Ahoy Mateys!

Day 4 – Grand Cayman Island, British West Indies
We once again selected a shore excursion that involved snorkeling. I just can’t wear my new suit enough. We got up early, had a quick breakfast and then waited for our tender. Grand Cayman Island doesn’t allow cruise ships to dock because of the reef. Instead, you board smaller boats called tenders and they take you to the dock. We waited for our tender and soon we were off to the Island. We walked with the other snorkelers to our snorkel spot and it was just 5 minutes from the dock. The mask we received was better than the mask we used in Cozumel but the life vest gave us major wedgies. As you entered the water, you came face to face with a school of tarpin. They are huge, around 4 feet and look like very very very big minnows. They told us not to worry, they don’t have teeth. However, they feed them chicken to keep them in the area, so apparently they are meat eaters. We swam out and the fish were incredible. They have a nice reef and lots of fish. We could only identify the parrot fish and there were several different types of parrot fish. The other fish are currently unnamed, we hope to find a fish book or chart to help identify them. Amy purchased fish food and we were very popular with the fishies. My bag was quickly emptied and I was surrounded by tropical fish. One actually tried to take the bag from my hand. As I wrestled with a tropical fish, I laughed and water got into my breathing tube. Amy fed her fish and we hope some of the photos turn out. I was taking them and we are bobbing in the ocean and we can’t see because we have to wear contacts, not our glasses so we will probably have 71 pictures of blurry blue water. We snorkeled for about 90 minutes which is a record for us. Amy gets cold very quickly in the water and my feet cramp up – we are quite the pair. We dried off, changed and hit Georgetown.

We decide to have lunch and get an outside table on the second floor of breezes where we order coconut shrimp. As we are waiting for our food Amy asks me if there are jelly fish around the Island. Apparently, while snorkeling, she felt a sharp sting on her hand. She shook it, came up for air but since we are both nearly blind, didn’t see anything. Her hand stings and it has several blister like thingies. I told Amy about the Friends episode where Monica was stung by a jelly fish and Chandler urinated on it to stop the stinging. We both agreed that since it was on her hand, she could do it herself. We also decided to save the home remedy if we were unable to find actual medicine to help with the stinging. We finished lunch (coconut shrimp) and we went to a local pharmacy and asked what to do about stings from jellyfish and the pharmacist recommended Benadryl. Fortunately we had some on the ship. We then decided to ice her hand so off we went to Margaritaville. We ordered the largest pina colada they had, a lovely 24 inches of frozen delight, and quickly iced Amy’s hand and my internal organs. When we left, we were no longer feeling any pain or the heat.

Our last task on Cayman was to order duty free alcohol. Task complete, we made a few purchases and returned to the ship. The buffet was French and we enjoyed a lovely potato and eggplant tart with a plethora of unusual salads and a steaming cup of hot chocolate. We love the instant hot chocolate machine and are trying to devise a way of getting one home. We then went on deck and found empty deck chairs to enjoy the sun and catch a last glimpse of the island. I am, of course, a lovely shade of pink and Amy is browning quicker than a Pillsbury crescent roll in a 400 degree oven. Soon we were underway, heading to Jamaica. We then did our daily tasks on ship, checking out the sales, mailing postcards and checking the dining room menu. We also decided to try our luck in the casino. I lost $5 but Amy immediately won $25. She quickly cashed out and we followed our tradition to have a good beer after winning in a casino. We decided since we were on a cruise, we should have a tropical drink. We quickly downed 2 Yellow Birds and headed for our nightly buffet. We returned to our cabin to nap – however, on the way we noticed that Kung Fu Panda was playing on the widescreen on the Lido Deck. We went back to our cabin to put on warmer clothes so that we could enjoy the movie. We returned just in time for the next showing and enjoyed the movie under the stars. After the movie, we went back to the buffet for a hot chocolate and a dessert. I had a lovely hot chocolate cake and Amy had tiramisu. We then stumbled back to our cabin, tired and full. We realized that we did more in one day than we do in months at home; snorkeling, shopping, lunch at a restaurant, Happy Hour at Margaritaville, sunbathing, reading for pleasure, eating in a restaurant for dinner, gambling, shopping on board, another Happy Hour, going to a movie and a final nightcap. Tired but happy, we go to bed.

Day 6 – Jamaica
We didn’t select any excursions for Jamaica. We decided to sleep in and have a relaxing day in Jamaica, check out the beach and pick up a t-shirt at Margaritaville. Relaxing is not quite the word for Jamaica. We actually started to count how many times we were approached on the sidewalk for a taxi ride. We just wanted to go to the craft market and then Margaritaville. When we finally made it to the craft market, we went down one aisle and quickly down another and back on the street. We turned around and headed back to the cruise ship area. 10 more offers for a taxi ride to “the falls” we finally made it to the Island Shopping Center where Margaritaville is located. We found a table and ordered 2 Island drinks. Feeling adventurous, we decided to order some local food. We decided on a jerk chicken pizza. Well, we quickly realize that we have a very low spiciness tolerance. We quickly downed our Island drinks and were asking for water. (6 hours later, we are still feeling the effects of the pizza)

I went to finish my shopping, I needed a few things. Amy stayed to enjoy the beach. As I walked off the beach, I noticed that the inside of my foot hurt. Apparently something bit me on the beach. If I develop a strange rash or a high fever, remember I was bit by something on a beach in Ochos Rios, Jamaica. I found what I needed and returned to the beach. Amy decided to go into the water and I decided to order a pina colada. Apparently, when your order a pina colada, they give you an additional shot of rum. I soon was not feeling the bite on my foot and I was seeing 6 foot green parrots. Luckily Amy also saw the large green parrot, so I wasn’t suffering from heat stroke. All too soon it was time to return to the ship and we made our way to the dock. We were only approached 3 times for a taxi and once to braid our hair. One nice gentleman wanted to jump into our bags and return home with us. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any room available due to the duty-free rum and the t-shirts we have been purchasing from Margaritaville. Back on board, we quickly eat something in an attempt to extinquish the fire in our intestines. We found empty deck chairs and enjoyed the sun as we left Jamaica on our back to Miami L. Tonight is “Cruise Elegant”. We are on our way to mail our last postcards and check out the menu. Unless it is fabulous, we will be heading to the buffet. I am not putting on a skirt for anything less than crème brulee. ***We decided not to dress up and instead headed to the buffet for hot chocolate and a sandwich.