We had a "down" day today in Dominica, which was perfect for us after three busy port days. Unfortunately, it doesn't make for a riveting travel blog post.
I started before 7am, when I made my way down to the Promenade Deck forward, just as the Emerald Princess was docking in Roseau, Dominica. There is generally pretty dependable wifi available from the Fort Young Hotel right next to the pier, and today was no exception. While it tends to slow considerably as the day goes on, at 7am it was fast, free, cool, quiet and shaded on the Promenade Deck. It was the big five of wifi in the Caribbean.
I interneted myself silly. Eventually, G joined me and together we sat, checking and paying and depositing and verifying and canceling and contacting and ordering and updating and uploading and downloading...all the things we can do when the wifi is fast enough.
It was almost like being home.
That's a funny thing about spending a winter at sea: about most things, "like being at home" is not a positive, e.g. the food, the live music, the weather, the service. About a very few things, "like being at home" is a plus, e.g. Cable TV, high speed Internet, the bed, the bathroom, the lighting, the shower, the shower, the shower.
But, back to us, sitting on the Promenade Deck, internetting away. Suddenly I remembered to look at my watch; it was 8:48am and we needed to get to breakfast in the dining room before 9am. So we hurried to that and then returned to our spots on Deck 7 to keep going until, finally, my battery was at 12% and it was time to recharge. G had a little battery life left, so he continued on.
I decided that today was a good day to do another load of laundry. The crew is so overworked with this Noro outbreak that I hate adding our laundry to their list of things to do. There's also something to be said for having everything clean except the clothes we had on, and we did...for a whole five hours or so.
While I was doing laundry, I also re-did my nail polish, cleaned the vanity, recharged my laptop battery...although the ship was at a bit of a tilt again today with the swell, it was much more stable than a day at sea, and a good time to take care of these sorts of things. Eventually, G returned to the cabin and trimmed my hair, which was long overdue.
See, I told you it was a pretty unexciting day. Laundry, manicure and a haircut...not exactly cruise activities.
I started before 7am, when I made my way down to the Promenade Deck forward, just as the Emerald Princess was docking in Roseau, Dominica. There is generally pretty dependable wifi available from the Fort Young Hotel right next to the pier, and today was no exception. While it tends to slow considerably as the day goes on, at 7am it was fast, free, cool, quiet and shaded on the Promenade Deck. It was the big five of wifi in the Caribbean.
I interneted myself silly. Eventually, G joined me and together we sat, checking and paying and depositing and verifying and canceling and contacting and ordering and updating and uploading and downloading...all the things we can do when the wifi is fast enough.
It was almost like being home.
That's a funny thing about spending a winter at sea: about most things, "like being at home" is not a positive, e.g. the food, the live music, the weather, the service. About a very few things, "like being at home" is a plus, e.g. Cable TV, high speed Internet, the bed, the bathroom, the lighting, the shower, the shower, the shower.
But, back to us, sitting on the Promenade Deck, internetting away. Suddenly I remembered to look at my watch; it was 8:48am and we needed to get to breakfast in the dining room before 9am. So we hurried to that and then returned to our spots on Deck 7 to keep going until, finally, my battery was at 12% and it was time to recharge. G had a little battery life left, so he continued on.
I decided that today was a good day to do another load of laundry. The crew is so overworked with this Noro outbreak that I hate adding our laundry to their list of things to do. There's also something to be said for having everything clean except the clothes we had on, and we did...for a whole five hours or so.
While I was doing laundry, I also re-did my nail polish, cleaned the vanity, recharged my laptop battery...although the ship was at a bit of a tilt again today with the swell, it was much more stable than a day at sea, and a good time to take care of these sorts of things. Eventually, G returned to the cabin and trimmed my hair, which was long overdue.
See, I told you it was a pretty unexciting day. Laundry, manicure and a haircut...not exactly cruise activities.
When lunch time arrived, we were debating where to eat when I picked up the Patter and checked: the dining room was open for lunch! With all the Norovirus procedures in place, most notably no self-service in the buffet, they're opening the dining room for lunch even while the ship is in port. For us, that's always a good thing, but especially now. I have no desire to go to the buffet until this thing clears up.
And, speaking of "this thing", we are officially at Code Red for Noro. I think this is the first (possibly second...we were trying to remember) time we've ever been there in 60 (yes, this is our 60th!) cruises. What does that mean? Everything, and I mean everything, is getting scrubbed with Virox, by everyone. Yesterday, G came across the ship's band's saxophonist wiping down every book in the library. And that, in a nutshell, describes the lengths that the ship is taking to nip this thing.
Unfortunately, we hear it's not working. Again, who knows what's true and what isn't, with the rumor mill in overdrive, but we've heard that as many as 300 people are sick and that someone was flown in from the CDC to consult.
Food is no longer being served at miscellaneous venues. For example, the Elite lounge in Skywalkers is now hors-doerves- less. But we certainly aren't starving. We're eating all of our meals in the dining room at a table for two, are vigorously hand washing before each one, are using a Wet One after handling the menus (which are also being wiped down), and, most importantly, aren't eating anything with our hands. Toast, pastries, pears...you name it. If it can't be eaten with a fork, it's been given up for the duration. This means no popcorn and no cookies until this clears up.
We'll survive.
Back to yesterday-
We did get off the ship to walk around Roseau in the afternoon, but didn't do anything steep (my back). On Dominica that means we stuck to the first few streets by the waterfront. I took my walking stick-the sidewalks in Roseau are the biggest cautions we encounter in the Caribbean- and my time. We reboarded the ship right at the all on board time of 3:30pm. A light mist was falling and it was a good time to sail. We watched the pier side sailaway activities from the covered Promenade Deck...they're always interesting, but particularly in Dominica, where most of the ballards that the lines are attached to are not connected by walkways to the pier. A pilot boat has to first drop off and then pick up the guys who release the ropes.
We went to dinner in the dining room at 5:40pm, and it was already full-ish. I have no idea how they're planning and staffing during this Noro outbreak. They're serving additional lunch menus and need more waitstaff in the buffet at the same time more passengers are choosing to eat in the dining room. I can't imagine all the dancing behind the scenes that is going on that we passengers aren't aware of.
We went from dinner to this cruise's Most Traveled (Top 40 passengers) Party, and that is where things begin to get fuzzy. I remember good conversation and drinks (but no hors doerves- they weren't served), and we talked with Customer Relations Manager Anthony for awhile afterwards. By then, it was 9:30pm and the music was starting up on deck for the Ultimate Deck Party. We haven't really made it through one of these yet this winter, but alcohol is a good motivator. I finally finished dancing sometime after 11pm.
It's funny...we're young (relatively speaking, by at least 20 years) for the Most Traveled Parties, and old (relatively speaking, by at least 20 years) for the Tropical Deck Party.
It's a quandary.
;-)
Photos 1 and 2: yesterday's menu for the last minute addition of lunch in the dining room
Photo 3: the history of the Dominica Visitor Center building, located right across the street from the cruise ship pier
Photo 4: Dominica is home to the Caribbean's only remaining Carib Indian tribe, located in the mountains in the middle of the island.
Photo 5: the flag of Dominica (which is an independent country but a member of the British Commonwealth
