Tuesday, Day 4 - Cap Cana, Dominican Republic

I forgot that daylight comes a little earlier when you are so far south and east. I had left the curtains open a crack and woke up at 6:30 am when it started to get light. I peaked outside, but other than just a bit of pink in the clouds, the sunrise was obscured by a thick layer of clouds at the horizon. Not photo worthy so I laid back down in bed for a half hour. When I got up around 7 am, the sun had climbed above the clouds and it looked to be a clear, but hot day.

Room service delivered our breakfast around 7:15...a very large tray of food and beverages. Because the menu didn't offer ala carte items, we had ordered a little more than we really needed just to get what we wanted. Having my coffee first thing in the morning was nice and avoiding the buffet was a real time saver.

Finally...our first port of the cruise...Cap Cana. Cap Cana is a relatively new resort area on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic and an even newer cruise ship destination. Less than 20 ships were scheduled to call at the port during 2017, but after so many other popular ports were put out of service by the hurricanes, Cap Cana has become a replacement stop for some cruise ships. The port is still being developed and I'm sure Holland America had to scramble to put together shore excursions for our cruise.

When Cap Cana was added to our itinerary a couple of weeks prior to the cruise, I started to scour the internet looking for possible tours. I found one, Outback Adventures, that looked interesting, but when I emailed for information was told that the tour had to be booked through the cruise line. I usually avoid cruise tours, but knowing that Cap Cana was a tender port...and the fact that there was very little time to find other options...I went ahead and booked the tour through Holland America. Having a cruise tour booked would give us priority tendering and a little peace of mind that we wouldn't get left behind if there were any delays. Here is the description Holland America provided.

Outback Adventure in the Dominican Republic -- approximately 8 hours
This is a fun outing for all ages--come and see the real Dominican Republic on this amazing, action-packed day of fun, discovery and adventure on the north coast.

Travel by open-top truck well off the beaten track to discover a wealth of history, culture, customs and the abundance of natural life that flourishes on this beautiful Caribbean Island.

You'll explore a rural fruit plantation and see how coffee and chocolate are harvested and produced. Visit a local school and meet the children.
It's true that little has changed in the Dominican countryside for more than 100 years and yet you will be amazed at how simple, yet rich, the way of life is here as you visit a typical home and meet the people that live there.

Cool off Dominican-style in a freshwater pool before a very tasty Dominican lunch. 

Afterward, you'll wind through the sugarcane fields and head to the beach to experience the thrill of riding a boogie board as you crest the ocean waves. The open bar on the back of the truck is forever in "happy hour" mode (included.)
Your toes will be tapping to the rhythmic sounds of local music as your guide keeps you smiling and entertained all day long.

The cost of the tour was $99.95/person which I paid in advance. A couple of days later I noticed that Holland America was advertising a 110% guarantee on their shore excursions. If you book a tour and then find the EXACT tour at a cheaper price, they will refund 110% of the price difference. I submitted a claim and was very surprised when less than 24 hours later I received an email saying my request was approved and we would receive the difference as onboard credit. Woohoo! The tour I wanted and at a slightly cheaper price.

First stop of the morning was guest services to drop off our debarkation forms (that we forgot to turn in last night) and then to the theater. Our excursion was to meet there at 8:30 for a 9:00 am tour. We were lead out as a group and walked down the crew stairs to a tender. It took sometime before the tender was full and sitting in the enclosed boat was very hot and very stuffy.

Once on shore we found where our tour was to meet and then waited some more while costumed dancers entertained the group.

Finally a tour guide walked us out of the port complex to an open air safari truck. Everyone grabbed seats on the shady side of the vehicle and then we waited some more. It was close to 9:45 before the last of the group showed up and we pulled out.

Our guide, Angel, filled us in on the history of the Dominican Republic which shares the island of Hispaniola with the country of Haiti. On the long drive through the countryside, we passed through several small towns and after about an hour reached the mountainous area of the island.

The tour description said we were to stop at a local school and meet the children, but because we were running late, Angel just pointed out the school as we drove by. The tour company, Outback Adventures, helps support the school and others like it. Angel also had some t-shirts, hats, etc. that were for sale on the tour with part of the proceeds going to benefit the school children.

The "typical home" that we visited on the tour was not quite typical. The home was very simple, but very clean and well maintained and had something that other similar homes lacked...flush toilets. The facilities were constructed by the tour company in little "outhouses" in the backyard for use of the tourists.

We were allowed to walk all through the home and then we were lead out to an area in the back where we learned about the production of coffee and chocolate.

Framed family photos were displayed in the living room.

Although the house had a kitchen, most of their cooking was done outdoors over a wood fire.

The outdoor kitchen.

Our group walked through a garden area where cacao, coffee, cinnamon and vanilla was grown and then gathered in an open air pavilion where they demonstrated how the coffee and cocoa beans were roasted and then ground. The small samples of hot chocolate and coffee mixed with cinnamon were yummy.

Cacao pod growing.

Sampling the raw cacao beans from inside the pod.

As we were walking back to the truck, I heard a squeeky voice say "Hola!" It was a parrot sitting in a tree in the front yard!

A short drive away was a little market area set up where there were a few artists doing paintings, stone carving and cigar making. In the little store, we were able to do some more sampling...pineapple wine and MamaJuana...rum infused with honey, wine, cinnamon and other spices.

Cigar making.

Angel giving the recipe for making Mama Juana.

Very few places in the DR pay for electricity...they just pirate the power by hooking into the main line. 

Nearby, we were taken to an open air restaurant where we were served a family-style meal at picnic tables overlooking the lush mountains. We feasted on fried chicken, grilled chicken & pork, eggplant & sweet potatoes, pasta, rice & beans, salads, and papaya.

Our view while eating.

Although I loved the tour, much of what we saw was a "presentation", not real life. On the other hand, as we drove back to the ship through all of the small villages, what we experienced was authentic DR. The truck whizzed by, but it gave us a glimpse of the residents going about their day to day routines. Motorcycles seemed to be the most popular form of transportation and we even saw a guy hauling a full size washing machine on his motorcycle...who needs trucks!?

Fresh meat was hanging outside this shop...or at least as fresh as it could be in 90+ degree heat.

Angel pointed out that these little stands with the "Banca" signs were not banks, but places to buy lottery tickets.
Every little town had several. I took note of the name (Mary!)

And...another "Mary" business!

The final stop on our tour was at Playa Macao...a long, palm tree lined beach with heavy surf. Boogie boards had been strapped to the back of the truck for us to use here, but it wasn't as easy as I had imagined! It was hard to hold onto the boards in the waves and once they slipped out of your grip, the waves would instantly wash them ashore. Bob made the mistake of wearing his sunglasses into the water (against my warnings) and they were gone with the first wave.

The tour had originally been described as being 8 hours long when we booked it, but had been revised (which we didn't know) to 5.5 hours in the description that was offered to those who booked on the ship. Angel apologized more than once for needing to rush us during the day and seemed a little concerned that we were arriving back at the port a few minutes past the scheduled 3:15 time. (Although we still had plenty of time since we didn't need to be back on the ship until 4:30.)

Bob with our tour guide, Angel.

A guy from our tour shared a wi-fi password with me that he had gotten in one of the shops at the port area so I took the opportunity to do some texting with family back home. My Sprint Open World Plan included "free" calls in the DR, but none of my texts or calls would go through until I had the wi-fi.

Waiting for the next tender to return to the ship.

The tender back to the ship was not a fun way to end our time at Cap Cana. The hot, stuffy boat took forever to get filled and then the engine quit multiple times making the return much longer than the 10 minutes it should have been. Returning to the cool AC and a refreshing shower was so nice!!

After a full day of touring, getting dressed for dinner didn't sound appealing so it was casual clothing and a meal at the buffet! Many of the same dishes served in the main dining room are available at the buffet so other than not having a waiter, we did not suffer. 😉

Here is the menu from the dining room...

STARTERS - SOUPS - SALADS

Steak and Beet Tartare

Quail egg, capers, gherkins

Smoked Salmon Rosettes

bay shrimp salad, salmon caviar

Baked Potato Polenta

tomato, garlic, mascarpone

Lemon Turkey Spinach Barley Soup

celery, carrots, bell pepper, Parmesan cheese

Chilled Mixed Berry Soup
lemon zest

Smoked Salmon, Pear and Fennel Salad

red onion, raisins, chive

HOLLAND AMERICA LINE SIGNATURES

French Onion Soup "Les Halles"

Gruyere cheese crouton

Classic Caesar Salad

Parmesan cheese, garlic croutons, anchovies

MAINS

Orecchiette with Eggplant and Pork Ragout

tomato, garlic, Asiago cheese

Spicy Peanut-Cilantro Salad
lime-marinated turkey, corn, black beans, cheese, tortilla strips, tomato

Chili Prawns with Garlic Butter

black rice, spinach

Caribbean Snapper Curry

garlic, tomato, coconut milk, peas n' rice

Short Rib with Black Olives

mashed butternut squash, roasted shallot,, red wine

Sauteed Pork Medallions with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

braised celery, sugar snap peas, sun-dried tomato spatzle

Turkey Roast with Giblet Gravy and Cranberry

apple-pecan stuffing, glazed dilled carrots and turnips, Brussel sprouts, candied sweet potato

Wild Mushroom Strudel

forest mushrooms, spinach and feta cheese, Thai red curry sauce

HOLLAND AMERICAN LINE SIGNATURES

Grilled Salmon with Ginger-Cilantro Pesto

basmati rice, Swiss chard, garlic cherry tomatoes

Broiled New York Strip Loin

red skin mashed potato, cauliflower gratin, green peppercorn sauce

Oven-Roasted Chicken

quinoa pilaf, her roasted vegetables, jus

And here is what we had in the buffet...

Me - Baked potato soup, pork medallions with mushroom sauce, wild mushroom strudel, au gratin potatoes and Swiss chard

Bob - too many things to list! 😏

Both of us had whiskey chocolate cake for dessert

There was a beautiful sunset during dinner that just kept getting better and better. After we finished we wandered out to the back of the ship and just stood there watching the ever changing colors in the sky. It was too early to go to the show, so we returned to our cabin and just sat on the balcony enjoying the pleasant breeze.

The main show for the evening was from the BBC Earth movie "Frozen Planet"...a series of segments filmed in the Arctic and Antarctic. That in itself would have been enjoyable, but not necessarily unique. What made the entertainment "theater worthy" was the fact that the score to the breathtaking footage being shown on the huge screen was live music performed by some of the ship's musicians. Incredible!! The performance ran a full 60 minutes.

Leaving the theater we walked aft on Deck 2 to BB Kings Blues Club. The lounge was way too crowded to even get in, but we found seats on a couch near the entrance where we could hear the music AND people watch. It was Halloween and folks came prepared with costumes!! Many of the staff were also getting into the Halloween spirit and were dressed up as well. We sat there for about an hour and thoroughly enjoyed the experience!!

It was around 10 pm when we returned to the cabin. Bob watched the Spider Man movie while I updated my blog notes. (He really is enjoying all of the movies on demand!)

A look at the daily activities onboard the Nieuw Amsterdam...