Cruise Log: Day 7

It was a relaxing morning at sea. We didn't dock at our destination until 1:00, so we had the morning to hang out. Alayna & I did some wicked line dancing {which was difficult with the boat a rockin'} & we just hung out, played games, tried out a new cologne {Matt liked to go to one of the shops on the boat at least twice a day to try all the different colognes}, and got ready for the exciting day ahead.

We docked at Grand Turk, capitol of the Turks & Caicos Islands. The ocean was unreal. I could not believe the color and the clarity of the water {I sound like I'm talking about diamonds....}. It was the most amazing shades of turquoise and blue. UN.REAL. Our excursion didn't begin for a few hours, so we explored the shops, checked out Margaritaville {I think there were people who just hung out there all day. They had a pool & everything}, and enjoyed the atmosphere.

We did the reef & ray excursion which was a total blast! First, we boarded a boat that took us out to a reef where we got to snorkel. This was my first time snorkeling, and I felt a little clueless & wondered if I could actually breathe through the contraption. But after a quick lesson I jumped in & didn't look back. It was amazing. I could have stayed out there for hours. I wasn't the least bit afraid of a shark sneaking up behind me {unlike Matt}, though I was worried about bumping into the other people at first. It was SO cool to see all the coral and beautiful fish. We got to snorkel for about 30 minutes {waaay too short!} and then got back in the boat to head to our second destination.

Our next stop took us to a beachy area. As the boat got into more shallow water, I could see gray shadows in the water. Hundreds of them. Swimming around. We'd reached the "ray" part of our adventure.

I got off the boat, stood on the beach for a second trying to remember how to do the "stingray shuffle", and walked into the water. There were stingray everywhere. At first I didn't move around too much for fear of stepping on one, but once I got comfortable it was so much fun! It was an odd sensation to be standing in the water & suddenly feel a slimy presence brushing across your body. They felt really soft, but their tails were a little less inviting. I'm not gonna lie, I kept thinking of Steve Irwin & stayed clear of the tails! One of our guides showed us how to hold one, and Curt actually caught one on his own. I wasn't so lucky. I did get to hold the one the guide had, and even gave it a kiss. I also kissed the barb {eek} for good luck! Matt stayed on the beach & took pictures {wussy!} Marla kept calling the stingrays her babies- "come here baby".........! Our guide found a baby stingray that had been hooked by a fishing line. He was able to get the hook out, luckily. Baby stingrays are cute.

It was such an amazing experience and one that I will never forget {and hopefully can do again someday}.

After the fab excursion we headed back to the ship for dinner. We then hit the Explorer's Lounge for another comedy act, this time by Kevin Jordan {less than stellar}. I think it would be weird to do comedy on random cruise ships. I wonder how much they get paid? We played games & talked on deck for awhile before retiring for the evening.