The Silverstein Family from Parkland, FL are avid boaters and understand that a private boat charter is an ideal and popular way to have a socially distanced family vacation. The family of 8 gathered this month in St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands for a week-long sailing around St. Thomas and St. John. They explained that their arrival at the St. Thomas airport was very efficient. Health forms and test results were sent in advance with temperatures taken and test results reconfirmed at the airport. The boat sailed to a variety of bays (including beautiful Magan’s Bay, Maho Bay, and Princess Bay) where they anchored and used the ship’s 38 ft. dinghy to reach land for their daily activities. Highlights of the trip are plentiful. They appreciated having all of their recreation, food, drink, and even laundry needs met by the ship staff who even arranged special birthday and Hannukah celebrations. They let us know that the food service was 5-star with all of their different needs considered. The family group ate their meals outdoors at the versatile table at the back of the boat and used the upper deck/bar area for pre-dinner drinks and appetizers. They really enjoyed the variety of activities and getting some exercise to help alleviate the guilt of eating so much wonderful food.  The ship was nicely decked out with two dinghies, snorkel equipment, kayaks, paddleboards, wakeboards, and seabobs (cool water sleds that can be used above and below water). The family are avid hikers and were surprised by the variety of trails on each island (St. John is actually 60 percent national park). They especially enjoyed the mountain hikes and didn’t mind swimming to land to reach one of the remote trails. They hiked Cinnamon Bay, Annaberg, and Leinster Bay; all with amazing island views. Wildlife sightings on their hikes included deer and wild donkeys while on one of their snorkel outings, they saw squid and sea turtles.  For relaxation and much-needed downtime, the ship had a large hot tub and several sunbathing areas. Inside the salon, there was another large table for gathering and large couches for watching movies on the pop-up TV with movie theater-quality surround sound. Overall, the family really enjoyed the relaxed pace of this trip and spending quality time together. The trip was exactly what they wanted in a vacation! Since the charter is all-inclusive, it is actually a good value for large families and family groups traveling together.