
Cruise ships may have fancy, expensive restaurants for the guests to eat at, but I never find that they are worth the steep cost of eating there. Fortunately for those of us who just book charter trips through the Caribbean, there are no overpriced stores or restaurants to take your money. Just you and the crew, as I like to put it. But no matter how you decide to vacation, we all have one thing in common: the need to eat. Are you looking for freshness in the ingredients, great service, or just a clean interior? All of these establishments should have what you are looking for, and the list just keeps on growing.

Thirteen is up first, and this establishment is located in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Restaurants like Thirteen remind me of my childhood, back when I used to eat at amazing restaurants all of the time. My favorite dish to order from Thirteen is the seafood rigatoni, because you would be hard pressed to find a better one anywhere else. Even if you ate in New York City. It is not hard to see why people come from all over to dine at these restaurants.
After all, I have eaten at plenty of fancy restaurants in New York and I still think the food here is great! One recurring theme that you will find across all of these restaurants is the quality of their seafood. Being so close to the ocean means that you’re only a few miles away from the places where your food is being caught, and that ensures some quality meals. Especially when the chefs put so much love and care into each dish they prepare. Thirteen serves a lot more than seafood, and it is still amazing. You can get anything from glazed donut bread pudding to puffed rice stick noodles.
If it tastes good, you can be sure that the chefs at Thirteen will make it. My favorite part about Thirteen isn’t the food, though. As great as the cuisine may be, Thirteen’s aesthetic is what does it for me. You’re right on the coast, with a very great view of the water. I recognize a lot of Virgin Island sailing charters, because I have had multiple positive experiences with them.
Personally, I prefer them over cruises because it’s more of a personal experience as opposed to being just another person on a cruise ship. If that is something that interests you, then definitely check them out on their website. Thirteen’s aesthetic doesn’t just with all of the ships passing by, though. You get a real sense of wealth and beauty when first entering this restaurant in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and it stems from intelligent choices when it comes to decor. The management did a great job with this restaurant, and they deserve a lot of praise for it.
Although the restaurant may appear to be a high-end restaurant that only the wealthy elite can afford, it actually turns out to be very affordable once you receive the check. I ordered dinner, drinks, and desserts each time I have eaten at Thirteen, and did not overspend once. These key differences are what will drive even more business to a restaurant, and it has certainly helped them obtain mine. All I need to do now is move to the Caribbean. For those of you who still remain unconvinced, make sure to read one of the many other great online reviews for Thirteen.

Room with a View is also found in St. Thomas, which only means positive things. It would be hard for to say what my favorite dish is at Room With A View, because there are three different things that I have ordered from here. These dishes were the lobster bisque, the lobster thermidor, and the crab crepes. I actually just ordered the crab crepes after hearing another customer sitting nearby me, who was telling his companion how good the dish was. Word of mouth is definitely one of the best marketers.
Needless to say, they were amazing. In case it wasn’t abundantly clear, the seafood here is very great. All restaurants serve food, but in my opinion the management needs to keep up with a number of other aspects of the restaurant. For example, sanitation and service. Room With A View has very good staff, who are very good at what they do. The wait staff here are very friendly and accommodating, so if you don’t know what to order or even how to pronounce it then they should help you.
It has always been frustrating to me when I eat at high-end restaurants in any city and the staff is very snooty. Customer service should be their number one priority, and at Room With A View it is. If you choose to read Room With A View’s positive online reviews, you will see how well people respond to the customer service here.

Last but not least, there’s Blue Orchid. Once again found in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, I have never been disappointed with this restaurant either. My first experience with this restaurant was the most memorable, as I ate the sea bass. After reading so many good things about it in amazing reviews, I decided that I had to try this restaurant.
With so many other competitors in St. Thomas, a restaurant will have to do exceedingly well to stay in business. Blue Orchid offers some of the better food that I have found in the U.S. Virgin Islands, along with the other two restaurants. The two main dishes that I see mentioned in reviews are the tuna trio and rum cake, although I still have yet to try them. Fortunately for me, I now know where I will be planning my next vacation. Service and decor are important, as I have previously mentioned, but sanitation is something that I have not mentioned a lot.
Blue Orchid’s staff dedicates a lot of their time to making sure every table is wiped down, and cleaning off every single dish. Somehow they manage to keep their bathrooms immaculate, even with what goes on in there! I haven’t heard of anybody getting sick in there, so that is always a good signs about a seafood restaurant’s cuisine.
Blue Orchid also happens to have a beautiful interior, which makes sense when you remember that you’re vacationing in the Caribbean. These restaurants are the point of relativity that other restaurants are compared to, and they absolutely keep up the high standards that they are known for. I look forward to my next charter sailing trip to the Caribbean, largely because of the food.