Grand Cayman Fun

Cruise Day 5 – Georgetown, Grand Cayman – September 20, 2007

It was nice arriving into port this morning with two other cruise line ships arriving within minutes of each other. All three ships anchored in the harbor and would use tender boats to ferry passengers to shore. The Carnival Cruise ship Conquest was moored to our right while the Caribbean Princess was stationed to our left.

We took our time getting everyone moving this morning as we did not have any scheduled activities booked through the ship. We ate a leisurely breakfast before heading to shore missing the mad rush by those ‘early wanderers’ on the first tender boats. We wanted to hit the public beach for some snorkeling and found a nice lady taxi driver to take us there. We requested that she return to pick us up later so everyone could enjoy the afternoon at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Cayman Islands, and make our last stop at the Tortuga Rum store for the requested presents by friends and co-workers in Alaska. Everyone wanted the Rum Cake and several flavors of Rum so we made our way there just before boarding the last tender boats back to the ship.

We found a taxi who would take us to the public beach for some snorkeling and Laverne, our driver, would return and pick us up for our visit to Margaritaville. The water was warm and the snorkeling was fantastic as there were many fish species to see as well as the coral formations just below us. The water varied from several feet to about a 20 foot depth. We could see several Nemo and Dora fish swimming along the bottom and there were many conch shells sitting on the ocean floor. You could pick them up and see the animal inside and when we told Laverne what we saw she wanted us to give them to her for dinner that night for her family. They loved eating them and always liked it when they were able to get conch for dinner.

She took us back thru town directly to Margaritaville so we had plenty of time to grab some nachos for lunch.

Everyone was able to relax in the pool with the nice winding slide, and drink a beer or Margarita. We found a nice cabana on the second floor next to the pool area so we were able to put our gear inside and have a great time swimming or sitting in the water on the pool bar next to the big water slide.

It was really hot for us, being from Alaska as no one was used to these hot temperatures. The kids always want to be in the water or a pool any chance they get and this was no exception. They climbed the tower to the top of the slide and made the long winding drop to the pool below. The probably made at least 50 or 60 trips down the thing. I must admit it was fun as I also came down several times.

As quickly as our time on Grand Cayman started it was over too soon and time to head back to the ship.

It would be nice to spend an overnight stop here or scheduling a week long trip here sometime. There are plenty of things to see and do, several golf courses, and all of the snorkeling or diving one would ever want.

We walked back down the street to the pier to the tender boats to take us back to the ship.

It was pretty crowded now as many people were coming back late as we were so the lines were long leading up to the tenders. The short ride back to the boat gives you the realization of just how big this ship really is. The Freedom of the Seas is impressive and seeing three cruise ships in port next to each other shows the comparisons well. There was also an old Spanish galleon anchored just off shore which had been transformed for tourist to eat dinner onboard. Next to the cruise ships it gives a better understanding of what the early explorers faced in the transatlantic crossings.

All of these ships are big but making your way next to them in the small tender boats shows the true size of things in relation to the other ships.

Tonight is another formal night so the original plan was to come back onboard and rest a little before getting ready for dinner. So much for ‘The Plan’ as there was another Flow Rider session up on the aft deck so Scott, Bob, and I headed up to try surfing again. Kim and the girls tagged along to take pictures of the three of us ‘riding the waves’.

Each of us were successful staying up for about a minute until we each decided to cut across from side to side getting the board turned sideways to the main flow which immediately dumped and pushed us up over the back of the wave machine.

Shortly after our stand up surfing they switched to the Boogie boarding time so we decided we would try that before heading back to get ready for dinner. Kim and the girls left with the cameras to have plenty of time for the girls to prepare for another fun night.

Scott, Bob, and I stayed for the next session and while waiting in line an afternoon shower came overhead just after we set sail again for Mexico. The raindrops felt good to cool us off but had a slight sting to them as the larger drops hurt as they slammed into your back and arms. The shower lasted only a couple of minutes as we sailed past into beautiful weather once again. Looking back behind the ship there was a full rainbow going side to side with the Carnival and Princess’s ship slowly sailing with us about a mile behind us. I wished I had my camera but Kim had taken it back to the room. The sight of the two ships sailing under the rainbow will have to remain in my memory.

We quickly headed back to the room to get ready and arrived for our second formal dinner about 30 minutes late. It did not seem to matter as everything was ready for us and the staff knew exactly what we wanted for our drinks and had prepared for our arrival at the table. The time in the main dining room has been most pleasurable as our ‘crew’, Rochelle, Juan, Anna, and Amelia have been great the whole trip.

Tonight is lobster night so everyone was excited to enjoy another great dinner. Sitting down together for these main dining room meals is fun for everyone. Our idea of ‘formal’ this trip was for everyone to dress in a Hawaiian theme it was fun with everyone in bright colorful clothing. The kids enjoyed the attention they were given by the staff and no one ever left the dining room hungry. There was something great for everyone’s appetite and plenty of it. We all ate enough but did not stuff ourselves like we had done before on other cruises.

We spent time walking the ship’s upper decks under the moonlight and watching the lightning show in the distance. We have been lucky that the thunderstorms have been off to either side of the ship and not directly across our path. Compared to last night’s deck party it was quiet and nice to see little activity there tonight. People were on other parts of the ship so it was nice to enjoy the wind and soft sounds of the ocean. After the time on deck we made our way to the promenade deck to check out the shops and to watch the ongoing activities. The party tonight was ‘Dancin’ in the Street’ so many people gathered on the Royal Promenade to enjoy the music, dance, and party with one another.

The kids headed to the staterooms tired, happy, but ready for another room service meal. Scott and Kim headed for the Crypt for a bit of dancing and music. We had a great day but Deb was ready for a good nights sleep so we headed back to the stateroom. Scott was supposed to get with me for another time at the gaming tables but he never showed up so after spending time on the balcony with the sounds of the gentle waves below we drifted off to sleep.

Ice