WHALES GREET US OFF THE COAST OF DOMINICA!

 Dominica

Sunday, April 3, 2022

85F and sunny

Today we arrived in Dominica, an island country of the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea. It lies between the French islands of Guadeloupe and Marie-Galante to the north and Martinique to the south. The country has been a member of the British Commonwealth since independence in 1978.  The island is 29 miles long and has a maximum breadth of 16 miles. The capital and chief port is Roseau. It is an island that was created by volcanic action. Dominica has a number of active volcanoes, although eruptions are rare. 

Dominica has a pleasant climate, particularly during the cooler months from December to March. Summer temperatures reach an average high of 90 °F. Winter temperatures are not much lower, the average high being anywhere from 84 to 86 °F.

The population is mainly of African descent, with some Europeans, people from the Indian subcontinent, and Caribs. Dominica is the only island with a relatively large and distinctive group of Carib Indians, descendants of the people who inhabited the island before European colonization.  Population is about 71,991 (2020).   https://www.britannica.com/place/Dominica

TK and Donna booked a whale watching tour through Princess because the island government is basically only accepting passengers ashore for Princess tours or tours approved by the island—because of Covid.

We were on the whale boat by 9:30 a.m., headed out further into the Caribbean. The captain explained safety protocol and told us there were no guarantees.  By the time we reached the area where whales might be, we were experiencing 10-12 ft. waves. That means heavy seas! Fortunately TK and I have Bonine in our “tool box” and we were OK. The whaleboat crew offered ginger hard candy.  Some passengers were queasy-but we were OK.

Of course the whales appeared on the other side of the boat, but after awhile the captain took off for another area and we saw whales on our side. These were sperm whales. Donna caught a photo of a spout. I kept thinking of the book I read, The Perfect Storm.

Our whale watch boat for the day

TK and Janie on the whale watch boat

Donna snapped a good photo!

Sperm whale blow--starboard side

Donna's photo

Sperm whale breech-starboard side

Donna's photo

Two sperm whales -- port side

Janie's photo

 Lawrence said he was never going on a small boat again, but we all survived and returned to shore.  Shopping was very limited because of the strict island policy, but there were several vendors and Donna and I spotted some homemade items to purchase that truly reflected the island’s beauty.

After Dinner-

We have been spending at least two hours at dinner which is much better than the 10 minutes we usually spend. That might be a little exaggeration but not by much.

Tonight I had the potato gnocchi with tomato sauce as my entree, the best meal so far for me.  As I have mentioned many times before, plainer food is best for me. TK has modified his eating, but tonight it seemed like he and Lawrence had one appetizer after another. Shrimp cocktail, Cobb salad, and bay scallop cocktail for TK. Portions are not huge, but that seemed to take hours.

Dessert choices tonight included sea salted caramel pot de crème, floating islands  in vanilla sauce(actually meringue), sugar free coconut cake, and mignardises (small assorted cookies). On part of the menu offered every night there was Princess Love Boat Dream (chocolate mousse on brownie), chocoholic cheesecake, French vanilla bean crème brulee, create your own sundae, brie and gouda cheese, and sweet & nutritious fruits.  I had the crème brulee. TK had the pot de crème.

Other things about the ship

The Medallion App—we installed the Medallion app on each of our phones. Since TK had uploaded our passports, vax cards, and so on, that was used for boarding the ship.

Janie's Medallion

(The actual medallion is the circle part. Mine is encased in a

 plastic case we received on our last cruise in 2020--then I paid $3 for the 

Caribbean "frame" to place around it)

Instead of a plastic key card, we have a “medallion” to wear around our neck (or buy a clip or a wrist band). As soon as we approach our stateroom, the door unlocks and the lights inside are turned on. We can use our phone to order our Diet Coke (we purchased the soda package) from anywhere on the ship and it is delivered to us.  The server knows who to look for and where.  

We can check the dinner menu and the daily schedule on our phone app.  I can locate TK anywhere on the ship (and vice versa of course) through the phone app. I can also hit “guide me there” and the phone app will guide me to where TK is. No hiding!  Since we and Donna and Lawrence allowed each other to share, we can find them too.

We must use the medallions as we leave the ship and board again, just as we did with the plastic key. The ship personnel needs to know when one leaves or reboards.  There is still a security conveyer belt that scans our bags as we reembark.

If I did not say this before, everyone boarding the ship in Fort Lauderdale had to be Covid vaccinated- and everyone also had to take a rapid Covid test with negative results  3 days before boarding the ship. Masks must be worn inside the ship, but not on the outside decks. However, passengers do seem to be lax about this. All crew members are wearing masks all the time.

So far, TK   is tired after dinner, but I always have a book and my laptop!