Caribbean Cruise Travel Diary — Day 3

Date: 2018-05-11

Caribbean Cruise — Day 6: A Full Day at Sea

Good morning. With a lecture at 8:30am, we had ordered room service the night before for delivery at 7am. The system works by filling in an order card, hanging it outside the door before bed, and the crew collects it overnight then delivers at the requested time. Right on the dot at 7am, breakfast arrived: smoked salmon eggs Benedict, yoghurt with prunes, V8 tomato juice, and coffee. Eggs Benedict is always a treat when staying at a nice hotel — what a luxurious way to start the morning.

After breakfast we got ready and left the cabin. First stop: the coffee shop at the very top of the ship — the only place on board with a proper espresso machine, serving genuinely good coffee. Positioned at the bow on the highest deck, it had a spectacular view. Today's weather was grey and stormy-looking.

From 8:30 to 10:30 we listened to Anita's lecture — she described her near-death experience and the realm beyond, which was the opposite of the frightening afterlife described in so many religions: a beautiful, peaceful place. It made us wonder whether our father, who passed away last year, might be there too.

After the lecture, a Japanese woman approached us — she had come from the New York suburbs. We were surprised to meet a fellow Japanese person at an event like this that draws people from all over the world. She asked us if we knew any good spots on the ship, so we directed her to the scenic coffee lounge on Deck 11. Feeling a little peckish, we headed to the buffet restaurant.

Outside, it was pouring with rain and there was thunder. We sat with drinks for a while, then at noon the counters were rearranged and lunch service began. There was even sushi. After lunch, we napped and spent the afternoon reading in the lounge on Deck 11.

Tonight was Gala Night. We dressed up — suit and a lace co-ord set — and made an effort. Before dinner, there was a cocktail reception for the seminar group, but the venue was too crowded to get in, so we had mocktails at the adjacent bar. At 8pm we moved to the restaurant. The Gala Night menu felt a touch more elevated. Dinner finished just before 10pm. Back to the cabin for a bath, and by 11pm the sleepiness had won. Tonight should be better sleep than the first night. Good night. Tonight's towel art: a lizard?

Caribbean Cruise — Day 5: Arrival at Grand Turk, British Overseas Territory, 8am. Departure 3pm.

Good morning. The ship was due to dock at Grand Turk Island at 8am. Lovely weather from the start. Up around 6am. We had a snorkelling tour booked for 11am, so we went to the fitness room first for a gentle walk on the treadmill — just 1 km to warm the body up and get things moving.

Breakfast at the buffet. Coffee in the lounge afterwards. Back in the cabin getting ready for the tour — then a letter arrived under the door: "Due to strong winds and dangerous conditions, today's tour has been cancelled." We had been looking forward to seeing tropical fish in the emerald water. Disappointing! Plan B: go ashore to the beach. From the ship, the view outside was stunning — a white sandy beach right in front of us.

Grand Turk has only one pier, and two cruise ships had docked — one on each side of it. The other ship was also part of the Carnival group. The two ships' passengers had the island essentially to themselves.

People poured off both ships. Right in front of the cruise port: an emerald sea beach, souvenir shops, bars and food stalls. The enormous cruise ship had dropped anchor, and people were swimming right next to it — a surreal sight. White sand, emerald sea. Pure tropical paradise — like a poster come to life. Dreamlike.

From around 10am we sat in deck chairs on the beach and soaked up the sun. The water temperature was perfect — not too cold, not too warm. The seabed was a mix of sand and low rocks, making it a little uneven underfoot. The wind was quite strong, making it tricky to venture far out into the deeper water. As the afternoon wore on and the sun intensified, we two pale winter arrivals from minus-5-degree London decided it was time to retreat to the ship.

Back in the cabin, a shower, then lunch at the buffet: salad and a hot dog. Generous sauce, punchy flavour — very American-style — the frankfurter was made from beef, so suitable for Islamic and Jewish diets. Tasted just like a regular hot dog. After lunch we relaxed in the coffee lounge as usual, then attended Anita's lecture from 3 to 5pm.

Just two hours in the sun was enough to keep us warm inside the air-conditioned ship for the rest of the day — the power of real sunlight is remarkable. Getting changed before dinner, I glanced in the mirror and was startled to see my back and arms had gone bright red. My arms were hot to the touch. I had forgotten to put sunscreen on my arms, and quickly applied cooling gel.

After dinner, there was a BBC natural history documentary concert at 10pm in the theatre — "Blue Planet" — with stunning wildlife footage accompanied by live music. We really enjoyed it.

To bed around 11pm. Good night. Tonight's towel art: a peacock? A dinosaur?

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