We are back from our cruise. (Obviously) It was a lot of fun, and we took quite a few pictures, which Paul will post some when he gets time to do so. So here are the highlights.
Attendees: Me and Paul, Shelley and Ken, Tom and Jamie, Mom, Grandma and my grandma’s friend, Catherine.
Ports of call: Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Grand Cayman.


Saturday –
We got up at 3am to get to the airport the required 2 hours early. As we are driving up to the entrance to the airport, all the entries are blocked off by police except the long-term parking! Apparently there was a stranded or abandoned car on the road, so they blocked off all entries to make sure all was safe. Thankfully it was 4am and traffic was…well, not an issue. The flight was uneventful, and we met up with the Schmidt’s at the Miami airport. Of course our luggage was lost, but only for about 20 minutes. They apparently forgot to take if off the plane. Then we hopped the bus for the boat and were on our way. The rest of the day was pretty much boarding, unpacking, exploring the ship and eating.

Sunday – at sea.
Well, the boat was very bouncy. So bouncy both Paul and I were feeling a bit less then great. Actually a lot of people were feeling less then great. The crew even commented on how rough it was. No too much happened. We went to some on board entertainment and basically moved from food to food. Sunday was the formal dinner, which was nice, except for the whole seasick thing.

Monday – Playa del Carmen and Cozumel.
We got up very early and took a tender (ferry) to Playa del Carmen for a tour of the Tulum Mayan ruins. It was really cool. I love that stuff. We had a really good tour guide who was partly Mayan, so had a lot of pride in his race. It was absolutely breathtaking. Mayan ruins on the coast of Mexico. Bright blue waters, sandy beach and ruins on top of the hill. I took lots of pictures here. Paul and I both went on this tour. It was very warm and sunny, and we did a lot of walking.
Once the tour was over we took a ferry back to Cozumel. That was disappointing. Cozumel must mean sell me jewelry and booze in some language. I am not really much into that. If I were to ever go on another cruise, I would probably not choose to go there again. Back at the boat we spent the evening eating and watching entertainment.

Tuesday – Grand Cayman.
First thing in the morning I had a hand massage and manicure. It was very nice and relaxing. I loved the staff on the boat. They are from all over the world and they have no problems talking to you about the odd things they see around them. I can not imagine what impressions of Americans they go back home with.
I liked Grand Cayman. Tom, Jamie and I went on a pirate “ship” which was very small, but they served beverages, fired canon fire at the cruise ships and you had the option of walking the plank. The crew was fun and lighthearted. The day was sunny and warm. After we got off the pirate ship we went for a fast shopping spree in town. Then we headed back to our cruise ship. In the meantime, Paul had gone on a bicycle tour of Cayman, which sounds like it was a lot of fun, but I will leave that for him to describe.
Back at the ship we all met for the spreading of my dads ashes. The captain of the ship did the service for us, and was very nice. It was still bright and sunny and the water was that beautiful blue you don’t see in the northeast. Dad would have loved it.
Later that night, Paul and I went to dinner at a small eatery on the boat, the Pasta café. We had a very nice dinner together.


Wednesday – At sea.
The trip back was much smoother. I spent the day relaxing and playing games. Finished reading a book, sat on deck and enjoyed the sunshine. (Well covered in sunscreen of course!) We also packed up our bags and prepared for disembarking. They took the bags at 1am, so we had to have everything done before the end of the day. We ended the evening with games. Air-hockey ‘tournament’ and Magic. Ranking for air-hockey is : 1= Paul, 2= Shelley, 3= Me, and 4= Ken. Magic was also fun, Ken vs Me was an even tie, and with Tom’s help, we also managed to beat Jamie soundly.

Thursday – Miami
Ah, back on land again. We got up early, had breakfast, and waited for our colors to be called to disembark. Now we are sitting at the airport waiting for our flight home. Paul is playing Planescape: Torment, and I am typing away on the laptop. I will be happy to see my kitties again, and sleep in a normal bed, and have a real sized bathroom. But overall it was a very nice vacation.