Bridgetown, Barbados

Saturday, 13 Jan 2018 – Today our ship docked in the Bridgetown harbor very quietly at 5:00 AM.  Although we have always heard the engines running noisily when the ship is docking or moving out, this morning we slept through the apparently silence.  When we looked out our window, we saw three other [larger] ships in the harbor, though none were lined up exactly next to ours.  They were the P&O Azura, the Norwegian Breakaway, and the Celebrity Eclipse.

At the Bridgetown, Barbados Port

Having been in Barbados previously in 2008 when we went outside the city for a “Monkey Encounter,” we decided to leave the ship for walk a few blocks or whatever.  After stepping off the ship, we immediately boarded a shuttle, which was necessary to leave the dock area in order to arrive at the visitor center.  Inside and behind the center were some shops; we walked briefly into a few of them.  At one point, though the sun continued to shine, rain fell for about one minute from a dark cloud.

Although we could have taken a shuttle from the center into the city, we had no burning desire to shop or explore the island further.  Barbados was first visited by Spanish navigators in the late 15th century.  The English arrived in 1625, and the first permanent settlers arrived in Barbados in 1627 and it became an English colony.  As a wealthy sugar colony, it became an English center of the African slave trade until that trade was outlawed in 1807, with final emancipation of slaves occurring over a period of years from 1833.  In 1966, Barbados became an independent state and Commonwealth realm.  Residents are predominantly of African descent.

We walked back to where a line of shuttles were waiting to take people to the ship.  It was necessary to look at the front of the ship for the sign “Insignia,” as several other shuttles were there for the other ships.  After sitting down on the shuttle, others soon arrived, most of them pulling luggage.  These people were boarding the Insignia for at least the next segment (27 days to Cape Town, South Africa).

Back onboard, we ate lunch and then swam for a considerable time since the pool was empty.  Jesse’s swimming has improved because this pool is small and not very deep, which reduces his fear.  Since we’re both overeating, this exercise is great for us!