On Monday, we arrived at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. This location belongs to the cruise lines so there is no option for third party excursions. After our average continental breakfast on the ship, we disembarked on the first shuttle boat to the island to claim our cabana. By renting the cabana, we had a specific place to hang out on the beach, nicer lounge chairs, some float rafts and snacks. The water was warm, clear and the waves were light. We hung out on the beach until it was time for the stingray experience on the other side of the island.

The stingray area is a safe area for the stingrays that live there. Many are rescues, having been injured by other creatures and nursed back to health. The first part of the experience included some snorkeling where we could see the stingrays and some of the live coral living in the enclosure. The second part allowed us to pet the stingrays and feed them. Feeding them was a rather cool experience — it felt a bit like putting your hand over the end of a vacuum cleaner as they sucked the piece of fish or squid from your hand!

We finished the afternoon at the cabana before returning to the ship for our 4:00 pm departure. Upon our return to our room, we found our first towel animal! We showered off the salt and sand, and most of us took a nap. We opted for pizza for dinner then Phil and I watched the sun set from the back deck of the ship. We ended the evening with Ronnie Ballard’s PG comedy show.

Today’s drinks included a margarita, a Bahama Mama, and a Screw LooZe.