Today is the last port of call for this cruise, the “B” island of the ABC Island chain, Bonaire. Stephanie and I had visited Bonaire on a previous cruise, and had really enjoyed the island. It is much smaller and less populated than Aruba, so the whole atmosphere is less commercial, and more laid back.
The plan for the day was to meet up with Beth and Ryan at about 8:30 AM in the atrium on Deck 5. We were not really sure which water taxi company we going to use, but I had downloaded some information from the internet on a couple of taxi operators, and also on where to snorkel once they dropped us off at Klein Bonaire.
The ship had docked at around 7:30 AM this morning, so there was not much of a crowd waiting to get off of the ship by the time we headed out. There was another ship in port with us, the reconditioned ex-Royal Caribbean ship Splendour of the Seas. It is now sailing under the Thompson Cruises as the Discovery. Unfortunately, Bonaire is not the best port to be in with another ship, it is just not that big.
Klein Bonaire Preserve
We started walking in the direction of one of the taxi operator locations from our internet information, passing by the area where many of the tour groups set up for selling tours for the day. We found one water taxi company that was leaving about every thirty minutes, and their next departure was at 9:00 AM, only ten minutes from now, perfect scheduling. We paid the over and return fee of $20.00 per person, which seemed like a lot, but was the going rate, based on our internet research.
We walked a couple of blocks to where their boat was docked and there were already some other people there waiting. It was not the biggest water taxi, it was more of an open fisherman motor boat that was being used for for a water taxi today. However, everyone fit on board, and we headed out. It was about ten minute ride over to Klein Bonaire, and as we headed over, they asked us what time we wanted to return, just so they could manage all of the return riders. They were scheduled to arrive at Klein Bonaire about every hour anyway. We told them our return time of 12:30 PM, which would give us about three hours to snorkel and relax on the white sandy beach.
Getting Ready To Snorkel
Unfortunately, as we headed over, we now saw that the wind had really picked up, and once we were dropped off, the normal snorkel area was not on a wind protected side of the island. We had beenhoping it was more protected from the wind, but it was not.
They dropped us off on the beach and we headed in the direction that our notes had indicated was a good starting point for the drift snorkel. Beth was not feeling that great, still having some morning effects from the ship’s movement, and decided for forego snorkeling to stay out of the choppy water. Stephanie, Ryan and I put on our snorkel gear, which was a little bit of a struggle from the beach. The area we stopped at was marked on the shore, and we could see a break in the shallow reef where you could head out to the back side of the reef without crossing over the coral in really shallow water.
Fish On The Reef
It was pretty choppy out past the reef, which was very close to the shore, only about forty feet or so. Stephanie and I wore our inflatable vests, but not our special rash guard neoprene shirts, which would not have fit under the vests anyway. The water in Bonaire seemed warmer than in Curacao, but not significantly, but the vests themselves also had some neoprene, and that helped to keep us warm.
Stephanie was having a difficult time acclimating to the snorkeling, especially in the rough water. We now realized that we should have tried to snorkel some in Aruba, if only to get her more used to breathing through the snorkel where the water would have been smoother. The problem here was that once you were on the other side of the reef, there were not many, if any openings to cross back over if you had any issues. This, along with the rough water, was not sitting well with Stephanie’s psyche. She was worried about having an issue and not being able to get to shore. We stayed in the same area around the reef opening, trying to get her comfortable before heading down the shoreline, so Stephanie did get to see a little bit of the reef and scenery before deciding to abandon the snorkeling and head back to the beach to hang out with Beth.
Manta Ray
Ryan and I headed out, it was pretty clear as far as visibility went, but surely impacted some in a negative way by the rough water and wind. It was really hard for Ryan and I to stay together, all of a sudden there were several large groups snorkeling in the same area, and it was hard to see who was who. There were a lot of fish, but we did not see any sea turtles. I did see one large manta ray, but it was out in the deeper water, and it headed away quickly.
Reef Coral
By the time Ryan and I got to the end of the reef, the number of people on the beach had increased dramatically. We had seen several large boats drop off people while we were snorkeling, and it was just plain crowded. Beth and Stephanie had walked down the beach trying to determine if they could figure out where we were, so when we headed ashore, they were waiting on us.
Reef Fish
We all walked back to where we had started, and had our sandwiches for lunch, along with some of our waters. We thought about doing another snorkel, but the crowds and increased winds changed our minds. We packed up our gear and headed back down the beach to the water taxi pick up area. We saw our water taxi heading into the beach as we arrived. There was already a line, so we were worried we might not be able to go back early, it was only 11:30 AM, and we had told them 12:30 PM. However, there was enough room and we all boarded for the ten minute ride back to the ship.
We took all of our snorkel gear back to the ship and got some lunch. We did not want to eat a lot because we had made reservations for one of the specialty restaurants for tonight, the Crowne Grill.
The Reef
After lunch, we headed back ashore to go and look at the local vendors that were set up under tent canopies in the nearby park. There were more vendors here on this visit than that last time Stephanie and I were in Bonaire. We also discovered that there were quite a few shops past the vendor area, so of course, we visited a few of those. Stephanie and Beth bought a Christmas ornament from one store, and Ryan purchased an out of date Bonaire license plate. Stephanie tried to negotiate on a painted tile, but the lady running the store would not budge on the price.
On the way back through the outside vendor market, Stephanie purchased a four bottle sampler of locally made hot sauces. We had stopped at this tent on our way through and Stephanie and Ryan had tasted samples some of the sauces and flavored salts.
Thompson Discovery Leaving
Afterward, we headed back to the ship, but paused along the pier to watch the Thomson Cruises ship depart. There were several others watching along with us, and we all jumped when the ship’s horn sounded to initiate their departure.
Caribbean Princess In Bonaire
Once we were back on the ship, we headed to the pizzeria to get a small snack. Our reservations at the Crowne Grill were not until 7:30 PM, so we all needed a little snack to tide us over until then.
We then headed back to our cabins to get ready for dinner. The plan was to meet at Vines for a glass of wine prior to dinner, and possibly some sushi We met at Vines while we were waiting for our reservation time at the Crown Grille.
The dinner at the Crown Grill was fantastic. Our wait staff was excellent, and the food was tremendous. We all ordered Filet Mignon steaks, and Stephanie and I split a side dish of their Sea Bass.
Sea Bass At Crown Grille
Beth and Ryan did the same, but they both got a side of Sea Bass. The steaks were quite large, and the sea bass was gigantic. It was the largest piece of fish I have ever seen served at a restaurant, and it was perfectly cooked.
Crown Grill Dessert
Of course we had all gotten an appetizer, and the main course was served with a selection of sides, served home style in bowls for sharing, along with a baked potato. Needless to say, we were quite full, and unfortunately, we could not finish all of the food. We had no idea that the portions of fish would be that large.
Of course, we had saved a tiny amount of room for desserts, they have tremendous desserts here, and Ryan and I got coffee’s while Beth and Stephanie got hot chocolates, all with a shot of Bailey’s.
Dessert Sampler
It was a tremendous meal, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It is too bad that in order to get really good food, and excellent service on cruises, you have to pay an up-charge and go to a specialty restaurant. I guess that the cruise lines have to cut cost somewhere to remain competitive, and try and maintain overall cruise prices over the years. The cost of cruises has not gone up much over the last 10-12 years, and food seems to have been one of the main areas for cutting the overall cruise costs.
After dinner, we headed up to Crooners for a nightcap, we were certainly too full to call it a night. After a few drinks there, we did turn in for the evening.