Our cruise left Monday afternoon from New Orleans. We drive down Sunday afternoon and spent some time with my Uncle Arnold and Aunt Kathy. It was really fun to see them. Funny thing about our cruise was the Christine and Nathan were on the same cruise but just days before. They got off the same boat on Monday morning that we got on Monday afternoon. We planned to meet up with them and explore New Orleans together. Our first stop was Cafe Demonde where they sell Beignets. They were so good and helped warm us up because it was seriously so cold that day. We walked around a little bit more s but the cold humid air was biting and we had to call it quits. We took them to the airport and got ready and excited for our cruise. Before they left though, they handed us some clues for a scavenger hunt they had left on the cruise. They put them in very hidden and clever locations so they wouldn't be cleaned up in between cruises.
The boarding process went smoothly and made us more and more excited for what we were doing. When we finally got on the boat, we were anxious to explore. A great way to explore was doing Christine and Nathan's scavenger hunt. Luckily all the clues survived and we got to see so many different parts of the boat. It was so big. There was so much food including our favorite Burger place and the all you can eat ice cream. Our favorite activities on the boat were the mini golf course, the movie nights and popcorn on the top deck, and the fun trivia games they had.
The food was AMAZING! our server was really fun and made sure we always felt really comfortable. We were lucky enough to be paired up with a couple about our age and so we had a lot of fun at dinner time with them. Some of the meals we had included, prime rib, duck, shrimp in every form, seafood pasta, mango soup, molten chocolate cakes, cheese and fruit platters, and so much more. Jed was even brave enough to try Escargo!!! The elegant night was really fun to dress up for, for dinner and we enjoyed the comedy show that night. It was really funny.
Off the boat we had and incredible time exploring Mexico. The first port we went to was Progresso Mexico. We purchased an excursion there because there really wasn't much else to do. We snorkeled in sacred caverns called Cenotes and visited a Mayan village. It was so beautiful. We also had a very good cultural experience driving through Mexico. Snorkeling in the two cenotes was amazing. We had no idea what to expect! Cenotes are caves that have been created by underground rivers. There are fish in there with no eyes. The first cenote was naturally lit because the ground had opened up above it. The second one had to be lit because there was no natural light from above. They turned the lights off when we were in the water once and that was a little spooky. To get down into the cenotes, you have to climb through this small opening and down these very narrow steep steps. It was a little scary at first but it was worth it.
Andrea volunteered to dance the Mayan bottle dance. She was so nervous it was going to fall off she hardly moved! It was pretty hilarious. Because she volunteered she got a free margarita or tequila. Luckily they let us have an ice cream cone instead.
Cozumel Mexico was our second port. We did not purchase an excursion and had the idea of finding a beach to relax at all day. We found a taxi that took us to a private beach and the price included transportation to and from the boat, snorkel gear, beach chairs, and an umbrella. It was so perfect! Snorkeling was incredible. We had no idea that so many fish were under the water just swimming around. It was also fantastic just lying on the beach in perfect weather in the middle of December.
Our cruise was so perfect and we loved every second of it. The ship had endless entertainment like comedy shows, magic shows, and musical performances. We tried to take advantage of every moment. We got back to New Orleans on Christmas Eve and drove home to enjoy a Christmas with just the two of us.
No comments:
Post a Comment