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Regarding beach walks, there seems to be both good news and bad news. I was there last month as the cruise ship upon which I was giving a lecture had an overnight port-call (one of the advantages of some Celebrity itineraries as you can get two days on OB).
There were very few pax wanting to go to OB and I had to wait at the taxi stand for about 20 minutes on both days for a cab to fill. In general, the cabbies were not encouraging people to go to Orient--whether that's due to perceived conditions or, more selfishly the lack of return fares, I don't know. The cab dropped at the large parking lot close to P-Lite (mostly Pedro's old lot).
Even though I got there by 10:30 a.m. both days, P-Lite was doing well which continued through the afternoon. Cedric collected chair rental and while there were a few towels from the two ships in port, most beach patrons seemed to be travelers staying on-island. Shortly after arrival one of those around-the-island tours stopped for its "complimentary" rum punch affording participants the opportunity to gawk, although two of the twelve stripped down for a quick nude dip.
Past the rocks and past Luiz swim and coverup shop, the beach was largely deserted and there didn't seem to be anything discouraging nude walking. Consequently, I strolled from Club O to Mt. Vernon and back wearing only water shoes. There were no noticeable reactions from other patrons. P-Lite food as OK, beverage prices were acceptable, the crowd, 75% nude was amiable, and a pleasant stay was had. (One word of caution especially if on an overnight port call, don't be the last people trying to get back to the port. IF you can get a cab, you'll pay the full fare, at least US$25+.)
On the second day, I stopped at the Club O shop adjacent to the parking lot and found a small amount of what had been in the Club O store. After talking with the girl there, a holdover from pre-Irma/Maria days, she said that nude walks past 10/11 a.m. were still discouraged, but any kind of at least minimal swimwear was OK.
In any case, if one can get past the sorry state of most of the structures along OB and the general lack of facilities (thank you, P-Lite), there is hope and the recovery continues. Also, adventuresome cruise pax may be somewhat of a help. They're a good way to continue the narrative about OB and the drop-off location near P-Lite is a good way to spread the word that clothing-optional is not something to be scorned.
There were very few pax wanting to go to OB and I had to wait at the taxi stand for about 20 minutes on both days for a cab to fill. In general, the cabbies were not encouraging people to go to Orient--whether that's due to perceived conditions or, more selfishly the lack of return fares, I don't know. The cab dropped at the large parking lot close to P-Lite (mostly Pedro's old lot).
Even though I got there by 10:30 a.m. both days, P-Lite was doing well which continued through the afternoon. Cedric collected chair rental and while there were a few towels from the two ships in port, most beach patrons seemed to be travelers staying on-island. Shortly after arrival one of those around-the-island tours stopped for its "complimentary" rum punch affording participants the opportunity to gawk, although two of the twelve stripped down for a quick nude dip.
Past the rocks and past Luiz swim and coverup shop, the beach was largely deserted and there didn't seem to be anything discouraging nude walking. Consequently, I strolled from Club O to Mt. Vernon and back wearing only water shoes. There were no noticeable reactions from other patrons. P-Lite food as OK, beverage prices were acceptable, the crowd, 75% nude was amiable, and a pleasant stay was had. (One word of caution especially if on an overnight port call, don't be the last people trying to get back to the port. IF you can get a cab, you'll pay the full fare, at least US$25+.)
On the second day, I stopped at the Club O shop adjacent to the parking lot and found a small amount of what had been in the Club O store. After talking with the girl there, a holdover from pre-Irma/Maria days, she said that nude walks past 10/11 a.m. were still discouraged, but any kind of at least minimal swimwear was OK.
In any case, if one can get past the sorry state of most of the structures along OB and the general lack of facilities (thank you, P-Lite), there is hope and the recovery continues. Also, adventuresome cruise pax may be somewhat of a help. They're a good way to continue the narrative about OB and the drop-off location near P-Lite is a good way to spread the word that clothing-optional is not something to be scorned.
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