2022 Disney Cruise Report Day 4 - A Grand Cayman Beach and Fireworks

As Day 4 of the 2022 Disney Cruise Trip Report continues, we find a beach in George Town, Grand Cayman…

Tuesday, June 7 (Continued)

We had seen what looked like a small beach close to the shop, so we headed back across the street toward the shore. Sure enough, there was a beach there. Laura immediately took off her shoes and waded out into the water. There were good views of the ships, and the water was nice and clear. There was also a shady spot for those who did not want to be out in the sun. 

We seem to find beaches wherever we go!

I walked out on the rocks to get a better view. The rocks looked somewhat volcanic and made a natural pier out to the water. And then I took off my shoes and joined Laura in the water, too.

The view from the rocks

While we were in the water, a very large fish swam up. More than one fish, in fact. They were swimming all around the people. Laura was immediately worried that it was a shark. But a man out in the water said, “Don’t worry, they are just tarpon.” I don’t know if he had heard her and was talking to her or just saying that in general. But we took him at his word. It was interesting to see them swimming around, as they were well over two feet long. I went up to the shore and pointed them out to my parents and Jaylin, so that everyone could see them.

Tarpon in the water. And yes, it was as big as it looks.

Laura and Jaylin at the beach

About that time, my parents decided to start back for the ship, and Jaylin decided to go with them. So they headed back to catch a tender boat back to the Fantasy, and Laura and I kept on enjoying the beach for a little longer.

Us at the beach

Once we left the beach, we did some more walking. We went back to the library to see if there was anything interesting in there. When we went in, I saw that there was a display area, so we walked that way. We were quickly chased down by a librarian, who told us that we had to sign in, and we had to wear a mask. Fortunately, we had masks with us, so we went to sign in, and then we went back to the exhibit space. As it turns out, the exhibit was about the 70th anniversary of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. It was okay, but we were hoping for a little more about the history of Grand Cayman. We went back to the desk and signed out, thanking the librarian for her time.

The old library building, with the newer library building rising up behind it. The exhibit that we saw was in this old building.

We also found a church with a small cemetery, so we looked around there for a minute or two. But it was nowhere near as interesting as the cemetery we had seen in Cozumel. However, some graves dated back to the 1800s, so that did make it interesting to see. And we stopped to check out some nearby local merchants. Laura got a necklace from one of them with a pendant of caymanite, a rock found in the Cayman Islands.

An interesting church building

Walking along the street near the shore

Saying goodbye to Grand Cayman

By that time, we were starting to get hungry. We made our way back to the dock to catch a tender boat back to the Disney Fantasy. A boat was loading when we got there, so we got right on board, sitting near the back in the open area of the boat. I thought that might give us some good views, and it definitely did! As the boat approached the Fantasy, it sailed right in front of the larger ship, giving us some really neat views of the ship seemingly at sea that we had not had before. I was glad I had my camera with me!

Laura on a boat, with a bigger boat behind her. Actually, it prefers to be called a ship.

As we pulled up beside the ship, it was also interesting to see all of the dried salt on the side of the ship. Sea salt! But I don’t guess they scrape it off to use in the salt shakers.

Approaching the Disney Fantasy, and another tender boat is already at its side. For another view, see the post The Disney Fantasy at Sea

We headed up to Flo’s, our usual lunch place, for our usual late lunch. This time around, I got a couple of slices of pizza, since I had eaten a burger the day before. You really can’t go wrong either way. And I briefly considered getting both because I was hungry, but I did not want to ruin my dinner later.

After satisfying our appetites, we headed back to our room to relax, shower, and change for the evening. We sat out on the verandah for a while, and Laura tried out a few songs on her new wooden flute. 

Laura plays the flute. It was a little different from other instruments, but she figured it out.

We showered and changed for dinner. But this time around there was no fancy dress for us, because it was Pirate Night! Laura, Jennifer, and Mom had made Pirate Night shirts for all of us, Each family’s shirt was a little different, but kind of related. Laura had brought her Pirate Mickey ears, and I used the bandana that they always give out to tie around my head. That was piratey enough for me.

My watch keeps track of solar intensity, so here is a look at how much I was in the sun on this day. Quite a bit!

There was also a nice sunset on display from our verandah, back behind us as we were headed farther east. We enjoyed some time outside with the evening air and the great sunset view.

Caribbean Sunset at sea from our verandah

Because it was Pirate Night, and because we were all wearing our pirate gear, it was the perfect night for some more of the photos from the ship photographers! And the photographers were having a bit of fun as well, trying to get everyone to do pirate poses. We all had several photos taken with the different backdrops in the Atrium Lobby, as well as in the Walt Disney Theatre lobby, with all sorts of different groups of Burnses and Luttrells. I am sure those will be fun memories for many years. I am glad that we have them to look back on.

Check out these happy-looking pirates in coordinated shirts!

“Hands on your hips!”

One more of the happy pirates

For our Pirate Night dinner, we were back in Royal Court, except of course that this time there was a pirate-themed menu. I still have not found my one thing on that menu, so I get something different every time. This time around, I got the shrimp and scallops with pasta, which was delicious as always.

A Pirate Dinner photo from the ship photographers

Once we had finished eating, we went up the elevator to Deck 11 to find a place for the Pirate Night fireworks. The stage show had just started when we got up there, but none of us was really interested in seeing it. But I did want to find a good place to set up my tripod to get some fireworks photos. That is a little tricky because you don’t want to take up too much room, and you don’t want to be in anyone’s way or block a walking path. So I found a place on the upper deck that faced back to the rear funnel, which is where the fireworks were to be launched from. It was a pretty good spot, I thought.

Eventually, Captain Jack Sparrow made his appearance in the show, mayhem ensued as the pirates tried to find a treasure, and then the fireworks started. We had a great spot, and there is just something fun about fireworks at sea. And yes, I took several photos, too.

Pirate Night Fireworks on the Disney Fantasy

More Pirate Night Fireworks on the Disney Fantasy. For an additional photo, see the post Fireworks on the Disney Fantasy

When the fireworks end, there is a dance party that follows. But none of us are really into that kind of thing. There was also a Pirate Night buffet in Cabanas that Kyle had expressed interest in. But we Burnses were still full from our hearty dinner. Laura, Jaylin, and I went for another late-night walk on the Deck 4 Promenade, and then we headed back to our room.

When we got there, Reeda had used the bed blanket to make a head of some sort, complete with chocolate coin eyes. It was really cool, although I was not quite sure what it was supposed to be. 

Our cool island guy head made from a blanket

And with that, we pirates settled in for another night’s rest, happy from our day of exploring a new place.

Next time, Jamaica! Check back soon for more from our 2022 Disney Cruise!