Well!! I am back from my cruise journey with lots to write - but today I'll stick to trip and those details. The family took a cruise aboard the 'Norwegian Spirit' that departs from New Orleans. We had a wonderful trip with a few added adventures. Tropical Storm Lea added a few days to the trip, but I can think of worse things. :)
Let's break the trip down...
Norwegian Cruise Lines has some great things going for them! One of the best being the freestyle cruising! I loved that. You could go a to nice dinner in shorts and feel right at home. You could wander the ship and see people everywhere just enjoying themselves. The staff is great and did a very commendable job of managing 2000+ cruisers on an extra two days at sea. The food was pretty good and always available. The ship - The Spirit, was very nice. Although not the newest with all the latest bells and whistles it was still a great place to spend 7 ( oh, I mean 9) days. If you haven't cruised before - GO! Its a blast a can add a lot of great life experiences that you can' t get anywhere else.
Places we visited:
Costa Maya - a nice, man made port that was a nice stop. We did not do much here, because we wanted to relax this day, but a brief shop. The people were gracious and kind.
Roatan, Honduras - You MUST go here! It is a lovely, developing place that has yet to be spoiled by commercialism. They are new to the tourist trade, only 4 years old, and the bend over backwards to be gracious and kind. The beach here was my favorite. The water warm and beautiful! The people are beautiful and really want you to be there. The island is as close to a Rain Forest that I have gotten and its gorgeous! It does have its poverty and they don't hide it, but that's OK. Its good to see the world and all the faces it offers. Some may says its not polished and very fancy, but that's what I liked about it.
Belize - We went snorkeling on the Barrier Reef and it was wonderful. Some of the best coral I have ever seen! And the fish were gorgeous. This is trickier snorkeling because there is no where to put your feet down. You float in 15 - 20 feet of water. Beautiful, and the people here are as well. They are kind and very helpful. Had my first run in with a jelly fish at the beach we later went to. Considering we think my sting came from a floating tentacle, here's kudos to those who have had a full on sting. Because - people, that hurt!!! Secret - use vinegar, takes a lot of the burn out. My arm was fine a few hours later, but not fun. (I was told by my 12 yr old that ' You took it like a man mom, I am proud of you' ) But, hey - when you swim in the ocean, you risk it right? I am proud to say I was right back in the next day!
Cozumel - Lovely place as well. We did an Excursion with 'Explora Caribe' tours and it rocked. We toured the island by jeep. Snorkeled, ate, saw some ruins, swam and drove the shoreline. Very cool stuff!!! Santiago and Alejandro were wonderful!!
Days at Sea - these were great as well. The last two however lacked sunshine due to the storm, but it was still fun!! We still danced, had some beers and enjoyed ourselves. NCL really should give themselves a pat on the back. They pulled two extra days out of the hat - which is not easy. Especially if you have cranky people, angry because they can't get home. the only issue here was that calling out was nearly impossible and needs to be improved. Also, lets stop charging for WiFi people- its the way of the world and having to pay by the minute is amazingly stupid. I will say that you could get free WiFi only on Deck 8 and at the Internet cafe, which NCL gave us due to the storm.
Finally - New Orleans!!!! Oh My - this place might have been my favorite really. We were able to spend one evening before the cruise walking Bourbon Street. This is not for the weak of heart or conservative natured folks. It is a huge party, with eccentric people havin' a great time. Beads and beer are the ingredients and its a blast! Now, we also got to tour the French Quarter on Tuesday. The weather was perfect, the people were great and the food was outstanding. The history and the stories here are endless and require more time. The music is like non other and to think I was walking the streets that some of the best jazz and blues artists have walked was humbling, to say the least. The service was great. the buildings fabulous and so worth a visit. If you have ever thought, I might like to go there - Go! Its one of a kind. I will be going back, for longer next time.
To sum up my friends, travel, go see the world. It offers so many more pages to view and think about. You see and talk to people with rich histories that you won't find in any book. It adds so much color. I met some great people! Young and old, single, dating and married - all colors, shapes and sizes. It was a wonderful journey. Go out, see the world, go somewhere. Explore those places that fascinate you. Add to your life, you will not regret it. The key - be open and flexible to meet and have happen anything. Its far more enjoyable than the closed in places some still live in. ( I have a few stories to share!)
Now, go book that trip.
More to come later........
Let's break the trip down...
Norwegian Cruise Lines has some great things going for them! One of the best being the freestyle cruising! I loved that. You could go a to nice dinner in shorts and feel right at home. You could wander the ship and see people everywhere just enjoying themselves. The staff is great and did a very commendable job of managing 2000+ cruisers on an extra two days at sea. The food was pretty good and always available. The ship - The Spirit, was very nice. Although not the newest with all the latest bells and whistles it was still a great place to spend 7 ( oh, I mean 9) days. If you haven't cruised before - GO! Its a blast a can add a lot of great life experiences that you can' t get anywhere else.
Places we visited:
Costa Maya - a nice, man made port that was a nice stop. We did not do much here, because we wanted to relax this day, but a brief shop. The people were gracious and kind.
Roatan, Honduras - You MUST go here! It is a lovely, developing place that has yet to be spoiled by commercialism. They are new to the tourist trade, only 4 years old, and the bend over backwards to be gracious and kind. The beach here was my favorite. The water warm and beautiful! The people are beautiful and really want you to be there. The island is as close to a Rain Forest that I have gotten and its gorgeous! It does have its poverty and they don't hide it, but that's OK. Its good to see the world and all the faces it offers. Some may says its not polished and very fancy, but that's what I liked about it.
Belize - We went snorkeling on the Barrier Reef and it was wonderful. Some of the best coral I have ever seen! And the fish were gorgeous. This is trickier snorkeling because there is no where to put your feet down. You float in 15 - 20 feet of water. Beautiful, and the people here are as well. They are kind and very helpful. Had my first run in with a jelly fish at the beach we later went to. Considering we think my sting came from a floating tentacle, here's kudos to those who have had a full on sting. Because - people, that hurt!!! Secret - use vinegar, takes a lot of the burn out. My arm was fine a few hours later, but not fun. (I was told by my 12 yr old that ' You took it like a man mom, I am proud of you' ) But, hey - when you swim in the ocean, you risk it right? I am proud to say I was right back in the next day!
Cozumel - Lovely place as well. We did an Excursion with 'Explora Caribe' tours and it rocked. We toured the island by jeep. Snorkeled, ate, saw some ruins, swam and drove the shoreline. Very cool stuff!!! Santiago and Alejandro were wonderful!!
Days at Sea - these were great as well. The last two however lacked sunshine due to the storm, but it was still fun!! We still danced, had some beers and enjoyed ourselves. NCL really should give themselves a pat on the back. They pulled two extra days out of the hat - which is not easy. Especially if you have cranky people, angry because they can't get home. the only issue here was that calling out was nearly impossible and needs to be improved. Also, lets stop charging for WiFi people- its the way of the world and having to pay by the minute is amazingly stupid. I will say that you could get free WiFi only on Deck 8 and at the Internet cafe, which NCL gave us due to the storm.
Finally - New Orleans!!!! Oh My - this place might have been my favorite really. We were able to spend one evening before the cruise walking Bourbon Street. This is not for the weak of heart or conservative natured folks. It is a huge party, with eccentric people havin' a great time. Beads and beer are the ingredients and its a blast! Now, we also got to tour the French Quarter on Tuesday. The weather was perfect, the people were great and the food was outstanding. The history and the stories here are endless and require more time. The music is like non other and to think I was walking the streets that some of the best jazz and blues artists have walked was humbling, to say the least. The service was great. the buildings fabulous and so worth a visit. If you have ever thought, I might like to go there - Go! Its one of a kind. I will be going back, for longer next time.
To sum up my friends, travel, go see the world. It offers so many more pages to view and think about. You see and talk to people with rich histories that you won't find in any book. It adds so much color. I met some great people! Young and old, single, dating and married - all colors, shapes and sizes. It was a wonderful journey. Go out, see the world, go somewhere. Explore those places that fascinate you. Add to your life, you will not regret it. The key - be open and flexible to meet and have happen anything. Its far more enjoyable than the closed in places some still live in. ( I have a few stories to share!)
Now, go book that trip.
More to come later........
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