Amber Cove, Dominican Republic

I was out very early for sunrise as we lost an hour with the one-hour time change. The black clouds blocked the sunrise but did not hinder my photo taking. Cathy and I were out and about very early being the first to get off the ship. We did a quick sweep of the Amber Cove pool and beach area and then decided to climb up to the Sky Bar before the Carnival ship arrived blocking the great view of the Nieuw Statendam. Perched on the hillside overlooking the whole of Amber cove, the Sky Bar offers panoramic views. While up at the Sky Bar, the ominous black clouds and rain showers produced a beautiful rainbow followed by a second one for a double rainbow over the Nieuw Statendam. We were able to get some pretty nice photos of the area before the Carnival Mardi Gras blocked our ship. After descending the hilltop viewpoint, we did some shopping and took in the sites around the cruise port and the overwater cabanas before returning to the ship. Luckily, we made it back to the ship before the next downpour hit. We spent the rest of the day in the Cabana dodging rainstorms…when the sun was out it was a lovely temperature with a nice breeze. Unfortunately, our afternoon in the Retreat was cut short by the overpowering noise level from our neighbor’s afternoon outdoor movie. This is the third time since I've been on the Nieuw Statendam where I had to leave the Retreat because of the extreme noise level coming from the Carnival ship...  Filed a complaint once, that didn't do any good apparently.  All and all, it was a good day in Amber Cove. Tomorrow is a sea day….looking forward to a quiet day in the Retreat.