Norwegian Cruise - Day 4

Good Morning


There are no shore excursions planned for today, and thus no alarm needed to be set. We sleep in, and it is much needed rest. We had made plans with the group the night prior to meet at Java Café around 11:00 to head to port together. We wake up around 09:00, leaving us two hours to meander. We go down to the buffet for breakfast, and Kyle soon joins us. Zelda eats a big breakfast, which is great, especially because we can't take ay food to shore with us.


Jeremiah and I get our coffees while Kyle entertains Zelda, and soon the rest of our group joins us in the Atrium near the Café. The crew is doing safety training, so we can't leave the ship yet. We walk down and sit on the window seats along the wall featuring a gallery of art. A couple of ladies pass by and hand Zackary and Zelda rubber duckies. Amazing! We have found a few ducks over the last few days around the ship, and now we know some of the people responsible for Cruise Ducking the ship.

Harvest Caye


The crew finishes their safety training, and we disembark to go to port. Harvest Caye, Belize is beautiful. There are shops of varying sizes, a few restaurants, a bar, an ice cream shop, a wildlife center, and a beach! The Wildlife Experience and the beach are free which seems miraculous.

A bearded man in a blue cap holds a young child near a scenic waterway with lush green trees in the background.

The Wildlife Experience


There's a large archway announcing the beginning of The Wildlife Experience. You can go to the left and follow a path, or go to the right and enter the butterfly house. We choose the latter. There seem to be two types of butterflies in here, but please don't ask me what kind they are. One lands on Bethany, but before I can capture the moment in a photograph, it flutters away. One soon lands on me, but my whole group is up ahead and doesn't notice. A stranger behind me pointed the small companion out to me, sitting on the back of my shoulder. It clings on for a few minutes while I photograph butterflies and people pass by me to exit the butterfly house.


I rejoin my people outside of the butterfly house, and now we are on the path that went to the left at the entrance. We get to see a toucan, a red macaw, and an iguana. The experience is small, but it's extremely well taken care of and shouldn't be underestimated for it's size. It's beautiful, and we are grateful to witness the animals and the beautiful foliage surrounding them.

A vibrant blue morpho butterfly with brown-edged wings resting on green tropical leaves in soft natural light.
A large iguana rests among tropical plants and rocks in a lush terrarium habitat.

Down Time


The beach is completely free. We are baffled. I, for some reason, already am wearing my swimwear, which honestly looks like black pants and a long sleeved shirt. I'm just wearing my Rockies jersey over it. Everyone else heads back to the ship to change into swimwear, and I stay behind. I really just need a moment to myself - this trip is depleting my social battery. I wander around the area snapping photographs, and slowly make my way back to the pier. The group returns, and we head to the beach.


We spend time in the sea, and then discover there's a splash pad, too! We head over there and the kids have fun playing around the splash pad. We just have to watch Zelda when the big bucket at the top tips over and pours water on one side of the pad. Zelda soon tires, and she and I go lounge on the beach. She soon falls asleep on me, and I read my book. Baby girl has now been to three beaches in her life and has napped at all three.

Black vintage street lamp mounted on pole surrounded by lush green tropical trees and ferns in a park setting.
Black and white photo looking up at a tropical coconut palm tree with lush fronds against a bright sky.
White lighthouse surrounded by palm trees on a sandy tropical beach with a colorful directional sign in the foreground.
White plumeria flowers with yellow centers bloom on a tropical tree surrounded by lush green leaves in a garden setting.
Close-up of vibrant green plant leaves with water droplets after rain, showcasing natural texture and freshness.
Two pink plumeria flowers bloom on a tropical plant with large green leaves.
Tropical colonial-style building with teal roof surrounded by lush palm trees and vibrant greenery in a resort setting.
Red chenille plant with long fuzzy catkin-like blooms hanging among bright green heart-shaped leaves outdoors.
Black and white photo of a charming tropical building with palm trees, lush shrubs, and a brick pathway in a garden setting.
Wooden double doors set in a rustic stone wall surrounded by lush tropical greenery and pink flowers on a paved courtyard.

Shopping


Everyone is pretty much ready to head back, so we pack up from the beach and go back to the area with the shops. Our first stop? Ice cream. Zelda doesn't get an ice cream of her own, but she gets a bite or two of almost every one else's.


Bethany, Norman, and Zackary go over to Del Sol to buy Zackary a shirt. Del Sol merchandise appears just black and white but turns colorful once exposed to UV Light. Jeremiah and I go and buy his mom a hand-woven basket, made by a woman who is quite literally sitting there and weaving the baskets. We buy one for ourselves, too. We find a small purse for Zelda that has beading made out of coconut shells and bamboo. Kyle buys a conch shell.

Norwegian Dawn


We board the ship and we all return to our own cabins with the idea to freshen up and then find each other again. Kyle finishes his shower and then comes to knock on our door. We are all showered and dressed, so we head back up to the buffet for a snack. We don't see Bethany, Norman, or Zackary, so the four of us head down to Java Café for music trivia and more coffee.


The four of us decide to return to our staterooms for an hour long break, and then we will go have dinner at The Venetian. Bethany, Norman, and Zackary make it clear that they don't want to dine at The Venetian, so the four of us just go. Zelda does very well dining in a finer restaurant. She's such an amazing kid.


We head out to the deck after dinner to watch our ship leave port, and then our smaller group splits up for the evening. Jeremy and Zelda go to explore and go "duck hunting". Kyle and I go get our free amulets and go to The Cabaret. We 100% thought it was going to be the show titled "Cabaret", but it wasn't. It was four broadway-experienced singers performing their favorite songs. Even though it wasn't what we expected, it was fun!


I return to my cabin to find Zelda is asleep and Jeremy is working on the daily Sudoku puzzle provided by the ship's library. I change into pajamas, snuggle in next to him, and we call it a night.

A man and woman smiling together in a theater with rows of empty seats visible in the background.