Leaving the curtains open a bit overnight let us wake naturally to the morning sunlight. By then, land was in sight and the ship was getting close to Grand Turk. When we left the room for breakfast, the Nieuw Statendam was being tied up at the dock.
A little before 8:00 we turned on the bow cam TV channel and noticed people walking down the dock. We figured the ship had been cleared so we went down and walked forward to get to the gangplank on Deck A.
The cruise center is located at the end of the long dock. A quick walk through the duty free shop and we were on the beach. The only way to get there quicker would be to jump off the ship and swim since the ship is literally docked at the beach. There are various gift shops and food stands but we didn't stop at any.
We had our pick of the free lounge chairs and found two that might have a small bit of shade during the day. The beach was much less crowded now that all of the rental chairs had been moved further down the beach. A couple of guys did hang around where we were sitting and tried to entice people to pay for one of those chairs. It was surprising how many people did not realize that the chairs closest to the ship were free for passengers to use. Once we got settled in, Bob made me switch chairs because he was worried the coconuts on the palm tree above my head would fall!
There was a pleasant breeze so I was in no hurry to get into the water. Bob took a walk down the beach to explore and came back with two conch shells. They had holes in them where fishermen had scooped out the insides and then tossed the shells onto the beach. A certain six year old grandson back in Minnesota will be thrilled to get one of these!
Once the sun got higher in the sky, I was ready to cool off in the water. The water temp was a little cooler than Half Moon Cay which meant it was way below Bob's tolerance level. I took my noodle and just floated...practically in the shade of the ship!
Out of caution, I decided we should go back to the ship around noon. Bob had already developed a dark tan, but I have to be more careful with my pasty white Minnesota skin. We changed and went to lunch at the buffet where I joined Bob in getting my food at the stir fry station. They have a variety of meats and veggies and will stir fry your selections in a wok while you wait.
According to the information sheet, most airlines participate, including Southwest Airlines which we were flying on. Since SWA doesn't have assigned seats, I was concerned how the process would work with getting a decent boarding group. I was planning to check in at exactly the 24-hour mark while we were at Half Moon Cay on Friday, but if the ship took care of the boarding pass, how would that affect our boarding position? We made a trip down to guest services, but didn't get any definitive answer.
Bob went to play pickleball and I decided to explore the ship before we sailed from Grand Turk. I started by going to the pickleball court and then just kept going up on higher decks. I was at the very top deck (14) when the captain decided to blow the ship's horn! Talk about LOUD!!!
 |
| Sea View Pool at the back of the ship. |
 |
| Lido Pool with roof open. |
 |
| Seating at the Lido buffet. |
 |
| Crow's Nest |
 |
| Private cabanas at The Retreat |
 |
| This is one place you do NOT want to be when the horn blows! |
After my photo taking tour, I went back to the cabin and sat on the balcony. The view of the blue water was so beautiful and with the balcony in the shade it was quite comfortable. But...once we sailed, the ship turned and I was in full sun. The temp went up immediately and was too hot to remain outside.
After our poor experience last night, we decided to skip the MDR and we knew we didn't want to go to either BB Kings OR the Rock Room. So at 5 pm we went to the performance at the Lincoln Center Stage where the musicians were performing works by Brahms.
We went directly to the buffet afterwards and had a nice dinner...mahi-mahi and chili rellenos. Both were main courses being served in the MDR but by eating at the buffet I didn't have to choose one or the other...I had both! Bob's highlight of the meal was finding rum raisin ice cream for dessert.
It was too early to go to the theater so we went back to the room. Our timing was perfect! Bob went out on the balcony and realized that the full moon was just beginning to rise! It was a big orange ball as it came up from the horizon!
The evening entertainment on the World Stage was another performance by the Step One Dance Company..."Musicology." This was a show we hadn't seen before. To get the full effect of the technology effects, we chose seats about half way up facing the center of the stage. Getting those seats required arriving over a half an hour before the show began. The theater filled up quickly and by showtime there were no seats left. Bob and I passed the time by playing Spider Solitaire on our phones.
The dance performance along with the technology effects was impressive, but I still miss the musical performances we used to see on HAL cruises...a combination of singers and dancers with background sets. And even further back in time there would have been a live band.
Leaving the theater on deck 3 (the upper level of the theater) sends you right through the smoky casino. To avoid that, we ducked outside on the promenade deck and walked the length of the ship outdoors.
Bob made a quick trip up to the lido to get his nightly cup of tea and we sat on the balcony looking at the moon. (Sounds romantic, doesn't it!!) At the same time we both saw a large, fuzzy light in the sky just above the horizon. Bob quickly went into the cabin to grab his binoculars and just like that it disappeared. The past few days the news reports have been focused on the Chinese spy balloon crossing the U.S. so it makes you wonder what else might be in the skies!
No comments:
Post a Comment