We do indeed arrive on time at 8am. There are three ships already in the very large port, which would probably be accommodating six at this time of year if it weren’t for the pandemic. The first we see is a small tanker, the MV Selasse. This is essentially a cruise ship port, but we do see some old infrastructure that Steve guesses was used to load sugar on to bulk ships.
The other two ships are the Cunard cruise ship MS Queen Victoria and the Regent MS Seven Seas Splendor. We are given Berth 2, the one closest to the Cruise Terminal. In his last announcement, when the captain announced our time of arrival in Bridgetown, he told us we had the closest berth and joked that “it pays to have these connections.” In such a large cruise terminal area, it really does save hundreds of steps.
We do not have very ambitious plans today. This is our second visit to Barbados, the first being in January of 2018 on the ATW Cruise. At that time, we had a very comprehensive tour of the island, so we are going to act like cruisers rather than tourists today. All we have booked is a trip to a beach for the afternoon.
The morning is spent lounging around. Steve is chronically behind in writing in his blog and editing photographs, and spends the morning pursuing that. Cathy, the voracious reader, has been devouring almost a book a day taken from the ship’s very nice library. For the first time ever, we are spending time on the Pool Deck, lying on very comfortable terrycloth-covered chaises – out of the direct sun.
Quick aside: we remain amazed at how many people – people in their sixties and seventies, even – spend hours at a time soaking up the direct rays of the sun. Hey, that’s certainly their business, but whew, that Caribbean sun is strong!
We disembark the ship around noon and meet our bus. Our driver’s name is Chris, a really happy, friendly guy. A tour employee gives us a canned lecture, with Chris interrupting her to say we can ignore a couple of her instructions. This puts everyone in a jolly frame of mind for the 20-minute ride through Bridgetown on our way to Harbour Lights Beach.
Chris gives us a running commentary. As we motor through the town, we slow at an intersection as our driver announces: “I am about to show you a sign none of you have seen in many years,” and he points to his left. Lo and behold, we see a sign for a Woolworth’s store!
A few minutes later, he cites a statistic that brings laughter from everyone on the bus: “Barbados has 365 churches … (pause) … and an equal number of rum shops.” A minute later, he adds: “And you will find the churches and rum shops near one another. We like to keep both our spirits close.” Not another thirty seconds later, we drive by a large church and Chris points to a rum shop within a hundred yards, saying “See what I mean?”
He has kept the entire tour in a very upbeat mood, as we arrive at Harbour Lights. It is a resort, of sorts, although, from what we see, a very low key one. We are greeted and led through a building, offered a rum punch or fruit juice drink on our way toward the beach. Our excursion includes that drink, as well as a beach chair and a beach umbrella for each person. We cannot imagine spending the afternoon without these. There is a very pleasant breeze, but the temperature is well into the 80s and the sun, although occasionally blocked by clouds, is blazing.
The beach chairs and umbrellas are in two lines, with the umbrellas almost touching one another. We beat feet to be among the first to be on the beach in order to find some privacy. We park ourselves not far from a local family: mom, dad, a couple of kids and … two dogs. Everyone is having a rockin’ good time, and the dogs are under leash and well-behaved. It isn’t a quiet scene, but it is fun to watch this family enjoying themselves so much. And the dogs attract a lot of attention from other guests.
We relax for the next three hours. At the top of each hour, bells ring from a nearby church announcing the time, which is actually quite handy. Our departure is set for 4:15, so when we hear four bells, we walk back to the bar area, change our clothes and head out to find the bus. That is not really difficult, as this picture of it will attest. Everybody is on board a few minutes early, so we take off. One guest has requested another drive by the Woolworth sign for a photo op, and Chris cheerfully fulfills. Then it’s back to the ship. A nice afternoon comes to a close.
We both shower upon our return to the room, enjoy the canapes Arun has delivered, and decide to eat at the Grand Dining Room (which Cathy now refers to as the GDR). Right at 6:30pm, as we are about to depart for dinner, the captain comes on with an announcement. It is unusual to hear from him at this time of day, so we immediately sense that something is up.
Unfortunately, we are correct. He announces that our visit to Grenada is canceled. He is vague as to why, but, of course, but he says it has to with Covid. Either Grenada has said not to come, or Oceania has decided that an increase in Covid cases on Grenada makes it risky. We never find out why, and it really doesn’t matter. Cathy is disappointed because this is the best island to shop for spices, which are grown in profusion there. Steve is disappointed because Grenada treats Americans like royalty because the USA militarily forced Cuban insurgents off the island in the 1980’s and helped restore an independent and free government. But a visit there is not to be.
Shortly, we get another harbinger of changes to come. All passengers were to have gotten another Covid test tomorrow morning in preparation of our visit to St. Vincent on the 22nd. That requirement has been canceled, although no reason is given. Putting two and two together, Cathy suspects that our visit to that island is in jeopardy. Steve readily agrees.
The new plan, at this hour, is that our ship, rather than departing at 6:00pm as planned, will remain in port until 6:30pm tomorrow. The gangway will be open until midnight tonight, in case passengers want to venture into Bridgetown for the evening. Around 8pm, the captain announces that we will be moving 500 meters away from the cruise pier, losing our coveted Berth 2 location. Regent cruise ship Seven Seas Splendor leaves, and the Cunard Queen Victoria leaves to anchor outside of the port.
Steve and Cathy immediately think of the chaos ensuing at Destination Services on Deck 5. They will be scrambling to find excursions for tomorrow. Not an easy task on such short notice, although they are somehow able to work miracles in situations like this.
We are now at the Grand Dining Room, and the conversation naturally revolves around the changes that continue to happen due to Omicron. Oh, well. If having a visit to some Caribbean islands is the worst consequence we face, we are way luckier than most. Definitely a first-world problem about which we should have no complaints. And we don’t.
