Day 6, Tuesday, May 24, Samana, Dominican Republic

I changed the order of things a bit by going on the internet first thing
but got up for coffee about 5:45. The day was again warm and humid but
comfortable for about 2 miles on deck 10. Most of the time until our
arrival we were sailing close to land, much of it the Island of
Hispanola. Samana is apparently relatively new as a port of call and
there isn't much right in town. The tours offered didn't look
particularly attractive to me, but I ended up regretting not booking
one. The town was very close to the tender pier but seemed to have very
little to offer.

We were told tender tickets would be available at 8:45, and there was no
line to get them. Despite warnings that we should get a ticket and wait
in a lounge for our number to be called, I was told to go straight down
to the boats. I had also expected to be using the ships' tenders, but
there were a number of local catamarans, loading from 2 points on the
ship with additional boats standing by. The 2-mile shuttle was completed
and I was on shore about 9:00. The center of town was quite near but I
didn't find much of interest. There was one section of street along the
waterfront that was well maintained and had a stretch of nice looking,
freshly painted buildings, but the rest of town was quite ramshackle. I
walked for probably 2 hours before returning to the ship for lunch (my
one time on one of the ship's tenders and it was more comfortable than
most), and then back for a bit longer in a different direction. There
were a couple of tours that looked interesting but I just overestimated
what would be close by.

The last tender was listed as 5:30 but it actually arrived at that time
and we closed up the ship (presumably knowing everyone was on board).

Tonight's entertainment is "Stage to Screen" by the Royal Caribbean
Singers and Dancers featuring songs from Broadway hits that have made
the transition to the silver screen. I am a bit surprised that the
troupe does only 2 shows since more would seem like a winner for
everyone. The cast is already onboard, the shows are very good, and it
seems it would be cheaper than bringing on extra entertainers for
several nights.

Today's parting shot is a bit of a downer. It was clear from my visit to
Samana that the area is fighting deep poverty despite having some very
beautiful locations nearby. I deeply hope that what appears to be a
tourist industry in it's infancy can give a shot to this area that needs
it quite deeply.

Roy