Today's port of call was a small historical town called Falmouth, located between Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. It is located on the northern coast of Jamaica, the 3rd largest island in the Caribbean. And we have never been here, so we were looking forward to exploring a new area of the world. Recently we have read some negative things about crime in some of the larger cities of Jamaica, so we would assess the situation once we get there. We may explore, or we may not.
After another relaxed breakfast in the upper dining room, we heard the Captain announce that the ship had slowed down due to an engine over-heating. He blamed it on the warmer waters of the Caribbean. On past cruises on the Amsterdam, the problems with the air-conditioning were always blamed on the temperature of the sea as well. Or could it be the ship was getting older? Probably a little of both. Whatever, it would not delay our time very much. If he had not told us this, we never would have noticed a difference in the speed.
By the time we got closer to the island, we could see that the Caribbean Princess was already docked. She is a much larger vessel than us at 112,894 gross ton and carries up to 3000 guests. We wondered if it was full? By the time we were alongside the pier, it was close to 10am, our actual arrival time.
Having been so busy with unpacking the last two days, we forgot to watch the port talk, which was on TV as well as in the Mainstage. That is very nice since we seldom make it to those talks on sea days. So we caught up with Nyron, the Shore Ex manager, and listened to his talk. Or tried to. The sound level turned up as high as could be was barely hearable. Will have to let someone know so it can be adjusted.
Some of the shore excursions offered today included beach tours for $70, bobsled and falls $135, Dolphin Cove & shark show $60, Dunn's River Falls $70, Martha Brae rafting $100, or city highlights $55. We have done many of these over the years, so decided to stick close to home. The complex where we docked was similar to what we found in St. Kitt's, St. Maarten, or Grand Turk. We had been given a map showing the main shops which included Cariloha, Del Sol, Effys, Diamonds International, Gem Palace, Karinas among others. An interesting kiosk in the center of the complex was called Patty Port where they served a famous Jamaican patty with beef , cheese, or chicken between a pastry dough. The price was right at $3. To us they resembled a quesadilla and looked like a good snack for lunch. Actually on the way back from our walk we did find some of our friends indulging adding hot sauce to make them spicier.
We waited until the majority of the guests left, including the tour groups. There appeared to be fewer groups going off. We entered the complex through the terminal hall, and explored the treasures the shops and kiosks were selling. Undoubtedly, we have so much of these souvenirs, we don't have room for any more. But it is always fun to look and get prices. What we saw today, especially the wood carved items, were quite expensive. We can do better, especially in Namibia, not that we need any more. By the way, it had begun to sprinkle, just long enough to dampen the umbrellas. Then it stopped, and the sun came out.
While we were looking over the wooden bowls, someone came up behind me and offered to bargain for the prices. Funny, it was really tablemate and friend Greg and Heo, who were on their way for a walk like us. They have been here before, and knew the way to the historical part of town. Since we were headed the same way, we stayed together as a group. Always better to have company in unknown places.
Once out the gate, we navigated through the downtown streets mixing with the local shoppers. It was obvious this was a historic town with many old buildings, some built in the Georgian style of architecture. Two of those buildings were a town hall and an old Anglican church. This town was built with wide streets on a grid with a Water Square in the center of it all. This would be the place where people gathered their drinking water in the old days. We wove our way through the side streets to find the Anglican church which was built in the 1700's. Needing restoration, it will be a miracle if this church stands up to the ravages of time and weather. Some of the clock tower had already caved in. We did not linger too long inside the church because it did not feel really safe. Street vendors had tables set up with their wares, trying to attract the tourists to buy lots of stuff. We had been given a card with the exchange rates for the Jamaican dollar , but we did not need it since the US dollar was happily accepted.
We all got our fill of photos, then slowly headed back to the pier area. It was beginning to get crowded in the market areas with locals out and about doing their everyday shopping. Most everyone was friendly, and not pushy. Many years ago while in Kingston, we recall a local gal chasing us down the street demanding to braid my hair so other tourists could watch. Really? Don't think so….. We saw none of that today…only high end shopping and souvenirs.
After our two hour walk, we were back to the ship by 1pm, and decided to have a room service lunch around 2:30pm. Yesterday we had been given a notice that deck washing would occur this afternoon, and it was in process when we came back home. It would have been nice to eat outside on the veranda, but the chair pads were damp and we stayed inside the room. Once again we had salads and a shared BBQ pulled pork sandwich, which was really good. We did try a few cookies, but they were not as tasty as our last cruise. Better stick with fresh crispy apples next time. We ordered six of those for snacking. One of us has developed a nice treat by mixing Splenda (or equivalent) with cinnamon and nutmeg and using it as a dip for apple slices. Sure is delicious and much lower in calories compared to sweet desserts.
The Caribbean Princess left the port around 3:30pm without blowing their horn, but possibly playing the Love Boat music. It was hard to hear over the reggae band in the complex. All aboard for us was 5:30pm, where we waited on the veranda to sail away. Due to a late arriving tour bus of 25 folks, we did not leave until 6:30pm in the dark. That must have been an HAL excursion, or the ship may have left them behind. The Staff Captain took over the helm, sailed across the northern coastline of the island, then turned south towards our next port of Puerto Limon in Costa Rica. That will be on Saturday, the 7th.
All of us were at dinner around 7:30pm, and we all had stories to share. We thanked Greg and Heo for being such good tour guides, getting a chuckle from them. At the moment Woody does not have the use of his motorized wheelchair, since they left the charging cables at home by accident. Needless to say, they did not get off of the ship today. The cables will arrive to Panama City which their daughter mailed a few days ago. Barb stayed onboard, which she usually always does. Friends Ellen and Aart are here, but Aart has Covid (not a bad case) and is quarantined until Sunday we think. Sometimes Barb will go off of the ship with them.
Our meals were good again tonight. We began with Thai beef and papaya salads, arancini Pomodoro, a shrimp entrée, and meatballs and spaghetti, my favorite. It did not disappoint. Black cherry frozen yogurt and one slice of chocolate whisky torte finished the meal. The best part of the dinner is the company.
Tomorrow will be a day at sea with early morning Covid testing for all.
Bill & Mary Ann
