I awaken to the sound of the bow thrusters as we are pulling into the pier at CocoCay. The skies are partly cloudy, temperatures in the mid 70's. We arrive right on time at 7:00 AM. The Anthem of the Seas is due in shortly. Yesterday the captain said it would be a tossup to see which ship actually arrived first.
At 8:00 the ship is cleared for passengers to disembark and enjoy the private island. Many things are included with the cruise fare, but you can spend hundreds extra for a private cabana, and slightly less for a ballon ride, a zipline, jet skis, or a water park. The wind is too high for the tethered balloon. In many visits here I have never seen it off the ground except in pictures.
I accidently run into the others at breakfast. They are headed for the beach. We had made earlier plans to meet at the end of the pier at 11:00. I'll decide soon whether to even get off the ship or not.
At 10:00 The Anthem of The Seas arrives, and they begin to disembark just as I make my way to our gangway. The pier is crowded and the locals operating the shuttle vehicles are totally disorganized. I take 15 minutes making the 10 minute walk to the island.
As I am waiting for the others at our designated meeting place the heavens open up with a very brief but wet shower. It only lasts for a few minutes but if you were not prepared by being in a swim suit, or lucky enough to find cover it was enough to get one wet.
The others arrive and head to the beach chairs, yes the complimentary ones.
With no interest in sitting on the beach I wander over to the tram station to take the tram around the island. Probably a 30 minute trip that goes past all the popular places. Designed primarily for people like me it is easier than walking, but not faster.
I head back to the ship and my morning shower even though it is after noon. A quick lunch in the Windjammer and then time to finish yesterday's blog.
The windjammer is nearly empty. More people went ashore than I anticipated. Good for those that remain on board. All the pools are near empty and the promenade is devoid of passengers. The Windjammer food seems to be a mixed bag. The selection has been cut back from past years, and with limited passengers I have yet to find more than half of the serving stations open. Room capacity is controlled by the staff scanning your seapass card as you enter and exit. Some tables are blocked from use to provide more social distancing. Even with these restrictions there is never a line to enter the Windjammer.
Last night was formal night, I think I spotted one tuxedo and a few suit jackets. No formal dresses at all, pant suits at best. At the other extreme, on a previous night, a grown woman was wearing what the girls described as a onesy. A single piece bodysuit that enclosed her from head to toe. It could have easily passed as a panda bear halloween costume. Yes, this was in the dining room.
We depart CocoCay about 4:30. Just after we leave port a waterspout is spotted directly in front of us. The captain tells us why he is making some unexpected turns.
The dining room accomodates our desire to dine earlier than 6:45 as we have reservations for the ice show at 8:00. We are promptly seated. There are just 5 of us this evening as the two others are dining at Giovannis, one of the specialty restaurants. We also inform our staff that we have show reservations. It totally works, we leave the dining room in just over 45 minutes. the wait staff in the dining room has been very good.
The chicken cordon blu was good. Unfortunately they did not have the ingredients for cherries jubilee. Another item that does not exist on the ship is cream cheese. Fortunately gin suppy appears to be more than adequate.
Absolutely no rumors of any illness on the ship so far. There have been a few injuries including one gentleman that recieved a large gash in his arm as the elevator doors he was holding for someone in a scooter closed on him. A behavior we all have participated in.
12 stitches, many steri strips and lots of glue he is doing fine. The passenger has nothing but praise for the medical staff.
We also have one and a half service animals on board. I say a half because no one is convinced the second dog is a legitimate service animal. Historically this has been an area that was greatly abused by passengers, but prior to the pandemic the cruise lines began clamping down on false service animal claims.
We get to Studio B for the ice show early and have our choice of nearly any seat in the house. My favorite is seated in the last row behind a narrow counter, providing a place for beverage glasses.
As the show is about to begin we learn that two of the performers were injured earlier in the day. Too short of skaters to do the show, each of the remaining skaters spends a few minutes on the ice doing their thing. All finished in less than 20 minutes. No word on the injured skaters condition. Unfortunately stuff happens and you do your best. They could have just cancelled everything.
We head to the Star Lounge to listen to the orchestra playing Dixieland Jazz. Very enjoyable and no ear plugs required. The Captain is waiting to join the band for a number or two, but we leave before he plays to catch Tyrone Hawkins, a comedian, in the main theater.
After another good comedy show it is back upstairs to the Star Lounge to hear the last 20 minutes of Jazz Cabaret.
The others were headed to partying on the balcony. I went to the cabin to sleep. It did not take long.
The seas remain calm and the winds light as we head a short distance to Nassau. So short in fact that many ships making this jaunt will either just sit motionless in the water for hours, or will cruise in circles to use up time. We are expected to pick up the pilot about 6:30 and should be in port by 7:00. Tomorrow is another day.
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