Tuesday Evening – Medical Visit and Singing the Night Away with the Beatles

Once back on board we immediately need showers to get the salt off and try and clear some of the sand that made it’s way onboard with us.  Suits and our floats need rinsing too.

I know I need to see the Doctor on board.  One good thing we are good friends with Dr. Dylan and it is a joy.  I have been experiencing issues with my ears for a while now.  

Usually things clear up nicely and then it comes back a month a month or so later.  Recently, well after we got back from our Fall trip I had that influenza and I am sure it triggered an issue with the ears again.  So recently (past week) they are bothering me again.  They felt much better in Florida but are bothering me again and really bad last night.  It prevented me from ducking my head in the water today.  When we saw Dylan last night he insisted I come down to his office. 

So at 4:45 I am in the waiting room (office hours during port days in the afternoon are 4:30 – 6:30 and also the morning too – check your Patter).

There are quite a few people ahead of us but we are seen by a nurse quite quickly and around 45 minutes later I am in Dylan’s office.  He deals with the ears and wants to see me again in around 24 hours to check them and see if there is an infection after the swelling goes down.  I am on my way with some drops and some anti inflammatory pills. 

I have been on over 60 cruises and we both have only been to the doctors on board 3 times and every time has been Dylan – we tease him and say he is either so darn good we need to see him or he is a jinx. 

One thing I have to say is this medical office is amazing – I know I use that word a lot but they just are.  So professional, so caring, so patient and a bit of humour thrown in too.  They see it all here and the fact that they can deal with it just blows me away.

Back in the cabin we change for dinner and head to the elite lounge for a quick drink before it ends. 

At around 7 pm we head down to Vines to meet up with Michael for some wine and to catch up.  It is so nice chatting with him.  We laughed a lot and being with a fellow Canadian who grew up in Vancouver brings up some fond memories.  We encounter a lot of crew on board and we are proud to call many of them true friends and now even more are family – family that we choose.

Tonight we had plans to head to Concerto Dining room for our 8 pm reservation.  We had not been to the table yet this cruise as our plans the 2^nd night were Sabatinis, and last night was formal so tonight is our first time there. 

We arrive late though, very late and ask if any table is available.  They apologize that our table was given away after we did not show and they sit us in the same section.  

Totally fine with us, and we tell them that and it is not expected that they hold the table for us. 

We have a great meal with great service and are trying to eat fast so we can ensure to get a good seat in the Princess Theater for the Beatle Maniacs.  They have three shows tonight 6:45, 8:15 and 10:30 and since we don’t know if they will be on the next three legs or not we make sure to see them tonight.

At 10 we are seating right in the front.  We have learned that we much prefer to be right up close where we don’t have other passengers to distract us.  It bothers us when others talk thru the shows (not really relevant for this show) or get up in the middle of the show and then make their way down the aisle to leave, or especially the ones who don’t put in an effort to actually enjoy the show.  Sure the show is “free” to you but hey they work very hard.  If you do not think you will like it or will probably scoot out part way sit on an aisle seat near the back so you won’t disturb others.

But this show is PACKED with only a few seats in the lower section to the sides.  This is a new group of guys performing from other years but they are WOW.  They encourage us all to sing along, to dance and to definitely clap our hands.

We walk out of there hoarse from singing and feeling totally energized.  You know seeing a show like this at home would cost at minimum $50 and probably more.  I do hope they are on for our last leg so our friends Simon and Angelique can see them.

Back in the cabin around 11:30 and we giggle cause tomorrow we are in Curacao but the port guide in our mail box is for Dominica…. Wow this has never happened to us before.  It is a good thing we know these islands.

Dec. 12, 2011 - St. Lucia

We are pulling in, and oh wow we are facing the pier, this is the first time we dock with the Starboard side on the pier side.  It is HOT, MUGGY, this is the Caribbean after all.  We are not in any rush to get off, the ship is doing their emergency drill and so there is announcements and alarms.  Funny how so many passengers are confused about this drill even though the Captain comes on and tells everyone this is for crew only.

We decide to head to the beach, to the one that Bernie found last February.  It is called Malabar beach and it is within walking distance and close to the airport.  We pack up our gear, slather on the sunscreen then head out. 

 

when you come to the runway turn right

at the end of the runway - cool to watch the planes land and take off from here

walk thru the cemetary

To get to this beach you walk out of the pier area to the main road.  There is a Texaco gas station turn left here.  Continue walking till you come to the airport runway and turn right and basically walk around the runway.  We continued walking past the Rendezvous resort to the left and went to the cemetery and walked thru it to the beach.  We found a very secluded spot and laid our towels down and then went into the water.  No one was around us at all!  There are no places to rent chairs or umbrellas, no one selling stuff, no restaurants, nothing!  I am sure if you wanted we could of gone to the resort and eaten and drank there but we didn’t.  We brought some beer from the corner store and enjoyed that then carried our garbage away.  In total the walk took about a half hour but be prepared it is very hot, I am sure a taxi wouldn’t be too much money either.

On our walk back we went a different way thru a residential area, smelled something darn good, so we looked up and it was a small bakery.  We got some coconut muffins and a juice and sat on the steps and enjoyed.  Many locals walked by and we said hi and chatted with a few.

 

When we got back to the pier we walked around the stores at the pier and sat under a tree and enjoyed Piton beer (2 beers for $3).  The tree was full of hummingbirds and was quite entertaining to watch.  We went and checked out the new store Carialoha which is a store that sells all bamboo products, it is one of the ship’s recommended stores.  Bernie bought a lovely polo shirt and t-shirt.  They are so soft and comfortable.  I bought a lovely casual dress from a different store.

 

Wow a Diamonds International -been looking for one in every port

get our Piton beer

Bernie gave the people working at the store Canadian pencils - here one is modeling it

We are back on board the ship around 2 pm, my throat is killing me – even hard to swallow.  After a small meal in Horizon Court I get some salt packets and head back to the room and gargle with salt water and take a nap.   I wake just before 5 pm, we are suppose to be all on board by 5:30 and I can hear quite a few people partying in the bar at the pier, as they stagger back on board right on time.  But they are not lifting the gangway, and around 5:50 a tour arrives with around 75 people.

 

the drunks heading back to the ship, they were so loud the whole Starboard side was out to welcome them back

Around 7:30 we head down to Vines for a glass of wine (well ended up two) with some sushi while we listened to the Dixie Land Jazz band in the Atrium.  Al meets up with us and we head to Michelangeo for dinner around 8 pm.  The whole entrance looks like a parking lot for scooters, with many parked near the Christmas tree, looks like all I want for Christmas is a scooter/walker. 

We have a lovely meal and we share a bottle of champagne while we eat surf and turf and finished off with a mango crème brule.  We head up to the stores to say hi to our friends up there and now Antoine from South Africa is showing us this watch he is thinking about buying, go ahead we say, you should reward yourself.  We should get a job in the shops! 

 

Beatlemaniacs are playing again but it is a different impersonators so we thought lets go and check them out.  We sit near the back, big mistake, as last sailing we sat right in the middle and everyone around us was in to it.  This time I swear no one around us was clapping, singing or dancing in their seats.  I wanted to shake them to see if they were awake.  How can you sleep thru this?  The group was great, audience, not so much.

We hit the hay around midnight and sleep like babies as we make our way to Barbados.

Dec. 2, 2011 - Bonaire

Up very early – woke up at 5 am and decided to head out and get my latte and wander the ship.  It is so neat to be walking around when the ship is so quiet.  But lots is going on, the crew are busy, some are setting up bars for service soon, food is going out in the International Café for breakfast rush, glass is getting clean, wood is getting polished, carpets are being vacuumed, and the Horizon Court is getting ready for the big rush.

A ship's tour

It must of poured rain earlier the whole deck is soaked, more than just a wash down, everything is wet.  After chatting with a guy he did say we hit a bit of a storm but now the sky is clearing and we are heading towards Bonaire.  I like to say they cleaned Bonaire for us.

We dock at 7 am and we can see the tours heading off shortly thereafter.  Weather is perfect, so we lather on the sunscreen cause when in Bonaire you have to snorkel.  When we do head off we walk to our left and just head into the water right from shore.  The fish are amazing, we feed them the mini wheats we brought from the ship and the fish just come and eat almost right out of our hands, there is about a 100 feeding off of one bag. 

After about an hour of snorkeling we head back to the ship to shower and then head back out for a bit of a wander and we head to the grocery store to pick up some local soda that is lime flavoured (very good with the vodka from the mini bar) and then we stop at a gelato bar for a couple scoops of ice cream.

We are leaving early today from Bonaire we have to be back on board for 1:30 and we head to the Horizon Court for a lunch, it is very very busy with the dining room closed for lunch on sea days.  (I later found out the dining room was open, it is only closed when in port for the entire day.)  The grill/pizza stations are also very busy.  I had a big salad and Bernie headed to the International café for soup.  Then a nap is in order, since I got up so darn early I am exhausted.
 

I went and ordered some roses for the cabin, six roses for $30 and they look lovely in the cabin and the smell is very nice. 

 

We head to Michelangelo Dining room and sit in Ciska’s section again.  For dinner I had the eggplant in puff pastry, a mixed salad and then turkey scaloppini for my main entrée.  For dessert I had the chocolate crepes.  We were sitting next to two women from Quebec (where I am from) who spoke only French so I chatted with them and then translated for Bernie.  They really enjoyed chatting with someone and since this was one of their first cruises they had lots of questions.

the ladies from Quebec

Beattlemaniacs

Tonight is Beattlemaniacs, we saw them getting on in Aruba. We missed the show in February we had to get there early and get two seats.  So right after dinner we head to the Princess theatre for the 10:15 show about a half hour early.  There are still lots of seats but it filled up very fast.  Note we did see lots of people heading to the early show very early, like an hour early, don’t know how busy the theatre was because I didn’t look but highly recommend you get there early.  This was the first time we saw the show and we LOVED it.  Tim the cruise director did mention that they will be doing a new show in two nights.