Time For Some Warm Salt Water Travel

I'm going to borrow a line from Jimmy Buffett; It's Christmas and
my birthday and so to that extent . .

My birthday is not on Christmas day, but the November trip was based on that event. And there was a zero involved. Most don't realize how badly this fouls my brain.

Did not break out the camera until the 3rd day of the trip. With weather going awry in Punta Cana DR, our captain opted for Semana, Dominican Republic. It's a sleepy little island town like many we have seen in the Caribbean previously. We were the only ship in port. I'm not sure Semana could handle a 2nd cruise ship.

 Early morning & the Promenade deck was all my own.

If you fall overboard at sea, don't expect the Coast Guard to come looking for you. Should someone realize you went over the side, this is the boat that will come looking for you while the ship continues on.

 As said before, it was early in the morning. Those who were awake were in the buffet overeating. The deck crew already had the main pool area ready for a day of sun-baking and lounging. 

 A bit of information about tropical weather. This photo was taken 5 minutes before . . . . .
 

 . . . these clouds rolled in. 5 minutes after that, the sun was back. Typical for the little latitudes. No big deal.

 

One can see the shower coming. Note the before & after version of the ship. When the shower came upon us, we simply waited under an overhang along the waterfront.

 

 

A few photos along the waterfront. Semana has a lovely waterfront walkway. Like a lot of the passengers from the ship, we walked the distance of the waterfront then turned around & headed back to the Oosterdam.

 

Local life on de' island. Notice the lady riding side saddle on the motorbike. How many infractions would that be if in the US?

 Tilted to the side with a goofy grin on my face. And no alcohol . . . . .yet.

 Lush & gorgeous vegetation in the tropics. Keep in mind this was November. Meets my approval.

After a foray into town, life on board resumed as normal.

For all you security minded types out there. Take note of the tiny boat with 2 people aboard. It slowly puttered circles around the ship during our stay. Sign on the side of the boat: Port Security.

Met a lot of nice people aboard. We all were happy to be in the islands.
Next up: Key West, Florida. A location that definitely meets my approval.