mountains were stunning!
![Views from Paradise Point in St. Thomas | Cruise Destination Views from Paradise Point in St. Thomas | Cruise Destination](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17121572672_b.jpg)
![Views from Paradise Point in St. Thomas Views from Paradise Point in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16502957713_b.jpg)
![Views from Paradise Point in St. Thomas Views from Paradise Point in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16500670734_b.jpg)
![Views from Paradise Point in St. Thomas Views from Paradise Point in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17097194336_b.jpg)
![Ken and I at Paradise Point in St. Thomas Ken and I at Paradise Point in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17121564502_b.jpg)
However, there was a short walking path with some beautiful flowers to enjoy.
![Paradise Point Nature Trail in St. Thomas Paradise Point Nature Trail in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17122475071_b.jpg)
![Paradise Point Nature Trail in St. Thomas Paradise Point Nature Trail in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935326648_b.jpg)
![Paradise Point Nature Trail in St. Thomas Paradise Point Nature Trail in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17122479051_b.jpg)
And before long, we boarded the skyride back to the bottom.
![Skyride in St. Thomas Skyride in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17121570712_b.jpg)
Coral World and Beach in St. Thomas
Our next stop was Coral World and Beach. This place was decent, but perhaps a bit dated. However, with such stunning scenery around, there really isn’t much to complain about!
![Rocky Beaches near Coral World in St. Thomas Rocky Beaches near Coral World in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16936954149_b.jpg)
![Rocky Beaches near Coral World in St. Thomas Rocky Beaches near Coral World in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17097199236_b.jpg)
There was a small aquarium, which gave some good views of fishes! I think I had a screensaver like this in 1998. (And yes, I made that same joke talking about our trip to the Atlanta Aquarium during our 2008 Road Trip).
![Fishes in aquarium at Coral World Fishes in aquarium at Coral World](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16915748427_b.jpg)
There was this pod-type structure, which allowed you to go below sea level to see marine life in its natural habitat. At the time, LOST was a popular TV show, so lots of folks were commenting that this looked like something out of LOST.
![Coral World Coral World](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16502985863_b.jpg)
![Coral World Coral World](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17121597922_b.jpg)
After descending some steps, there were lots of small windows to observe life under the sea!
![Viewing underwater life from Coral World in St. Thomas Viewing underwater life from Coral World in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935605260_b.jpg)
![Viewing underwater life from Coral World in St. Thomas Viewing underwater life from Coral World in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17122509971_b.jpg)
![Viewing underwater life from Coral World in St. Thomas Viewing underwater life from Coral World in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17123141195_b.jpg)
![Viewing underwater life from Coral World in St. Thomas Viewing underwater life from Coral World in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935358608_b.jpg)
Then we walked around for a bit more, finding this lovely covered pavilion.
![Covered Pavilion at Coral World Covered Pavilion at Coral World](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935606200_b.jpg)
![Covered Pavilion at Coral World | Views of St. Thomas Covered Pavilion at Coral World | Views of St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17122515661_b.jpg)
![Covered Pavilion at Coral World | Views of St. Thomas Covered Pavilion at Coral World | Views of St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935607250_b.jpg)
And there were plenty of animals to see and interact with at Coral World as well!
![Iguana Iguana](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/17/17123149945_b.jpg)
![Colorful bird Colorful bird](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16915769077_b.jpg)
![Turtles at Coral World in St. Thomas Turtles at Coral World in St. Thomas](https://supernovaadventures.com/wp-content/uploads/old_flickr/16/16935355828_b.jpg)
Afterwards, we headed back to the ship and said so long to St. Thomas!