faline
11-19-2014, 12:25 PM
Friday, October 31, 2014
Our last full day of the cruise. We arrive early at Castaway Cay. I was really looking forward to this stop. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to expectations.
We start our day at Royal Court for some breakfast. We have our bathing suits on and have a bag with items we want to bring with us. Following breakfast, we make our way off the ship. We are headed to the adults only portion of the beach. One shuttle brings us to an area where we will need to pick up a second shuttle to the adult area. We had reserved floats and ask if we need to get them there or are they available at the adult beach - we're told we need to get them there and drag them to the other beach. We do only to find out a rental area is available at the adult beach and we could have gotten them there.
On the beach is a long line of lounges, chairs and umbrellas. We find a place to settle and head to the water with our floats. Entry into the water is difficult as the beach is littered with rocks and shells. I'm wishing we had packed our water shoes. The water is very shallow and we see folks many yards out who are still standing. Going out so far makes me a bit nervous as does the signs warning of barracudas, jelly fish, sea lice, etc. etc. Still I manage to plop onto my float which is a bit of a strange sensation for me. Doesn't feel particularly relaxing. I ride it until I wash up on the beach and I am done with my float - guess I was expecting something more the size of a boogie board!! We wade for a while. We sit with our lawn chairs in the water for a while. We sit on our lounges for a while. We walk the beach and run into our dining table mates at opposite ends of the beach (which is not very long so makes for a rather short walk).
A BBQ lunch is available. It's quite good especially the ribs and chicken. I plan to stay another hour or two after lunch but, when I go into the restroom, another patron comments on how red I'm getting. Rather than risk sunburn, we decide to return to the trip. We turn the floats in at the rental place (without dragging them on the shuttle this time) and catch the two shuttles back to the ship.
Showered (hmmmm....I'm not really red or close to sun burned but better safe than sorry), and changed, we head out. Gene wanted to take some pictures around the ship and this proves to be the perfect opportunity. So many folks are off ship that we are able to take pictures in many public locations without any other passengers in the shots. We hang out on deck 11 for a while. I notice there are some very nice views of Castaway Cay -- particularly if we go up to deck 12 where protective glass won't be in the way.
When Shutters opens, we return and spend almost $85 on 4 8x10 pics - the best of the 20 or so we've had taken including a few that morning on Castaway Cay. We think about stopping by the desk that pre-books future cruises but the line discourages us so we go on our way.
We return to our room and watch as we cast off from Castaway Cay and return to sea for the last time this trip. The Commodore comes on the PA system and advises us that we may run into light to moderate seas this evening due to high winds. We are heading in the wrong direction to view a sunset from our verandah this evening.
Changing into evening clothes, we are ready for an evening at Remy's. When I had checked on our reservation time the evening before, I was told they would be slow this evening and if we wanted to come early, they might even be able to give us a window seat. We check in a little after 6 for our 6:30 reservation and we are seated immediately in a window table. From here, we are able to watch the setting sun.
Remy's is a bit of a distant cousin to Victoria and Albert's. There are two preset menus from which one can select along with wine pairings or one can select a la carte. One of the two preset menus was created by a French chef -- the other by the head chef of Victoria and Albert's. We decide to do the wine pairings ($105 per person). I select the French Chef option while Gene will do the menu selected by the chef at Victoria and Albert's. The service is impeccable. Before each course is served, the wine person explains the pairing that was selected for that course for each of us and pours the selected wines. Our main server explains the food option that is being served. I can't remember it all but we have a "soup" course which consists of a single bit which is fried with a taste of a tomato soup inside. We have an appetizer - I know Gene had pheasant but am blanking on what I had. There is a fish course. For entree, I have an excellent beef while Gene has pork. We skip the cheese course (I like cheese very much but it doesn't always like me back quite as well). We have an excellent dessert and then, with coffee, we receive more dessert goodies. I am missing some things that were served but can't adequately remember them all. At the end of the meal, I am presented with a long stemmed rose as they do at Victoria and Albert's. We are also presented with a small box of chocolates.
We need to place our suitcases outside our cabin no later than 10:30 this evening. We had back to our cabin to pack. I would have liked to keep our evening clothes on but need to pack them so we change back to the shorts we were wearing earlier in the evening. It is now pouring out and the wind is howling. The Commadore comes over the public address system to advise all passengers to stay off the public decks due to the winds.
With our luggage packed and hauled off until tomorrow, we head back to Meridian for one last nightcap. I have one more Cream Brulee Martini. By time we return to our cabin, the stars are shining and, though we step out onto the verandah, we do not linger here this evening. Instead, we head off to bed.
Our last full day of the cruise. We arrive early at Castaway Cay. I was really looking forward to this stop. Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to expectations.
We start our day at Royal Court for some breakfast. We have our bathing suits on and have a bag with items we want to bring with us. Following breakfast, we make our way off the ship. We are headed to the adults only portion of the beach. One shuttle brings us to an area where we will need to pick up a second shuttle to the adult area. We had reserved floats and ask if we need to get them there or are they available at the adult beach - we're told we need to get them there and drag them to the other beach. We do only to find out a rental area is available at the adult beach and we could have gotten them there.
On the beach is a long line of lounges, chairs and umbrellas. We find a place to settle and head to the water with our floats. Entry into the water is difficult as the beach is littered with rocks and shells. I'm wishing we had packed our water shoes. The water is very shallow and we see folks many yards out who are still standing. Going out so far makes me a bit nervous as does the signs warning of barracudas, jelly fish, sea lice, etc. etc. Still I manage to plop onto my float which is a bit of a strange sensation for me. Doesn't feel particularly relaxing. I ride it until I wash up on the beach and I am done with my float - guess I was expecting something more the size of a boogie board!! We wade for a while. We sit with our lawn chairs in the water for a while. We sit on our lounges for a while. We walk the beach and run into our dining table mates at opposite ends of the beach (which is not very long so makes for a rather short walk).
A BBQ lunch is available. It's quite good especially the ribs and chicken. I plan to stay another hour or two after lunch but, when I go into the restroom, another patron comments on how red I'm getting. Rather than risk sunburn, we decide to return to the trip. We turn the floats in at the rental place (without dragging them on the shuttle this time) and catch the two shuttles back to the ship.
Showered (hmmmm....I'm not really red or close to sun burned but better safe than sorry), and changed, we head out. Gene wanted to take some pictures around the ship and this proves to be the perfect opportunity. So many folks are off ship that we are able to take pictures in many public locations without any other passengers in the shots. We hang out on deck 11 for a while. I notice there are some very nice views of Castaway Cay -- particularly if we go up to deck 12 where protective glass won't be in the way.
When Shutters opens, we return and spend almost $85 on 4 8x10 pics - the best of the 20 or so we've had taken including a few that morning on Castaway Cay. We think about stopping by the desk that pre-books future cruises but the line discourages us so we go on our way.
We return to our room and watch as we cast off from Castaway Cay and return to sea for the last time this trip. The Commodore comes on the PA system and advises us that we may run into light to moderate seas this evening due to high winds. We are heading in the wrong direction to view a sunset from our verandah this evening.
Changing into evening clothes, we are ready for an evening at Remy's. When I had checked on our reservation time the evening before, I was told they would be slow this evening and if we wanted to come early, they might even be able to give us a window seat. We check in a little after 6 for our 6:30 reservation and we are seated immediately in a window table. From here, we are able to watch the setting sun.
Remy's is a bit of a distant cousin to Victoria and Albert's. There are two preset menus from which one can select along with wine pairings or one can select a la carte. One of the two preset menus was created by a French chef -- the other by the head chef of Victoria and Albert's. We decide to do the wine pairings ($105 per person). I select the French Chef option while Gene will do the menu selected by the chef at Victoria and Albert's. The service is impeccable. Before each course is served, the wine person explains the pairing that was selected for that course for each of us and pours the selected wines. Our main server explains the food option that is being served. I can't remember it all but we have a "soup" course which consists of a single bit which is fried with a taste of a tomato soup inside. We have an appetizer - I know Gene had pheasant but am blanking on what I had. There is a fish course. For entree, I have an excellent beef while Gene has pork. We skip the cheese course (I like cheese very much but it doesn't always like me back quite as well). We have an excellent dessert and then, with coffee, we receive more dessert goodies. I am missing some things that were served but can't adequately remember them all. At the end of the meal, I am presented with a long stemmed rose as they do at Victoria and Albert's. We are also presented with a small box of chocolates.
We need to place our suitcases outside our cabin no later than 10:30 this evening. We had back to our cabin to pack. I would have liked to keep our evening clothes on but need to pack them so we change back to the shorts we were wearing earlier in the evening. It is now pouring out and the wind is howling. The Commadore comes over the public address system to advise all passengers to stay off the public decks due to the winds.
With our luggage packed and hauled off until tomorrow, we head back to Meridian for one last nightcap. I have one more Cream Brulee Martini. By time we return to our cabin, the stars are shining and, though we step out onto the verandah, we do not linger here this evening. Instead, we head off to bed.