Trip Index
- Embarkation, Pink Agave
- Bimini, Extra Virgin, Day at Sea, The Wake, Gunbae
- Puerto Plata, The Wake, Scarlet Night
- Day at Sea, Dock House, Pizza Place, Test Kitchen, Razzle Dazzle
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Today, Scarlet Lady docked at Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. It was our first time in the country. We were going on the Damajagua Waterfalls excursion offered by Virgin Voyages. I looked into doing it independently. Though admission tickets were cheap, transportation was not as it was far from the port...better to go on the cruise line's excursion and not risk missing the ship.
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| view from our balcony |
Breakfast was in the Galley. The bakery and sweets station offered some items that I did not see at other times of the day.
Yogurt parfait boxes were available at Bento Baby. You rarely get fresh berries on the mainstream cruise lines.
Also rare: avocado, smoked salmon, and Terra Chips.
Our excursion instructions said to meet at the port, but it was such a long walk to where the tours were gathering that we weren't sure if we were going the right way. Eventually, we found an area with signs for all the different tours.
We were given two wristbands; one for admission and one for the lunch buffet. After waiting a bit longer for stragglers, we were led to a comfortable, air-conditioned bus to take us to the waterfalls. Still in pandemic mode, everyone was required to wear face masks on the bus.
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Arriving at the site, we divided up into group A and group B. Everyone got fitted for helmets, life jackets, and water shoes (if needed). The pair of aqua sneakers I was wearing (like these) was accepted by the staff as it was closed-toed. Kaleb had to change from his Tevas - they didn't have a pair big enough for his feet, so his toes were crammed. Our excursion fare included lockers to store our personal belongings.
Photos were also included in the price - a Damajagua Waterfall photographer documented our group's experience from start to finish with a GoPro. A link to the photos and videos was sent to everyone via email a week after the excursion.
At this point, you may be wondering what happens at the waterfalls? We ride them down! Thus the need for all the safety equipment - many years ago, someone drowned from getting stuck under one of the churning waterfalls during high water due to the lack of a life jacket.
There wasn't much water during our visit, so 7 of the 27 waterfalls were running. In fact, the highest waterfall drop wasn't available, so we had to make do with a man-made platform 25 feet in the air.
To go down waterfalls, we would need to hike up. Everyone was provided a cold bottle of water. Humid weather and steep trails (including stairs) could be exhausting for those who aren't used to a lot of exertion.
Group A making their way up:
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After about an hour, we reached the end of the hike and convened for a safety briefing. We couldn't wait to get into the water since it was hot!
Kaleb's jump:
My hesitant jump:
Group A at the end:
Afterward, we had a simple buffet lunch on site.
Overall, the Damajagua Waterfalls excursion was fun and I would recommend it to adventurous folks. It may be better during rainy season when more waterfalls are flowing, but that could be an all-day excursion - best if you were staying at a nearby resort, or if your cruise docked overnight.
Tonight, we had dinner at the Wake. The dishes were scrumptious. I had never seen bone marrow on a cruise ship menu before.
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| sample menu |
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| warm bread with softened herb butter |
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| roasted bone marrow |
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| hamachi crudo |
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| king salmon with sides |
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| filet mignon |
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| "The Wake" dessert |
Tonight was Scarlet Night, when the entire ship becomes a big party and everyone is encouraged to wear red. Various areas of the ship were decorated in a funky manner, and a lot of the lighting was red-tinged.
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| spiral staircase lit up red with octopus inflatables |
Short clips of around the ship:
We attended an entertaining comedy show by Tamar Broadbent in the Manor. The venue was very up close and personal, with a mirrored starlit entrance. In the late night, the Manor becomes a nightclub.
Later in the evening, the Scarlet Night pool party was underway. People were dancing in the shallow ends, and even opting to jump into deeper water in all their clothes! It was fun to people-watch.
I thought Scarlet Night was a fun event, even with our low occupancy. Imagine a full ship! The description of Scarlet Night hints that if you stay up 'til the wee hours, you may get invited to a secret party somewhere on the ship. We turned in early, so we didn't find out.
Tomorrow is our last day, at sea. We try to explore the rest of the ship - I can already tell that five days is not enough for a Virgin Voyages cruise...
(Missed reading about our time at Bimini Beach Club? Click here! Don't miss a single update! Click here to subscribe and have the latest delivered straight into your inbox...opt out anytime.)
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Getting excited reading about these trips and want to go? Contact me at kat (at) yellowdogtravel (d0t) com with your ideas and I can help you plan it! Or if you've already put a deposit on a cruise through the cruise line, contact me to get more information on transferring the reservation to me to get bonuses like extra onboard credit or gifts. I have lots of happy repeat clients - references always available.
Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
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