Not So Great Stirrup Cay

We woke up at Great Stirrup Cay . The ship was moored and all people wanting to go ashore would tender over. I took one look at the “island” and decided that 2200 people on the spit of land in front of us could do without 2 additional people. The cay was pretty flat and narrow with a few palms towards the middle. There didn’t appear to be much to see so we passed on the tender adventure. We watched as the water taxi pulled up to the ship, loaded about 150-200 people on board ,traveled the five minute trip and then beached itself for people to jump off on the beach. Nearby, there were two Royal Caribbean ships pulled up near their own private island. At least theirs looked more like a tropical island even if it was smaller. We spent some time at the pool, in the hot tub and of course there was the food. I have to say, based on this 3 day cruise, NCL and their quality of food has dropped a notch or two on our level of cruises. We have taken cruises on Carnival, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and NCL. The later had been our favorite although the cruises had been week long events. Now, I think Celebrity and Royal Caribbean are tied for level of service and quality of food and entertainment. The highlight of any cruise for me is the Art Auction . Carl found a nice piece by Nicole Stahl of Dolphins to give to our granddaughter. Before we left, Steph asked us to bring her back some dolphins.

Atlantis, Paradise Island and Nassau

Our shore excursion tickets haven’t arrived yet. A few days ago, we went on line and put in a reservation for a clear view kayak tour in Nassau. I figured they would have delivered them to our stateroom so on our way to breakfast, we stopped by the shore excursion desk. Now, I’ve already told Carl my leg is hurting from all the stairs we climbed yesterday and as much as I was looking forward to the see through kayaks, I really wasn’t unhappy when they said they had no reservation for us. We spent the first part of the day poolside, in the sun. Of course, I smeared on the old +30 sun block. It feels like I took a bath in crude oil but, on the other hand, I spent more than a half hour in the sun and didn’t burn. After lunch, Carl decided to lay down while I took a shower and washed my hair. He slept 2 hours and after I dried off, I read some of my book, “The Vampire LeStat’. It’s the second in as series of 10 books by Anne Rice that make up the Vampire Chronicles. From the stern of the ship, we have a beautiful view of Atlantis, the billion dollar complex that used in one of last season’s Amazing Race legs. We couldn’t see the pyramid and the 60 foot waterslide but we know it’s out there. Just before we leave Nassau, there is a brief shower. It’s just enough to dampen the deck but the clouds sort of get in my way for sail away photos. I take them anyway. Paradise Island has a lighthouse at the very tip, the entrance to the harbor. I can see why. It’s really rocky out there and since it’s the windward side of the island, the breakers really pound in there. Tomorrow, our port of call is Great Stirrup Cay, the NCL privately owned island. We’ve decided to just get off the boat and wander around looking for something to take pictures of. There’s 2200 people on this boat. I wonder if I can actually find a sport or two with no people in my viewfinder.

Hurray For Capitalism

The drive from Marco Island to Miami was uneventful and when we turned the rental car in at Thrifty, we were informed they provided a shuttle to the Port of Miami. That saved us a taxi fare of $24.00. That’s four beers on the cruise for Carl. Outstanding! The process of check in was smooth and effortless. By 1:00, we had already spent $18.75 for the soda program. For those of you who haven’t taken a cruise lately, you purchase a specific cup which can be filled with as much fountain soda as you can drink for the duration of the cruise. The cruise line charges $6.25 per day for the program and if you just purchased a soda at the bar, it would be about $3.00 with tax and the 15%autogratuity which is conveniently added for you. After the obligatory boat drill ( no life vest required this time ), we sat by the pool where there was pounding bass music with words that just repeated themselves over and over. I’m not sure if it’s called hip hop, grunge or gangster rap. I just know it doesn’t do a thing for me. I hate to admit it but I’m getting old. I want to be able to understand the words, feel all of the music and not come away with my ears hurting. We’re off to the theatre after dinner to “listen to” 70’s music. I’ll bet I know most of the words to most of the songs.

Captain Barry And The Manatees

We finally had a beautiful day, the last one here before we head to the Port of Miami to board the Norwegian Sky. A call was placed to Captain Barry’s who guarantee manatee sightings or you don’t pay for the trip. Now, that is pretty good because most whale watches that you participate in don’t offer a similar guarantee. Of course, sightings are not the same as actually seeing manatees. Manatees are mammals, breathing air as we do so they must come to the surface every three to five minutes to breathe. The rest of their time is spent submerged near the bottom grazing on sea grasses or snoozing. SO, to see manatees, you must be patient, watch for noses at the surface or see a “footprint”, the disturbed water where there tail fluke was. In fact, we saw the shapes of more than a dozen manatees swimming along beneath the surface. I managed to catch a shot of a couple of noses but after having had the experience of actually snorkeling with these gentle giants in King’s Bay a few years ago, I was less than amazed with the whole trip. What was entertaining was the Osprey nest and youngster who, we’re told, just a day or two ago was testing his wings to strengthen them. Our guide, Captain George, says that once the young leave the nest, they never return. We also saw a few alligators and as it turns out, they are unusually aggressive this time of year because it’s mating season. The excitement was provided for us by two guys who had been out fishing and were cleaning their catch when we returned to the dock. The guts were tossed into the canal and caused a frenzy among the Jack fish. The water roiled as if Piranha were devouring some hapless creature. A good day for the fishermen means a good day for the Jack and everyone is happy. On our way back to the resort, we swung into the little community of Goodland for munch at a place called the Little Bar Restaurant. The food was good, the service was amiable and the bill didn’t send us into monetary shock. Filled to our max, we saw a young Osprey in the nest along the road. The only thing to put a damper on this day was I had to do laundry and pack, again. If you'd like a pleasant 1 1/2 hour tour of the waterways leading out to the Gulf, you can check out Captain Barry at http://www.see-manatees.com

Gone Fishing

We’re having one of “those” days. It’s getting towards the end of our fun time and each of us are a bit cranky. Carl has gone down to the hot tub and I have been performing a few domestic engineering challenges otherwise known as housework. Yes, even on vacation at a time share, there are dishes and clothes to be done as well as clutter to be picked up or straightened . The weather is sultry with little or no breeze which just adds to the tension in the air. I’m no expert but it’s almost like there’s something brewing off the coast. Our sky from the first floor balcony is gray, the same color as the gulf water and I can so only a few people walking the beach. Yesterday, I mentioned to Carl that today would be his day to decide what we were going to do and he just shrugged his shoulders. We still have tomorrow to try to visit those manatees. I wouldn’t feel comfortable chancing it today. So, after lunch, we hopped into the car and went out towards the Everglades. We stopped at 10,000 Islands State Park and walked into the observatory tower overlooking the wetlands. On the way back we saw our first wild alligator of the trip. It only took 5 days but I must confess we really hadn’t been looking that hard. We were most of the way back to the resort when we came upon this Osprey perched on top of a utility pole. I didn’t see it then but when I came back to the unit and plugged my media card in, I was able to see that Mr. Osprey had just grabbed a fish before we came upon him ( or her ).

An Additional Post...

On our way back from the Shy Wolf Sanctuary, we stopped at the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. The Environmental Learning Center houses a 2300 gallon aquarium, a working lab, a short film about the importance of preserving this natural treasure, an art gallery where feature artists can exhibit their work, a small Florida friendly landscaped butterfly garden and walking paths along the mangrove lined shores of the Estuary. They also offer guided tours by kayak as well as giving avid birders the perfect place to observe countless waterfowl and nesting birds. The Rookery Bay reserve encompasses 110,000 acres of native habitats including pristine mangrove forests, upland and protected waterways. Check out their website at http://www.rookerybay.org

A Day To Remember

Today, I was kissed by a wolf named Tien. We visited the Shy Wolf Sanctuary in Naples. The owners rescue as many pure wolves and wolf dog crosses as they have room for. They spend weeks, months and sometimes years undoing the harm, both physical and psychological, to these magnificent creatures. Most of the time, they succeed and the animal can be adopted by people who wish to provide the right kind of loving and care. Sometimes, the animal cannot be returned to a state of grace and will live out it’s entire remaining life in their loving and capable hands. Our guide, Mark, one of the many volunteers who care for the animals, took us from enclosure to enclosure and explained about each of the animals. The sanctuary marks each enclosure with a grading system, level one through four, which tells the volunteers who may enter or who should be wary. For instance, some of the enclosures, level one, are completely off limits to visitors and most of the staff because the animal inside may be dangerous. Some of the wolves have been abused by men and this information is noted on the doors as well. We were allowed to enter most of the Level Four enclosures with our guide after we filled out a liability waiver. We were warned to remove hats, earrings, handbags and other items because some of the animals have developed attachments to these items and delight in snatching them from unsuspecting visitors. One of the wolf dogs has even been known to nip people on the backsides as they leave his enclosure. It doesn’t matter how much “wolf” is in the animal for each of them carry their own baggage. In fact, the animal to be most cautious around was more dog than wolf. The sanctuary does not charge an admission fee and is completely dependant on donations. There is good news for the Sanctuary. The owners have recently purchased a much larger piece of land and, in time, will be able to not only increase the number of rescued animals but will also be able to provide even more room for these beautiful creatures to roam than they have now. If you find yourself on the gulf coast of Florida, I urge you to give them a call. Please check out their website for more information about the work they do and the animals which also includes 4 panthers, a couple of arctic foxes, a half dozen prairie dogs and a handful of tortoises. Here’s the link http://www.shywolfsanctuary.com