Tuesday, Day 4, was uneventful. It was a travel day listed as a "Fun Day at Sea". You could take in as many or as few shipboard activities as you wished. We sat on the balcony, read, and wandered the ship in the morning. In the afternoon, we took in the ice sculpture demonstration on the Lido deck. It was a relatively quiet and uneventful day as we cruised toward Grand Cayman Island.
Day 5, we arrived in Grand Cayman. We took a "Tender" shuttle (water taxi) from the ship to the dock. The only thing Chris wanted to attempt in Grand Cayman was para-sailing. Yes, woe is me...she's really that adventuresome. When we arrived at the Royal Palms Beachfront, we received bad news. Because of the weather conditions (strong wind and rain), all water related activities ranging from para-sailing to swimming with stingrays had been cancelled for safety reasons.
We wandered the beach awhile, spent a little while wandering the shopping area, and caught a tender back to ship. Chris was in a "I so hate this cruise" mode. I was feeling tired...but Ocho Rios...Jamacia is tomorrow. Maybe we can fit in para-sailing then.
We were up on Lido deck for a late lunch when we departed Grand Cayman. The ship had picked up speed and we were on our way to Jamacia. Suddenly, the ship took a severe tilting turn. The ocean looked like a tidal wave because of the angle of the ship. Then it angled to the other side. All of a sudden, we began to hear crashes as dishes and utensils slid to the deck with loud pops and crashes. Water sloshed from the swimming pool onto the deck.
We knew from an old episode of The Nanny to look at the crew. If they were unconcerned, you didn't have to be concerned. We were shocked to see a "What the heck just happened?" look on their face. At that moment, the Captain came on the intercom. Someone had reported seeing something or as was feared someone fall overboard. He had to initiate an immediate figure eight turn to get back to the position to begin a search.
We went back to our cabin. I decided to wander the ship a bit. We weren't going anywhere until the search was complete. There was relief when the victim was found to be an inflatable plastic monkey. Someone with another group on the ship had a "good luck monkey charm" taped to their balcony. The strong winds had ripped it loose and caused it to fly overboard.
However, the ship couldn't begin its journey to Jamaica until it was verified that all crew and passengers were still on board. As all fans of mystery fiction can attest, it's easy to create a diversion to provide cover for another crime. It took 3-4 hours to check that all crew and passengers were safe and sound.
We were way behind schedule so it was full speed ahead for Jamaica. It was a choppier ride but the lost time was made up and we arrived in Ocho Rios, Jamaica on schedule.
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