On Ports of Call

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Being our first stop on the trip, Grand Cayman holds a special place in our hearts. We tendered into the port at Georgetown early in the morning and met up with our excursion group just inside the waiting area. We booked the “Rays, Reef, and Rum Point” excursion with NativeWay Watersports, which was a nice blend of activity and relaxation. Our trip started off with a bus ride on the northwestern portion of the island to the marina where our boat for the day was waiting. There were about twenty other people on the boat with us, and after a thirty minute ride out into the bay, we found ourselves at Stingray City which is rather aptly named. There, boats (full of people) congregate near a sandbar where Stingrays come to be fed and play with the willing. And it’s no lie, they flock to this location and have for nearly eight years. They are very much like curious puppies (large ones, at that), swimming up against your legs and wondering where their treats are. We spent a good bit of time in the water with the rays, having our pictures taken, feeding them squid, and snorkeling around with them. After our time with the rays, we got back on the boat for a short ride over the barrier reef where we snorkeled. Once everyone was through with snorkeling, we placed our orders for lunch (we both went with the catches of the day, me with a blackened Mahi Mahi sandwich and cliff with the Grouper fish n’ chips) and took off for Rum Point Beach. This was a quaint little oasis where we had about an hour and a half to eat, relax, explore, and take pictures. Unfortunately we lost some time on our trip back to the marina and didn’t have anhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gify time to spend shopping back at port before having to catch the last tender to the ship. But no complaints here!

Cozumel, Mexico

Our excursion for the day was the “Royal Dolphin Swim” at Dolphin Discovery which is located in the island’s Chankanaab National Park. Can I just say how excited we were about this? Okay, well, we were. Upon arriving, we caught a taxi to Chankanaab and were greeted kindly by everyone there. It probably didn’t hurt that we were all smiles and giggles as we watched the dolphins swimming and jumping around in the discovery area. After “suiting” up and watching an informational video, we joined our group and our trainer out in the water. Our dolphins were named Shadia and Scarlet and it took me about ten minutes to stop denying the fact that they were real live dolphins with me in the water and not some animatronic creatures. Cliff and I were the first volunteers for our round of activities with the dolphins (did I mention we were excited?) and spent the next hour just engrossed in our time with the dolphins. We each got a foot push, a dorsal pull, two kisses, a hug, a handshake, and some free time swimming and playing with them in the water. And I think I can speak for both of us when I say there is absolutely no feeling in the world like gliding through the water with your arms outstretched as two dolphins push their noses into the arches of your feet. Amazing. Add to that awesome experience (we bought the video!) some time spent relaxing and snorkeling in Chankanaab, and you’d think our day was just about perfect. To top it off, we caught a taxi back downtown and landed at Pancho’s Backyard where we enjoyed a lunch of fresh-made guacamole, salsa, tortilla chips, fajitas, peach margaritas, and good conversation with two couples seated behind us who were from Goodlettsville! YUM. And wouldn’t you know, this time we did have time for shopping though we only had $10 left for this port by the time we made it to the shops.

Belize City, Belize

I have been wanting to go to Belize for a long time. I mean, like since circa 1995 or so. So, we’re talking about thirteen years of expectation being built up about this country. Why Belize, you ask? Well, because of the reef (the second largest in the world, second to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia) AND the rainforest. We had to pick just one on this visit though (we can always go back for the other), so we booked the Cave-Tubing excursion with Major Tom which entailed a drive through Belize City and the Belizian countryside, a hike through the rainforest, a thirty-minute ride down the river through large cave systems, and a tasty lunch of authentic Belizian food. The company we went with were the first to do cave-tubing there in Belize nearly sixteen years ago and are really great at what they do, including equipping the trip with really great tour guides who give you all the information you could ever want to know about Belize on the way out to the rainforest. It’s a fascinating country in terms of the nationalities found there, the blending of cultures, and the history of the nation. Interestingly, lunch was a plate heaped with curried chicken, rice and beans made in coconut cream, and coleslaw – which was SO very good. We also really enjoyed the pace and breadth of this trip apart from our other excursions because we felt like we saw so much of Belize (though we just barely scratched the surface). Often times, we remarked on the similarities between Belize and our memories of Africa and for that reason, I felt really comfortable there. Even the market in Belize was quite vibrant and we partook in shopping, in enjoying one of the proudest creations of the country, and in listening to some fine Garifuna music.

Isla Roatan, Honduras

After a couple of busy days, we were looking forward to a relaxing beach day at Fins n’ Flippers here in Roatan. F&F is located on a small island off the coast of the larger island and our admission fee covered our boat ride over and all-day access to the beach. The location has only been operating for a couple of years and so the facilities are incredibly clean and very nice. It consists of a clubhouse, a gift shop, big restrooms, a café, a pool, a row of lounge chairs out by the ocean, and a pier leading out to the reef just beyond the beach. For the first hour we were the only people there, so we took turns using our rented snorkel gear, exploring what are supposedly some of the best waters to snorkel and scuba these days. We read, took pictures, and before you know it, it was time to grab a quick lunch at the café before heading back to do some shopping and get back on the boat. For lunch, we ordered Fundidos (a Honduran style fondue consisting of beans, cheese, and deep fried tortilla chips), a quesadilla (probably the best tasting either of us have ever had), and two local beers (one of each kind, for our collection). That was, by far, the best meal of the whole trip and we both agree on that wholeheartedly. So with full bellies, we caught the boat back to the town, did some shopping, and got back on the boat. And that, well... That was that.


I can’t pick a favorite, and so far neither has Cliff. But I am so happy with this itinerary and would suggest it to anyone without any hesitations. There are a variety of activities one can do at each place, as well as a whole lot of beach-bumming if that’s your fancy.

The beauty of all of the ports are unmatched and I found them to have unique, endearing qualities that makes each one stand out as wonderful. A good pick for sure!

On Cruising

Arriving in Tampa at 8:45AM, we caught a cab to the port (arriving just after 9AM) and upon pulling up saw the hordes of people debarking from the Legend’s previous week of cruising. Figuring out what to do next was the hardest part, but there were plenty of people around to help us determine what time and where we needed to be in order to get on the ship. We made it into Carnival’s holding area inside the port at about 10:45AM after browsing through the shops at port and stepped onto the boat at about 11:45AM, which was perfect. The ship wasn’t going to set sail for another four hours and we had a decent amount of time to grab lunch (GREAT FOOD!), take pictures of Tampa, and explore the ship (while toting around our carry-ons) before our room was ready at 1:30PM. I was very impressed with the size of the ship and that first night and next day at sea gave us some time to explore, carrying around our little pocket-size deck plan and wandering for hours.

To our benefit, Carnival prints daily these brochures called the Carnival Capers that gives you all the information you need to know for each day. This took some getting used to at first, because I’m all about pre-planning everything. But it was great fun to get the Capers each night (along with amusing Towel Creatures!) and highlight the activities/events/important times we needed to know about for the next day. Eventually, I came to think of these things as gold. There’s information on spa, bar, and casino specials along with what movies they’ll be showing each day, who the special performer will be each night, and the ever-important tips on what to do, where to be, and who to contact in port. It also has all of the daily changes to the dining schedule, though we could always count on the 24-hour pizza, ice cream/frozen yogurt, and room service. And though we have nothing to compare it against cruise-wise, we really enjoyed the food. Our waistlines could probably attest to that.

Being on a ship takes some getting used to, not just physically but mentally as well. I had a bit of motion-sickness on our first day and was trying to get used to the spacial limitations of essentially being on a moving Las Vegas resort on water. I mean, that’s kind of what it was like, at least according to Cliff (considering I’ve never been to Las Vegas). There’s always something going on, so the first day at sea (which was entirely rainy as we were caught in the tail-end of then-Tropical Storm Dolly) we spent our time trying to find the balance between relaxing, exploring, and doing. Throughout the week, the rhythm got a little easier, and we ended up finding a decent balance. We played in a Cornhole tournament and wound up in second place, winning Carnival medals. We played in a call-in trivia game and won a pretty cool prize package from Carnival (including another medal, a trophy, a print, a photo frame, and a Carnival bag). We went to the shows every night except our last and enjoyed them all! We even managed to watch two movies, read a few books, swim, workout (the first day), and hangout in the hot tub. And wouldn’t you know, we even donned our robes on the Deck Party night and did the electric slide, the cupid shuffle, and the YMCA (among other group dances) with hundreds of other people and had a blast! Carnival is the “Fun Ship” cruise line after all!

And while the ship was awesome, I will admit that being at port was definitely the highlight of the whole trip. Our itinerary was incredible (more on that, later) and the ease of getting off and back on the ship, even when tendering (when the boat anchors out further and you have to take a smaller speedboat to get to the pier) was great. We booked all of our excursions outside the ship, which turned out fine and a bit less expensive for us. It was strange to only spend five to eight hours at a place and then leave, but it was definitely enjoyable none the less. No matter how hard it was to leave each country, it wasn’t that hard getting back on the boat. By the second day at port (Wednesday) I came to call the ship “home” and was fairly settled in. Sleeping in a pitch black room (that’s what you get when you book an Inside Stateroom) definitely has its benefits and the bed was SO comfortable, especially for two twin beds pushed together. Also, by then, we had come to recognize a number of families and couples on the ship whom we saw and conversed with often. In fact, one couple shared our anniversary and were celebrating their twentieth while we were on our first!

Speaking of our anniversary, it conveniently fell on the first of two “Cruise Elegant” (or formal) nights on the ship, which meant we were in for lobster tails for dinner and a great Broadway-style production for the evening show. And after a wonderful night of getting dolled up, having our pictures taken (hence the new blog pic), eating delicious food, and watching a great show, Cliff took me up to the top deck under the full moon and slyly presented (and shocked) me with a first anniversary band matching my wedding band. We had talked about this very ring months ago and decided it might need to wait until later since he “hadn’t had a chance to set aside the money for it,” when really he had gone back the day after we bought our wedding bands a year and a half ago and gotten it then. As if the cruise itself wasn’t enough of a gift in itself…

Well, every good thing comes to an end and getting off the ship happened quickly and painlessly (except, if you count being done with a vacation) on Sunday morning. Having closed out our account the night before (with cash!) all we had to do was wake up early, grab our last meal at the Unicorn Café, and do self-assist (carry off our own luggage) that the morning. We did self-assist so that we could get off the ship in time to make it to the airport for our 11:15AM flight. Due to some confusion in the lobby, it seems we ended up in a shorter self-assist line, were off the boat by 8AM, and were at the airport, through security, and at our gate by 9:15AM with two hours to kill. It couldn’t have been easier!



…stay tuned for “On Ports of Call”!

And We're Off!

See you in a week... :)

Holiday Week!

For me, at least.

Every time Monday rolls around, I am reminded yet again that my weekends are never full of the same sense of relief and refuge as others'. My days blend together, only I get to spend much more time with the hubs on two (this week three!) of the days. I like those ones the best. Though, I also very much enjoy the days when friends move back to town, find themselves also "between opportunities" or just off for the day, and accompany you to places like the pool, the park, or out to lunch. Those are good days, too.

To fill up the other days, I have been working on a few projects, recently.

1. Cleaning out/off our desk to make way for our new lovechild.
2. Cutting out recipes from stacks of cooking mags to make my own recipe binder.
3. Playing with our new toy. As in, our new AMAZING camera.

I've made a new Flickr account for the not-so-ordinary photos I (and maybe Cliff) may take. I put a link up here (obvioiusly) and under "Take a look..." There's a few shots I am particularly proud of and so is Cliff! He's incredibly supportive of my recent obsession with taking pictures of him (and everything else in sight) and often encourages me to take shots I might otherwise miss out on.

Let's see, what else is new? We've made it to three of the four weddings we had planned on attending so far this wedding season. There are still two yet to come, and we are very much looking forward to those.

Speaking of looking forward, we'll be out on our first day "at sea" on the cruise three weeks from today. Ah... can't wait!

Our Cruise-Finding Tutorial

1. Know your limits. We had an exact $$ amount that we weren't willing to go above, lending us the ability to quickly determine the possibilities.

2. Figure out when you want to go. Our ultimate goal was to cruise during our anniversary, but in our search process, we went with the entire month of July realizing that any given week can have a different room rate.

3. Decide on length. For us, it came down to making the most of time off. Cliff's philosophy was that if he was going to take five full days off from work, he wanted to add in the weekend days and take the longest cruise possible for the money. You know, getting the bang for our buck. Therefore, we had 9 days to work with and on a 7-night cruise, like the one we're taking, you're gone for 8 days if you manage to schedule your flights as such. We'll be gone from early Sunday morning to the following Sunday afternoon, giving us both some time to recoup from the trip before going to work the next day.

4. Start searching. For me, this started with expedia.com, orbitz.com, and kayak.com, which each helped me get a general idea of what was out there that was within our price, date, and length range. I left the search open to each of the individual cruise lines so that I knew what was out there for each, because I didn't have a preference either way. In the end, Royal Caribbean and Carnival became the evident choices for the summer. Then, with that information, I went on to both Royal Caribbean.com and Carnival.com to get the specific rates quoted by the companies for those dates.

6. Start a list. I would have gone crazy without some sort of method for keeping track of the choices we had (because there are so many). Post-its strewn everywhere turned into a color-coded excel sheet where I could keep track of each ship/itinerary including calculations for total price based on room rates, flights (which we hoped to get through Southwest for wherever we were going, without the need to drive an hour to the port), port shuttles, taxes, and fuel charges (most cruiselines charge $5 per person per day). Then, I sorted them based on approximate price and we drew a line right where our price cut off was (realizing there would be more to pay for including excursions, tips, drinks, pictures, souvenirs, etc.). If you're not the excel type, notebooks work well too.

5. Make the location decision. For us, this was the hardest part, simply because we had so many options. When we first started, I wanted Alaska. And then the Mexican Riviera, and then somewhere in the Caribbean. We're waiting on Alaska 'til we're a bit older (not ancient) and can't enjoy the fun-in-the-sun days quite as much. Then, we decided against Mexican Riviera and Baja (Pacific Mexico) because we want to see whales and the summer is when they're all up north. Winter is when they're down south breeding. And finally, as far as the Caribbean went, our honeymoon was in St. Lucia which is part of the Eastern Caribbean, which we loved, but wanted somewhere new. Knowing I still wanted to go to Mexico and having the option of going to Belize, which is a country I have been fascinated with ever since my marine biology and rainforest-loving President of the Environmental Club days (it is home to the second largest Barrier Reef in the world), the West became a clear winner, as did Carnival, because it was the only line sailing the WC in our price range.

6. Consult the masses. I am a consumer review, nutjob. I love reading them, writing them, no kidding. I found a website called cruisecritic.com which is the be-all, end-all for cruiseline reviews, cruise itinerary reviews, advice on excursions, advice for first-timers, and so much more. I went straight to reviews for our particular ship (the Legend) and clicked on each of the reviews for our particular location. Reading each in detail, I got a good feel for what our trip would be like and that it was, by and large, one of the most well-rated ships and itineraries Carnival sails. So we felt confident with the choice.

6. Get competitive. With our preferred trip and dates in hand, and a general idea of how much it would cost to go through the cruiseline, we went to our travel agent for better rates. Unfortunately, we kind of got the shaft from her because we think her agency gets better return from Royal Caribbean, so we kindly ignored her pleas for us to travel outside of our price range on RC. With that, I was on a mission to get an unbiased quote from some travel agent somewhere. The skies opened up and I stumbled upon a website called cruisecompete.com where internet agencies compete for your business by posting their best quote for the trip of your choice. You simply create an account, put in your trip information, and let them know what the best quote you've gotten so far is. We got multiple responses within the day, and after calling around to a few of them (even the ones that didn't have the best quote, just to see about Guarantee rooms, etc.) I felt the most comfortable with the one that ended up getting us the best deal on our preferred sail date. And that was that!

7. Don't look back. After making the deposit, we're in and we're now in the stages of planning our excursions. With four stops along the way, we have a lot to choose from in the way of activities and I'm being rather diligent still with my consumer reviews to find the best, most enjoyable ways for us to spend our time in port. As for the cruise itself, we're looking forward to eating, celebrating one wonderful year of marriage, and sunning ourselves beside the pool with 24-hour views of the ocean. What could there be to doubt about that?!


I feel like I may have left some key advice out of this, seeing as it's been such a long process for us, so if you happen to have any furthur questions, feel free to ask. We are by no means experts, just cruise-virgins who are hoping all of their due diligence pays of in the end. We'll see!

We Did It!

After much deliberation (and by much, I mean far too many weeks of poring over Excel spreadsheets, countless websites, a barrage of phonecalls, and wringing of the hands) we've booked a cruise! To celebrate our One-Year Anniversary, we'll hop aboard the Carnival Legend and set sail for seven nights in the Western Caribbean, with stops in Grand Cayman (Cayman Islands), Cozumel (Mexico), Belize City (Belize), and Roatan Island (Honduras). I can't even tell you how enlightening (and consuming) the process of planning this cruise has been, so we are very happy to be settled on this choice (which I was leaning towards from the very beginning).

We'll be first-time cruisers which is a big deal, considering the investment and the occasion, but this particular cruise has gotten GREAT reviews and you can't beat that. Plus, we just feel good about it. It's something we've prayed about, have been blessed financially to enjoy, and we're just going to take it all in (I can say that now that the stress of planning... mostly... is over).

By the way, if you're looking for resources on cruise reviews, competitive cruise quotes, etc. - I can get you in the know. Seriously.