Tomorrow we have a day at sea, so we were able to stay on the island until 5:30pm. Much nicer.
While we were having our breakfast, we had a chance to speak to Jonah from the Front Desk. She reported that yesterday there was a longer than desired wait for the in-transit group to re-board the ship. Tempers must have flared. Years ago, the same thing happened to us, and we remembered it well. Luckily, we had made the right decision to leave the ship to come back later. We shall repeat the same trek every time we come to Ft. Lauderdale. Since we did not ship 4 ½ months-worth of toiletries, we intend to do shopping along the way. And going out to lunch is always a plus. One of us has a fish allergy, so we usually do not go to that type of restaurant. Thanks for the dining tips anyway.
The tender boat did not leave the ship until it was mostly full. Even at 10am, many people had waited like we did. One thing for sure, there is no "social distancing" on these tenders. Absolutely everyone, including the young kids, wore masks without complaints. Once on the island, most of the masks were taken off. Except for the few shops, we are all outdoors in the fresh breeze, so masks were not needed.
We arrived to the food pavilion in time to see the cuisine set up. Cold salads, sandwiches (hot dogs, hamburgers, and tacos, etc.) were served by the wait staff. Desserts were simple cupcakes along with a variety of fruit. One helped ourselves to one pear to be used later. Ice cream and beverages were served too. All of this food was complimentary. Once again, we did not dine here. Maybe next time.
Making our way down an alleyway to the beach, we passed by the Lobster Shack. All of the lobster related dishes were served here for a price. In fact, the chef mentioned that we would need to place our order before they ran out of lobster. Not to worry, we replied, as lobster is not exactly one of our favorite dishes. Serve us a charcoal broiled burger any day, and we are happy campers.
Determined to hike the entire crescent-shaped half-moon beach, we took our sweet time and made it to the very end. One must stop was at the corrals to pay a visit to the friendly donkey. Now this is where the pear came in handy. One of the corral staffers was there and noticed the pear in my bag. Calling the donkey by name, Ted, he came over to check us out. Another young couple had made it quicker, and insisted on photos with Ted. They held onto him until smart Ted spotted the fruit, and left them. He sucked the pear into his mouth and bit it in half. Good thing I moved my fingers away fast. The staff member said that many guests will bring apples from the ship over here to feed Ted, explaining why he had his head in my bag last Saturday.
Time to mosey back to Captain Morgan's Bar. We had walked much further than we thought, and needed some refreshments. So the strawberry daiquiri and margarita were mostly for medicinal purposes, ha-ha! Last week, we noticed that the charges for these drinks were slightly higher than $11 plus 18% gratuity. Reading the menu closer, there was an additional charge for Bahamian tax, which applied to this island. Interesting......
One of us was going to check out pricing on some island clothing in the shops, but did not have the energy to do so. As the saying goes, we will be back. We boarded the waiting tender, and had the treat of watching flying fish soaring around us. We were back onboard by 2pm. A Lido lunch was in order with custom-made salads and sandwiches on ciabatta rolls, toasted no less. All of the food venues appeared to be busy, so many people did not eat on the island today. In fact, we know that many never left the ship. That's the beauty of this type of travel, as you have so many options to do whatever you like. You are never bored. In fact, the word "bored" is not in our vocabulary.
Spending the rest of the afternoon on our veranda, we had the perfect view of the tender boats bringing the folks back. Working on photos and future port reports was another job to do. The ship left before 6pm, and was now headed for a day at sea on the way to Jamaica.
Nothing really caught our eye for dinner in the dining room tonight, so we made last minute reservations in Canaletto. They gave us a time of 8:30pm, and we said yes. Thinking that the Canaletto was filled with guests, we were surprised to find it mostly empty. Of course, this is later than usual for us, and the restaurant is closed for any more guests by 9:30pm. Our service was great, the food hot, and delicious. Starters were salad, minestrone soup, and veal meatballs. Our mains were short ribs and veal scaloppini. Saved a little room for desserts of chocolate tart and an orange tart. As well as the waitress chatting with us, we were visited by the manager and chef, making sure our meal was to our liking. Yes, it sure was.
So glad tomorrow is a sea day, as there are very few on these shorter cruises.
Bill & Mary Ann
