Cruise Time: The Beach And The BBQ

Our first stop on the way to Cuba aboard Oceania’s Sirena was the private island beach of Stirrup Cay. We’ve visited before but this time our ship was the only one there and since it was a smaller vessel there were less people to fill all the lounge chairs along the beach.

We picked two chairs in the shade and settled in. There would be no swimming. The direction of the wind was sending waves crashing into shore. If I remember correctly, the last time we were there we had the same problem. With a new knee that is still healing I didn’t want to take a chance on not being able to get in and out safely. Others did brave it, laughing when they spilled into the water and sand.

Something that I’ve never noticed before was a shark watch. One of the lifeguards spotted something suspicious and that sent another guard out on a wave runner to check. They warned people to stay out of the water until they deemed it safe. The wave runner went back and forth in a grid and to my knowledge didn’t see anything although I think some people were still a little leery of getting in after that.

Our BBQ was typical cruise beach cuisine: hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, fruit, ribs, chicken and fish. We ate and headed back to the ship. We aren’t really beach people. All that sand and sun, you know.

Our day would continue with more information about Cuba. I would learn more history in these next few days than I remember assimilating in high school or even college—especially since I didn’t like the courses I took. There is something about traveling and putting together places you see with events from history that sheds a whole new understanding of it.