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Destination Spotlight: Cruising
Hagnel2 is a Mediterranean cruise veteran with her three-part "Days Ashore in the Med" ponderings, but this is her first Caribbean complement. Surely, she must be hooked—and planning exotic cruises to Artic or South Pacific waters.
From Eastern Caribbean: Mariner of the Seas
A quick getaway on Mariner of the Seas was just what the doctor ordered: 3 days at sea and nonstop activity made for a memorable family vacation. And my grandson kept busy with basketball, rock climbing, and ping-pong tournaments as we visited St. Maarten, Coco Cay, and St. Thomas.
Royal Caribbean's private island was a highlight of this cruise: white-sand beaches amidst a Windex-blue ocean. The island is approximately 1 mile long and half a mile wide—and surprisingly relaxing. I say that because by noon over 1,000 passengers had taken up loungers and flocked to the water and land sports, yet we didn't feel hemmed in at all.
We arrived by tender around 9am in the first group of passengers. From the ship, the tranquil golden island looked like something out of Robinson Crusoe, and once on the island, we were charmed by pretty pastel buildings housing the straw market, sports huts, and various food and beverage venues staffed by RCL personnel. There is no permanent habitation on the island aside from a handful of huts that house support staff during cruising months.
Formerly known as Little Stirrup Cay and located within the Berry Island chain on the eastern edge of the Grand Bahamas Banks, the island lives up to the brochure hype of a beach getaway. The splendid beaches form a golden arc, and while the ersatz castaway island lacks soul (as opposed to islands inhabited by locals), it is certainly a playground for Royal Caribbean passengers.
The designated snorkeling area is crystal-clear; small yellow fish can be seen as you enter the water. A short swim from the beach takes you to well-marked areas where fish congregate, and a red buoy marks the spot of a submerged Spanish Galleon replica, where the fish are plentiful and friendly thanks to a fish-feeding extravaganza. Toward the lifeguard platform, approximately 15 feet on the sandy bottom, lies a plane wreck. It was placed there to create an artificial reef, and close to the wreck are clusters of reef balls, schools of yellowtail, snapper, mangrove, flounder, and parrotfish.
We hiked around the island prior to snorkeling, and to our delight, once we passed the beach area, we left people behind. There is a marked nature trail, but we walked first along the edge of the water. Once we reached the beach head, we had to walk in the water, and pretty soon we came to a part where the rocks were high and ascending. We climbed up onto the path at the edge of the trees, where the nature trail meandered through dense woods. Along the way, we noted piles of beautiful conch shells and a myriad of pretty pink shells. On the trail we couldn't hear a soul, nor did we see many birds. Sheltered in thick foliage, it was hard to believe that less than half a mile away, thousands of passengers were descending upon the island.
