San Blas Islands and Covid
Ship: Swan Hellenic - SH Diana
Itinerary: 11-Night Puntarenas to Cartagena
This morning, SH Diana is anchored off the coast of San Blas Islands. But, the morning did not start well for us. Rickee had been fighting a bad headache for a couple of days and when a slight cough came on last night, she decided it was time to see the ship’s doctor.
Protocol requires a Covid test and, sure enough, Rickee tested positive, making this her third Covid cruise. She is a Covid magnet!
This experience did give us the opportunity to check out the medical clinic on board, which I must say was quite impressive for a small ship. It is very well equipped and they have a doctor on board as well as at least one nurse (there may have been others, I am not sure).
The doctor was very thorough and had a great bedside manner. She told us that Rickee would have to be quarantined in the stateroom until the end of the cruise, unless she tested negative in the meantime, which she did not.
Fortunately, I tested negative and, as a result, I was provided a second stateroom (#628) just a few doors down from our Junior Suite. While Rickee spent the rest of the day resting, and reading, I decided to try another cheeseburger from the Pool Grill. This one was just as good as the second one I tried.
I did not feel like taking the Zodiac to the island without Rickee, but I did watch the Zodiacs shuttle guests to and from the island. Everyone said they experienced the best snorkeling of the cruise here.
This evening was the Captain’s Farewell Reception and Renato, (Food and Beverage Manager) along with Chef Eddy, prepared a table with caviar for guests to enjoy. I do not eat caviar, but Rickee loves the stuff. So, I had Renato fix her a plate and I ran it down to her suite for her to enjoy.
Nikki greeted everyone in Observation Lounge, then introduced Captain Kai Ukkonen.
Captain Ukkonen welcomed the guests and then brought the entire crew of SH Diana on stage for well-deserved recognition.
A hand-drawn map of our cruise was offered up for auction and raised $1,000 for the Crew Welfare Fund!
The Captain’s Farewell Dinner menu included Beef Tataki (delicious), Asparagus Soup (delicious) and the featured main course was Surf and Turf, a beef filet topped with a lobster tail.
The filet was cooked perfectly medium and was tender. The lobster, unfortunately, was very fishy and I could not eat it. I am not a huge fan of lobster anyway, so I did not ask for a replacement, I just enjoyed the beef.
Tomorrow, we will be docked in Cartegena, Columbia.
