Today's port of call was not a port at all, but an island called Moreton Island in Queensland. We woke up to heavily overcast skies with a whole lot of rain. There was so much rain that at times we could not see the island. During breakfast, Captain Friso came on the speakers announcing that it was a beautiful day, just kidding ,which got some laughter from our group. Has he not looked out his windows on the navigation deck? He warned everyone to be careful boarding the tender boats, and we were surprised he did not say that some folks should not go over the island at all like he did in Easter Island. No doubt he heard a lot of grumbling with that decision.
We noticed that another fast speed catamaran had come over from the island to assist with tendering. We had the perfect spot to watch this from our window seat in the Pinnacle Grill. With the rain, waves, and rolling seas, they were not able to tie their boat up safely at the gangway. We decided to wait until later to go over because it was predicted that the rain would let up in the early afternoon. The skeptical one of us doubted it.
Watching from our veranda, we could see the tour groups going off, although tender tickets were not being announced. Kimberly had mentioned that the tender-ticketed people could wait in the lounge until they were called to go off. The funny thing was that the people that got off early, were already coming back soaked. Kimberly even announced that a movie was going to be added for something for the guests to do onboard. It wasn't until 11:30am that it was "open" tenders, and that's when we left. And because we were not able to watch Kimberly's lecture on this island and the internet was spotty for here, we did not know what to expect once we got over there. We were surprised.
The tenderboat ride from the ship to shore wasn't the roughest one we have had, but it was dicey…even more so than on Easter Island. We watched a young wife on board with a little one in a shoulder sling, and another youngster around five board the rocking boat with perhaps a set of grandparents. The little guy panicked, and they had to turn around and get off . That was a wise move on their part.
So what we found here was the Tangalooma Island Resort that included different styles of beach accommodations with swimming pools, cafes, bars, and restaurants. A white sand beach stretched the length of the island where many years ago (1963), 15 shipwrecks were sunk here to create a reef for tropical fish, corals , and marine life. Ship tours included snorkeling or riding in a glass bottom boat to see the wildlife. They even had underwater sea scooters to glide you to the wrecks. These tours were short, like 1 ½ hours and ran from $70 to $100. Quad bikes were offered for an hour ride at $70 or you could take a 15 minute helicopter ride for $200. We did see the chopper a few times, but later in the day when the rain let up.
People come here mostly from Brisbane, a 75 minute boat ride from the city. There are reasonable day trips as well as longer stays in the hotel sections. Some of the resort area is older, but some newer two story houses looked pretty appealing. And because it is summertime and the kids are out of school, there were many young families here. It sure didn't matter to them if it was raining….they swam in both the surf and the pools. We did use the umbrellas for ½ hour, but the rain stopped after 12pm, and eventually some sun did appear.
We were greeted by some unusual birds once we walked the boardwalk to the shore. What some people mistook for penguins, were a black and white variety of pied cormorants. Then there were some tall wader-like birds with large eyes that roamed the grassy dunes. We have seen these birds somewhere else but cannot recall where. They were cleaning up anything that moved in and under the blades of low-growing grass. Doing some research, we believe they are beach thick-knee waders. There were also some huge black ravens which we think are Torresian crows that were quite vocal.
The basic types of buildings were here such as a general shop with essentials of souvenirs, swimwear, sun hats, and some food products. We picked up a map and some brochures at the information room. All types of water activities were being sold that included snorkeling, kayaking, stand-up paddleboards, banana boat rides and sea scooter rentals. Segways were available as well as the quad bike tours. Some areas had little or big sand hills where tobogganing on waxed boards may or may not have been happened. Remember, it was raining all morning, so the dunes were most likely too wet for that activity. And finally, there was the chopper ride, which did operate later. It did not cost $200 USD, but something perhaps half of that price.
We took a leisurely walk from one end to the other, checking out the cafes, resort bars, the Beach BBQ, and coffee lounges. We passed by two large resort and fenced swimming pools, mostly filled with the little kids. There was a basketball and a tennis court, but it was partially flooded from the recent downpour. Several benches were available and we took advantage of a few of them. Perfect for people and bird-watching.
It appeared that the largest venue was the Beach Café and Resort Bar. We went deeper into the restaurant to find a group of motley Aussies singing in a band dubbed as the "worst show ever" or something like that. They were playing tunes we knew well so we decided to buy some draft beers, Little Creatures, and sit for a while. The group was not bad at all, and the crowd loved it. Food was being sold nearby, but it was more fast food, and not served. Lines of families were forming near to where we sat, and we discovered they were checking into the hotel part of the complex. One thing we found out was that they did not accept American Express. Cash worked just fine.
One nice thing was that there were many clean restrooms along this entire beachfront. That is something that is not always made clear, but important for folks that are visiting for a short time like our cruise ship.
On the way back to the jetty, we strolled through the small shop looking for a souvenir visor. All they sold were baseball caps or droopy sun hats. They did not sell island t-shirts either, so we went back with nothing in the way of treasures.
The ride back was easy and fast because the seas were not misbehaving. All aboard was 4:30pm, and we made it back before 4pm. The Lido was closed, so we finally made it to the Dive-In Grill and ordered two cannonballs and fries. It arrived very fast because there were no customers. And the food was very good…..generous sized burgers and crispy fries did fill us up. We dined on our veranda watching the tenders being loaded. The ship left around 5pm with a sail away social at the Sea View Pool. One of us was in need of a haircut, so booking a last-minute appointment was a piece of cake. Going at 6:30pm worked well with an empty spa due to Valentine's Day happenings. The sun was setting shortly after that, and it was a nice way to end the day, considering how it started with so much rain.
And today happened to be Valentine's Day. Early in the day, we had received a nice small box of Jack Torres specialty chocolates for the occasion along with a card saying it was for President's Club members. The evening was "formal" although we are not certain how many people really felt like dressing up after a long warm day at the beach. The menu was a formal offering of escargots and the usual surf and turf option. We had one bowl of tomato soup and a chicken appetizer with a Caesar salad. Mains were one barramundi plate and a fusilli pasta dinner, which was plenty due to such a late lunch. Dessert had some chocolate offerings, but we stuck to the apple streusel with a cinnamon topping.
There was a Valentine's Day Dance held in the Crow's Nest with three separate times of 8:30, 9:30, and 10:30pm. How they regulated the crowd with these times is a mystery to us. For some reason, the ship was rolling with some significant swells and the Crow's Nest might not be the best place to be.
Looking forward to a restful day at sea tomorrow.
Bill & Mary Ann
