Friday | Tampa
Good evening, and welcome to our post about our first cruise! We decided to spend just a couple days in Tampa (the port we set sail from) in order to catch up on sleep and see some old friends. Our hotel was right on the water and had a beautiful view of the city!
Erika discovered that there were some hazards that came with being that close to the water, but luckily we didn’t see any leathery friends.
We had a nice dinner at a Spanish place just off the water with some old friends and then walked the Riverwalk for a bit before turning in. There were musicians and other performers along the way. The city had just spent a lot of money revitalizing that area, adding covered pavilions with lighting and power to encourage the festive atmosphere.
Saturday | Tampa
The next morning we woke up and packed up our stuff to schlep down to the port! The hotel had a shuttle so it was very convenient. Along the way we met a Canadian family that was traveling to Cuba…how fun!
After going through security we finally made it into the ship! It’s a “smaller” ship but is still 12 decks tall with several pools, restaurants, cafes, dancing halls, etc! We went exploring while we waited for our room to become ready (they turn the ship same-day from the previous cruise, so not a lot of time for prep!) and I was quite confused on the orientation. It’s weird how quickly you can lose yourself inside the ship.
We took in the wonderful sunset views as we prepared to shove off into the deep blue!
And this is our last views of Tampa as we departed. Later we went to dinner and had a fantastic meal with prime rib as the entree. They rotate the dinner selections every day with 4-5 choices plus they also have a standard menu that doesn’t change with things everyone is sure to like. Very nice ??.
After the sunset we went inside to listen to one of the bands performing in the Centrum, an area near the middle of the ship with rotating performers. The decks above this area had an opening so music spread throughout the ship. There were also balconies on decks up through 9 to lookout over the musicians here while playing cards or enjoying a cocktail.
After dinner, we took a stroll around the main concourse, Deck 5, to get some fresh air and stretch the legs. It was a little bit chilly due to the night wind, especially over the water. Following this, we went to the theater to watch the Welcome Aboard show!
They had a comedian and some fantastic dancers with music and lights…it was great! The entire week they had really wonderful and also varied performances. And that about wraps up the first day. There was a pretty good tail wind on the ship so we had some rocky travels that first day.
Sunday | Key West
On Sunday we woke up and got ready for our first port – Key West, Florida. Neither of us had been here before and it is quite the beautiful tropical destination! You’d hardly believe you’re still in the US except for all the Americans everywhere.
Here we are standing at the furthest point south in the US, just 90 miles away from Cuba ??! We could sort of just barely make out something on the horizon, which maybe was Cuba? Crazy to think so anyway! As you can see from the map to the left, we’re pretty far south.
Next we went along to the Key West Cemetery, which had graves dating back to the mid 19th century! We walked along for a bit looking at the sites where up to 6 people could be interred – 2 below and 4 above ground.
We made our way along to the Key West Naval Air Station and checked out the beach there. It was fairly rocky but nice and relaxing and free of all the other tourists. We noticed one old looking hanger that still supported helicopter operations (top right picture). Check out the beautiful view along the bay – wouldn’t be a bad place to live!
We also noticed this guy – an iguana that was approximately 4 and a half feet long! He was just lazing along on the tree but was quite menacing doing just that.
As we made our way back to the pier we found this fancy Christmas tree, appropriate for the climate for sure. There were a ton of shops and restaurants along the water here with many people out and about.
We then passed a rooster in a tree, which is not something you see everyday! There were a ton of wild chickens running around, crowing, and even crossing the streets at the crosswalks! They seemed right at home and didn’t mind people one bit.
We also stopped at the “original Margaritaville”! Not sure how authentic it was but it certainly looked like it had been around for some time. They had a ton of Jimmy Buffet photos and memorabilia scattered around the bar area, as well as a large stage inside where the house band could recreate the local “atmosphere” 😀 Heading back to the pickup location, we decided it was appropriate to get a key lime dessert…
…and we did! After finishing this up we made our way back to the trolly that would take us back to our ship that was docked in the navy yard. We made it in time to soak our feet in the pool for a bit and then sit in the Schooner Lounge while we pushed off into the Caribbean!
The Navy dock at Key West 
The water looked wonderful as we sailed away, heading for Mexico!
Monday | Sea Day
Today was a cruising day that was very relaxing. We slept in the morning and then woke up and had a quick gym time before lunch. The water was beautiful and we had a nice 80 degree sunny day.
As the shadows got long it was time to change for dinner on our first “formal” night. There were a few tuxedos and suits around but most folks had a nice shirt and short dresses. We dressed and went to dinner and got our picture taken at many of the little scenes they had set up around the ship – maybe you’ll see some of them in the future. It was also the Captain’s Welcome so there was a champagne toast and pictures were available with Captain Tobias.
Then we went to a comedy / variety show by one of the acts on the ship. He had a juggling act that was pretty great, as he would tell jokes while juggling! I didn’t get much but here’s him with some tennis rackets. Anyway, tomorrow we’ll be in Cozumel. See you then!
Tuesday | Cozumel
After waking up and getting some breakfast, we filled our water bottles, put on sunscreen, and made our way out into Cozumel. We docked in the International Pier which is kind of a silly looking outdoor mall in the middle of the Yucatán jungle. There’s duty free shopping right off the boat (of course), as well as a smattering of restaurants as you would expect.
We made our way to the pier and as our boat began to fill up, our guide started explaining the day’s schedule to us. There were quite a number of people on the boat! Later we got to the snorkel spot and we jumped in!
As you can see the water was a beautiful turquoise green. We made snorkel stops in two places, one by a beautiful reef full of tiny fish, some bigger fish, turtles, rays, and unfortunately for Erika, tiny jelly fish! The second place was a shallow area where we could swim or just hang out in the water, which was full of large starfish and pink sand. The boat staff was handing out libations so it turned into quite the party ? ? ?!
On the way back to the boat we caught a shot of it behind the “Cozumel” sign, very appropriate 🙂 Getting back on the boat was very simple, and we had enough time to get a nap in before dinner.
Returning to our room we did find that our cabin attendant had left us a frog animal, with tiny little eyes! That’s some skill if you ask us! We then went to a variety show on the ship called “Love & Marriage” which as I’m sure you can imagine, was hilarious. That’s all for that day!
Wednesday | Belize City
Rain!! ☔️ ? ? ? Well, we’re heading out to brave the elements anyway into Belize City, Belize ??!
We made our way into the terminal and waited for our tour to start. Inside there were many booths with souvenirs and other items for sale – many of them hand made or definitely locally produced.
It was a long bus ride but we made it to Altun Ha, a Mayan site dating from the 200s AD. Our guide walked us around the park while giving us the background data on the location. As you can see, there was a break in the weather but it didn’t look like it would last for long.
The site was rediscovered very recently – the 1960s! The local villagers suffered a loss from a hurricane and were digging out the hills when they discovered skeletal remains. They called their government who contacted a Canadian archeological team to come excavate.
You can see detail in the limestone carving here
What they uncovered was an ancient site that used to be a central area for Maya living in the area. Housing, stores, government structures, and ceremonial temples are what was found.
While uncovering the ruins, they found a grave that contained over 300 pieces of jade, a precious stone to the Maya, as well as the largest jade carving found in the Western Hemisphere. We couldn’t see that unfortunately but it’s likely online somewhere. At the top of the temple structure the rain opened up so we scurried down and hid under some trees until the bus ride back.
Driving back we did a city tour of Belize City and learned about their history. Belize was actually settled by English pirates because of the natural reef protecting the harbor from ships. They had a business harvesting trees for lumber and dye and brought in African slaves for labor. This combined with the native Maya population as well as Spanish settlers moving in from the north or south gives Belize a unique population blend. Also present is an Amish presence, “redistributed” people from India, China, and the Middle East, and Expats who enjoy the abundant land Belize offers. All told, it’s roughly the size of Massachusetts but with only 500,000 people.
After we made our way back to the pier, we had a sampling of their local beer, which was pretty good! Then it was time to get back to the ship.
We made it aboard in time for sunset (and before the ship departed, so we didn’t get left!), and then we set off for the cruise up to Costa Maya.
At dinner we had these delicious chocolate soufflés with caramel cream and it was amazing.
Then because it was so clear that night, I was able to get this neat shot of a Princess ship in the moonlight. She followed our route pretty closely, I wonder how frequent that is. Anyway, it was very lovely!
A final lap around the deck, and a goodnight to Wednesday from us. Tomorrow we’ll be in Costa Maya 😀
Thursday | Costa Maya
Today we woke up and opened our curtains to find many people on the docks back in Mexico! We scrambled to get ready to set out to make our tour, starting a short distance from the docks. There was some initial confusion with the map, but me made it without delay and ended up in the right van on the way to the ruins.
The area around the pier has been done up to look very jungle-y and offered many shops, bars and restaurants, as well as excursions you could book. We shove off at 1630 today though so don’t want to tarry too much! We will get a few hours to spend here prior to departing after our tour is over.
Leaving the docks, we found a stone pyramid that marked the middle of town, and made it to our tour spot on time. They shuttled us to the Chacchoben ruins, the Mayan site we visited.
The site was wonderful! The Maya here constructed various pyramid-shaped buildings that ultimately helped them tell the date as well as serving other ceremonial functions. There were also several courtyards and walls separating parts of the compound that have all survived from ~700 AD.
The park was full of various jungle plants, including a unique tree that sounded hallow but wasn’t dead, and also a tree whose nuts were used to make chewing gum. There were monkeys in that tree that apparently wait for the fruit to ferment and then they like to eat it.
The monkeys also threw the seeds at us (or perhaps just the ground, but it seemed like they were aiming), so we had to watch out!
Moving past, there was another structure where you could see part of the superstructure still intact, with different types of stones being used to build the various layers. Our guide said the Maya would have covered everything with a type of plaster, and then a thatched roof above.
Wrapping up the tour, we climbed a large staircase that led to two structures that marked the summer and winter equinoxes. The Maya were quite the timekeepers, building a calendar that was surprisingly accurate for the time they built it, and lasting many thousands of years.
Ultimately overpopulation and disease did them out, but many decendants of Maya still live in the region today, and there are recreated villages where you can enjoy a meal and a re-enactment of daily life. After the tour, we made it back to the port and decided to explore just a bit before heading back to the ship.
We found flamingos and giant beach drinks! We spent a bit just sitting out in the sun enjoying the music and the Mexican wrestling! Haha, there were several luchadores that battled for victory at a restaurant right next to us.
Back on the ship, we took a little nap and then after dinner went up and caught the jazz band for a set.
Following this, we moseyed on down to the theater where they put on The Piano Man, complete with dancers and three pianos!
We went up topside and spent some time star gazing, as we’re currently in the middle of nowhere but it was so windy we didn’t stay for long.
I managed to get one of the moon and most all of Orion…it was hard to see what I was taking a picture of because I was holding on to my phone so tightly lest the wind take it! We headed back to our cabin and found this creature that our attendant had created from some towels and my sunglasses…haha
Another long day in the bag!
Friday | Sea Day
Our final day on the ship was a cruise day as we steamed past Cuba and back on up to Tampa. The weather was surprisingly windy and kind of chilly as we attempted to walk around the main deck. But that didn’t deter us from lounging in the hot tub for most of the day and then making it to the various farewell concerts.
The first concert was a “Decades” tour that started in the 30s and ended somewhere in the 80s. The singer was very good and his parents came on the cruise to see him all the way from North Carolina!
Next we spent some time by the water, just enjoying the sea spray before heading back to the desert. It was quite chilly ? and the wind was blowing very strong!
We went inside to maybe check out the art auction or browse the many photographs they took of us throughout the cruise. They wouldn’t let us take pictures of them without purchasing but we did get one with the ship in the background.
After we caught the sunset and then got ready for our last dinner and the final show of the cruise. We said goodbye to our dinner waiters and saw the tail end of the last performance, which ended with a lot of the workers coming up and waving goodbye for the week! It was a little bit sad to see everyone go, they did a great job keeping us happy and entertained all week.
Saturday | Tampa
Early in the morning we made it back to Tampa and saw the dock workers enjoying breakfast delivered from the cruise ship…via forklift! Not something you see everyday.
And that about wraps it up. We made it to the airport and had lunch, then flew back home. All in all an amazing time!! Thanks for reading!