The N. Statendam arrived to the island of Half Moon Cay shortly before 8am. The Rotterdam beat us there. Dropping anchors here is tricky, so we assume both ships stayed in place by using their side thrusters all day. Or not. No doubt about it, the winds were going to be a factor today. The Captain announced that we had been cleared, but also added that if he sounded the horn, we were to gather our belongings and get back to the ship. This has happened in some ports we have visited in the past. Conditions can turn on a dime, and at times, the need to leave immediately is important. In extreme cases, some folks can be left behind. His other warning was to make sure we got on the correct tender back to the ship, as they look identical.
Hoping that the majority of the guests had gone ashore, we got off at 10am, only to find a line forming at the gangway. Waiting for the next tender, we discovered that some of the food and supplies were being transported on this tender. A large number of kitchen and bar staff joined us too. Among them was Presty, who orchestrated the group. Even though the crew were going over to the island to work, they seemed happy to be getting off of the ship. We learned later on that only our crew was being allowed to take care of all of the guests today. None of the crew from the Rotterdam were allowed over, due to the fact there are some Covid cases among them. In fact, Club Orange manager, Wayan, suggested we wear our masks today just in case. Don't have to tell us twice.
Checking out the mask situation on the local tenders, we can say most folks went without. Of course, most of them will be leaving the ship tomorrow. Now how were they going to keep the tender boats separated from each other? Easy. The Rotterdam folks went off at the usual drop-off, while we exited on the side where the glass-bottom boat is normally docked. From here, we mixed as we entered the island. The courtyard was filled with lots of folks enjoying the music and shopping of course. Last chance to buy Half Moon Cay souvenirs.
We headed for the food court, which was not ready for business yet. The aroma of grilled burgers was sure tempting, even though we just ate breakfast earlier. One of these days, we might make it to the food fest. Wayan and his "boys" sure put a lot of effort into making it nice for everyone.
As always, we slowly hiked to the volcanic rocks at the very end of the sandy beach. It did look like most of the cabanas were rented today. However, it had been announced that some of the tours had been cancelled. Specifically, they were the kayak adventure, sting rays, and horseback riding, among others. Within minutes, the horseback riding cancellation was reversed. That was still on. Now we wondered if the Rotterdam guests had bought up all of those tours, and they ran out of space for our crowd? If we had more time, we would have walked the other side of the island to see if these tours were happening. Oh yeah, we will be back here on Monday, so we can ask some questions then.
The tide seemed to be up, but we were still able to rest on the rocks at the end of the beach. Very few people make it up this end, except perhaps a few snorkelers, and those who like a bit more privacy. Oddly enough, there was one guy who trespassed over the dangerous rocks beyond the danger sign. One never knows when a wave could wash up over these rocks and cut you to ribbons. His companion stayed behind where we were. That left us wondering if there is any surveillance for such things happening in these more remote areas of the island? When he finally returned, she asked what he saw. The answer was more rocks……now that was worth it.
We could see from where we were walking that the horses were coming out into the surf with their riders. So fun to watch, except for when one of the fellows broke the line and his horse went the opposite way. There are always two wranglers who head the parade and follow up the rear. We would suspect that riding in the water presents some challenging things, and these guys know what they are doing. We bet these riders have to sign their lives away before climbing onto those saddles. One thing for sure, the camera people were there to catch the moment.
Our fun for the day was bringing two red apples for our buddy, Ted, the donkey. He was perfectly groomed today…..soft, clean, and free of stickers. He gladly munched the apples with little bites. And he seems to know how to do this without dropping much. More people came over to pet him, so we snuck away before he began chewing on the Club Orange bag, which still smelled like apples.
While we were taking a break at a picnic table there, a lady approached us who looked familiar. She was a regular on the world cruise, and recognized us right away. She shared some Rotterdam ship news, then she had to catch her ride back to the food pavilion. Small world.
We also had made a time for meeting up with another world cruise couple, Linda and Dave, who we used to sit across from at breakfast in the dining room on the Amsterdam. "Ganville" Linda dubbed our little area with a very popular waiter. Linda has been reading our blog and knew we would be at the Captain Morgan ship by 1pm. It was so nice to visit with them, since the last time we saw them, was when we all got orders to fly home from halfway around the world on the cancelled world cruise. Hard to believe that was over two years ago. By the time we finished our drinks, it was time for us to head back. But not before Linda hunted down Presty, who came over to say hello to Dave. It was nice that he took the time to visit with us all, even though his team was already packing up to go back. Too bad it has to be such a short stay here, but better than nothing we say. We bid our goodbyes until we meet again…which should be the 2023 Grand World Voyage.
Going back, we had two lanes designated to access the different tender boats. Our cards were checked three times before we boarded. Our things were xrayed there, so we did not have to do it again on the ship. Funny thing, this boat was the one taking back the working crew and a lot of the supplies. It filled quickly, and we were back home by 2:30pm.
Time for sodas and snacks in the room, we watched the sail away (we left first) from the island. The Captain mentioned in his farewell message, that we might hit some gale force winds on the way back to Florida. He was correct, as we headed northwest, into the winds, the spray from the bow created rain that splashed our veranda window. No sitting out there we guess. At least tomorrow's weather report in Ft. Lauderdale is good with no rain in the forecast.
Today, we received the photo from yesterday's mariner event, and another Passport Booklet with a sticker for this 11 day cruise.
Dinnertime was rather sad, knowing that from here on out, we will be a table for two. Everyone will be going home tomorrow. Except us. The menu this evening was created by the Culinary Council, but had not been posted on their site on TV. Not even by dinnertime. Guess someone forgot, or there was a glitch in the system. If memory served us right, a good salad with coconut-crusted shrimp was a good starter. Then the best entrée had to be the prime rib. Adding a small baked potato made it better. Our favorite desserts seem to be vanilla ice cream, any flavor of frozen yogurt, a chocolate sundae, crème brulee, and butter pecan ice cream. A fitting way to end our meals.
Seemed like the dining room emptied out earlier than usual, due to the fact people's luggage had to be out in the hall tonight. We said our goodbyes, hoping we meet again on the world cruise in 2023. Or not, as the Circle South America might be an option for Susie, Woody, and Barb next year. Convinced the world cruise will be cancelled, they wanted to keep other options on the table. We believe the world voyage will happen, but might have many changed ports, which is not a game-breaker for us.
Bill & Mary Ann
Sunday, March 6, 2022
Report #78 Half Moon Cay, Bahamas Saturday-March 5,2022 Sunny With Clouds 78 Degrees
