Exploring the Western Caribbean

I told you last week about our time on the Carnival Sunshine cruise ship, but I didn’t tell you about our destinations and our adventures.

Our first stop was Cozumel, Mexico.

We walked around the little shops at the port, trying not to make contact with the Mexicans nagging us to come in their shops. “Free Tequila shots!” one yelled from a jewelry store. After purchasing a few post cards, we went to meet our group for our excursion. We booked a dolphin excursion with Carnival.

We were able to get in the water with dolphins. The dolphin kissed our cheeks. We were able to give the dolphin a kiss, pet them, dance with them while holding their fins, and feed them. It was fun, and we both enjoyed it. Dolphins are so cool. The only bad part of this excursion is that you aren’t allowed to take a camera. They don’t want cameras in the water with the dolphins. You aren’t allowed to have any jewelry or glasses or hats or anything to keep the dolphins safe. I really wanted photos of our experience, but the photos they took there for you were WAY too expensive. It was ridiculous. And Travis and I both agreed they would actually make a lot more money if they lowered their prices because more people would be likely to purchase the photos.

During this excursion, we also got to go snorkeling. We swam with sting rays and lots of big and little fish. It freaked me out a little, but it was great practice for something we’d do later at another port. Our excursion also included food and drinks, so we were able to enjoy a meal while we watched dolphins. And since the drinks were included we tried lots of alcoholic drinks that we wouldn’t want to spend money on. Let me just say I don’t see how anyone would ever want to drink a Long Island Iced Tea. Yuck!

After the excursion, we headed back to the port where we bought a smoothie that was delicious! We lounged in a hammock on the beach and soaked up the sun before heading back to the cruise ship.

Our next stop was my favorite. Belize. We didn’t have any excursions planned. We got off the ship and started to walk. We found a company selling excursions to go snorkeling and enjoy time on a small island. We were hesitant, but decided to go for it. And I’m so glad we did! Exotic Eco Adventures took us on a small boat out to a very small island — 1.5 acres! It was so neat! We snorkeled for about an hour first. Good thing I got practice in Cozumel! I wasn’t freaked out or uncomfortable once we got going, and I really enjoyed it. We saw lots of the reef and lots of fish.

When we got back to the island, we had time to lay out and swim. Of course, I chose to lay out and get some sun and Travis chose to get back in the water and snorkel closer to the beach. I love that we can both do our own thing and still enjoy it. We got food on the island, one local guy selling food for everyone. It was delicious! I got chicken kebabs and Travis got lobster tail. They made sure we got back to the mainland in time. We had just enough time to walk around the shops and find a Christmas ornament to represent our vacation. We also got a coconut and I got to try the milk for the first time. It was not for me, but Travis enjoyed it.

Next stop — Isla Roatan, Honduras. Also known as Mahogany Bay. Travis and I split up for this port. He had just been certified as a scuba diver and really wanted to do some underwater adventuring while we were in the Caribbean. I do not like scuba diving, and I am not and never will be certified. So he booked an excursion through Carnival to go scuba diving, and he loved it. I think it was his favorite part of the whole trip. He saw a lobster, an eel, a sea turtle, and a whole lot of fish while he was down there. While he did that, I booked an excursion through Island Marketing to have a spa day. We were both nervous to split up, but once I was at the spa I was fine. I got to spend two hours pool side, and I literally had the pool all to myself. Then they came and got me and took me to this little cabin on the island. I had an exfoliating scrub treatment, a body mask/wrap treatment, a scalp massage, and then a full body massage. It was heaven. Afterward, I went to a restaurant at the resort and had a yummy lunch complete with a brownie. Travis and I met back up in the late afternoon to explore the shops near the port. We bought a decorative cross made of different colored wood to hang in our house. I love it.

So this might be the longest post ever… Sorry! Our last stop was Costa Maya, Mexico. We walked around the shops, but it felt like every store had the exact same wares. Also, the people there were very “Come to my store,” “Give you good price,” “Good deal for you!” It was a little much for me. They had a pool and lounge chairs at the port to use for free. We took advantage of that. We played football with a friend we made, and I got to read my book.