MANTA RAYS AND DOLPHINS, OH MY

          Well, I’ve used up everything I wrote previously, so now we’ll see if I’m able to actually post something Every. Single. Day. I seriously hope I will have enough to think about, experience, and share with y’all going forward. So, to begin with a brand-new post I’m writing just for Wednesday.

          This past Monday I took up the brochure I printed out that described the shore excursions available on my Caribbean cruise. Yesterday (Tuesday), I called and made reservations for the ones I want. I seriously wanted a lot of them, but my credit card is ever so grateful that too many of them began around the same time. So, interested in what I’m going to do…hope so.

          Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas – I’ll explore Half Moon Cay’s undersea world aboard a new, fully enclosed, air-conditioned, glass-bottom boat. The write up sounds terrific, and I’ll get an opportunity to see different species of corals, fish and other marine life. The helpful crew will tell us tales about Half Moon Cay and identify points of interest in the area. That’s the morning. I’ve reserved a Manta Sun Shelter for the afternoon so I can sit on a beach of powdery white sand and swim in the turquoise water.

          In Grand Turk, Turks and Caicos, I signed up for the Reef Snorkel and Stingray Safari. I’ve never snorkeled before, but the crew will provide gear and instructions. After snorkeling the reef, we’ll go to the “stingray playground.” There, the wild, but gentle (I’ll try not to think of Steve Irwin.) Atlantic rays will allow me to stroke their soft bodies and play with them in their own territory.

          Arrival at Amber Cove, Dominican Republic will provide me with a Dolphin Encounter and Ocean World Day Pass. The brochure says I’ll get to touch, kiss and feed these gentle animals in waist-deep water. Seriously, I’ve always wanted to be with a dolphin and here’s the possibility of being with more than one. There are other opportunities at Ocean World including a walk through a rain forest, seeing the dolphin, shark, sea lion and tropical bird shows…I don’t know if I’ll actually get to see all of the shows, but I’m surely going to try.

          I didn’t make any arrangements for visiting Key West. I’ve been there with my family and will try to go ashore and wander around, but if that doesn’t work out, it’s perfectly fine.

          In Fort Lauderdale, I signed up for the Land and Sea Excursion which includes transfer to the airport…the transfer is the main reason I signed up for this. I could have signed up for the pub crawl, but 10:00 am is just a tad too early for me to begin imbibing. It doesn’t take much and who knows, I might have forgot where I was and when I needed to get to the airport.

          It does look as though I may have some afternoons free after the morning excursions, plus we have two days of cruising, but I have an email that will provide me with information on what’s available aboard the ship. I haven’t looked at it yet…it may be a topic for another post.

          I think my anxiety about this, my first trip as a widow, is being diminished by the excitement I’m beginning to feel. Sheesh, I leave in only nine days!!!