Day 4 - 2nd Day in St Georges - Oceania Insignia - NYC to Bermuda - September 2023

We slept a little later than usual after our busy night.  It was the perfect day to do so since we overnighted in St. George’s and have another full day to enjoy the idyllic location.  After our coffee from Barristas, we had another breakfast in the buffet. 

Chris and I can be creatures of habit, so we returned to Alexandra Battery for another swim.  It was packed but not with people, but thousands of tiny fish.  We’ve never seen anything like it.  The multitude of fish was the only company we had.  This is one of our favorite spots, as it feels like our own secret beach.  

It was another really hot day so I suggested to pop into the liquor store and see if they had any Goslings Dark and Stormy cans for sale.  We were in luck and purchased two cold ones, a bargain at just eight dollars.  I had a pineapple and Chris tried the mango.  If you read my last blog, you might remember Veronica and I drinking these from a bag in the Dockyard.  We made good use of our refillable water bottles which was even more discreet than a paper bag.  Before returning to the ship, we popped into Sea Glass by Kelly.  Her shop had moved to a much bigger location and she had some beautiful pieces for sale.  Straight away, a rare peach pendant caught my eye.  After chatting with Kelly, Chris decided to buy the stunning colored glass as we have never seen peach glass before.  She did a fantastic job accenting the color with beads.  I couldn’t wait to wear it to dinner tonight. 

Our walk made us work up an appetite so we went right up to Waves Grill to have surf and turf sandwiches.  It was a popular choice today as there was only one table.  There are small power bowls outside as well so I did try the Bangkok version today.  The sandwich while still tasty was well done versus the medium rare that we ordered.  

Since we were still in our bathing suits, we decided to take a dip in the pool.  Even though it was a full day in port, it was very crowded by the pool.  In addition to people, lots of items were enjoying a relaxing time on the loungers.  Found a couch to sit on together in the shade so I ran back to the cabin to get Chris’ book and the iPad so I could write.  A woman noticed my Crystal beach bag and asked if I have been back since the restart.  She told me of their upcoming trip and how much she misses Crystal.  She agreed with me that one downside of this ship is the seat saving at the pool.  When I returned, Chris had moved to a double bed chair that faced the windows.  While sitting, at least two people returned looking for items they left.  We were not sure if they were forgotten or left on purpose.  Being tucked away, the seats did get hot so we took a dip in the pool which helped.  Returning from my swim, a waiter was placing sandwiches and drinks on a table behind us.  No one ever returned and one hour later were still sadly sitting there.  I do not think on a luxury line this would go unnoticed by crew.  Just another slight difference in service level.

We took turns getting ready for the evening and went to trivia.  Our team must have been enjoying the day ashore but we scored a decent third place by ourselves.  We went to Horizons for our pre-dinner drink.  Tonight, in addition to the usual snacks, we were given some olives, cheese puffs, and cheese. Our cruise friends from Delaware pulled up some chairs next to us as did the comedian, Cory.  It was some very fun conversation.  Chris and I had a dance and spotted part of our trivia team.  We had a chat and were invited to join the rest of the team for dinner tomorrow.  

Tonight, we had dinner in Toscana which is the specialty Italian restaurant.  When making our reservations, they only times were for a shared table.  Our table mates joined us very shortly after we arrived.  The service in Toscana was much better than Polo Grill.  Chris and I both started with the carpaccio which had a good quality but was slightly bland.  I added some balsamic and it was perfect.  Next course was a Caesar salad for me and a caprese salad for Chris. Both were solid courses but nothing too interesting. For our mains, we both picked the lobster fra diablo.  I had mine prepared as usual while Chris asked for extra spicy. We both enjoyed the dish and thought it had good flavor, the lobster was cooked well with decent portion size.  For dessert, I had a warm apricot tart while Chris had the roasted peaches with amaretto zabaglione.  Both desserts were fabulous!  I had low expectation for the restaurant but I enjoyed it.  

Chris and I decided to take a walk around the ship to help digest our meal.  We ran into Waillson the pianist and had a very nice conversation.  He hosted a Name that Tune that we would have attended if not for our Toscana reservation.  He was on the NCL Encore during our February cruise so we talked about the differences between the two lines.  He is super friendly so if you cross his path cruising, he is very pleasant to talk with in addition to being very talented.  The outdoor deck party was tonight but after stopping by our cabin, the bed looked too tempting so we called it a night