The last stop on my cruise was actually the very reason for taking the cruise at all.



Cruising was never at the top of my bucket list, but visiting all of the national parks IS. And, there are several that are best visited via cruise.



The Virgin Islands are a group of islands that are split between Britain and the U.S. The U.S. Virgin Islands consist of the main islands of Saint Croix, Saint John, and Saint Thomas.



St. John specifically is about 60% designated as a National Park. And that, folks, is the entire reason for this trip. To mark off the US Virgin Islands National Park on my list.



We docked in Charlotte Amalie, which is the capital. Then, I went in search of a quick breakfast before my excursion started.



I landed at Delly Deck, which is a popular diner that has been around since 1976. They offer traditional breakfast fare, like omelettes, pancakes & waffles, hash browns, the works.



I started with bush tea. Bush tea is a traditional morning drink in the Virgin Islands that's made from a variety of herbs, flowers, and fruits like lemongrass, basil, mint, bay leaves, ginger, cinnamon, soursop leaves. Not for me.



I did a single blueberry pancake because sometimes a diner pancake just hits right. This one did.



I also did eggs benedict to fill me up. This was a very homestyle version and could've used some more seasoning. But not bad.



Either way, I was stuffed and ready for my excursion.



My excursion started with a boat ride from St. Thomas over to St. John. On the way over, we did see a few famous spots, which included a house that appeared on Charlie's Angels, the famous dolphin house, Jeff Bezos' yacht and even Jeffrey Epstein's island.



My first stop was Trunk Bay, which was absolutely beautiful. I even was able to find a shady spot and enjoy watching the waves. And, of course, grab a snack at the Trunk Bay Snack Shack.



I had pulled pork nachos with tomatoes and sour cream, which was pretty average. The views, though, you can't beat.