Cruise - Tuesday Sept. 16 -GRAND CAYMAN!

WELCOME TO GRAND CAYMAN!!!!

Well, this is our first port day and we'll be spending it in Grand Cayman! Here, Aonika and I stopped for a quick picture with our beautiful ship in the background! Today, Tim and I will be snorkeling and swimming with sting rays while the rest of the crew will be renting a car and driving to Hell, on the other side of the island.
Grand Cayman natives! These little chickens were everywhere! Tim tried to get really close, but they just kept running away!
Meet Big Black Dick (no, I'm not making that up!). I got to meet this character last year when I came to Grand Cayman with my cousin. Big Black Dick was a pirate, but before that he was kidnapped by the French and then tossed overboard near the Cayman Islands. Legend has it that he worked hard to earn his freedom and he learned how to turn sugar cane into Rum. He was rewarded for his efforts with his own ship and 20 cannons. After a "successful" career, he retired - making the finest pirate rum and hand rolled Cigars in the Caymans!

I was so happy that Tim finally got to have his picture taken with Big Black Dick - so now we can laugh at him too! :)

Tim and I booked an excursion with a company called Captain Marvin's. These guys come highly recommended and this will be my 2nd tour with them. We decided on a 2 1/2 hour tour (no, there was no 3 hour tour - we all know how that turns out - don't you remember Gilligan?). This guy is going to be our bus driver - he'll take us to the boat and then bring us back again! I think he does a great Bob Marley impression - what do you think?!

The water in this place is amazing! It's crystal clear and warm! The dark spots that you see are coral reefs. I could sit and look at this scene all day! I love the ocean and the mysteries that it brings! I couldn't wait to get in and start some snorkeling - doesn't it look inviting?
Stingrays! I know that this is scary for some - but for me, I couldn't get in the water fast enough. I had to chuckle as a Chinese couple on our tour was talking about how Steve Irwin died from a sting ray and how they weren't going near those things. Our guide did a great job of calming their fears and explaining that this is not the same species and that these guys are very gentle.

So, in the Cayman's it is said that if you kiss a sting ray you'll get 7 years of good luck! I made sure to lay a great big one on the ray that we caught. We don't have the pictures yet - they need to be developed off our our underwater camera, but when we get em', I'll be sure to put one up!

After the sting rays we went to a coral reef area and did some snorkeling! The colors were bright and vivid purples, blues, reds, and yellows. The fish would swim all around you - especially if you snapped your fingers (which supposedly sounds like fish eating). We found a Conch shell and the Conch critter was still inside. His little eyes were just looking right at us - wonder what he thought about all of that excitement! All in all - this was an amazing tour and we had a fantastic time! After we got back to land we hit several shops for jewelry and such! One of the best things about cruises is that you can get a TON of freebies if you pay attention! So that's just what we did! One of my favorite freebies of the day was the 2 1ct. sapphires that I'll be able to set into earrings! YEAH!

Ah - dinner time! Prior to leaving, Tim and I got our grubby hands on the menus and we were able to see what might be offered for dinner! Each night brings new entrees and appetizers so it is advantageous to try something new because you may not get a 2nd chance at it. Tim is not a fish lover! However, he's been saying that he's wanted to try sushi and tonight he got his chance! On the appetizer section was "A Study in Sushi" - which came with some type of oyster stuff, salmon wrapped in seaweed, and Ahi tuna. Tim started with his nemesis - the oyster. He got it down but not without a lot of hesitation! He didn't care for the Salmon but he really enjoyed the Tuna. I must admit - it was fun to watch him eat this - his face told a great story! Sorry you missed it!

One of the things that brings character to the dinning room is the waiters! You never know if they will sing for you or dance for you or just serve you dinner! Tonight they danced to "Hey Baby" and we all had a ball watching a singing along! Doesn't Atri look like she's having a blast?!

This was my indulgence today - a Pina Colada served inside of a coconut shell! Isn't he cute? The Pina Colada was one of the best I've ever tasted and this would be the first of many for me on this cruise! I wouldn't normally indulge in this manner because these drinks are expensive- but we had a ship board credit that had to be used because it was non refundable - so DRINK UP!