We arrived in Muscat before 8:00am and didn’t expect the view we had. We’ve never been here before and expected the flat desert sand landscape we’ve been seeing the past several ports. This time we were greeted by a circular port ringed by bare rock mountains which had several Portuguese forts guarding the port. Modern buildings surrounded the port and some luxury yachts were at anchor and the Sultan’s yacht is almost as large as the navigator. The skies were clear and the temperature already high.
At 9:00am we joined 5 others in a minivan for a dolphin watching & snorkeling excursion. The roads to the marina were beautifully landscaped with sculptures in every roundabout and the roads were totally free of litter. This is a very clean and safe country. We got on our boat and headed a few miles out into the Gulf on Oman where we saw numerous groups of dolphins, usually 30 or more at a time. Spinner, bottlenose and “local” dolphins are in abundance and the spinners jump in a twisting motion out of the water. It was windy and a bit rough, but lots of fun. We then headed to a cove for an hour of snorkeling. While the reef wasn’t one of the colorful ones, the fish were very colorful and varied and the sea snakes were supposedly harmless. The water was a bit choppy but comfortably warm, probably around 85 degrees F, and quite comfortable. On the way back to the ship from the marina we made several diversions for photos, including the 16th century Portuguese fort and the relatively new Sultan’s palace, one of 7 in the country. We had planned to take a quick shower and go in to town to explore the souk, but we found out that the shuttle busses stopped from 1:00 to 4:00 since everything closes during that time. We could have taken the 4:00 shuttle and returned on the last one at 5:00 if we wanted to spend a rushed ½ hour there so we stayed on the ship. There will be many more souks in the next several days.
It was formal night and Captain’s farewell party and, before dinner, 8 of us had a group portrait taken and each couple had photos as well. We joined Wolf & Cheryl, a couple we’ve known from several cruises, for dinner in Portofino, which has reverted to Italian/Mediterranean cuisine. Formal nights are difficult in the Compass Rose because everyone heads in at the same time and Portofino offers a more relaxed setting. The evening show was Ballroom Bravo with the Regent singers, dancers & orchestra accompanied by the Ukrainian ballroom dance couple. It was one of the best shown we’ve seen and the new format is really positive. Following the show we joined friends in Galileo for after dinner drinks and conversation.
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