We didn’t get much time for sight seeing as we were hustled right to the bus but I did steal a moment to grab some street scenes.
Joe in Mexico
Hammocks for sale
more balconies
balconies
our bus
Cozumel to Playa Del Carmen
The ferry to the mainland crosses the Cozumel Channel, part of the Caribbean where the gulf stream gets funneled between the mainland and the island of Cozumel. This creates some choppy seas in the best of weather.
The tour description mentions that the crossing from Cozumel to the mainland can be rough and when Joe booked it he asked me if I would be ok with that. Forewarned is forearmed and I prepared accordingly. I made sure to have sea sick patches with me specifically for this trip. I didn’t need them for the cruise but for the ferry…well better safe than sorry so I put one on first thing in the morning. For the patches to be most effective they need to be on for 4 hours before you head off to your adventure.
Now we sat on the upper, open deck waiting for the ferry to cast off. It was windy with some drizzle so it was certainly expected that the crossing would be rough. What I wasn’t prepared for was how rough!.
Once we cast off the ferry wasted no time in accelerating but even so sometimes it felt like the forward progress was overshadowed by the side to side rocking and rolling and I mean rolling! We were on the top deck and as the boat rolled left everything and everyone slid that way. It felt like you could reach out and touch the water. At times I was afraid we wouldn’t right ourselves and we’d all be thrown into the cold, gray sea. But instead we bobbed back up only to roll to the other side.
It didn’t take long for those around us to start dropping. The crew handed out plastic bags and cotton balls. Joe was fine and I was too as long as I didn’t listen to the sounds around me. Water splashed all the way up to our level! My mantra was “I believe in my patch”.
I would guess the crossing took 45 minutes to an hour but it was hard to be sure. I bet it felt much longer to those who were sick. This trip was far worse than the trip to see the Puffins off the Maine Coast last summer where almost everyone there got sea sick too.
Finally docked and unloaded in Playa Del Carmen we were directed to the buses and loaded in there for the drive to the Mayan ruins at Tulum. Our guide was an energetic Mexican with a great sense of humor.
Her non stop monologue could have been a stand up comedy act. She was going to make this tour a winner! As she said to us…her livelyhood depends on it.
A Rainy Morning at Sea
We awoke to clouds and fog and rain but we were still a way out to sea. We were hoping the weather would clear before we reached Cozumel.
Our morning had fallen into a pattern. We got up, dressed and went to the Lido deck for the breakfast buffet usually a starch like pancakes, waffles or French toast. There were the eggs too, Scrambled, hard boiled, Benedict or an omelet station where you could have them prepared to order.
Of course there was the meat: bacon, sausage, ham and turkey bacon. Grits and home fries pretty much round out the standard fare. Move on to the fruit bar and there were oranges, bananas, melon wedges, fruit salad and more! Another station was set up for the continental breakfast. Yogurt, bagels and toast, muffins and corn bread. I think I also saw cereal boxes and milk on that table.
You’d think that’s be enough for anyone but they even had a dessert table groaning with cookies, Jell-O, cakes, brownies, cheesecake and chocolate pudding. You could even make yourself a bowl of frozen yogurt or soft ice cream.
Beverages include coffee or tea, orange juice, apple juice, orange~promegranate and lemonade.
No wonder people say they over-eat on cruises! All of this food is included with your cruise!
Bt the time we finished breakfast the ship had pulled into Cozumel, an island off the coast of Mexico. We were directed to go to the Xanadu lounge just one of the many lounge and stage areas on the ship. Shortly after we reached the lounge one of the cruise people came around with stickers with the number 20 to put on our shirts. There was no explanation but we would soon find out the reason.
It was still raining but pretty soon they confirmed that the excursion was still a go and called for us to line up in twos. Like funeral procession we were being led off the ship as a group and our numbers identified us as an excursion group and therefore entitled to priority disembarkation.
Getting off the ship was easy. We just had to give security our room key which was scanned to show that we had left the ship.
Now began the half walk half run down the long pier into Cozumel but we didn’t even slow down as they hurried us around a corner and onto another long pier. At the end of the pier was the ferry to the mainland. As we boarded little did we know this innocent looking boat would soon become an instrument of torture for about half the group.
Aboard Ship~Day 2 (Tuesday)
Back on the ship after our Key West experience we headed to the Horizon Bar and Grill on the Lido deck for a quick lunch while the Imagination cast off for Cozumel, Mexico.
One thing about being in the ocean on a large cruise ship is that the staff and especially the cruise director work very hard to keep everyone entertained. Special events like karaoke, break dance exhibitions, bingo, dance classes and Towel Folding Fun supplement the casino, book reading and swimming pool for activities.
There is an internet café but with a charge of $.75/minute that seemed a bit rich to me. Especially when someone who had used it said the connection is very slow so you are paying for “dead” time.
There’s also something to be said for just sitting on the deck and watching the waves. It’s kind of mesmerizing. The ship doesn’t roll much although you do get a bit of motion now and then. It’s been particularly stormy between patches of sun and clouds.
Tuesday Night is elegant dining on this particular cruise. My dolphin sarong was just the added touch needed to dress up my navy pant suit.
This was also the Prime Rib or Lobster night. I went with the lobster. I’d been looking forward to that since I found out there was lobster served on every cruise. Today’s menu was lobster tail and grilled shrimp, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Served with drawn butter it was melt in your mouth goodness. Since it is elegant fine dining I splurged and had a glass of chardonnay with my meal. It was excellent too.
Joe is not a shellfish eater and he doesn’t eat meat but there were other options available. He had grilled chicken. Dessert was a Grand Marnier Soufflé for Joe but I was content with a small dish of chocolate ice cream.
A very satisfactory dinner under our belts we went to listen to the karaoke singers for a bit before making our way to the Dynasty Lounge for the Living in America show.
The Dynasty lounge has wonderful semi circle seats. We got there a bit late so had to sit in the back. I joked that it was the cruise ship version of “Obstructed View” as there were a couple of poles but it really didn’t interfere with the show which was excellent.
The ship was rocking a bit more as the weather had turned windy and rainy but the dancers never missed beat…literally! The LasVegas style show was a medley of songs that featured a state or town. For Example Neil Diamond’s “America” was stolen for the title song with a slight variation in the words. Instead of “we’re coming to America” they sang “we’re living in America”. Of course there were songs like Chicago, New York New York, Give my regards to Broadway, and Sweet Georgia Brown including basketballs. Elvis’s Viva Las Vegas introduced showgirls with elaborate head gear.
No pictures. Photography and video is prohibited.
The lead singers Patrick and Aretha were terrific. I thing Aretha is well named. As former dance instructors Joe and I couldn’t help critiquing the choreography. Simple. Most of the patterns were pretty basic but execution always makes the difference and the dancers executed their patterns well especially when you think they were dancing with a rolling stage under their feet.
There were a lot of costume and set changes which had to be challenging too. All in all it was a great show. Without a doubt this was the best day of the cruise so far.
We’ll be sailing all night and well into the morning before we dock in Cozumel. We have an excursion planned for Mexico so we’ll see what the day brings.