Well, so much for the sunrise. We were up in plenty of time, but it was overcast so we didn’t get to see the spectacular sunrise we had hoped to (and I doubt I will be up that early again this trip). The sleeping, however, was awesome. We both got a great night’s sleep—it was very calm going. We ate an early breakfast and then it was off to Tortola for our Royal Dolphin Swim.
Unfortunately, in our excitement to get to the dolphins, we didn’t really plan ahead as well as we should have, and we arrived over two hours early! So, we sat around for a while—and it was SO hot that we eventually changed into our suits just to cool off. Of course, as soon as we did this, it became overcast and…it started raining! Fortunately, they took us early, so off we went!
The best thing was that Tom and I were the ONLY ones there…so we got ALL the dolphin time to ourselves (typically, you would have to share the period with the other guests). Everything the dolphins are trained to do is accomplished through hand signals and fish treats after they complete their task. We started by standing about chest deep in water and holding our hands out in front of us, palms down…and the dolphins swam right under our hands, so we got to rub their backs. After we did this a few times, it was time to “ride” the dolphins. Taking turns, we each swam out to the middle of the enclosure and waited with arms outstretched, palms down. Before you knew it, two dolphins were at your sides and you had to grab on to their fins and they pulled you back to the dock. It was great! But the best was yet to come!! Then came the “push” where we once again took turns in the middle of the enclosure and waited floating on our stomachs, toes pointed down and knees locked. Before you knew it, two dolphins were pushing you forward and you actually came up out of the water! (Forgive the bad picture—it’s a screen capture of a video we took.)
It really was a unique experience—definitely once in a lifetime! After we did this, we spent more time touching them and enjoying their tricks (splashing, chattering, rolling, jumping)—all amidst the rain. The only bad thing about the rain is that it made for dark pictures. And speaking of pictures…they had a photographer and a videographer out there the whole time—which was great, except that they charge an arm and a leg for the products. We went into it thinking we’d get the DVD because even at outrageous prices we’d want a great memory of it…except we didn’t quite anticipate just HOW outrageous the prices would be. We honestly thought $30 would be pushing it…but it was $50! FIFTY! For a 15-minute DVD!! No way, no how, so sorry dolphins. (I swear, they would sell SO many more DVDs if the price was somewhat more reasonable!) And the pictures? A 5×7 was $12. Of course, we wanted SOME memento so we got one of each of us. They really aren’t that great (remember, the weather was gray and dreary) but we couldn’t take our own pictures so we were stuck with theirs. (Oh, they let you take your camera in the water, but we were kept so busy with the dolphins that we rarely had time to take pictures. So, I guess that was the catch-22…we were spoiled by lots of face time with the dolphins, but because we had so much time, we didn’t have time to take any pictures.) And of course I hated how I looked in the video and pictures (I should never be seen with wet hair in a ponytail, as well as in a bathing suit or from the side or in anything sleeveless!) so I’m sorta glad we didn’t buy the video—I would have been embarrassed to show it to anyone!! Tom did get a hat (because he forgot his at home) and I got a wooden dolphin to go with the camel on our mantle.
After the swim, we took a taxi back to town and walked around Tortola—but there wasn’t much to see. We hit a few shops, but it was mostly touristy stuff (you know the drill—plastic figurines with TORTOLA written on it). Of course, there were some nice things, but nothing we were interested in. (Apparently the Caribbean is THE place to get watches, diamonds, and emeralds…but we could really care less about any of that.) We did pick up our Christmas ornament, however…and will be on the lookout for something else to bring home as a souvenir. As it was still rainy and overcast and we were hungry, we headed back to the ship in time for lunch, and then we caught a matinee. Now, Tom is at the gym and I’m catching up on my writing. It’s not quite as great sitting on the balcony when it’s not all sunshiny…but a yucky day in the British Virgin Islands on a cruise ship is still miles ahead of a yucky day having to work in North Carolina!
Before dinner we had drinks at one of the multitude of bars—we splurged because today’s drink special ($4.25 vs. $6.25 regularly) was my favorite, a margarita. Now, for the prerequisite dinner menu choices from tonight—complete with descriptions from the menu as a one-time event—were as follows:
Appetizers: Chef’s Dutch Country Pâté—A savory duck, pistachio, and port wine pâté with lingonberry marmalade and crunchy waldorf salad (Tom) and Pasteitje with Seafood—Pastry shell filled with a light seafood râgout (Jen).
Soups: Island Chicken Gumbo—A Caribbean soup generous with sweet okra, tomatoes, and onions and spiked with Creole seasonings (Tom) and Dutch Green Pea Soup—Simmered until meltingly rich with meaty ham hocks, celeriac, and smoked sausage (Jen).
Salads: Chiffonade of Bibb Lettuce with Tuna—Bibb lettuce, diced cucumber, tomato, olives, green beans, and boiled potato with flakes of tuna garnished with a hard-cooked egg and red onions (Tom) and Classic Caesar Salad—Romaine tossed in a fresh-made Caesar dressing topped with cheese shavings and fresh garlic croutons (Jen).
Entreés: Zander Perch Meunière—Drizzled with a lemon and parsley browned butter sauce and served with bright steamed asparagus, carrot sticks, and minted new potatoes (Tom) and Nasi Goreng—Indonesian fried rice feast with juicy pork saté, spicy chicken drumstick, beef Sumatra, scallions and julienne of omelet, served with a pickled cucumber, crisp prawn crackers and crisp-creamy fried banana (Jen).
Desserts (no full menu description—it was on a different menu I forgot to ask for): Banana and Coconut Soufflé (Tom) and Chocolate Mousse (Jen).
Of course, everything was deeeelicious!! You got the full menu descriptions tonight because I forgot to take the camera (to take a picture of the menu so I can remember what we ate) so I asked for an entire menu. Of course, I only tell you the things we chose, but there were four appetizer choices, three soups, seven entreés, and about 12 desserts. It’s really neat how your stewards (I still can’t remember if that’s what the dinner people are called, and I keep forgetting to look on their name tags) get to know you. Tonight, there was a diet coke ready and waiting for Tom before we even sat down and, after the meal, coffee was brought without even asking. As I’ve said before, the service is AMAZING. Tom and I joked tonight that we’re going to really have a hard time surviving at home without them!
After dinner we decided to hit the casino again—but only because it was a smoke-free evening!! So, Tom and I each took a roll of nickels and hit the slot machines. Tom quickly lost his entire roll, but I raked in the winnings…again! However, on the way to the cashier, Tom put his lone dollar bill in a $1 slot machine…and won $5!! We kept two of the coins for souvenirs and cashed out the rest. My total winnings were $17.80 (a mere 5¢ less than my previous night’s winnings) in about the same amount of time. Okay, this time, I swear it was our last casino venture!!
We topped off the evening with another margarita in the Crow’s Nest and then went back to our room to relax and go to bed. Isn’t it sad that we’re on this great vacation and we’re generally in bed by 10? But then again, we’ve been up since six. Tomorrow we do plan to stay up late (the show is a comedian and it doesn’t start until 10:30) so we will have to take a nap sometime after we return from St. Thomas.
Until then…