Saturday - Airlie Beach

Up at six before the alarm and did some prepping with backpacks etc. 

We will tender off the ship to Shute Harbour and catch our boat ride to the Whitsunday Islands.

We popped upstairs to the buffet for a bite of breakfast then returned to the room to grab our backpacks and sunscreen. 

Off to the Fine Cut steakhouse for our meet up to get on the tender. It was pretty short wait as we mustered and headed off down the stairs to the large tender docked alongside the Magic Carpet (the big moving platform). Boarding was very efficient and we departed at 8 a.m. sharp. 20 minutes later we disembarked in Shute Harbour to catch the next leg of the journey. 

 

 

We walked over to the main building and checked in with Red Cat Adventures. We received a blue wrist bad and were assigned boat #3 for our trip over to the snorkeling site. Luckily boat #3 was the largest and fastest of the three that took the 107 guests on the day trip.

Off we went and in 45 minutes we were on the reef just east of Whitehaven Beach at Chalkies beach on Haslewood Island. The route took us by the famous Hamilton Island with it's expansive deluxe accommodations.  

 

 

We all got sorted out with snorkeling gear which included a stinger suit that everyone is required to wear. It protects against any possibility of touching these creatures. That said, the crew did explain that the odds of this happening at this early stage of the season was very rare.  We were loaded into a smaller boat and ferried to the edge of the reef. We snorkeling for about an hour and it was truly amazing. Lots of small fish of various colors as well as coral formations of various sizes and colors.

Almost slimming stinger suit :-)

 

My iPhone is not waterproof so no pics of the fish or coral :-) It was truly an amazing experience and one that we were glad we did.

 

After gathering up all our people, we headed over to Tongue Bay and anchored the boat. A lunch consisting of a fresh bun with cold cuts, veggies, salads etc was served by the crew and it was very tasty.

 

 

We were then transferred to shore for 1) a hike up to the lookout and 2) a walk on the white sands of Whitehaven beach.  Time was getting tight as we had to be back for the last tender at 3 p.m. sharp from Shute Harbour.   They gave us specific times for each trek and away we went... lookout was first. 

 

 

Hill Inlet Lookout

 

What's what!

 

 Stunning views from the lookout and then a quick trip down to the beach as Kelly was determined to put her feet in!  With time running out for our stay, she did finally make it and splashed around a bit before heading back to the boat. A rushed visit but what can you do when the cruise line changed the last tender from 5 to 3 p.m.!

We loaded up and went north around the island and then west to the dock. 48 minutes later we had made it in time for the "last tender". Funny thing, another group didn't arrive back from their excursion until 3:15 and they had to send another tender to fetch them. 

 

Once back on the ship we headed for the nearest bar and grabbed a refreshment to take back to the room. Showers were in order to get all the salt off our bodys. Refreshed and cleaned up, we went to the Martini Bar for Happy Hour. We were clearly exhausted as we chatted with several people from Edinburgh. Their thick Scottish accents immediately reminded us of our good friend Mary! We exchanged names and will get together later.

 

Off to dinner at Tuscan tonight and we were seated right beside a big picture window... very nice. Dinner was very good and service was excellent.... as all the restaurants have been for us. 

After dinner we stopped in at the casino for some fun... and it was very good to me. I have been doing very well and have come out ahead on each visit.... that will eventually end but but at this point, I am playing with their money:-)  

 

After the visit to the casino, we wandered the ship and found myself in the watch store... the salesman Sud saw me and immediately brought our the Rolex that I had seen during their presentation the other day... here.. try it on he said... needless to say, we left without it.

The show tonight feature four singers in a Four Seasons type show except these were the "Four Guys". It was entertaining as Kelly and I tried our best to stay awake!

Off to the room and it was lights out for Kelly while I did some blogging.. or tried to. 

Epilogue: Finished up the blog this a.m. in Yorkeys Knob 

 

Steps today 9,300