Had a GREAT day with NATIVE WAY!

[Jacquelyn11]

We were in GC on May 26th. There were 4 other ships in port with us that day. We got the first non-tour tender off the RCCL Mariner and were on the dock by 8:45am GC time. We saw Sharon there with her Native Ways sign and she mentioned we were early! She asked us to wait in a fenced in gazebo are off to the left. This are was really crowded and we opted to wait a bit under the main area. None of the shops were open yet!

 

We found Sharon with her Native Way sign by 8:45 ship's time. She mentioned we were early and asked us to wait in the small, fenced gazebo off to the left. At the time, it was crowded, and with my DH headache still a problem we opted to stay under the larger area until about 15 min till 9:30. I checked the shops across the street but they were still closed. About 9:20 we saw Sharon walking with her sign up the street so we joined the group. It turned out her other driver had the van full so we rode with her in her car. She is from NYC originally and has a tough time with the "hey, no worries" attitude of her husband and his crew at times. She told us tales of Capt Marvin (who happens to be her brother-in-law) Leaving his appointments at the dock, or not leaving in time to get them back to the ship! She was constantly on the phone assuring that the boats would wait for us.

 

We did see a lot of devestitation from Ivan still evident along the way. Sharon said their boats were shifted about 500 yards from the dock, but thankfully were not damaged. We got on our boat and rode about 30 min to the stingray area. I was wondering if my 11yo DS would want to participate after his Dunn River falls experience where he was terrified and crying. You can truely stand flat footed and watch the rays swim around you. We all got out and my DS put some squid in his hand and the ray "sucked" it up! After that he was hooked! We got a "ray massage", kissed the fin for good luck, and had our pic taken with a ray lifted behind us! They are magnificent creatures to watch from above and below the water. Later we went to the reef. My 12yo DS and I snorkeled for a while. We saw some fish but not alot. They had water and fruit punch to drink.

 

We had and extended family on board with us (mom, dad with 3 boys, 9,6, and 3, nana and gramps, auntie and family, plus another couple. The 3yo got real fussy on the drive back until mom took him, then he finally went into a peaceful (for us!) nap he had been fighting.

 

All in all, we had a wonderful time with Sharon and Native Ways!

 

Jacquelyn :D

[kendallison]

Thanks for the great review! Looking forward to doing the same!