Tuesday, February 22, 2005: Coco Cay
The Sovereign of the Seas pulled alongside the petite island of Coco Cay some time in the wee hours of the morning, before Jennifer and I woke up. From that point forward, the crew began ferrying people by cutter boat over to the docking point.
A Twist On Yoga
As it had long been her dream to do yoga on a beach, Jennifer decided to go over to Coco Cay for a class being offered by one of the spa staff. I opted to hang around the room and take a leisurely shower. While she was gone, I occupied the rest of the time walking around the ship, taking a few pictures of both it and Coco Cay.
ABOVE: A view of the pool and fancy restaurant atop the highest of the Sovereign's decks.BELOW: A picture of one of the ferry boats that takes passengers over to Coco Cay.
Unfortunately, when she returned later, it was to dismally report that the yoga class really didn't pan out; apparently, one has to sign up for it in advance and have a towel, and in any case, only a couple of people showed up for it. Add to that, Jennifer felt the staff person was putting everyone out in the middle of the public beach, rather than a more shaded and secluded spot. Basically, her dream remained unfulfilled. :(
Coco Loco, Sweet And Juicy!At last, Jennifer and I both returned to Coco Cay. The water out there was amazing! Every scene of every movie about the Caribbean proved accurate. The waters were a bright teal but had darker green striations. It was so clear one might almost see to the bottom. No fish, unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, considering that the ocean has a very real possibility of sharks.
What you must understand about the island of Coco Cay is that it is privately owned by the cruise line. As such, it has sort of an amusement park feel to it, an "arranged" quality designed specifically for tourism. The beaches look like the sand was distributed and combed into shape, the rocks on the beach are stacked neatly to form a harbor and the trees look like they were planted in strategic locations to produce the most shade. We found it relatively pleasant, if somewhat contrived. There was a food buffet, which didn't cost anything extra, because it was included in our original cruise fee.
Drinks, of course, were another matter. We had been advised prior to leaving to try the infamous "coco loco," a fruity, rum-based drink for which Coco Cay is known. Although we purchased a couple at one of the local music-blaring open bars, the most memorable way to get them was from the hawker, who walked around with a tray of them, screaming out, "Coco Loco, sweet and juicy!" The word "juicy" was belted out in a voice about three octaves higher than everything else, producing a very comical sound that could be heard all the way across the island. You can hear the cryer in this video, if you listen closely at the end of it:
A Hodgepodge of Bodies on the Beach
Wherever you have beaches, you get the mix of people in bathing suits. Some are attractive and pleasing to the eye, others are tolerable and easy on the eye, and still others are horrors of cellulite and creases that arrest the eye and hold it prisoner in a hell of ocular awe. There were several such people, all blurry from the motion of wind flapping their unsightly parts. Fortunately, the cruise line had a "no Speedo" policy, and they supposedly had "fashion police" scouring the island for violators. Jennifer and I went conservative, figuring we weren't the worst looking people in the bunch, but our soft parts didn't necessarily need to be advertised either. She wore her bikini top and a pair of denim shorts, while I wore my traditional pants (yeah, yeah, I know), and a "wife-beater" shirt. We walked around the beach, but didn't want to jump in the water. Jennifer and I really aren't ocean swimmers, plus the water was pretty damn cold, according to Jennifer. She couldn't resist sticking her feet in.
Gilligan's IslandThe sticky-sweetness of the Coco Loco drink started to make me feel a bit queasy after awhile, so we sought somewhere to rest. We ultimately found a couple of adjacent hammocks facing out toward the sea, with the Sovereign bulking against the horizon. After floundering in them like a drunken spider on a kattiwompus web, we finally settled in and read for awhile. Eventually, the sun got hot and we frankly got a bit bored. Neither of us is really a "beach lounger” and our respective tolerances for inactivity shows through after awhile. That was when we decided to return to the ship.
Marta's Mighty Mitts of Steel
One benefit of being newlyweds, the ship had a few offers specific to that occasion. We had a packet in our room advertising a newlywed spa treatment, one that included his and her upper body Swedish massage and 25 minutes in a dry water flotation bed. Although it was still $160, it was probably a $230 value, so we decided we only live once and may as well experience it.
So, Jennifer and I went from the gym to the spa, where we signed the paperwork and went back to meet Marta, our Filipino masseuse. She had both Jennifer and I strip down to our undergarments, then put me on the bed under a blanket and Jennifer in the tank. For the next 25 minutes, she rubbed hot oil on my back and tortured me exquisitely, kneading my muscles from neck down to kidneys. The woman used everything from her fingers, to palms to thumbs, to freaking hardass elbows to break up my tension spots. At one point, I nearly screamed. It was a beautiful experience. Afterward, she stuffed me in the floating dry tank, where I luxuriated in semi-conscious trance-like bliss, most likely falling asleep for a time, while she rolled Jennifer out like bread dough too. At the end, Marta told me that she was amazed by how many hard knots existed around my scapula. I guess I had the triggerpoints of a lifetime buried in there.
Like the spa deal, the Sovereign had other events specific to newlyweds. One such gathering was at Bolero's, where they had a live band with piano and cello rendering music out on the dance floor. Jennifer and I didn't really want to get that involved in things, but we figured they might give away a few free drinks, which they did. Granted, it was mimosas, which are orange juice mixed with champagne, but what do you expect when you don't pay anything? The crew also gave out some prizes and other such cheesy stuff, though we didn't win anything.
The Sovereign hosted a huge theatre, with two decks worth of seating. Jennifer had her heart set on watching one of the live shows, and I admit I attended reluctantly. By the end, though, when they were performing songs I could remember (including Thriller), I was really enjoying things. Alas, I had to venture to the restroom at one point, because I wanted to be able to concentrate when they got to the 1990s. When I got back, the show had ended. Apparently, the 1980s were as far as they went. :-/
By the end of Day #2, we were exhausted but quite fulfilled.
NEXT: The Sovereign of the Seas delivers the Thornberries to Nassau, Bahamas.
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