(1/25 – 2/16/2026)
We took an Oceania cruise from Chile to Tahiti in 2019 and were very impressed with the food. Therefore, we have decided to take another Oceania cruise. In-laws were joining us on this vacation. We picked an Amazon cruise because we all wanted to visit Amazon.
Pre-Cruise
We booked a package with Oceania that included flights and transportation and were all really looking forward to a relaxing vacation.
However, there was a huge storm across the United States from Texas to New England, which created a commute travel nightmare.
Oceania booked a JetBlue flight for us from San Francisco to Barbados via New York. We got a notice from JetBlue one day before, telling us that our flight has been canceled. We were rescheduled to the next day to arrive after 3pm in Barbados, which was cutting too close to the cruise departure time (5pm). After spending time making 3 phone calls and spending a lot of time waiting, we finally got a new Delta flight from San Jose to Barbados via Atlanta. Atlanta also experienced some weather issues, so we were still concerned. I constantly monitored the flight status, and it remained fine. Rei and I each packed a carry-on bag with two sets of changing clothes and other essential items just in case.
Our Bay Area In-Laws received a notice only about 5 hours before their flight saying the flight was canceled! So, it’s their turn to panic. Fortunately, they were able to reschedule to the same flight as us.
We arrived at the San Jose Airport about 3 hours ahead of our flight. The check-in counter was completely empty with only one agent waiting. She was very glad to see us, and we quickly finished the check-in. The security checking line was also empty! The security checking staff told us that most of the flights were canceled.
In-laws also arrived shortly after us. To our great relief, the flight was on time. It was a very empty flight, and Rei and I could share 3 seats between us. We slept quite well on the flight.
Our East Coast In-Laws were supposed to join us in Atlanta. However, their flight from DC was delayed, and they missed this connecting flight. The flight from Atlanta to Barbados was also on-time and had a lot of empty seats. Rei decided to move to the seats across the aisle, and each of us had 3 seats on this flight.
When the plane was approaching Barbados, I could see beautiful turquoise ocean and dark reefs and was very excited. The custom line was not long and was moving fast. Our luggage also arrived without issues. Oceania arranged transportation to the hotel for us.
We stayed at ACCRA Beach Hotel and Spa. The hotel check-in was chaotic. They told us to find a seat in a big room, and they will call for “the next” – the problem was that it’s not clear who was “the next”! So, people finally decided to simply form a line.
When we reached our room, Rei found out that the room couldn’t be locked! Some staff came checking and finally decided to move us to a new room. It’s an upgrade. Our new room is an ocean view suite!
It was getting dark, so we simply decided to have dinner. It started to rain; therefore, we just went to the nearby Rockley Resort restaurant. The service was very slow; we waited more than one hour to have our food, but the food was delicious. Rei ordered lamb, and I had lemon pasta.
Since we didn’t get enough sleep on the plane, after dinner we just took a quick shower and went to bed. East Coast In-Laws experienced more flight delay and cancellations and still had not arrived yet.
Day 1: Embarkation Day
I woke up before 6am local time. Our suite has a balcony facing the ocean. Though it’s not facing east for sunrise view, we still had great ocean view. Rei and I had our coffee and energy bar breakfast on the balcony enjoying the view.
It was too tempting to watch all those tourists at the beach, so Rei and I decided to venture out too. The beach was clean with soft sand. Many coconut trees dotted the beach.
There’s also a boardwalk by the beach, lined with bright-colored flowers. There was a section of walls with colorful mosaic tiles. We saw many tourists walking and taking photos. Today was a sunny day. The weather was warm but not too hot. The colors of the ocean ranged from navy at the farthest end to blue, turquoise and light green. It’s really splendid!
We saw many birds including doves, grackles and some sparrows or finches (couldn’t tell). The most interesting wildlife viewing this morning was a cute crab camouflage behind some leaves. The crab was quite big with large black eyes.
We were scheduled to take the 11:45am bus from the hotel to the port for embarkation on Oceania Insignia. The process went very smoothly. However, our cabin wasn’t ready yet, so we went to the cafeteria to have lunch first. Finally, we were able to get into our cabin to unpack around 3pm. We had an ocean view room, though it’s quite small.
Our East Coast In-Laws haven’t arrived yet. Their flight from Miami to Barbados last night was again canceled. They were very frustrated and wanted to just go home. We all encouraged them to keep trying. They were able to get on a flight this morning and finally arrived a little past 5pm. We were all very relieved. The cruise was supposed to leave at 5pm. However, the departure was delayed so that passengers arriving a little later were still able to make it.
The ship finally departed around 5:30pm. Rei and I went to the upper deck to take sail-away photos. There were many passengers on the deck celebrating.
We didn’t feel like changing clothes for dinner. Therefore, the six of us simply went to the cafeteria to eat. We will try the Grand Dining Room tomorrow.
Day 2: Sea Day
Today was our first sea day. After two hectic days, we all decided to take it easy. We were informed last night that we needed to adjust the clock one hour ahead, so when we woke up this morning, it was already past 9:30am.
Rei went to the cafeteria to have breakfast. When I arrived, they were about to close. I quickly grabbed two pastries and a cappuccino. In-laws were all still in bed and completely missed the breakfast.
We had some port changes, so we needed to book new excursions. Some popular excursions, like the whale and dolphin trip that Rei favored, were already sold out. We selected a range of activities, including forest walks, river tubing, kayaking, and snorkeling.
Then we went to the upper deck for our daily walk. It was cloudy this morning, then the sun came out. It was quite hot, but the strong sea breeze brought down the temperature. The sea was calmer than yesterday.
After half an hour of walking, it was time to meet in-laws at the Grand Dining Room for lunch. We all loved Oceania’s food. I ordered salad and Rei had salmon. Both were very delicious. We had panna cotta for dessert (with a chocolate labeled “No Sugar Added”).
Rei found out that there’s another whale and dolphin excursion tour in Dominica. So, we went to the excursion desk to ask whether the tour was still available. Yes, it still had a few spots. We quickly swapped the river tubing excursion to the whale and dolphin excursion, which made Rei very happy.
It was hot in the afternoon. Since there wasn’t very much else to do, we went to the Afternoon Tea at 3:30pm. Then there’s the Captain’s Welcome Party at 5:30pm. The Grand Dining Room served Maine lobsters tonight, so we all decided to dine there. Basically, we ate from 3:30pm to around 8:30pm!
Day 3: Another Sea Day
We woke up earlier this morning around 7am. After breakfast at the Terrace Café, Rei and I started our daily walk on the upper deck. It was sunny again today. The sea was quite calm with only gentle waves. However, strong wind with sea sprays made walking challenging. After enduring half an hour, we decided to go down to lower decks instead.
We missed yesterday’s morning talk. There’s another one this morning at 9:30am covering the daily life and culture of Amazonian people. The lounge was full of a lot of passengers eager to learn about the Amazon.
After the talk, Rei wanted to return to our room to rest. However, the room has not been cleaned yet. So, we went to listen to a Future Voyages talk instead. The room was ready by the time we returned, so Rei went to bed to rest, and I used the opportunity to do some laundry. The laundry facility will be closed tonight before the ship reaches Amazon River, and it won’t reopen until we leave the Amazon 9 days later! Therefore, everyone was doing laundry.
The East Coast In-Laws made it to this cruise, but their luggage didn’t. After filing a claim with the airline, they went on a shopping spree.
There’s another lecture at 2pm. This one covered Amazonian ecosystem, fauna and flora. We got to see pictures of interesting plants, butterflies, frogs and larger animals. I also learned that there were walking palms in the Amazon region that could actually move around!
Rei refused to go to the afternoon tea, so it’s just me and some in-laws. I had a pear tart and a raisin scone. The Oceania afternoon tea couldn’t hold a candle to the afternoon tea we had in Scotland. It made me really miss the Scotland trip.
We had dinner at the specialty restaurant Toscana. The food looked great, but the taste was a great disappointment. We’re considering cancelling the next Toscana reservation.
Day 4: Entering Amazon River
We finally arrived at the Amazon River Delta. The water was a mixture of two colors: black and muddy.
Today’s morning talk was about Brazil. The speaker presented the environment, culture, and food of Brazil. Of course there’s an emphasis on the Brazil national sports: football/soccer!
There were a lot of yellow-billed terns flying around the cruise ship. They were beautiful! I took many photos of the birds. From the 5th floor, we could see the terns flying by. When we went up to the upper deck, we could look down to see terns from a different angle! (Check out my Bird List!)
We were crossing the equator too. There was a ceremony on the upper deck at 10:45am. A lady was leading an oath. When she said, “I, (say your name) …” Instead of saying our names, everyone repeated verbatim, “I, say your name.” Then we were all laughing.
After the parade, passengers could participate in the ceremony to have ice water dumped on their heads. A great number of cruise passengers participated. We weren’t so crazy.
Afterwards, we simply stayed on the upper deck to have lunch and ice cream at Waves Grill.
This afternoon’s talk was about the UNESCO sites in Brazil (there are currently 25!). Brazil is a big country with diversified landscapes, and there are many natural beauties such as Iguazu Falls and Amazon Conservation among others. Many Brazilian UNESCO architectural sites looked very similar to what we saw in Portugal.
The ship sailed past Macapá, where the equator runs through the city. Later we were each given a “Crossing the Equator” certificate. Rei loved certificates! He could now add this to his collection of certificates, which included El Camino, Kilimanjaro, Arctic Circle, etc.
We had a special afternoon tea today. Many people were taking photos of the colorful cupcake display. There was no description information, so we all judged cupcake flavors by the colors. Rei had a pistachio cupcake, I had a mango cupcake and a chocolate cake, and we shared a raisin scone.
“Today’s scone was better,” commented Rei.
The East Coast In-Laws suffered PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) symptoms after their 2-day ordeal before boarding the cruise. They kept remembering the events of those 2 days of flight delays and cancellations. However, at least they were among the lucky ones who managed to board this cruise. We were told that around 80 people missed the ship, including some staff members! (Later we learned that only twenty plus people missed the ship. Among them, seven people boarded the ship in Manaus, including one speaker.)
Rei had an eye infection, so he returned to our cabin to rest. I went outside to the upper deck Fitness Track to walk off the extra calories and sugar intake. The weather wasn’t as hot as this morning. There was a gentle sea breeze, which made the walk quite enjoyable. The upper deck offered a panoramic view of the surroundings, so the walk also doubled as sightseeing. It’s amazing that we were sailing on the Amazon River!
I took a shower after the walk. We were informed that we had to practice water conservation now we were in the Amazon. Therefore, I applied the “mountain hut shower” strategy: washing my hair with shampoo and conditioner together, turning off the water while soaping, and then quickly rinsing off.
We had dinner with in-laws at the Grand Dining Room tonight. We ordered salad, crab cakes, steaks, salmon, and risotto. The dishes were all very delicious. We all agreed that tonight’s dinner was better than last night’s.
Day 5: Santarem
Today would be our first port day of this cruise. I woke up around 7am and then woke up Rei at 8am. We had breakfast at Terrace Café and then went for a walk around the deck. The sky was cloudy and it wasn’t too hot. After less than 10 minutes of walking, it started sprinkling, so we had to take a break before restarting.
Then we realized that the morning talk had already started, so we quickly went down to the lounge. This morning’s talk was about the myths and legends of the Amazon. Even though we were late, we were still able to listen to the talk about Ayahuasca medicine for hallucination, the Jaguar Shamans, and the El Dorado legend. It turned out that El Dorado was about a tribal chief dusted in gold performing a religious ceremony. The Spanish conquistadores mistook El Dorado as a city of gold. They started several futile excursions trying to find the illusive gold and ended up conquering and destroying ancient American empires such as the Inca.
Rei went back to the room to rest, and I restarted the daily walk. The weather was hot but not unbearable. There were other passengers walking on the Fitness Track and doing sightseeing at the same time. I was able to see trees and houses on the shore, though the Amazon River was broad. The water was muddy with some black patches here and there.
I saw two small dark birds flying around the ship. The birds had a white belly and forked tail and flied swiftly. I guessed they were swallows. One bird perched on the rail for a while and offered great photo opportunities. Two birders on the deck confirmed that those were swallows.
After about an hour of walking, Rei came to fetch me to go to Wave Grills to have an early lunch with in-laws. The ship was supposed to arrive at Santarem at 12:30pm. However, due to strong wind, there would be an hour of delay.
After lunch, Rei and I went outside to take photos. The cruise was approaching Santarem, and we were able to see clearly the meeting of two waters. The place was the confluence of muddy Amazon River and clear Tapajos River.
We booked a River Tour & Eco Maica Lake excursion with Oceania Cruises and were supposed to go to the Insignia Lounge at 1:30pm. However, the excursion got delayed due to the cruise’s late arrival at Santarem.
From our cabin window, we could see that they were lowering the boats for tendering. When we arrived at the excursion gathering place, they announced that there’s a protest going on at the tender stop. Because the cruise line couldn’t guarantee the safety of passengers, they have decided to cancel this port call! Not only were all of today’s excursions canceled, but passengers were also not allowed to land! It was a great disappointment since we were very looking forward to visit Maica Lake.
Since there was nothing else for us to do, we decided to go to afternoon teatime again. We were at Horizons, the front of the ship on 10th floor. The view of the Amazon River was superb! We could see clearly the meeting of two waters. Many passengers were taking photos.
We had dinner in the Grand Dining Room again. I had swordfish, which was pretty good. Rei ordered Korean BBQ, which didn’t taste like Korean BBQ but was delicious anyway.
Day 6: Parintins
Today was Day 6 of the cruise, and we were about to develop cabin fevers. Fortunately, we were able to go to Parintins by tender.
We originally planned to take the 8:30am tender boat, but the Bay Area In-Laws were not ready yet. When they were ready at 9am, tender tickets were no longer needed. So, we simply lined up to board the tender boat. The ride wasn’t bumpy.
When we arrived at Parintins port by tender, we saw many yellow-billed terns flying overhead. In addition, we also saw large numbers of turkey vultures circling around. I saw a Fork-Tailed Flycatcher perching on a pipe and was able to take several photos.
Parintins was famous for the annual “Boi Bumba” festival held in late June about a resurrected ox. Therefore, symbols of white and black oxen were ubiquitous. There was a performance for passengers joining an Oceania shore excursion at $169 per person! We didn’t feel the need to splurge, so we simply walked around the town.
Today was another sunny day. The weather was warm but not too hot. We first visited Catedral Nossa Senhora do Carmo (Cathedral of Our Lady of Carmo). There was a Brazilian version of the Last Supper mural inside the cathedral.
The East Coast In-Laws still didn’t get their luggage. They went to a small store to buy 3 pairs of socks and a lady shirt costing only USD $6 total!
Then we walked to Bumbodrome de Parintins, the arena that hosted the annual Boi Bumba festival. There were colorful statues and mural paintings outside. We all took many photos. The arena itself was closed; however, we were able to take photos from outside.
In-laws felt that they had enough walk, so they negotiated with a motorized tricycle taxi driver for a ride for USD $10. The driver would take them on a city sightseeing tour before returning to the port.
Rei and I decided to walk back to the port by ourselves. We were able to see additional murals and interesting birds such as Smooth-Billed Ani, Great Kiskadee and a Red-Capped Cardinal. We also saw a great egret, some cormorants and yellow-billed terns near the port.
There was a giant “Eu (Heart) Parintins” (“I Love Parintins”) sign and more statues near the port, where Rei and I took several photos.
It was already almost noon, so Rei and I simply took a tender back to the cruise to have lunch. In-laws returned soon after. They reported that they had a great city tour and were able to visit a new museum.
We felt that we had seen enough. Moreover, the last tender would be at 3pm. Therefore, we just returned to the cabin to rest after lunch.
Since we didn’t have anything else to do, it’s afternoon teatime again. Rei still had a red eye, so he returned to the cabin to rest after the tea. I went upstairs to have my daily walking and sightseeing. In-laws came to take photos too.
The ship sailed very close to the south bank of the Amazon River. We could see the shores very clearly. The places were mostly covered with tall green trees. There were a few houses scattered around, and we saw some horses too. It wasn’t too hot, and there’s a gentle breeze. I walked on the deck for almost an hour and took many splendid pictures.
Dinner was at the Grand Dining Room again. Rei had cod, and I had red curry fried vegetables. We had crema catalana for dessert. It was delicious.
Day 7: Manaus (Day 1)
Manaus is Brazil’s largest city in the Amazon region. It’s the highlight of our Amazon cruise. Manaus is situated where Rio Negro (“Black River”) and Amazon River met. When I looked out from our cabin window this morning, I could see clearly the meeting of two rivers: black Rio Negro meets muddy Amazon River.
We booked an afternoon Pink Dolphin excursion with Oceania Cruises, so we had this morning free. Rei’s right eye was still red, though it no longer hurt. He was very concerned, so we decided to look for an eye doctor this morning.
It was still raining at 9am when we left the ship. Rei found an eye clinic about half an hour’s walk away. On our way there, we passed the famous Manaus Opera House, but we only had time to take pictures from outside.
The eye clinic charged R$ 700 and accepted only Brazilian currency (“No credit card. No US dollars.”), so we had to look for a bank to get local currency. Rei found another eye clinic nearby, Oftal Center, that would accept credit cards and charge only R$ 500, so we went there instead. (Interestingly, Manaus had many eye doctors.)
The receptionist only spoke Portuguese, but we only knew very basic Portuguese – so, it’s Google Translate to the rescue. We were told that doctor wouldn’t arrive until 10:30am, and there were 10 people ahead of us. We were under time constraint, so the receptionist graciously gave Rei priority.
They checked Rei’s eye pressure first. (“This clinic has more advanced equipment than my doctor in California,” commented Rei.) Very soon, we were called into the doctor’s office. The eye doctor was very nice. He spoke limited English, so it’s Google Translate again. The doctor checked Rei’s eyes and gave him two bottles of eye drops for free and wrote a prescription of an ointment that we needed to get from a drugstore.
The eye doctor also gave Rei several packets of powder for pain relief. Moreover, he demonstrated dumping the powder on his tongue and swallowing it.
“It tastes good,” he told Rei.
The receptionist pointed out a drugstore across the street, where we purchased the ointment using a credit card.
Since we would stay in Brazil for a few more days, we thought that we should get some local currency. There’s a nearby Banco do Brazil with ATMs. However, the ATM required a 6-digit code, but US ATM cards used a 4-digit code. A security guard at the bank pointed out a currency exchange across the street to us. We went there to exchange USD $40 (the exchange rate was $1 USD to R$ 5). The guy there took our US dollars and went across the street to the bank to exchange money! One interesting aspect of traveling is that you get to see how things work in different regions of the world 😊
It was almost noon, so we decided to return to the ship to have lunch in preparation for the afternoon excursion. On our way back, we stopped by Catedral Metropolitana de Manaus near the port to take photos. The place was closed and we couldn’t enter. There were many pigeons around the cathedral.
In-laws also returned to the ship for lunch. They took an opera house guided tour in English (“It’s very opulent inside the opera house!”) and did some shopping this morning while we were at the doctor’s office.
The Pink Dolphin excursion was by a speed boat ride. We first went under the magnificent Ponte Rio Negro (“Rio Negro Bridge”). The guide pointed out some tall buildings.
“This is the place for affluent people, because there’s a beach in front. People like to go to the beach and swim in Rio Negro. Yes, there are piranhas and caimans in the river, but they don’t attack people.”
I wouldn’t go into a river with piranhas and caimans!
The guide also told us that there were only 2 seasons in the Amazon: wet season and less-wet season. Many small islands we saw now would be immersed in the water during the very wet season.
It took us about 1.5 hours to reach a small village Acajatuba. There was a handcraft gift shop, but I didn’t find anything interesting to buy. I walked around, while Rei kicked soccer with a little boy.
The village was quite small, but it was verdant with many colorful flowers. The guide pointed out 2 tall Brazil Nut Trees to us and cautioned us not to walk under them, because the heavy nuts could cause serious damages when falling on your head!
I saw a fork-tailed flycatcher and many saffron finches on the field.
The next stop was to watch pink dolphins. Pink dolphins are river dolphins unique to the Amazon region. I thought it was wildlife viewing, but to my dismay, it was more of a “Sea World-like” excursion. Local guides were in the river trying to lure dolphins with fish bait. Tourists were allowed to enter the water, and many fellow passengers on the boat got into the water. We didn’t realize that we could get into the water, so we weren’t prepared. Moreover, I wouldn’t get into the black water anyway.
So, we just stayed on shore taking pictures and videos of pink dolphins. A few dolphins came to eat the fish held by the local guides, which offered us opportunities to take clear photos.
There were also a couple dolphins swimming a bit farther, and I took several photos. After I returned, I realized that one “dolphin” looked more like a caiman!
The place also had a “pool” with 8 giant Amazon fish. Guides demonstrated feeding the giant fish. Tourists were also given opportunities to “fish” – Rei and in-laws all tried to feed the fierce fish.
It was another long boat ride to return to the cruise. It was already past 6pm when we finally returned. I planned to just have dinner in the cafeteria, but Rei informed me that the Grand Dining Room was serving Thai food tonight.
They reopened the launderette today and tomorrow in Manaus. Many passengers including us took the opportunity to do some laundry. The weather was hot and humid in Amazon, and we needed to change clothes every day.
Day 8: Manaus (Day 2)
Today’s shore excursion was in the morning, so we went to Terrace Café early to have breakfast. Many passengers were already having breakfast there. The service was very slow this morning. The tea and orange juice we ordered never arrived. It ended up that I went to make the tea myself. Many other passengers were also helping themselves.
Meeting of the Water Cruise excursion was also on a boat, but it’s a slow-moving boat rather than the speed boat we rode yesterday. On the way sailing down Rio Negro, we saw two gray dolphins swimming past the boat. They were too fast for me to take pictures. We also saw many Great Egrets and Cormorants along the river. The guide told us that due to its acidity (pH 4), Rio Negro didn’t have mosquitos because the eggs couldn’t survive.
We stopped by a place with a gift shop to switch into smaller motorized boats to sail in the February River. Each small boat could only accommodate about 10 to 12 people.
There were two fishermen fishing from a small boat. Our guide “borrowed” some fish from the fishermen to show us. There were piranhas, dog fish and catfish.
We saw some giant lily pads. This wasn’t the right season, so we only saw 2 lily flowers. It started to rain. (“We’re in the rain forest!“)
February Lake was full of birds and insects. There were many Great Egrets and Wattled Jacanas in the area. We also saw a Black-Collared Hawk perching on a tree in front of our boat!
For insects, we saw a wasp and a beautiful black, red and white colored Scarlet Peacock Butterfly.
The last stop was to see meeting of the water – where black Rio Negro meets muddy Amazon River (also called Solimões River by locals). We have seen meeting of two waters for the past few days. However, we got the closest view today from our boat. People were all busy taking photos from various angles.
We returned to the port at the end of the excursion around 1:30pm. Rei still missed some medication for his eye, and he was anxious, so we went directly out to look for a drugstore. We found a pharmacy not too far away, but they didn’t have the medication.
I saw a beautiful picture of Rio Negro Palace, a former seat of government once owned by a rubber baron. The place wasn’t too far away, so I suggested that we went to take a look. According to the information on the web, the palace was closed today (Tuesday), but we could still take photos from outside.
When we arrived at the magnificent Rio Negro Palace, I saw a person standing on the second story balcony. The front door of the palace was open. The lady at the entrance confirmed that the place was open. Later we saw a group of tourists joining an Oceania shore excursion – that’s probably why the palace was open.
The main staircase of Rio Negro Palace was a spectacular wooden structure that looked very similar to the staircase inside the famous bookstore Livraria Lello in Porto! In addition to the beautifully decorated rooms with intricate wooden furniture, there was also a large, covered porch on the second floor overlooking the garden.
We didn’t have a lot of time for the visit, because we need to return to the cruise ship no later than 3:30pm. However, Rei was very impressed with the palace, and he suggested we should also have a quick visit to the garden. The verdant garden had tall trees and colorful flowers. I also saw a yellow-browed sparrow.
We managed to return to the cruise before 3pm. It was hot, so we went to have some ice cream before going to the afternoon tea.
Afterwards, I took my daily walk and sightseeing on the upper deck, while Rei returned to the cabin to rest. It wasn’t hot or windy, so I had a very pleasant walk. However, after half an hour, the wind grew very strong, and it started to rain. Therefore, I returned to the cabin to take a shower.
The dinner menu at the Great Dining Room didn’t look impressive, so we went to Terrace Café to have sushi, soba, salad and grilled steaks and shrimps. Desserts looked very tempting, so we tried many different varieties.
Day 9: Boca da Valeria
The cruise ship turned yesterday evening to sail out of Amazon. Today we would stop at Boca da Valeria (“Mouth of the Valeria River”). Boca da Valeria was a small tender port. The village had less than 100 people.
The ship arrived close to 11am. We’ve decided to go out after lunch. This was a very small settlement, and we figured that we wouldn’t spend much time there.
Boca da Valeria only had a small church and a school. There were some wooden houses near the tender stop. Many children ran around the port offering their services as guides in exchange for small tips. Many villagers set up stalls selling hand-made souvenirs. There were also dogs, chickens and a cat.
We visited the church, took some photos, and left a donation. After walking around the shore for a while, Bay Area In-Laws decided to return to the cruise ship.
East Coast In-Laws stayed with us to take photos of birds (Smooth-Billed Anis and Great Kiskadees) perching on a big tree along the shore. I also saw some Muscovy ducks.
Rei suggested that we walk inland on a trail into the Amazon forest. East Coast In-Laws took another trail near the shore. There were other people walking on the same forest trail as we did. We saw more houses; many of them were beautifully painted with images of Amazonian animals and birds.
We didn’t see any birds inside the rainforest though we did hear bird chirping. The forest was verdant with tall trees, vines, and colorful flowers.
We also saw beautiful butterflies and a black dragonfly. Since we could hear the sounds of insects, Rei suggested that we should put on our mosquito nets, though we didn’t get any bug bites. We walked for around 20 minutes and then decided to return.
There were locals offering boat rides for USD $5 per person. There were no safety vests, so it’s a “no-no” for Rei. However, two separate groups informed us that the boat rides they took were excellent! One told us that they saw giant lily pads, and another suggested us go with a boat with covers (which made a big difference).
After hearing what they told us, Rei changed his mind and said we should go for a boat ride too. A local approached us to offer boat ride on his covered boat, so we went on the boat.
Rei and I immediately fell in love with the boat ride. We saw many other small boats passing by and waved to the people on the boats. The scenery was splendid, and we took many photos. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any internet connection, so we couldn’t pass the information to the in-laws. It’s a serene boat ride. We saw many cormorants and wattled jacanas flying around. There were other houses and a church.
I mentioned the lily pads to the boatman, and he told us to be patient. On the way back, he sailed into a narrow place with many tall marsh plants. Since the place was so narrow, the boatman had to stop the motor and rowed the boat instead. Inside there was a small lake with many giant lily pads and flowers. It’s amazingly beautiful! Rei and I both took many photos.
I found out that there was a small crocodile hiding on the motorboat! The boatman told us not to worry; the baby crocodile wouldn’t bite. Then we returned to the tender stop and paid the boatman $12 for his service. Rei and I both agreed that today’s boat ride was better than yesterday’s. There was a tender boat about to leave, so we quickly boarded the tender to return to the cruise.
In-laws were already back and were at afternoon tea. We told them about the boat ride, but they decided not to venture out because it’s too close to the 5:30pm departure time. So, we had afternoon tea, dessert and scones, and then returned to the cabin to take a shower.
Tonight, they had a special Chef’s Market Dinner serving Brazilian food at Terrace Café. The cafeteria was packed. Latecomers had difficulty finding a seat. We had various kinds of salad, grilled shrimps, fish, steaks and lamb chops. There was also an array of colorful and tempting cakes and tarts. We all enjoyed the dinner very much.
Day 10: Alter do Chao
Our last Amazonian port, Alter do Chao, was nicknamed “Caribbean of the Amazon” because there were several white-sand beaches. This was also a tender port. When we were on shore, there were many locals selling boat-ride tours going to many different beaches. We declined because we only wanted to visit the famous Ilha do Amor (“Island of Love”).
There was a group performing and many vendors selling T-shirts and other souvenirs. Another passenger pointed out to us the place to take a short boat ride to reach Ilha do Amor. We found two boatmen with a boat that could take all 6 of us across to the island.
They dropped us off the island and would come back for us in about 30 minutes, which was enough for us to “bake” under the hot sun. The sand there was clean and soft. Rei and I walked along the beach, while in-laws rested under a big tree. It was still early; the cafes on the island were still mostly closed. After about half an hour, the boat returned to fetch us to return to the tender stop. Rei still had some local currency we needed to spend today (our last Brazilian stop); we paid R$ 180 for the boat ride for 6.
We walked to Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Saúde (Our Lady of Good Health Parish) for a quick visit and did some local shopping. I already bought a T-shirt for USD $10 at the port. Here I got a fancier one for USD $15. It was cool and breezy sitting at the plaza (The 7th September square) in front of the church. In-laws saw a red-capped cardinal while waiting at the plaza. I didn’t see the cardinal (busy doing shopping), but I did see several Great Kisadees and Saffron Finches flying around.
In-laws were ready to return to the ship, but Rei and I wanted to explore more. We passed by many high-end looking small hotels and lodges in the area, many having a small swimming pool inside. We even saw a “domestic” peacock walking on a lawn! The place seemed to be a vacation destination.
We returned to the tender stop around 1pm. A tender boat arrived soon to take us back to the cruise ship. We still had enough time to have lunch at Terrace Café (which closed at 2pm).
I took a shower afterwards to wash off the sand. Rei already showed before going to lunch. We decided to skip the afternoon tea today to rest in the cabin. In-laws also decided to skip the afternoon tea.
Terrace Cafe still had Chef’s Market Dinner tonight, but we decided to go to the Grand Dining Room instead.
Day 11: Cruising on Amazon River
The Speaker Series restarted today with a morning talk on Trinidad and Tobago, the two islands we would miss on this cruise due to safety concern. The talk focused on people, culture, food, and music of the two islands. Calypso, the music which began as songs of repressed people, became the music of Caribbean.
After the talk, Rei and I went to the coffee bar to have some coffee, tea and snacks. Then Rei went to a cooking demonstration of homemade limoncello and summer lemon tart, and I went up to do my daily walk and sightseeing on Fitness Track.
The weather was partially cloudy with a strong wind blowing. Today would be our last day on the Amazon River. I took more pictures while I walked. We were far from the settlements now. The river was very quiet, and I only saw a small boat and a cargo ship on transit. Initially there were many people walking around. After half an hour or so, only two other serious walkers and myself were still walking. Later, Rei joined me walking for ten more minutes before we returned to the cabin to wash up and get ready for lunch.
Today’s lunch at Grand Dining Room was Asian food samplers. The dishes all looked dainty and tasted delicious. I enjoyed the tapioca pudding dessert very much, but the portion was too small!
The second speaker who missed the ship in Barbados was finally on board. This afternoon’s lecture was about the night sky, one of my favorite subjects. However, today’s talk was just an introduction. There will be 3 more talks.
Rei and I went to the pool afterwards. This was the first time we went to the pool on this cruise. Rei only stayed in the jacuzzi while I swam. The pool was quite small, and it had warm salt water. The sky was very cloudy this afternoon, and therefore it wasn’t very hot. In-laws went to the afternoon tea. After Rei and I returned to our cabin to take a shower, the afternoon tea was about to end. Therefore, we simply went to the coffee bar to have tea and a cookie. I preferred tea at the coffee bar. The afternoon tea wasn’t hot enough for me.
We had dinner at Grand Dining Room again. The service was too slow. We gave up after the main dish and went up to Terrace Café to get our own coffee, fruit and desserts. Service on Insignia was very slow compared to our previous cruise on Oceania Marina. We’re not sure whether it’s because some staff members missed the ship, or because Oceania cut services recently to save costs.
Day 12: Sea Day Again
We left the Amazon and were on the open sea again. I felt a little seasick this morning, so I took a Dramamine pill and ate some candied ginger. Rei also felt dizzy, so he took a pill too. Soon we were well enough to go to Terrace Café to have breakfast.
There’s a lunch buffet at Grand Dining Room starting from 9:30am. I went there to snatch a few photos before going to the morning lecture.
This morning’s talk was about constellations. The speaker described Orion, Scorpius and Cygnus. He also showed us Coathanger Asterism, which wasn’t a real constellation but a cluster of stars that looked like a clothes hanger.
After the talk, Rei and I went to Grand Dining Room to join Bay Area In-Laws having brunch. (East Coast In-Law was seasick.) There were a lot of beautiful and colorful cream puffs, cakes and tarts – I had 3! Rei also ordered baked salmon. He let me have a bite; it was very delicious.
Afterwards, we simply return to our cabin to rest. There were waves. I didn’t want to risk getting seasick, so I didn’t go to the upper deck to have my daily walk. Rei went to the lounge to watch a movie “Papillon,” which was about a daring escape from the penal colony on Devil’s Island (tomorrow’s destination).
After a short rest, I felt steady, and decided to go for a walk. The weather was partially cloudy and warm with a strong sea breeze. The ship was rocking, together with the strong wind, posing a challenge to my walk. There wasn’t much to see beside the ocean.
Tonight, we had a reservation at the specialty restaurant Polo Grill. One in-law was suffering from sea sickness and didn’t come to dinner. Then Rei felt sick too, so he left to return to our cabin. The remaining four of us enjoyed a great dinner at Polo Grill. I ordered clam chowder, Maine lobster and a seven-layer chocolate cake as dessert. The food was delicious, and the service was superb.
If you think that we haven’t done much today except for eating a lot, you are right. That’s exactly what happened today.
Day 13: Devil’s Island, French Guiana
I was woken up by the loud noises before 6am when the ship anchored off Devil’s Island. After breakfast at Terrace Café, we took the 8:30am tender to go on shore.
Devil’s Island used to be a penal colony, where French authorities sent thousands of convicts and political dissidents to be imprisoned between 1852 and 1953. There are 3 Salvation Islands (Iles du Salut) with Devil’s Island being the smallest. We landed on Île Royale, where there were several buildings in various conditions, including a museum, guard houses, a barrack, a prison, a chapel, a lighthouse, and a hospital.
Most buildings on the island were high on a small hill requiring climbing on narrow and steep stairs. Fortunately, we were wearing hiking boots. (Rei was pondering this morning whether he should just wear sandals.) I saw a green lizard on the way up.
When we reached the barrack, there were several peacocks.
The prison was in a dilapidated condition. Rei was obsessed with the prison and asked me to take several pictures of him behind bars! Rei flashed a big smile while posing for photos. People around us all told him that he was too happy for a person behind bars.
When we walked past a small cemetery, we saw two brown capuchin monkeys and several brown agoutis running around. Rei commented that we saw more wild animals here than in the Amazon.
In-laws thought that they had seen enough and wanted to return to the cruise ship. Rei and I decided to hike on a loop trail circle the island. The trail was a narrow dirt road strewn with stones and tree roots. It was mostly shaded and relatively flat, so it wasn’t a difficult hike. We saw many people walking from the opposite direction; some of them didn’t look like fellow cruise passengers.
There were a lot of brown capuchin monkeys (including some small ones). I saw a small monkey breaking a tree branch, peeling the bark and eating insects inside. That’s a very smart monkey! We took many pictures. At some point, Rei claimed that we’ve seen enough monkeys.
We also saw many brown agoutis in the wood and on the road. They were quite large!
About halfway through the loop, we reached Convicts’ Pool, which was a small enclosure of sea water. Several local people, including children, were playing in the water. Rei decided that he also wanted to get into the water, so he took off his hiking shoes and socks and waded into the pool. In addition to asking me to take his pictures, he also posed for some selfies!
We could see two other small islands close by, including the one named Devil’s Island. Finally, we walked past a dilapidated workshop and returned to the tender stop. There were more brown agoutis running around in the area. It took us more than one hour to complete the loop, including photo time and time for Rei to get into the water.
Rei wanted to find a Devil’s Island baseball cap, so we climbed the small hill to find the gift shop (it was closed when we were there previously). The store didn’t have any baseball caps. It only sold expensive T-shirts (25 to 30 euros each!) and other small souvenirs. Therefore, we didn’t make any purchases.
While we were waiting for tender to return to the cruise ship, we saw many birds there. I saw a turnstone and was able to take some good pictures. There were many royal terns near the tender stop. Passengers were all busy taking photos.
The launderette on the cruise was finally open today, so there were many people doing laundry. I had to sacrifice this afternoon’s talk to do the laundry. When I was finally done, it was about time for afternoon tea.
In-laws entered the spa lottery, and both Bay Area In-Law and East Coast In-Law won a coupon for spa treatment. They were exhilarated!
There’s a star gazing event at 8:30pm. We were surprised to find many people there (Insignia Lounge was showing Super Bowl live). They turned off the lights on Deck 10, and we could see many stars (but it still wasn’t as good as at Death Valley). The presenter pointed out Orion and Sirius, which I could already recognize. Soon my neck hurt by looking up constantly, and I also felt dizzy. Therefore, we simply returned to the cabin to sleep.
Day 14: Last Sea Day
Today was the last sea day of this trip. After breakfast, we went to the morning talk, which described four other ports of this cruise: St. George’s, Granada (famous for the spices), Kingstown, Saint Vincent, Castries, St. Lucia, and Bridgetown, Barbados. We got a sense of what the ports were like, but the talk was too short to present a full picture.
It was sunny today with few clouds. There’s a Country Fair this morning on the Pool Deck (Deck 9). The deck was bustling with activities. In-laws also participated in the event. Rei and I only looked from the Fitness Track (Deck 10) while taking our daily walk.
We saw 3 big sea birds flying around the ship. The birds were white with black tips on their wings. At first, I thought they were seagulls. I took many pictures of the birds; some were clear enough to show that they were not seagulls. They were actually Masked Boobies!
After lunch, I went to the afternoon talk “The Cosmic Distance Scale.” It’s an esoteric lecture. Even with my STEM background, I had difficulty understanding the content.
This afternoon we had a special cheesecake teatime. They served different types of cheesecakes including New York Cheesecake, Berry Cheesecake, Key Lime Cheesecake, Brownie Cheesecake, Tiramisu, etc. I had a slice of Berry Cheesecake, and it’s delicious!
Though I spent more than an hour on Fitness Track this morning, more time was spent on taking photos of in-laws and sea birds. So, I went to the upper deck to walk off the extra calories from the dessert. Many people, including one in-law, were walking on the Fitness Track. There was also a young lady jogging.
It was sunny and warm. The sea was quite calm with only gentle waves. I kept scanning the water, but I didn’t see anything interesting. After an hour or so, I returned to the cabin to take a shower and to get ready for dinner.
Tonight’s dinner menu at Grand Dining Room was lackluster; therefore, we went to Terrace Café, where they had a special Indian Corner.
Day 15: St. George’s, Grenada
Oceania Insignia wouldn’t arrive in Grenada until 11am; therefore, we had plenty of free time in the morning. Rei and I went to the morning talk: “A Brief History of Everything.” It’s a little easier to understand than yesterday’s talk.
The ship already docked at St. George’s port. So, after the talk, we all went out to take photos of St. George’s, which was considered one of the most beautiful Caribbean ports.
Rei and I booked a Clear Bottom Kayaking shore excursion with meeting time at 1:20pm. We’d like to go out to explore St. George’s before the excursion, so we went to the gangway. There were already people waiting there. It was very windy today, so it took crews a long time to set up the gangway, and we didn’t disembark until after 11:30am.
When we reached the port mall, East Coast In-Laws were overjoyed to find out that their luggage was waiting for them there! They even took a photo in front of the luggage.
St. George’s was famous for the spices, so we first walked to St. George’s Market, which was only a short distance away from the port. There were many stalls selling various spices, especially nutmegs. Rei and I only took pictures but didn’t make any purchases.
St. George’s was a hilly city. The streets were narrow with hardly any sidewalks. Some streets were also very steep (Think San Francisco!) and required climbing steps. Rei and I climbed to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, a church high up on a hill that provided excellent view of the port. A very colorful tourist tram full of passengers passed by the church too.
We stopped by House of Chocolate but decided to delay the purchase of chocolate due to hot weather. Then we walked through Sendall Tunnel with a bunch of tourists and locals. A line of cars drove through the tunnel on our right, and we had to be very careful so that we wouldn’t be hit by a car!
We had a quick visit to see Fort George, which was temporarily closed. We only took photos from below. Then it was time to return to the ship to get ready for our excursion.
When we arrived at the meeting point, we were told that Clear Bottom Kayaking was cancelled due to strong wind! They tried to reach us, but we had already left the cruise. There’s only one other excursion available for us, but it didn’t sound exciting, so Rei and I decided to DIY for the rest of the day. In-laws took a different excursion to see spice garden and a waterfall.
We first returned to the cruise to have a quick late lunch. Afterwards, we walked to explore Fort Matthrew and Fort Frederick, which were about 3km away. The trip involved walking on narrow and steep streets with hardly any sidewalks, so it was pretty challenging! We reached Fort Matthrew after about one hour of walking under the hot sun. It suddenly dawned on me that we should have hired a taxi from the port!
“If I suggested to take a taxi, you would have said no,” Rei commented.
“You didn’t suggest taking a taxi!” I countered.
A friendly local lady pointed out the entrance to Fort Matthew to us. There was a sign at the entrance showing USD $2 per person fee. A kind gentleman told us that there’s no need to pay entrance fee at Fort Matthew; we only needed to pay at Fort Frederick.
Fort Matthew was in a ruined state. There were several abandoned cells, some still with a barred door. Rei, of course, asked me to take a photo of him behind bars! On our way out, I saw a Gray Kingbird perched on a ruined wall.
Fort Frederick has been restored and was in an excellent state. The views from the fort were fabulous! It’s a backwards facing fort with guns pointed inland rather than seaward. The explanation was that British Force learned from experiences that French invaders tended to come from inland.
The return trip was faster because it’s downhill. However, there was a section of very steep and scary trail!
It’s worth mentioning that there were many colorful flowers in Grenada. I also saw butterflies, birds and lizards during the hike.
When we reached the water, I saw many small fish swimming around some boats and pointed them out to Rei. We both took several photos. At least, we saw fish! I couldn’t help thinking that Clear Bottom Kayaking would have been wonderful ☹
This time we stopped by House of Chocolate to buy some chocolate bars. They were quite expensive at USD $8 each! Grenada National Museum was next door, but it would close in 15 minutes. We didn’t feel 15-minute visit would justify the USD $5 per person entrance fee, so we simply returned to the port.
Rei reminded me that he hasn’t purchased any baseball caps on this trip yet. There were nice looking Grenada baseball caps with turtles. The price was USD $15 each, and two for $20. So, Rei decided to get two: a gray-colored one, and a cream-colored one. We were both hot and sweaty, so we returned to our cabin to take a shower.
Today’s dinner was at the specialty restaurant Polo Grilled. Rei and East Coast In-Law missed the last booking due to seasickness. Tonight all 6 of us dined together. We had steaks, lobsters and salmon. The dinner was delicious and the service was pristine.
Day 16: Fort de France, Martinique
All of us booked the same excursion “Hiking in the Tropical Forest” this morning. When Rei and I went to breakfast at Terrace Café, a crew member pointed out the window to show us several dolphins swimming by. I looked out and saw several small dolphins and quickly grabbed my phone to video tape them.
(I cheated. The photos above were actually screenshots of the video.)
There were only about 20 people who booked this excursion. Since most of the cruise passengers were seniors, it was lucky that there were enough people so that the excursion was not cancelled.
There was light rain when we reached the trailhead. Very soon it was raining hard, and we all quickly put on our rain gears. Most people wore a rain jacket, a few were carrying an umbrella, East Coast In-Laws wore disposable rain ponchos, only Rei and I wore hiking rain ponchos. This wasn’t an easy hike. The narrow trail was strewn with rocks and tree roots and was wet and muddy. Moreover, it was mostly an uphill hike that required climbing on steep steps and rocks. Rei and I were experienced hikers. We both thought that it was like hiking at Mt Tam on a rainy day. Fortunately, in-laws considered the rainforest hike an interesting experience and didn’t complain, because the hike was our idea.
We had a very good guide, who explained various trees and plants in the rainforest. On the way, we saw a small, bright-colored crab! This was the first time we saw a crab while hiking in a forest. There were a few small waterfalls (or runoffs) along the trail. The rain continued for the entire hike, and we all got very wet at the end.
The guide told us that it’s a one-way hike, and we were worried that we needed to return to the original trailhead. Luckily, the bus picked us up at a different place. It was past noon when we finally returned to the ship.
We all returned to our cabins to change before going to lunch. Rei and I already planned to do more sightseeing and shopping after lunch. In-laws all decided to rest first.
After lunch, Rei and I first walked to Fort Saint-Louis. The fort looked very impressive. Since it was now a navy base, tourists were not allowed to enter, and we could only take photos from outside.
There was a large park nearby. We saw many doves, pigeons and Carib Grackles in the area.
We visited the two most famous buildings in Fort de France: Bibliothèque Schœlcher and Cathédrale Saint-Louis. Bibliothèque Schœlcher was a stunning public library. It was originally built in Paris and then shipped and reassembled in Martinique.
Cathédrale Saint-Louis was an impressive cathedral with beautiful stained-glass windows. There’s another building in front of the cathedral with mirror-like windows, which reflected the cathedral amazingly!
When Rei and I reached the spice market, it was about to close. We only had time to take a couple photos.
Then we went shopping. I bought some Martinique chocolate bars (priced at 8.50 euro each), and Rei bought a mug.
There’s a welcome cocktail party for passengers who cruised Oceania before. I wasn’t interested, so Rei went with in-laws.
Dinner was at Grand Dining Room again. In-laws were all very tired and decided to go to bed directly after dinner.
Day 17: Castries, St. Lucia
This morning we arrived in St. Lucia, a very popular Caribbean island. There were a few other larger cruise ships docking at the port. Ever since we reached the Caribbean, there were always other larger ships at the port.
Originally, we booked a Snorkel at Marine Park shore excursion, but it was cancelled due to operational reasons (they didn’t explain why). We have been to St. Lucia before on a Southern Caribbean cruise and have been to several popular places on the island, so we decided to simply DIY today.
In-laws booked an afternoon excursion, so they also have this morning free. (We considered joining them on the same excursion but didn’t find that tour interesting.) We walked to the Castries Central Market. It was very similar to markets on other Caribbean islands – they sold clothes, spices, bags, and other souvenirs. Rei wanted to buy another baseball cap, but he didn’t find anything he liked.
Then we walked to The Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the cathedral. The building didn’t look too impressive from the outside, but it had a beautiful interior. The wooden roofs were painted with pictures of saints.
Derek Walcott Square was next to the cathedral. The square was named after Derek Walcott, a Nobel Literature Prize winner. There was another statue of Sir William Arthur Lewis, who won the Nobel Prize for Economics. It’s amazing that the island had two Nobel prize laureates!
In-laws wanted to do more shopping before returning to the cruise for their afternoon excursion, so we parted ways. Rei and I walked to Derek Walcott’s old house, which has now become a museum. The place was closed, so we only took pictures from the outside.
We decided to return to the ship to have lunch before another exploration. There were many duty-free shops at the port. Rei found a cotton Hawaiian shirt that was 50% off!
On the way back to our cruise ship, I found 2 Bananaquits jumping on wired fences and was able to take several photos. The birds had a black back and a very bright yellow belly; they were beautiful! We saw similar birds in St. Lucia and Martinique, but I didn’t see any Bananaquits in Martinique.
In-laws were also on their way back to the ship. Rei and I had ice cream first before joining in-laws to have lunch. Because in-laws needed to get ready for their excursion, they only had a quick lunch. Rei and I had a free afternoon, so we didn’t leave the ship until about 1:45pm.
The lighthouse wasn’t very far from the cruise port. However, we needed to circle around the small airport to get to it. After we walked around the airport, we reached a large cemetery. Most of the tombs there were white, and many of them were beautifully decorated.
Then we reached Vigie Beach. The beach was very clean with soft sands, and it’s free. The place was popular with both locals and tourists. There were also beach chairs for rent. The view from Vigie Beach was fantastic!
Rei didn’t want to spend time at the beach, so we continued walking to the lighthouse. On the way, we passed Ambassy of Mexico. We thought the building was a fort, because there’s an old cannon in front. There was a kestrel perching on the power line. Rei and I both took many photos of the beautiful bird.
We continued the climb to reach the lighthouse. This was an affluent neighborhood with many large and luxury-looking houses. When we finally arrived at the lighthouse, there were a few tourists there too. This was a pretty small lighthouse, but the harbor view from the lighthouse was splendid!
A taxi driver there offered to take us back to the port for USD $5 per person. It took us more than an hour of walking to reach the lighthouse. We were both very hot, and we didn’t wish to walk the same way back, so we paid USD $10 in total to get a taxi ride back.
After returning to the cruise, we took a shower, and I did a load of laundry too. In-laws returned from their excursion, and we decided to have dinner at Great Dining Room again tonight.
There’s a Chef’s Caribbean Market Dinner at Terrace Café. In-laws kept thinking that we might have missed the great food they served there. I was sent up to the café on a reconnaissance mission, but I didn’t find anything especially impressive there.
Day 18: Kingstown, St. Vincent
Rei and I booked “Kayak & Snorkel Adventure” with an early meeting time at 8:15am. We woke up at 6:30am to get ready and to have breakfast. In-laws had a free day today.
We were surprised that there were more than 10 other people who also booked this excursion. I was concerned that the tour would be cancelled without enough participants.
We boarded a small bus first. Our guide was a young and very pretty lady with a beautiful voice. She gave us a short introduction to St. Vincent. The bus first passed downtown and marketplace. The street was bustling with a lot of locals. We passed by white St. George’s Anglican Cathedral and a more impressive St. Mary’s Cathedral of the Assumption. The bus didn’t stop, and we could only take quick photos.
Then the bus drove on a narrow, twisty, uphill road to reach a viewpoint, where we were allowed 10 minutes to take photos.
When we reached the kayaking beach, I could see several frigatebirds and brown boobies flying around. There was a briefing first, then we were required to put on a life vest to get on the kayak. Though we kayaked a couple times before, this was our first ocean kayaking. Fortunately, the sea wasn’t rough here. Rei and I were on a double kayak. Rei sat at back because he was the stronger of the two. The one at the back was also the one who controlled the direction of the kayak. Rei wasn’t very good at controlling, and we managed to bump into two other kayaks. We were soon known as “the dangerous kayakers,” and other kayakers all tried to avoid us!
On the way, we saw many seabirds flying overhead, and some of them were diving for fish. There were also a few beautiful white tropical birds with very long tails. Yours truly was too busy kayaking to take any more bird photos.
There was a narrow “bat cave” that we could kayak through with help from the guides. However, when it was our turn, the guide besides us decided that the current was too strong, so we didn’t get the opportunity to go through the cave and could only circle around it.
Soon we arrived at a beach. The place was in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and Rei recognized the scene. I brought my own snorkeling gear and went into the water with fellow passengers — my first snorkeling during this trip. Rei didn’t snorkel; he only stayed at the beach.
This was a mediocre snorkeling place. I didn’t see anything for the first ten minutes or so. Then I moved to a different location. This time I saw some sea anemones. There were several gray and yellow fish. Finally, I saw a bigger blue fish, which was the only highlight of today’s snorkeling. I returned to the beach to rest and was surprised to find out fellow seniors were all very good snorkelers! They all stayed in the water longer than I did.
I relaxed at the beach and had some cookies. There were a few Brown Boobies perching on a nearby rock, and I was able to take some photos.
Afterwards, we kayaked back to the original kayaking beach. We were offered a complimentary drink each. Rei had rum punch, and I had fruit punch; mine tasted better. After about half an hour, we returned to the bus to drive back to the port.
The bus driver put on some old songs, and seniors on the bus were all singing along. There was a festival atmosphere, and we all had a great time!
Rei and I both immediately washed up after returning to our cabin. There was a lot of sand! We also needed to wash all our clothes and equipment before having a quick lunch. Rei had a long nap afterwards.
In-laws toured Kingstown today by themselves. They walked past the two cathedrals to reach the famous St. Vincent Botanic Garden. The garden was huge (20 acres) with various plants, birds and animals. In-laws showed us the pictures of the famous St. Vicent parrots. They had a pleasant visit.
Terrace Café had Chef’s Caribbean Market Dinner again tonight, and they served fresh marlin fish at the outdoor grill! We went there at 6:30pm when the cafeteria was open for dinner. All of us ordered grilled fish. The fish was indeed very fresh. There were also various Caribbean dishes and desserts. We had a great dinner.
Day 19: Roseau, Dominica
This morning, we arrived at the last port of call of this cruise, Roseau, Dominica. I wanted to go on a tubing excursion, but Rei vetoed my decision, so we were going on Whale & Dolphin Safari with in-laws.
The ship was supposed to dock at Roseau, but we were told yesterday that this would be another tender port. Roseau port was small, boats had to take turns to reach the landing area, and it cost a lot of delays.
We boarded a small boat, which amazingly accommodated everyone in the group. We were glad that we took motion sickness pills this morning!
The first half an hour or so was quite uneventful, then we reached an area with many small dolphins! The water was so clean that we could see the dolphins clearly. All tourists were busy taking photos and/or videos of dolphins. I switched between camera photos and phone videos and was able to take many good photos and videos of dolphins.
When we saw enough dolphins, the captain decided that we should start looking for whales. However, whales were on vacation today. At some point, the captain announced that there were three small whales in front of our boat. I quickly went to the bow of the boat. I only saw two black dots faraway and had no idea whether they were whales or not. Then it was about time to return to shore.
We decided to explore the port a bit before tendering back to the cruise ship. There were many stalls, but they didn’t sell anything particularly interesting. Moreover, the weather was very hot, so we all decided to return.
Rei and in-laws all went to the grill to have a late lunch. I skipped lunch to take a shower. We all agreed that we should go to this afternoon’s teatime, because it would be our last teatime of this trip. It turned out that only Rei and I went to have tea; in-laws all “passed out” due to exhaustion.
Today was Valentine’s Day, so the place was decorated with many white, pink and red balloons. I decided to have a proper afternoon tea. I had a cucumber sandwich, followed by a raisin scone with cream and jam, and ended the afternoon tea with cakes. After that, we had to return to the cabin to pack our luggage.
We decided to have dinner at Terrace Café for convenience, because we needed to finish packing and put the luggage outside of our cabins before 10pm. On the way to the cafeteria, we saw many people dressed up to dine at the Grand Dining Room, probably because today’s Valentine’s Day. Those people were definitely more romantic than us!
That’s the end of our Amazon cruise. The ship will return to Barbados tomorrow morning, and we will fly home soon after.
Afterthoughts
We fell love with Oceania Cruises when we sailed Oceania Marina from Chile to Tahiti back in 2019. Marina had 4 specialty restaurants including Red Ginger, an Asian fusion restaurant, which was our favorite. Insignia is smaller than Marina with only two specialty restaurants: Polo Grill was good, but Toscana was a disappointment. Due to its smaller size, Insignia also did not offer as many onboard activities. We all agreed that we would continue sailing with Oceania, but we would prefer a larger ship.
In-laws were more cautious; they were not as adventurous (or shall I say “reckless”?) as we were. This Amazon cruise was a low-risk, soft adventure which was at their comfortable level.
For Rei and me, the trip just scratches the surface. Though we saw a lot of different birds, we didn’t see many animals. Rei already suggested that we go on a more in-depth Amazon exploration in the future. So, stay tuned!
Amy 'n Rei 