Mljet Island, Croatia

This was our destination. Notice all the boats rafted up to each other on the dock. This is common and we have seen up to ten boats rafted together. It's quite impressive

We didn't raft, but instead, were on the ferry dock just behind them. But, we had to move for an hour so the ferrys could come and go. The group went on a hike to an inland lake and I chose to stay behind, which allowed me to capture this scene. I also had a chance to talk with the captain and he was happy to show me the pilot house. It looked very similar to the helm on our boat, just a bit bigger, but all the same electronics and equipment. We had a fun conversation as he shared some of his 38 years of experience on the water.

Guess who was hovering at the mouth of the bay? This is Jeff Bezos support vessel ‘Abeona'. It is 246 feet long and is designed to carry extra guests, crew, tenders, toys and yes, a helicopter. His main yacht is 417 feet long and is the world's largest sailing vessel. We didn't see the main yacht but suspected it may be close by, hiding in a bay somewhere. I'm sure they wanted some privacy on their honeymoon, but it's a bit hard to hide a 417 foot yacht.

Back to reality - here is a close up of the swimming area. The water was the perfect temperature and when everyone returned from the hike, we spent the rest of our stay floating around and chatting with each other.

That evening was the Captain's dinner, a special event for sure. Unfortunately, the Captain wasn't feeling well and didn't get to join us. But we celebrated him anyway. Around our table is Diana, Ivana (our Cruise Director,) Keith and I, Roberta, Christiana, Mailin, and Lana. All very beautiful people, inside and out.

After dinner, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and then it was time for more fun.

You can't have a fancy dinner without entertainment and music. So we started with a watermelon carving demonstration. This is Jefferson, our ships cook, carving a flower into the watermelon. We also learne, he is not only a very good cook, but is also a great entertainer. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the final product, but it was very cool.

Guess what was the entertainment… Karoke! It was so very fun and even shy, quiet Keith 🤣🤣 got in the act and led the group in Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash. It was a very fun evening with plenty of laughter, silliness, and maybe a little alcohol involved.