There was still not a real sunrise but at least we had a little bit of color as dawn was approaching. I walked 6 laps right away and a couple more later plus some in town but it was not a big day for walking.
This is my first visit to Fortaleza. There were just 2 tours, a city tour (4 hours, $85) and a dune buggy and beach tour (5 1/2 hours, $140). Neither interested me and I just took the first shuttle into the city, about 8:20. The ride was about 5 miles and not anything that looked like an interesting walk. The destination was EMCETUR, the tourist center. Like the one in Recife it is a former (1850’s) prison but very different. The cells seemed to all be on the ground level and there were very nice courtyards between the cell blocks.
The city did not make a very good impression on me (one step above Recife) but people who had toured the beaches were far more impressed. I spent about 90 minutes in town. The first place that looked interesting was an old fort about 3 blocks away. On the way I passed through a square where a band was tuning up to get started on Carnival entertainment.
Nosse Senhora de Assuncao Fort was built by the Dutch in 1649. It is still an active army facility so there was not a lot to see inside but I was allowed to walk around a bit outside the walls.
The main thing open was a plaza with monuments including several statues, the most prominent of which was Martim Soares Moreno, considered the founder of Fortaleza.
Across the street was the main market, a large oval structure with 4 levels of small vendor booths.
The third building at the same intersection is the Cathedral. The Gothic-Roman structure looks ancient but was actually built 1939-78.
It is the third largest in Brazil with a capacity of about 5,000. I was a bit surprised to be able to go inside but the first Mass was not until 10AM and did have a chance to go for a look.
In front of the Cathedral there was a small square with a statue of Dom Pedro II, Emperor of the Republic of Brazil for 58 years.
There was not much open on a Sunday morning and I headed back to the ship on the 10AM shuttle. A lot of other people must have not stayed long either because the shuttle was packed.
Fortaleza is apparently a tourist mecca due to it’s beaches but does not seem to get a lot of cruise ship visits. I was thus surprised to see that it has quite a new and modern cruise terminal and we dock right next to it. I believe it has wifi although I’m not sure. It’s remote from town but there was a nice beach right across the breakwater from the dock with people surfing.
It would not be much of a beach stop for us as our day was quite short. All aboard was 2PM, and followed immediately by a muster drill, required every 30 days. It was again held indoors. While it was hot and mostly humid I was a bit surprised as it did not seem really intolerable to have it on deck.
We sailed about 2:30 with the first officer at the controls. It was a very slow sailaway as swells do come into the harbor and the path out is quite narrow. It seemed like it was almost 20 minutes after we let go the lines before we were properly lined up for our exit and started moving forward. I had just enough time after our departure to change and be ready for the 4PM Interdenominational service.
All were present at table 19, and I think all enjoyed their tours. I chose the citrus delight, pork, and something called Berries Financier which really turned out to be something like a cupcake with just a hint of berries and ice cream on the side.
The featured entertainment was a magician Adam Heppenstall. I thought he was good although I was drowsy and missed a good part of it.
My parting shot will be about mustering. Some ships do it indoors and others do it under the lifeboats. Both options have their defenders and their critics. I think there are benefits and risks both ways. Muster is actually about accounting for everyone on board and not necessarily evacuation. Do we really want to be standing under the lifeboats if something happens in a major storm? Do we want to be mustering in the dining room if the galley is on fire? I like the fact that the Prinsendam’s architecture supports both options quite well and that we have had the opportunity to practice both options.
Roy
Roy's Grand Voyages 