To begin with, it was my birthday! I woke up around 7 am and dressed quietly, letting Bob sleep. We had agreed that we wouldn't be in any hurry, but by 8:00 I decided his nine hours of sleep was plenty and opened the drapes to let the light flood in. Works every time...he was awake immediately.
Breakfast in the buffet consisted of a sticky bun and yogurt parfait for me. Bob went for a more substantial breakfast...scrambled eggs, hash browns, and turkey bacon. After my discovery yesterday, I made sure to check what the morning "special" was...sweet potato waffles with marshmallow topping. No thanks.
The beach bag had been packed the night before so we grabbed our stuff (including the noodle that I brought all the way from Minnesota!) and went down to board the tender to go ashore at Half Moon Cay...Holland America's private island in the Bahamas.
Our timing was good...we were one of the last passengers to get on the double decker tender and it left almost immediately. Our seats were on the top, open air level which made for a much more pleasant ride than we experienced in the life boat tender at Cap Cana.
At the beach, we walked toward the pirate ship bar. As we stopped to take a photo, Bob and Sarah (our dinner companions a few nights ago) walked up and asked if I would take their photo next to this sign...
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| So true. |
Hundreds of lounge chairs had been set up on the beach...all the way to the waters edge. There was very little room to walk in front of the chairs on the harder, wet sand but yet the soft, dry sand at the back of the chairs was like walking in flour...very difficult. It must have been high tide in the morning because later in the day the beach in front of the chairs was much wider.
We picked out two chairs in the shade in front of the two-story cabanas (which are available to rent for ONLY $549.95!) We counted around 80 - 100 chairs in the one group where we were sitting and besides us there were maybe only 3 other people there. Spending money to rent one of the clamshell sunshades would have been a waste because we had shade all day long.
I immediately went into the water...probably the clearest water I have been in outside of a swimming pool. The water was beautiful, but snorkeling here wouldn't have been fun...just pure white sand on the bottom and nothing else to see. We did notice a couple of fish swim by, but that was it. Bob gets chilled quickly so he took the camera and left me floating on my noodle while he went exploring down the beach.
By the time he got back, I had returned to my chair alternating between working sudoku puzzles and just staring out at that beautiful ocean. I couldn't have imagined a more perfect way to spend my birthday!!
At lunch time it was a short distance from our chairs to the pavilion where the beach BBQ was being served. We each chose a hot dog and a couple of salads. There were plenty of picnic tables for seating. (And plenty of chickens roaming around in the bushes next to the tables!)
After finishing his hot dog, Bob went back to get a hamburger. It took him so long to return that I accused him of going back to the ship to get it! Ice cream would have made a wonderful end to our meal, but the line was so long. I didn't want to waste my precious beach time waiting so grabbed a piece of banana bread rum cake along with a big bunch of grapes that I took back to the beach to enjoy.
For the afternoon, I alternated between my lounge chair and noodle time and far too soon it was time to return to the ship. All aboard was set for 2:30...way too early to leave such a beautiful place. 😢
I made a stop to rinse the sand off my feet which caused us to miss one tender and have to wait about 10 minutes until the next one arrived.
Once on the boat, we waited for quite some time. They were counting people and I realized that we were on the last tender of the day and they were making sure no one got left on the beach!
As we were waiting, a boat, the Half Moon Clipper, pulled up and crew members started boarding. My guess was that this was a ferry returning employees home to some other island at the end of their work day. I have tried to find out if anyone actually lives on Half Moon Cay (which is actually the island, Little San Salvador) but have not been able to find out.
It was 3:00 by the time we got back to the ship and we sailed shortly after. We each showered and then did the dreaded job of packing...or at least as much as I could do. Bags didn't have to be out in the hall for pickup until midnight so our evening clothes would be the last to get packed once I was in my jammies.
When we arrived at the Manhattan Dining Room, I requested a table for 2 BUT only if it wasn't in the corner. We decided we would rather share a table than be stuck in no-man's land again. The only one available was next to a serving station but it was in the same area where we had been once before and decided that would be fine. We had barely been seated when a waiter came back and said they had a table for 2 by the window if we would like to move. Yes...of course!! There was very little space between ours and the adjacent tables but it did have a very nice view. During dinner we watched as the ship sailed into a storm. Being on Deck 2 almost put us at the same level as the waves!
The menu for day 7...
STARTERS - SOUPS - SALADS
Cannelloni Couscous
mango, raisins, alfalfa sprouts, olive oil
Salmon Tartare with Baby Zucchini
cherry tomatoes, watercress, mini cornichons, bacon-curry yogurt sauce
Duck Confit Puy Lentils
pomegranate, orange
Noodle Soup
chicken, peas, all spice, carrots
Potato Soup with Shrimp (M)
chorizo oil
Gazpacho with Crab
cumin mousse
Coconut, Carrot and Radish Salad (B)
creamy black sesame vinaigrette
MAINS
Pappardelle and Veal Rougout
ricotta, basil
Black Sesame Jumbo Shrimp Baharat Salad
poached egg, cherry tomatoes, red radish, brioche croutons, cheese foam, citrus-ponzu dressing
Lamb Shank
cauliflower-rosemary puree, crispy parsnip
Roasted Chicken with Cheese Gnocchi
button mushrooms, supreme sauce, asparagus
Pan-Seared Rainbow Trout
spaghetti, sauteed zucchini
Spice-Crusted Prime Rib with Whipped Potatoes (M & B)
asparagus and carrots
Vegetable Curry with Forbidden Rice
cauliflower florets, green peas, root vegetables, pearl onions, coconut cream, curry spice, lime, cilantro
DESSERTS
Baked Alaska
meringue
Devil's Food Cake (B)
chocolate orange butter cream
Caramelized Pear Crepe
vanilla-caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream
Chocolate-Ginger Mousse Cake (M)
chocolate ganache, fresh berries
The entertainment in the Showroom at Sea was billed as a "Variety Show" and consisted of encore performances by Island Magic Steel Drum Band and impressionist, Tyler Bryce.
Back at the cabin, we finished packing the larger checked bags and put them out into the hallway. We wouldn't see them again until we were in the terminal in Ft. Lauderdale. So far it hasn't happened, but I always have a nagging feeling that something I'm going to need the next morning will be in one of those bags.
A little balcony time and then one last sleep...
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