Day 22 - Saturday - 4/5/25 - Half Moon Cay, Bahamas

 

Saturday morning on this  last day of the cruise found us waking up early at 615 to be at the 7:30 AM devotional with Gloria Gaither. Given her status as the wife of Bill Gaither the room was expected to be packed and so we wanted to get in the line early. By the time we got down to the line, it was already out to the casino. However, we were able to find a good seat in our normal section on the slope. Gloria gave me a wonderful devotional on the how's and why's of journaling and its importance. I found it really really good but I've been in the habit of writing daily accounts of our travels for the past 10 years.

Rotterdam

After the devotional time, we went up to the Lido and had our customary breakfast before gathering up our snorkeling gear and heading down to get a tender ticket in the Rolling Stone lounge. It turned out we didn't need a ticket as it was possible to go directly down to the first tender. So we did got on the tender and were over to the island by about 930. We found a couple beach lounge chairs and Angela laid down and stayed there while I donned my snorkeling gear and went out in search of the octopus that we had seen a week earlier. When I got to the spot where the octopus was, the concrete blocks had been dislodged and the octopus was not there. Interestingly, though there was a little black fish about 4 inches long occupying one of the square holes, and when I put my camera down towards it, it tried to attack the camera and eventually swam out and then started nibbling on my fingers and attempted to chase me away. It was kind of interesting to see a fish that was that small and so aggressive towards me. It was like the chihuahua that thinks it's a St. Bernard. 

I then swam over and around the reef and drop off area and there were literally hundreds of fish. The most I've seen in that area. There was another snorkeler there chumming the fish with some bread and that even attracted them further.

I returned to shore and reported my findings to Angela and we sat and talked for a while and then gathered up our things and headed over to the barbecue area. The barbecue already started and we joined the line at the opposite end from where the majority of the crowd was. We sat at our same table as we did two weeks earlier and enjoyed a nice barbecued lunch and chatted with some guests from the ship first and then another couple who had arrived later from the Rotterdam, which was anchored all morning and had only after 10:30 or 11 o'clock started allowing passengers to come ashore. From what I heard from a crewmember and them, there was some sort of clearance issue. It seems strange because the Rotterdam was here before we were and yet we came and then were immediately allowed to tender to shore.

Then we did a little shopping in the mall area before heading back to a tender where we passed through a simple medical detector without having to show our bags or anything. Once we reached the ship, we were facially scanned onto the ship and did not have to use the metal detector on the ship as they assumed that we had been scanned on shore. But the scanning was not secure in my opinion and was superficial at best. We dropped our things in our state room and then walk the deck partially as half of it was blocked off for maintenance going on. But I was able to get my step count up to my required minimum for my insurance company and that satisfied me. For those who are curious, my insurance company pays me 10 bucks a month if I walk a certain number of steps at least 10 days during a month. It's an easy goal to achieve and is a good habit to be in.

We went up to the aft deck of the Lido on deck nine and sat outside and enjoyed a cold drink, and I worked on my blog while we waited for the departure from Half Moon Cay. The Rotterdam and the Nieuw Amsterdam sounded their departure horns acknowledging each other and about 2:50 we headed on our way to Fort Lauderdale. It's about 300 miles and per the captain's announcement we're gonna sale at about 21 kn or 24-25 miles an hour to reach Fort Lauderdale by 7 AM on Sunday morning.

We had one last dinner with Kathy at table 155 in the dining room and had a great conversation. Our evening show started early at 6:30 so we elected did not have dessert but enjoyed a good meal together. I had my first steak of this voyage and it was good along with a salad and some Carpaccio.  We didn't have priority for tonight so we join the line which by 5:50 was already back to the casino.

The last show was really powerful and Gloria Gaither shared a brief word that this week's highs  are not the end.  We need to simply turn a new page and go on to the next adventure.  Afterwards we packed in about an hour before enjoying a late evening soft drink in the aft part of the Lido.  Lots of people were up there. 

And so thus adventure ends.  Our plan for tomorrow is to take the transfer bus to the Ft. Lauderdale airport and pick up a rental car.  Well then drive to north of Orlando to visit our oldest son.  Then on Monday afternoon we'll fly back home.