Montego Bay, Jamaica

After a relaxing day at Sea, the Emerald Princess docked at Montego Bay, Jamaica.  Bob and I had planned to just walk off the ship and find an excursion being offered by the locals.  To our surprise, we were not allowed to leave the port without a tour.  So we quickly returned to the excursion desk and booked a tour to swim with the dolphins.  Fortunately, we made it just in time for the tour to depart.  We really had no idea exactly what this tour included, but it ended up being our favorite shore excursion of this cruise. We climbed aboard a bus and headed to Dolphin Cove.

Ad we entered the cove, we could see lots of dolphins in the water looking anxious for something to happen.  The anticipation grew as we put on lifejackets and placed our personal belongings in a locker.  Before we knew it, a dolphin show was going on in the bay.  Those of us who had elected to swim with the dolphins (our group had about 10 people) were guided down a path and into the bay. That's when the fun began, as one by one, each of us were given various activities to do with a dolphin. We were grateful that photos were being taken as we did so. It was thrilling to touch, dance, cuddle and then swim on the belly of these gentle creatures.  It was an experience that we never dreamed possible with so many restrictions on interaction with wildlife these days.

It was amazing just how fast the dolphins were able to propel us across the bay.  After two exhilarating rides, our experience was over - much too quickly!  We loaded back onto the bus and were driven to a beautiful private beach where we enjoyed lunch and drinks. Just look at that fine white sand and gorgeous blue sea!

All too soon, we were back on board the ship, where Bob continued to soak up some sun while I snapped pictures of the beautiful port as we sailed away.

I couldn't help but chuckle that the one port which we felt had little to offer in the way of excursions, ended up being such a fun place to be!  I couldn't have wished for a sweeter ending to our cruise.  We had just one more lazy day at sea, before arriving back to Port Everglades and flying home.

Limon, Costa Rica

Limon, Costa Rica was our tropical port for the day on Monday, January 24.  Limon is located on the east coast, nearly opposite of where we were in Quepos (on the west coast), with my brothers and their wives in March of 2019.  From the port, we walked to a small park where the locals were happy to point out their resident mother and baby sloth in the treetops. I'll be the first to admit that I didn't see much more than a ball of fur.

Bob and I had booked a tour that would take us on an eco river boat cruise on the Tortuguero Canal followed by a ride on the historic banana plantation railroad. We were pleasantly surprised at the variety of wildlife we saw while floating down the river. Of course, the sloth and the caiman were what caused the most excitment. We also saw spider monkeys swinging through the trees (no photo).

After a short break with fresh fruit and Yuquitos cassava chips, we were off to board a historic, recently restored car of the open-air train that has facilitated Costa Rica’s banana industry for decades. This experience ended up being about a 45-minute leisurely ride though the banana plantations and jungles along the coast of the Limon province.

During the bus ride portions of our tour, I was able to take photos of the area.  Limon is not nearly as developed of as touristy as what we experienced on the west coast.  Bob and I had a little extra time to wander around the town before boarding the ship.  I concluded that this area has a laid back simple vibe, providing a comfortable life for the locals.