Just another day in paradise

Today our 7 day cruise in the Caribbean Virgin Islands, on the SeaDream II, came to an end.  All our fellow passengers were morbid this morning, having to head back home to reality.  I’m kinda sad too – to have to say goodbye to our home for the last week.  The cruise ship was a fantastic way to island hop, without having to pack and unpack our bags all the time.  And we got to meet some interesting people too.  I think my top 10 memorable moments are:

1.  Dolphin Encounter.  We got to swim with dolphins at a Dolphin Sanctuary in the British Virgin Islands.  We got to swim and play with them.  They even showed off their tricks to us.  It was a truly honourable experience to witness up close these intelligent mammals!

2.  Dining with the Chief Officer of the ship, Michael MacLeod (he’s the Captain’s right hand man, and has two First Officers just below him).  He’s a Scotsman, and gave us an entertaining account of what goes on behind the scenes on the ship.

3.  Exploring the Islands by bike.  We did this on three different occasions/islands.  While we took a few organised islands excursions, what I enjoyed most was taking the ship’s bikes, and doing our own exploring.  The steep roads lent themselves to spectacular views of the coastline (and also assisted in burning some of the extra calories we were consuming.)

4.  Favourite island?  This would probably be Virgin Gorda (also part of the British Virgin Islands).  In my opinion, it boasted the best views, and didn’t seem to be too inhabited.  (Richard Branson’s privately owned island ‘Necker’ is just next door.)

5.  Best Comment: While cycling past a school on the Island of Anguilla, a boy of about 7 shouted out to me in a thick Caribbean accent “Hey Womaan, you look sexy!”

6.  Royal Treatment: I’m going to miss the outstanding service of the crew on board.  They made sure that my fussy food habits were attended too.  From the soya cappuccinos, to the gluten-free french-toast, I was a “happy camper”.

7.  Caviar and Champagne Splash: On the last day, the crew hosted a beach barbecue for us.  At the start we had to wade into the sea where we were served caviar and champagne.  (While Andy and I don’t necessarily appreciate these delicacies, it was the novelty of it that made it special.)

8.  Water-skiing.  The ship offered water sports most afternoons.  Having not water skied for a few years, I was hesitant to make a fool of myself.  But after some nudging from Andy I gave it a go, and was relieved to stand up on my second attempt, albeit on shaky legs!  Woohoo!

9.  Sunrise.  One morning early I woke up from the noise of the anchor chain being reeled in.  Not being able to fall back to sleep, I grabbed my Kindle and headed updeck.  I was rewarded with a breath-taking sunrise.  There was the slightest of breezes.  It was a magical, reflective moment which I could enjoy to myself, before the hustle and bustle of the cruise day started.

10.  People.  Unlike a regular hotel stay, one interacts more with one’s fellow guests; being it over a meal, or on an excursion.  I loved meeting new people, and hearing some of their life stories.    Unsurprisingly, our fellow passengers love to travel, and have been to many exotic locations.  They were from all over the world, but the majority were from the US.  (We’d heard that most Americans don’t travel much, some having never left their own States, but these Americans are on the other end of the spectrum!)

Goodbye SeaDream II.  You served us well!

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