Cruise Day 7

If Cococay had been the only stop on our Bahaman cruise, I still would have been happy. The water and sandy beaches of this private island exceeded my expectations. I have never seen the ocean so blue and clear! Plus, the water was a comfortable 78 degrees. It was just perfect for wading, snorkeling, kayaking and jet skiing.

Rick and I took full advantage of all this destination had to offer. We tendered onto the island about 11:45 and hit the sand running. We had a 12:00 appointment to ride a Seadoo, and we didn’t want to miss it! We were a little disappointed not to be set free on our water Harley, but we were proud to be chosen to lead the pack (right behind our funny Mexican guide). He taught us that the word Bahamas means shallow waters and that during low tide one can walk from island to island. He also pointed out Blackbeard’s private island, as well as an island featured in the Johnny Depp film Blow.

The ride worked up our hunger, so we hustled over to the food huts. Royal Caribbean provided the lunch, but because we were busy with the Seadoo, we just missed it. We literally pulled food off carts as the servers packed things away. Rick was able to assemble a cold burger. I had a bun with some lettuce and tomato. Mmmmmm, right?

After letting our tummies settle we strapped on our snorkeling gear. The clear, shallow water made it possible right down to the sea floor. Immediately we were rewarded with tropical fish sightings in colors of blue and yellow. Rick snapped pictures in all directions with our waterproof camera. At times the fish were close enough to touch! Then we saw a ray. We followed it as long as it would let us, but it soon left us behind.

For our final adventure we rented sea kayaks. This time we didn’t have to follow a tour guide. We were free to explore the nearby islands as long as we didn’t head out into open waters beyond our ship. Rick and I made a great paddling team on the way out (though we would lose our rhythm coming back to shore). We could view the sandy bottom of the ocean the entire time. It was so different from our previous kayaking experience in the Mexican Riviera.

We returned to our ship wishing we could stay another day. Parasailing will have to wait for another day! After getting all cleaned up, we went to the early show featuring Voices Three from Las Vegas. It was a “popera” act of three tenors, all of which had very different styles. Together, they sounded great. One guy in particular, Teddy B?, had a beautiful voice. We got to meet him after the show and we plan on looking up his music when we return home. He was that good!

Dinner was wonderful, of course! Italian was the theme for the evening. The service staff sang us a love song in all their many accents. The funny thing? There wasn’t one Italian in the lot! We sampled several things from the menu, though our favorite course was dessert. The warm, chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream was a perfect complement to a lovely meal.

A 70s-style disco capped off our evening. Rick and I shook our hips along the sidelines as we watched some inebriated guests boogie down. The Royal Caribbean Dancers appeared decked out in jumpsuits and afros. The DJ played all the classic dance tunes like The Hustle, YMCA, Brick House, and Love Train. It was a great mix of songs, and we would’ve stayed, had we not been so exhausted! I guess we’ll have to get our groove on next time…

Heading to the island.

Hey, Big Shooter.

White sand and blue water.

On the Seadoo.

The actual color.

Harley Mama!

An Island native.

Swimin' with the fishes.

The fishes.

And rays.

This fish had blue stripes that looked illuminated.

A shark.

Nice view. (Rick typed this)

This crab was faster than you'd expect.