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Cruise Day #7: At Sea

Jan 5th, 2014 by

Today was our final sea day. Sadly for many of passengers, it was overcast and a bit wet; certainly not a day of fun in the sun. Fortunately, the wind and seas had subsided by morning.

We passed it as we do most days at sea: eating meals, playing with Emerson, taking a nap, reading books, etc. It also gave me ample time to pack our bags and make ready for our not-so-long journey home.

We had an Italian dinner at La Cucina, which we’ve come to enjoy on this cruise. The staff there especially dotes on Emerson, which she loves (almost as much as grandmother and great-grandfather enjoy watching her getting the attention). For my part, I’m never fully comfortable with the added attention of having a decent percentage of the ship’s staff knowing my daughter and greeting me with “where’s Emerson” when I’m not with her.

What can I say? I’m not a social creature. :-)

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Cruise Day #6: Cozumel, Mexico

Jan 5th, 2014 by

Today, we returned to Cozumel for the third time. We were first here on a cruise in 1997 aboard Norwegian’s tiny Leeward on our honeymoon. We didn’t like it then. We returned in 2008 on our inaugural Thanksgiving cruise, and we found it more appealing. Today, we enjoyed it a bit more. So, it seems to be improving with age. :-)

We departed the ship early and took Pop on a tour of San Miguel. We then returned to the ship and left Emerson with Mom and Pop while we went shopping (mostly browsing) in town. I did buy a bottle of aged tequila, and Libby bought a set of silver hoop earrings to replace one that she’d lost a couple of months back. We then had an enjoyable lunch at Pancho’s Backyard (pretty good food, decent prices, and an appropriately festive ambiance).

We returned to the ship in time to avoid a deluge, which turned out to be more than just a brief tropical shower. By the time we’d left port, the weather had turned rather foul. We spent the evening sailing into high winds and twelve foot seas, much to the chagrin of some of our fellow passengers.

This didn’t stop us from enjoying an excellent meal at Le Bistro, which we felt was much improved over prior visits. The starters, entrees, and desserts were all tres bien, as was the nice bottle of Cote de Rhone. Indeed, for me it was one of the rare, magical moments in life when you’re just happy to be where you are, doing what you’re doing, with whom you’re with and to know at the time that you should remember and be grateful for it.

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Cruise Day #5: Costa Maya, Mexico

Jan 2nd, 2014 by

I’ll post more fully later, but here’s a photo from our beach club in Costa Maya:

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Continuation…

I don’t normally do a lot of advance planning, especially for Caribbean ports of call. For Costa Maya, I’d read in our Frommer’s guide that there was a nice private beach right by the pier, as well as a good spot to get some local cuisine. Planning done.

Sadly, the book was wrong on both accounts. The private beach was dilapidated and abandoned, perhaps the result of Hurricane Dean. The local restaurants were replaced by a Señor Frogs and a Carlos’ ‘n Charlie’s.

Fiddle sticks.

Also, since we’d planned on using the beach at the port, I didn’t have much cash and no ATM card with me, as we were going to return to the ship and pick up Mom and Pop for lunch. To go to the beach now, we’d need a taxi and to pay for entrance to one of the clubs. So, I hustled the 1/2 mile roundtrip on and back on the pier to get my wallet.

The beach club (pictures above) was actually very nice. For $15 per person (Emerson was free) + $12 for roundtrip transport, we had free beach chairs, umbrellas, a pool to use, water toys, clean restrooms, and wifi. For $20 more, we could have had unlimited drinks, which was a real bargain compared to the prices at the port. I’d do this again in a heartbeat on a visit to Costa Maya (and I’d stay to eat lunch at the club too).

In our case, we returned to the ship around noon to pick up Mom and Pop for lunch. We went to Carlos’ and Charlie’s… it was wildly (I mean wildly) overpriced for so-so Mexican food. While it was good to get Pop off the ship to enjoy the ambiance, I wouldn’t eat/drink there again. You’re essentially captive… and it’s (what’s the Spanish for it?) a “trap tourista.” :-)

We had dinner at Bambo and attended the show, which was altered after an accident at the earlier performance. It seems that one of the dancers/acrobats took a fall from a height during (we believe) the song “Defying Gravity” — sadly, he didn’t. Irony aside, it’s good to hear his injuries don’t appear to be life threatening. (Update: he broke his hip, was disembarked in Cozumel, and flown back to Miami for treatment).

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Cruise Day #4: Belize

Jan 2nd, 2014 by

We dropped anchor this morning 5 miles off the coast of Belize City. The water is very shallow here. So, the cruise ships (four in total today) dock off shore and passengers tender in on fairly large tender boats.

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We undertook this exercise and then explored the port area of Belize City (nothing too exciting there). Most major sights are located some distance from the city… however, we didn’t bother with an excursion as most were to either Mayan ruins or the beach–neither of which seemed worth the expense and travel time to us based on past experience. So, we returned to the ship in time for lunch, a nap, and dinner at Cagney’s (the ship’s steakhouse). All in all, it was a pretty good day.

Today’s box score: +1 country (Belize)

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Cruise Day #3: Roatan, Honduras

Jan 2nd, 2014 by

Roatan is a long, skinny island about 40 miles off the coast of Honduras. We docked this morning in Coxen Hole, which is the island’s largest town and arranged for an independent, guided tour. We had to choices: heading to the resort beaches on the West End or getting more local flavor by heading east. We opted for the local flavor…

So, we all piled into a somewhat dilapidated minivan and set off with our driver and tour guide. The trunk latch of the van was broken; as a result, we had to put Pop’s wheelchair up with us between the middle and front seats. This meant the tour guide had to sit sideways facing me… probably a good thing, as she didn’t really project her voice much for the mildly interesting narration.

The island itself is relatively attractive, but it’s a bit like Grand Cayman in that its primary allure seems to be offshore. It’s also relatively poor, though far better off and much less rough than mainland Honduras, which is one of the poorest and crime-ridden countries in the Americas. Indeed, French Harbour–which was one of the local communities that we visited–had homes that looked to be little more than garden sheds in need of repair. That said, the infrastructure isn’t too bad and evidence of development in the locals’ areas suggest that this island is on the economic upswing.

We returned to the ship for lunch and had an afternoon nap. We then watched the sail away from our balcony before heading to La Cucina for dinner. In the past, we’ve never been overly impressed with NCL’s Italian venue, but it was very good last night. The restaurant’s staff was especially fond of Emerson. They gave her a Happy New Year’s hat and took pictures of themselves with her. Needless to say, Emerson enjoyed the attention. :-)

I’d like to say we stayed up late and rang in the New Year “partying like a Norwegian,” but in truth we were in bed by 10pm after seeing the musical show. I did wake up to hear the Captain announce the arrival of 2014… at 11:30, 11:50, 11:55, 11:59, and finally for the countdown to 12:00. However, by our standards, this was a very festive way to ring in the New Year! :-)

Today’s box score: +1 country (Honduras)

The dock in Roatan:

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Happy New Year:

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