voyage Archives - Woman on Her Way

Caribbean Cruise: Day 6: Day at sea

On our final day at sea, we took advantage of the last-day on board sales, watched the crew talent show, played the slot machines (first time for Elizabeth), and packed our bags. The weather was too windy for mom to walk on deck, so we spent most of the time in our cabin or in the O’Sheehan’s Bar and Grill. This eatery was only a few steps from our room and served breakfast and light fare, in addition to drinks.

O'Sheehan Bar and Grill — O’Sheehan’s Bar and Grill

The last crew performance was the best, visually and musically. We tried to get to the comedian-magician show, but there was no room.

Hurricane Patricia was pummeling the Pacific side of Mexico as we skedaddled to Tampa. Instead of arriving at 7:00 AM, we docked five hours early. Kleig lights on the dock shinned in our room awakening me, and then the smell of diesel fuel and the yelling of the shore crew kept me awake. Mom and I were up early, preparing to leave.

We breakfasted in the Versailles dinning room, then sat in the cafe until it was time to disembark. Dennis was waiting for us, so once we passed through customs, he was there to drive us home.

Caribbean Cruise: Day 5: Cozumel, Mexico

Cozumel is an island in the Caribbean Sea off the neater coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. This popular cruise ship destination became famous in 1961 when Jacques Cousteau declared Cozumel one of the most beautiful scuba diving areas of the world. Since then, Cozumel has become an underwater marine park to protect the delicate balance of the coral reefs and abundant variety of tropical fish.

Off snorkeling (Left to right, Jane, Doris, and Elizabeth.)

This is where I first snorkeled and looked forward to the experience. I had initially planned to take a local taxi to Playa Carona. As we left the pier, we talked to several tour guide operators and learned that the 2008 hurricane had changed the coast and the flow of fish. Instead of going on our own, we took an excursion with a local dive shop, which turned out fantastic. We visited three sites, had an attentive marine tour guide, saw plenty of fish, coral, and aquatic plants in crystal-clear waters. The snorkeling leader fed the fish, which meant we were surrounded with colorful Sargent Majors, deep blue parrot fish, and other vibrant fish of various sizes. He dove down for a sea cucumber and I held the strange sea worm in my hand. This excursion was by far better than the one we had on Roatan.

Once we landed we went to Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville to buy souvenirs, and then we returned to the cruise ship. Mom had a lucky streak in the casino; she played for more than a half hour on $5.00 before loosing it all.

The entertainment was a comedian named Fred Bevill. His jokes were funny, but the true story of his first date at age nine was hilarious.

Caribbean Cruise: Day 4: Roatan, Honduras

Roatan, Honduras is the largest of the Honduras Bay Islands. It is about 77 k long and less that 8 k across at its widest point. Roatan’s history traces back to the Maya civilization. It has seen the arrival of the Conquistadors, the Garifuna, and the fishing industry.

In 1990, about 19,000 English-speaking people inhabited this little island. Now it is known for its diving and snorkeling. Doris and I took the underwater museum and reef tour. Twenty-three people crowded into a small bus to head out to the world’s second largest barrier reef. The last four people to board the bus had to sit in jump seats in the aisle.

On the coach ride to the museum, the tour guide told us about the sleepy community. Most of the houses are built on stilts because the islands sees more than 150 inches of rain each year. The public school children wear uniforms in the color of the state flag, blue and white. The younger children attend classes in the morning while the older ones use the same classrooms in the afternoon.

The bus arrived at a recently opened center. Our snorkeling guide divided us into two groups. Luckily my sister and I were in the second group because this gave us an opportunity to swim in the shallow waters off the beach and try the snorkeling gear. The snorkel broke off my mask so I had used one provided by the tour. Doris had to get help fitting her new mask. By the time the first group returned, we were ready for the tour. The water near the “museum” was not pristine, the statues were ketch,and the marine life was not abundant nor colorful. In spite of this, we shared a wonderful adventure.

The town where we ported is colorful, but poor. I wonder if the natives see the tourist as a blessing or a curse, with the thousands of foreigners descending on their little island each day.

Instead of snorkeling, Elizabeth set off on her own to explore the town. She loved the colorful buildings and enticing local shops and eateries. She felt sorry for the dogs wandering through the town, but decided against giving them water, thinking that they had been surviving without her help. After withdrawing money from the local ATM, she realized that the machine currency was not US dollars, but Honduran. The exchange rate for US dollar to the Honduran Lempira is about a 22:1. She laughed as she realized the withdrawal fees were higher than the amount she took out.

Back on the ship, Mom and I decided against ordering a Moscow Mule, the drink of the day, and ordered the Painkiller instead. This rum-coconut-pineapple concoction has become her favorite cocktail. Since on vacation, sipping on a fruity drink has replace our afternoon tea.

The evening’s performance was “The Look of Love,” a Burt Bacharach review. The story was lame, but the singing and performance was entertaining.

Caribbean Cruise: Day 3: Costa Maya, Mexico

Costa Maya is in the only state of Mexico bounded by the Caribbean on its east. Although the official language is Spanish, many speak Mayan. As a linguist, I would love to hear Mayan.

The Mayans were predominate in the area from 200 B.C to 900 A.D. There are many ancient ruins such as Chacchoben, which was built in the 4^th century and includes a magnificent stone structures and a pyramid, and Kohunlich.

We changed our clocks back, so it was only 5:30 when mom and I awakened. We took advantage to see the sunrise, so pretty on the horizon.

We spent the morning in the gym, the hot tub, and reading. After lunch, Doris, Elizabeth, and I disembarked to explore Costa Maya. This port town is still being developed after Hurricane Dean on October 31, 2008

The area around the pier is nothing but a tourist trap. All the same blitzy stores and island ware available at all the cruise stops throughout Caribbean. Doris bought herself a bracelet and a few souvenirs, but Elizabeth and I saw nothing appealing.

Back on the ship, Elizabeth and I swam in the saltwater pool, and then mom joined us in the hot tub as we enjoyed today’s bar special, the Pisco Punch. Yesterday’s drink was much better.

Caribbean Cruise: Day 2: Day at sea

Ship's wake in choppy seas — Ship’s wake in choppy seas

To make up for the lost time, the captain sped over the large swells and whitecaps and altered the itinerary. Instead of stopping first at Roatan, Honduras, we will first visit Costa Maya, Mexico.

On our first day at sea, mom and I walked about two miles on the promenade deck. She spent 20 minutes on the exercise bike (pretty good for someone who is eight-eight years old), while Elizabeth and I used the elliptical machines. It felt great doing a workout.

Mom enjoys the slot machines, but limits her daily expenditure. It only took her about twenty minutes to reach her spending cap, as we watched and cheered her on. The last time I had been at sea, people used the boarding/charge cards to play in the casino. Now, the machines use paper money and give a credit slip for winnings, which can then be redeemed at the casino cashiers. With all the changes, we had to get an attendant to help us figure out the process.

The drink of the day is “The Painkiller.” Mom and I enjoyed this rum-coconut concoction similar to a pina collada while we sat on the Lido deck and enjoyed the afternoon.

Promenade deck (Left to Right: Doris, Mom, Elizabeth)

After dinner in the Agua dinning we strolled the Promenade Deck. Then, Elizabeth went to Karaoke to “party like a Norwegian” and we old fogies went to our rooms

Sunday April 28 (cont.) to May 1

Sunday April 28 (cont.)

It was great to be able to Skype my mom for her 86^th birthday. The internet connection on land was much clearer and faster than on the ship. Also managed to speak with our daughter, Aine, who just returned from a trip to St. Barts.

We had lunch on the top of the mountain where the cable car landed. The ride was about 2 miles long and up 1,037 above the see. On the way back to the ship we stopped at McDonald’s for the WIFI. Dennis was curious and tried a single burger; it tasted just like those in the states.

We made it back to the ship around 5:15 P.M. and at 45 minutes later we set sail (minus 4 passengers). The Cirque Dreams is the best show I have ever seen. The performance stage was within feet of our table. The opening skit involved a contortionist and a large champagne glass. This twenty-odd year old woman bent, stretched, and positioned her body to extremes. There were tumblers, aerialists, jugglers using cabbages and French breads (since it was a dinner theater, there was a food theme). I, and almost every other woman, particularly enjoyed a very sexy act with an Adonis-type aerialist and a bathtub. Two acrobats fell when the ship swayed, but managed to complete their skit. The clown/ring master was key to the evenings performance, he involved members of the audience in various acts and orchestrated the troupe’s movements.

Monday, April 29

The 8-ft. swells made the stateroom creak and kept me awake most of the night. The lack of sound sleep and forwarding the clock on hour made me groggy and slow this morning. No desire to exercise. Hopefully I will feel more ambitious later today.

Dennis photoed our receipts with the cell phone (so as not to use the batteries in the camera). On our last trip, we kept all the receipts and many faded before we recorded them. The photographs makes it easy and don’t require extra space in our backpacks or needing to mail them home. Uploading the files to Google drive ensures that they are not lost.

We played with our suitcases trying to determine how best to carry our bike gear and baggage off the ship. We eliminated two cases. Once we buy bikes and get the bags mounted, we will need to rearrange the contents according to whether we are biking or hiking. I will be happy when this is all sorted out.

We will each have a backpack, a belly bag, a hand back, and two suitcases when we disembark. I hope customs is as easy as it was when we landed in Barcelona two years ago; I would hate to have to open everything.

After dinner, we watched the movie The Impossible, the true story about a family’s survival of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand, how they were separated by the tidal wave, and then found each other. Really good acting. After the movie, we passed the Rock of Gibraltar. From our balcony and through the mist and dark, all we could see was a looming shadow. This is the second time I pass the monolithic limestone promontory; the other time I flow over it on my way to Morocco, more that 43 years ago. Neither time did I really get to see it.

Tuesday, April 30

With all the eating and lazing around, I had no ambitions for excising. I rationalized the day off saying that I will soon be burning calories as I peddle around Spain. We dedicated a good portion of the day to sorting out our bags and clothes. Until we are ready to put the saddle bags onto the bikes, we will be living out the the backpacks. We put together a suitcase full of street clothes and then gave the case to Milka, on of the women working on the ship as a waitress. She will either keep the clothes for herself or send it to her extended family in the Philippines. I wonder how men there are there with size 15 feet.

During our stay on the Epic, we spoke with many of the crew, many of which have been with NCL for 10+ years. This is one of the cruise lines that has accommodations for married couples, allows pregnant women to complete their contract, requires only 10-hour work days, and seems to treat the personnel well. Everyone that we spoke with seemed happy to be working for this company. The fact that NCL treats its workers decently is a reason for us to sail with them again.

Last night we watched another Legends presentation. The impersonators included Adele, Tom Jones, and Tina Turner. It is amazing how these actors look, act, and sing like the characters they are portraying. After dinner, Dennis spent a few bucks at the slot machines. Since neither of us are gamblers, we had to ask an attendant how to play the games. It doesn’t take long to spend $10, even at the two-cent slot machine.

Went to bed around 11 P.M., ending our voyaging. Tomorrow we begin a new adventure: trying to buy our bikes in Barcelona.

Wednesday May 1

Dennis awoke during the night with vomiting and has been sick all day. It took all his strength to disembark. We carried sea-sickness bags and with had to stop often for him to use them or get strength to continue. He was so pale and haggard looking.

Once off the gangplank, we had to lugged our suitcases about a quarter mile to the custom’s building. We each had a back pack and a belly bag. Dennis dragged two suitcases while I had one and a shoulder bag. Lots of luggage for two people going on a bike ride. Several of the bags have bike gear which will be added to the new bikes.

Once we got outside, there were no ATMs. Without the local currency, we could not ride the bus nor, I thought, take a taxis. I walked to the next terminal and got in line for Western Union, only to find out that they only transfer money not withdraw it. Finally, after about 45 minutes, someone suggested getting a taxis and asking them to stop at an “automatico.” So I got in line for the taxi and tried to explain what I needed to do. As she was looking for a the ATM, I asked if she took credit cards, which turned out to be the solution. I wish someone had explained that process prior to wasting all that time, especially with Dennis so sick and waiting for me on a bench.

When we got to the Pension Palacio where were are staying for one night, Dennis could hardly climb to the second story, which in Spain, is the third floor up. I got him into bed, carried all the luggage to the room, and then went to the pharmacy for anti-vomiting medication.

While Dennis slept, I found an ATM and went looking for a room for the upcoming nights. There are none! Today is May Day, a European holiday causing an influx of tourist to the city this week. I went all over this end of town looking for an affordable room.

Discouraged, I returned to the pension. Since Dennis was feeling a little better, we walked to a tourist office to see if they could help us locate a place to stay. There is one, but far away. Fortunately, a fellow pilgrim from our 2011 Camino walk, offered us to stay with her in her studio for a few days. I imagine it will be crowded, but I think we can make an arrangement.

We also contacted a store about purchasing bikes. We placed a tentative order and will confirm it tomorrow after checking out another store; Dennis would like to see if we can get touring bikes rather than off-road ones.

If all goes well, we will pedal out of Barcelona on Sunday.