Antigua...Here We Come!

I stayed up late last night which led me to sleep all the way through the early morning until it was time to get up. 

We arrived in Antigua a bit before 8am.  A Royal Caribbean ship was already docked before us on the left side of the pier.  We docked on the right side. 

I enjoy being somewhat eye-to-eye with another ship so close.  From our balcony, I watched as our ship was being tied.   Captain Draper appeared on the ship’s speaker announcing our arrival into port.  We had to be back on the ship no later than 4:30pm. 

As we were docking, Hubby and I ran up to the buffet for breakfast.  Lots of people were milling around, again. 

Our excursion today was “Rex Halcyon Cove Resort Beach and Lunch”.  Departure:  9:30am.  Return:  2:30pm.  We had to be down at the dock and meet our group around 9:20. 

We dressed in our swim suits and applied tons of suntan lotion (SPF# 45 and 70).  First day on the beach always spells trouble for one of us.  Lots of lotion!  We donned our t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops and grabbed our bags and headed down to deck 4 to exit the ship.  Lines were already forming for many excursion groups.  I stepped out of line to take a picture of the steel drum band that was playing several melodies.  A gentleman to my right started to talk to me.  I immediately recognized him from our photography class.  How cool is that?

Our excursion line started to move and we headed into the main shopping area and then to the left.  We waited a few more minutes and were divided into small groups of 10.  Several mini-vans appeared and we were on our way to the beach. 

It took 15 minutes to get to the beach called Halcyon Cove Resort.  We had an introduction and a brief talk about our beach time (where the bathrooms are, beach lounges, shade, lunch, etc).  We were off for some fun in the sun!

Hubby knows to let me go first as I can wiggle and shimmy by folks to get where I need to go.  Yes, I can be fast and quick on my toes.  I snagged two lounges and plopped my bags down.  Territory marked!  I waited for Hubby and we headed for the water. 

Beach time!

The water was quite chilly at first.  I kept walking in.  The sand between my toes felt like so soft.  Sigh!  I’m one of the first few in the water…swimming around to get warmer.  It takes Hubby awhile to get acclimated. 

After swimming for an hour or so, I felt tentacles wrap around my right ankle and then the stinging began over my ankle and calf.  The pain was overwhelming and I tried to get away from whatever had grabbed a hold of me. 

I called out to Hubby who was swimming nearby.  We headed out of the water to see how my leg looked.  We walked along the beach basically to walk off the pain.  It took a while for the pain to subside and then the welts appeared.   

We continued walking until we reached the Sandals resort and then headed back to take care of my leg.

Our beach guide gave me a cup of ice and told me to ice down my leg.  Then I needed to take some of that fine Antiguan sand and coat my leg.  It worked!

Walking along the beach in front of Sandals Resort

We were called to lunch and were led to an outdoor dining area that sat over the beautiful blue Caribbean waters.  We enjoyed a buffet lunch of grilled chicken, salad, pasta, and rolls.  The view was spectacular!

Our outdoor dining venue

Our view from the buffet line

Our delicious lunch

View from my chair during lunch

My Darling Hubby...look at the view behind him!

The first group of cruisers had left and we were given the opportunity to sit in loungers under the shade.  This was definitely the islander life. 

Another view of the beach from the restaurant

Our beach side dining experience

The Aloe Doctor!

We enjoyed our beach time and soon it was time to head back.  We got back to the ship, changed our clothes and headed back out to do some window shopping in town.  It was a hot and sunny day.  It felt great to run in and out the shops to cool down. 

We got back to the ship in time to see the Royal Caribbean leaving port.  We were next.  The sun was setting and shining on the beautiful island.  I spent some time in our balcony taking lots of pictures.  

Watching the Royal Caribbean ship leave

Leaving Antigua!