Shore Leave: Two Crew, One Ship and a Race Against Time

In the spirit of the holidays, this posting is something a bit different. What follows is pure fiction. Hope you enjoy it.

Holly was determined to go. No matter what her mother said. Yet, she still dreaded The Conversation. She planned the timing carefully and as her mother darted her eyes from her cookbook to the stove, Holly began, “Ma, I got a job on a cruise ship.”

The rest came out in a breathless rush of rationale. She was picked from 200 applicants to run the children’s program on the Neptune, a new ship sailing the Caribbean…it would bring in some money…look good on her resume…get her out of the Boston winter…

 

Then she paused ever so briefly—so it wouldn’t look rehearsed—and jumped back in with her strongest argument. “Besides, the school laid me off ‘cause it was broke. The whole district’s got problems, so who’s going to give me another teaching job?”

What she didn’t tell her mother is that working on a ship wouldn’t hurt her social life, either. And right now, at 32 years old, spending her days in her fraying PJs, robotically combing the job boards, her social life could hardly be worse.

There were, of course, objections to counter. And Holly tried, “Family members get a discount.”

Her mother shrugged, but then changed the subject. Holly was so relieved that she didn’t hear another word her mother said for half an hour.

Once onboard the Neptune, Holly knew she made the right decision. Though she worked long hours and never seemed to get enough sleep, she still liked the work better than teaching.

To her, the ship was a pumping, pulsating organ, shooting adrenalin from the crew’s I-95 at the bottom of the ship to the gleaming guest disco at the top. She awoke each morning with new excitement that still anything was possible.

 And her social life improved. After a few weeks on the ship, she began seeing one of the junior officers, Nigel Woods, a quiet and steady Brit. Like so many others cultivated in the petri dish that was the Neptune, theirs was an improbable romance. His family was listed in Burke’s Peerage. Hers came to the U.S. in steerage. He was Church of England. She was Temple of Sinai.

It didn’t matter that Nigel wasn’t religious. Holly’s mother, the daughter of a cantor, would never speak to her again if she knew.

Yet the couple continued to squeeze bits of time out of their hectic days to meet. But as they both had roommates, they had little chance to be alone. 

At last, the couple was able to get an afternoon off together while the ship was docked in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. To celebrate, Nigel suggested splurging for a room in one of the nicer hotels in town. Holly couldn’t wait.

When the day finally came, she traded her regulation khakis and navy blue top for a red and orange flowing skirt and peasant top, and pulled up her thick brown hair in a ponytail. She met Nigel at the gangway with a light step and big smile, and they took their place on line with guests waiting to get off the ship.

“Remember, crew are due back onboard at 5 p.m.—an hour before sailing and half hour before the guests,” said the security guard sternly, as he checked the couple’s ID cards. Then he met Holly’s eyes, winked and whispered, “Have fun.”

Though she’d never been to St. Thomas, Holly was content to go straight from the ship to the hotel. Now standing at the front desk next to Nigel as he checked them in, she dreamily felt like a wife. She could hardly remember the long, hot walk from the Crown Bay pier. It felt like she had floated there.

In case they fell asleep, Nigel asked the young desk clerk to call them at 3:30 p.m. and they made their way to their room. They ordered food and wine but after a few bites and sips, abandoned their spread to instead savor each other’s company.

Nigel was the first to fall asleep. He lay on his back, breathing softly. Holly smiled tenderly at his unlined face—he looked as if he had not a care in the world. So different than onboard the Neptune, when his face often showed what he didn’t express.

Soon Holly followed Nigel into sleep. It was a heavy, deep, dreamless sleep, unlike any she had since leaving home. And when she finally awoke, she was at first confused, and then the memory of the last few hours came streaming back. She looked over to Nigel, who was now on his stomach. With blond hair and fair skin, tall and lean, Nigel was her Adonis, she thought as she watched him. And what a nice, kind man he was. If her mother would only give him a chance.

When she at last looked away, she noticed the sunlight that had pierced through the blinds and illuminated the room when they first arrived was now gone. In a panic, she reached for her watch from the nightstand and brought it up to her face.

She made a small gasp. “Nigel, Nigel, get up!” Holly said, as she shook his shoulder. “The clerk never called. The ship’s leaving in 20 minutes!”

“Huh?” said Nigel, blinking a few times.

Holly had already jumped out of bed, and was climbing into her skirt. “It’s 5:40—we were supposed to be back more than a half hour ago. Now we may miss it completely! Nigel, hurry!”

Now fully awake, Nigel bolted out of bed and darted around the room like a frightened rabbit, grabbing his strewn clothing.

As the two frantically dressed, a mile and a half away, back on the Neptune, the PA system boomed again and again, “Crew members Holly Baum and Nigel Woods, please call 233.”

Nigel put on his running shoes and looked at his watch. “It’s going to be close, Holly. Are you ready?”

Once out of the building, the couple ran through the parking lot and onto the street. Nigel stopped abruptly, and thrust his hand into the pocket of his shorts.

“What?” Holly said.

“My wallet. I must have left it in the room.”

Without a word, the couple ran back to the hotel. Nigel got the key from the desk clerk while Holly stayed in the lobby. Left alone, her anxiety grew. What if they missed the ship? Even if they could catch up with it at the next port, they would be immediately dismissed. How could she face her mother? She fought back the tears as she saw Nigel approaching. He jerked his head toward the door without pausing and with his long stride, Holly had to run to catch up with him.

Check back next Friday for the conclusion of “Shore Leave.”

15 Shades of Blue

Think of the Caribbean and you think blue, right? In fact, there are many “shades” of blue when you cruise the Caribbean Sea. 

Blue is the color of:

1. Your passport—Don’t leave home without it! And be sure it doesn’t expire within six months of your trip.
2. The sky above your balcony—With no powerlines to obstruct your view, the sky seems bluer, bigger, bolder. And if you’re headed for the ABCs (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), you’ll see more of that blue sky than anywhere else. Aruba gets only 16 inches a year of rain; compare that to 46 for New York.

   

   The sky seems bluer, bigger and bolder from your balcony
3. The water below your boat—If you’ve never cruised the Caribbean, know this: those photos you’ve seen are real. The waters of Bonaire, St. Maarten, and the U.S. Virgin Island gems of St. Croix and St. John are just that blue, just that clear, just that calm.

   

   Blue as far as you can "sea" in Bonaire 

4. The resorts the lines call their own—Carnival’s private resorts of Princess Cays (Bahamas) and Mahogany Bay (Roatan), and Royal Caribbean’s Labadee (Haiti) boast blue hue water that’s tranquil and see-through, perfect for swimming, sunning and snorkeling. And when your ship comes in, you (and your 2,000-6,000 fellow travelers) get the resort all to yourself.

   

   Calm and comfortably cool is the blue water at Princess Cays

5. The pools of port—Three neat port pools that come immediately to mind are at Grand Turk, Costa Maya and Carnival’s newest resort in the Dominican Republic, Amber Cove. These three pools are big, with plenty of room for making a splash.

   

   A part of the vast winding pool of Amber Cove

6.  The flags of Barbados and Curaçao—Barbados in the Eastern Caribbean and Curaçao in the South—both great ports to visit—use blue as the primary color of their national flags, to reflect the sea and the sky.
7.  The iguana of Grand Cayman—This blue lizard, according to Wikipedia, is a special variety found in Grand Cayman and is on the endangered list. In fact, the only one we saw on our visit was this guy below:
   
8. The cobblestones of old San Juan—Pull into port in San Juan and you’re just a few steps away from cobblestones made from adoquine, a blue stone cast originally brought over on Spanish ships.
   
9. The logos of the lines—Not surprisingly, the mermaid, ship, anchor and X logos of Princess, Holland America, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are all blue.
10. Curaçao’s namesake liquid—Made from local oranges, with a little help from food coloring, curaçao liqueur is unmistakable in its color and squat round bottles.

    

    
    

11. The delft and faux delft trinkets of the ABCs—Browse the tourist shops of the Dutch isles of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao to find some of the real hand-painted stuff, but more of the mass-produced kind. These are inexpensive, and make great Christmas tree ornaments, magnets and collectibles.

    

    Mass-produced delft, but that everyone can afford

12. Larimar—The lovely baby blue stone is from the Dominican Republic, but sold on many of the islands at a very reasonable price (note that they vary in quality). We picked up good quality earrings in St. Thomas’ Charlotte Amalie for about $40.
13. The female cruiser—What cruising woman can resist a shirt with blue-and-white stripes in classic nautical style (or “nausical” as one retailer calls it). Navy blue, says Wikipedia, got its name from the dark blue uniforms traditionally worn by many navies around the world.
14. That sign that it will come to an end—Alas, blue is also the color of the Customs card that appears on your bed—sometimes as early as the second day of the trip.
15. My mood…when it’s all over.

Still Life: Caribbean Love, Humanity and Pride in Marble and Bronze

We certainly didn’t expect to see little Anne Frank in the middle of the Caribbean.

Anne Frank in Aruba: forever the optimist. 

And yet, there she was, in Aruba’s Oranjestad, in Wilhelmina Park, reflecting the island’s Dutch heritage and an enduring symbol of its commitment to tolerance. The peaceful, tropical park is right downtown, and a quick and easy walk from the cruise pier.

The bronze statue by Netherlands artist Joep Coppens shows Anne with hands bound, looking hopefully toward the sky.

Her pedestal is engraved with an inspiring quote from her diary: “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” See more on the statue at Visit Aruba.com.

In fact, there are other great statues on the islands that commemorate love, family, pride of home and the triumph of man’s humanity. Keep your eye out for these:

A call for freedom in St. Croix—A former slave is depicted in bronze by artist Bright Bimpong celebrating emancipation by blowing through a conch shell. Below the bust is a simple inscription on marble: “Freedom.” You can see the statue in the Emancipation Gardens, just off the ship in Frederiksted, in the U.S. Virgin Island of St. Croix, a laid-back St. Thomas sibling with a promenade along its glass-like clear waters.

Love in St. Lucia—This startlingly lovely bronze statue in Castries shows a couple in an affectionately warm embrace. The Bank of St. Lucia commissioned island native son Ricky George in 1997 to create this piece named “The Aftermath,” which can be found in front of the Bank of St. Lucia on Bridge Street.

A sweet reminder of what life is all about in St. Lucia.

Celebration of a nation in San Juan. In the Paseo de la Princesa in Old San Juan, five or six blocks from the cruise pier (make a left, then take the promenade along the water), you’ll come across a stirring and powerful fountained monument to the birth of Puerto Rico. The Raices Fountain, constructed in bronze in 1992 by Spanish artist Luis Sanguino, is framed by the bay and on this particular day (see photo below), made even more moving with the help of some dramatic clouds.

Spanish-American pride in San Juan.

Note that the walk along the ancient wall near the fountain has a pretty little garden with other interesting statues—both patriotic and whimsical.

The Queens’ reign over Charlotte Amalie. The trek up the 99 steps to Blackbeard’s Castle in St. Thomas’ Charlotte Amalie is well worth it—whether or not you actually go inside. Outside the castle walls are gorgeous gardens of colorful tropical foliage, its center crowned by The Three Queens, a bronze sculpture commemorating three former female slaves who led a revolt against the Danish government in 1878 on nearby St. Croix. Richard Hallier created the statue in 2005.

The fight against slavery, a panorama of the sea in Charlotte Amalie.

While you’re there, you’ll enjoy a sweeping view of the Charlotte Amalie harbor, and you might just also see your cruise ship.

Then, wander the gardens to see other almost-hidden surprises, like Hallier’s Disneyesque statue of the girl and her birds.

In bronze, as in nature--the beauty of the Virgin Islands.

Musing’s Top Tip: For other fun things to watch for at the ports, see the posting, Watch for the Signs—How the Ports Tease and Tempt You.

What Terrifies the Cruise Director and Scares the Pants Off the Rest of Us

I think most of us would agree that people-watching is a pleasure of the highest order on a cruise. It provides endless amusement and fodder for conversation. The antics of The Quest, the shockers of Love and Marriage, the laughs of the Sexiest Man, and on and on.

But sometimes, watching what people do is positively bewildering. Please, please, please, don’t do this on a cruise:

Ask if you can do a backflip on the ice with the ice show’s star skater for the camera. Unless you want to see the cruise director grow pale with visions of lawsuits dancing in his head.

Pick up a wild iguana at the Crown Bay pier in Charlotte Amalie to show off for your friends.

Cute and cuddly?

Unless you want your fellow cruisers to spend the rest of their trip fighting off salmonella.

Be so “photoblivious” that you step in the middle of the street to take a photo and ignore the cars trying to pass around you. Unless you want to try out the Caribbean medical system.

Play dodge-the-hand sanitizer man. Unless you want to spend two days of your cruise throwing up and quarantined.

As the comedians say, “You can’t make this stuff up.” It all happened on my Allure of the Seas cruise just a few weeks ago.