I need a vacation from our vacation we just took! Our Christmas cruise was fun and memorable. The day before the cruise, we flew into New Orleans, Louisiana. It was my first time there. We met my parents and my sister at the airport, got our hotel and then went to Bourbon Street. I was not impressed. There were three things to see: souvenir shops, bars/restaurants and strip clubs. I felt like I was at a big college party because there was mostly college age people walking around drunk and acting like idiots. That's not really my thing and there was too much stimulation that I was overwhelmed. Also, New Orleans looks ghetto, so I wasn't impressed with the city either, although I am sure there are nicer areas that I didn't see.
On Sunday, it was finally the time to get on the ship. It was cold and rainy. We just explored the ship, ate food and hung out until it was time to sail away. We had to sail through the Mississippi River for about 9 hours (I believe) until we actually got to the ocean. The next day was a full day at sea. It was cloudy, rainy and cool. We went to a couple of events on the ship and continued to explore what the ship had to offer. Towards the afternoon, sun was starting to peak out and it was getting warmer, which was a good sign. That night we went to a musical show and hung around.
The next day we docked in Cozumel, Mexico. It was nice and warm. We decided it would be a day for shopping, although our first stop was Starbucks. :) Shopping in Cozumel was interesting to say the least. For anyone who hasn't been out of the country or to Cozumel, the employees stand by the entrance of their story and practically and (sometimes literally) grab you in the store, especially the jewelry stores. I guess my mom was an easy target as the employees would always grab her into the stores. At least we got a bunch of free earnings and charms because we went in! Later that day we ate lunch at Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville. My hamburger was $116 (Pesos) it was expensive (about $16 US dollars). By that time we were ready to head back to the ship. Erin and I went to go lay by the pool, but it started raining. So we went back to her room and took a nap while the others hung out. Our ship sailed away to head to our next port. That night we learned a dance (I can't remember what its called), went to a magic show and played shuffle board.
The next day was Christmas and we were in Belize. Our ship couldn't dock at the pier, so we had to tender (be taken to shore on a smaller boat) about 5 miles. That day we decided to go cave tubing and zip-lining. We had to go on a big tour bus and drive 1.5 hours to the jungle. Our tour guide gave us a lot of information about Belize and what to expect on our adventure.We did cave tubing first. The caves we were in were historical Mayan caves where they did a lot of their bloodshed and other traditions. It was obviously dark in the caves, but we had lights on top of our helmets. Because there were so many other people tubing at the same time, it was really lit up and you can see pretty well. After the tubing, we dried off and went zip-lining. By then we were starving and was time to eat Belizean food, which consisted of chicken, rice and beans. It was so good. After this, it was time to head back to the pier. Our tour was running a little bit late, so we had to rush to the boat so we could be transported back to the ship. As we approached the ship, they were already pulling up the anchor, so we made it just in time. That night we celebrated Christmas and hung out since we were exhausted from the day.
Wednesday, we were in Roatan, Honduras. This place was beautiful. This was the day we wanted to go to the beach. Getting to the beach was a little interesting, but we made it. The water was so warm. This is where I spent most of my time since I love swimming. Others laid on the beach soaking up the sun and drinking coconut water out of a coconut. We were there a couple of hours and then decided to go back to the pier to do some shopping. It was a cute little place to shop and because we were the only ship there, it wasn't too crowed either. That night on the ship we saw a comedy show and sat on the top deck and looked at the stars.
Costa Maya was our last port. We decided to just explore the area. We rented a golf cart and cruised down the streets to the beach. They had some nice beaches and they had shells! We also got some chips and salsa and some Mexican Coke (which is the best kind). When we had to return the golf cart, they were trying to hustle my dad saying we didn't pay (which we did and we had the receipt to prove it). That was a little nerve wracking, but my dad didn't give in and we quickly walked away. After that we did a little shopping before heading back to the ship. That night on the ship, we decided to dress up and get our pictures taken and go to a steakhouse for dinner. After that, we saw a circus soleil show. It was neat.
The last full day was at sea. It was my hardest day because I felt sea sick and was really tired. Plus it was cloudy and rainy again. Most people just hung out, but I took a nap and didn't do much. I can't remember what we did that night, I guess its because we were all pretty tired at this point. :)
The last day we had to wake up early so we could get transferred to the airport. The New Orleans airport sucks. My family had to check in at a different part of the airport. We just decided to met up after we went through security because at most airports, that is what you can do. Not at this airport!!! We were stuck in this small terminal with hardly anything to eat or do. So needless to say, we didn't even get to say goodbye to my parents and sister. I need closure, which I didn't get, so that really threw me off. I got over it, but still, I wasn't happy that the airport wouldn't allow people to walk around the airport.
It felt weird to be back and it made me appreciate what we have. When we were at our ports, we saw the reality of those who actually live there. We saw a lot of poor neighborhoods aka slums and people begging for your money or business. We even saw animals that were skin and bones. It was sad to see and it made you feel guilty as you know that you have plenty to eat on the ship, a warm place to sleep and money in your pocket. Also, there was garbage everywhere, even in the ocean and on the beaches. I can see how dolphins and sea life can die because of being caught up in garbage. I definitely see a need for these places and how these people need help. It makes me want to go on a missions trip one day and help out.
Well that pretty much sums up the trip. I can't wait to plan the next one. :)
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