JOHNNY'S JOURNEYS: MEXICO, HONDURAS and BELIZE 2021

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JOHNNY'S JOURNEYS: MEXICO, HONDURAS and BELIZE... 2021



November 28, 2021 (Sunday)

Happy birthday Janet. We say good-bye to our daughter and leave at 8:15. About 130 miles later and

we're in New Orleans looking for the cruise ship terminals. Driving past the Norwegian ship, we find

the closest parking lot and prepay for 7 nights. One shuttle picks up our luggage while another shuttle

takes us to a nearby building for our required Covid tests. Plus, we had to show proof that we had each

received both Covid vaccines. On the sidewalk was a plaque which commemorated the 1984 World's

Fair. We each had come to New Orleans that summer of 1984, to enjoy the World's Fair, before we had

met. Our test results took about 15 minutes, then we were boarding the Norwegian Breakaway.

After entering our room on Deck 9, the luggage arrived within 15 minutes. The mandatory lifeboat

training session was conducted via video on our television. No schedule... so it's time for a little nap. In

an hour we arrive at the Garden Cafe Buffet. A watermelon had been artistically carved with a message

“Welcome On Board”. Another melon looked like a whale, eating shrimp. What a variety of good food!

At 4:00 we begin our cruise... down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico. The Atrium is my next

stop at 5:15. The visual trivia game is to identify Flags of the World. Images of 20 flags was shown on

the big screen. I knew four of them. And that was better than half the people in there. I'll have to study

before playing this one again.

Two floors up and we meet Dalen. He was passing out free charms from the company: Diamonds

International. The seahorse charm represents Puerto Vallarta. We'll have to visit there one day. These 24

charms from D.I. represent different cruise ship ports of call. And Janet wore her charm bracelet today

with 9 Caribbean charms. I take a few beautiful sunset photos as the river winds southward.

At 6:00 we're both in the Atrium for the Rockaway Duo. The Caribbean couple will be playing and

singing Relaxing Melodies. Leo, a Filipino who has been with NCL 20 years, sings the Beatles songs

for the next hour. He began at 7:00 in the Spiegel Tent. Lots of folks were singing right along. Fun!

It's time to head back to the Garden Cafe Buffet for supper. The special this evening was Prime Rib.

It was delicious. I loved all the desserts, but only got two. My absolute favorite had to be the strawberry

dacquoise.

Before 9:00 we're back at the Atrium for the Beat The Clock Game Show. Eight participants were

chosen and I was one of them. There were several categories such as movies, drinks, animals with four

legs, Presidents, etc. There were 60 seconds for all of us to step up to the microphone and give answers.

After a correct answer, we moved to the back of the line. However, we could not repeat an answer. The

person at the mic after 60 seconds was then eliminated. Well, it is very fast paced and I “repeated” bear

when time ran out. So, I finished 6^th out of 8. But it was still fun.

What next? Well at 9:45 we're back at the Atrium to listen to Variety Music with Rockaway Duo. We

find out that he is from Jamaica. There were lots of fun songs: “Dancin' in the Streets, Still the One,

Proud Mary”, etc. Two older women were dancing to the song “I Will Survive”. I got pulled onto the

dance floor by the Duo fella. And then we all line danced!

At 10:30 we are back in our cabin. Fresh towels have been brought in and also the Freestyle Daily. It

is the itinerary for Day 2 activities. And there is a card to alert us to a Time Change early tomorrow.

The watches are set forward one hour. I go onto the balcony for just a little while. I can still see lights

along the southern part of the river banks. Above are a few dozen stars and the constellation Orion. It's

just beautiful! In bed around 1 a.m.



November 29, 2021 (Monday)

There is no need for an alarm clock today. This is an “At Sea” day. We leisurely get up at 9:15. Janet

ordered room service delivery for her breakfast. So, she had coffee in bed (she loves that) and more

coffee for the balcony for later. I went on up to Deck 15 for a sit-down breakfast. With a window table,

I see 3 birds flying around. We are 100+ miles from south Louisiana. I enjoy watching them diving for

fish. And they are successful.

I have been anticipating a trip to the Ropes Course. After being securely strapped into protective

harness gear, there are 40+ obstacles to walk across. We are connected to cables, which allows us to

glide along the metal tracks. There is quite a variety of suspension bridges, sky rails, a type of zip-line

and the plank. We're about 30 feet above the 17^th deck. My favorite might have been the plank. It's an 8

foot long metal plank that extends over the side of the ship. I was maybe 200 feet above the Gulf of

Mexico! What a view. FUN!!! I think I came back around and walked the plank seven times. This

Ropes course is amazing.

At 12:30 Janet takes me shopping. It was quite chilly last night and we had not brought along winter

clothing. So she needed to buy a jacket. We found one and even came across some Christmas gifts to

bring back home.

At 1:20 Janet and I go up to the pool deck (# 15). There is plenty of fun music to entertain us. Next,

15 men sign up for the Mr. Sexy Legs contest. About half are college aged and the other half are older

men. Five years ago, I won this contest on a cruise out of Venice, Italy. There was a small dance area

by the pool and each of us had a song to dance and strut to. My song was “I'm Too Sexy” by Right Said

Fred. I'm getting on with my best dance moves while I'm shaking my groove thing! I'm kinda surprised

when a very young woman started slapping my behind. Ha!! She thought I had cute glutes. Hundreds

of folks around the poolside graded us; on a scale of 1 – 5. After the votes were tallied, there was a run

off / dance off. And I came in second place. Not quite the winner, so they called me Mr. Sorta Sexy

Legs! Hey, I received a deck of NCL playing cards and a nice wooden NCL writing pen. It was fun!

After a quick shower, we go up for lunch around 3:00. The special was beef / pork loin. We sit down

by a large window and just enjoy the blue views. The Gulf waters are smooth this afternoon. Finishing

dessert, I look at the itinerary to see what is available.

I decided to take Janet up to the 17^th deck. I get to play on the Ropes course again and she has the

camera to get a few photos of me. I'm getting pretty good at this. There are 3 more trips upon the plank.

I'm feeling fearless up here.

Back into our room and we take another nap. A little later I make reservations for a 10:00 show. We

will go see “Burn The Floor”. It's going to have 60 minutes worth of dancing. Reservations for comedy

and theater shows are recommended and can be completed on our television screens.

It's 7:00 and I'm in the Headliners area. There is a one hour comedy show by David Graham. At six

feet and six inches, he calls himself America's Clean Comedian. He's been doing comedy routines since

1992 when we entered (and won) a comedy contest. I instantly recognized him. He performed on the

Mediterranean cruise we went on 5 years ago. He's featured on the “Laughter Has No Color” website.

We go up for dinner at 8:00. The theme tonight is Seafood Delight. I especially wanted the paella.

This rice dish originated in Valencia, Spain. And we ate our first paella in Valencia several years ago.

There is so much good stuff to choose from tonight. Of course, there is a lot of shrimp!! And I've got to

get more strawberry dacquoise.

Before 10:00 we head for the Theater. And we share an elevator ride with a special couple. They

were just married this evening by the ship captain. The Burn The Floor show was one hour of high

energy dancing... and dozens of costume changes. Wow... fantastic performances. Maybe we'll see them

again.

We decide to visit the Garden Cafe for snacks. There are white macadamia nut cookies, chocolate

cookies and sliced apple pastry that needed to go to my table. This has been a tasty ending to a very

good day at sea. Back into our room and I book reservations for a show on Friday night. In bed near

midnight.



November 30, 2021 (Tuesday)

Today marks the end of hurricane season. There is a wake-up call at 8:00. We go up for breakfast at

9:15. Now we're ready for a 10:15 tour to Chankaanab Park. Janet and I hop aboard a two passenger

peddle bike. It is quite a little walk to the end of the pier. So this really helps. Hello Cozumel. It has

been almost four years since a previous cruise here. For safety concerns, masks are mandatory on all

excursions. Two vans take 14 of us cruisers about 6 miles to Chankaanab Adventure Beach Park. This

is the Eco-Archaeological park on Cozumel Island. The name means little sea. This refers to a natural

lagoon located inside the park.

I choose a margarita as we start. At the edge of the water is a pretty sculpture. Eleven dolphins make

up this round sculpture. Right behind it is where people enjoy swimming with dolphins. They were

being fed and seemed to be jumping for joy. We'll start by walking through the jungle, by following

lush, green paths. We start at the Maya Garden. There are at least 60 of these mystical ruins (replicas)

of ancient Mayan, Aztec and Toltec civilizations. The place was packed with palm trees and a few

bamboo forests. Gentle Caribbean breezes blow as we see orchids and water lilies in a small pond.

There's a huge blue agave plant, which is the source for tequila. There are a few iguanas, just enjoying

the sun. And plenty of parrots. Then we see a few huts / homes with grass roofs.

It is already time for lunch. And it's a typical Mexican meal. I choose a rum punch. Next, we ease on

down to the beach. There is a concrete platform which overlooks a lake. It has 3 foot letters spelling out

COZ and MEL. The tourist gets to be the “U”. We settle onto lounge chairs, in the shade. I then grab

my snorkel mask. Wow! The water is so very clear. I see at least 8 different species of fish. And there is

coral, mostly purple in color. It was beautiful. It was fun reaching out and actually touching a fish. 12

times I reached out and touched a “tame” fish. Once, a fish was about 4 inches in front of my mask...

just looking curious.

Back on the sand, Janet and I packed up our stuff and went to see the Sea Lion show at Dolphin

Discovery spot. There were 3 sea lions from California that had been trained. They stood on their back

flippers, stood on their front flippers, rolled over, roared, clapped their “hands”, stuck out their tongues,

smiled, acted shy, and enjoyed lots of treats for their performances. Very entertaining.

At 2:30 we boarded a bus back to the pier area. There are dozens of shops near the pier, and Janet

found a great deal on some face lotion for youthful skin. She was pleased. Back in our room, she takes

a little nap, while I go up to the pool deck. I spend some time in the pool, then climb into a hot tub. I

need to visit the water slides. The more exciting ones were called Whip Rides. Two more cruisers

recognized me from yesterday at the contest. They both said that “I was robbed”... should have won.

I returned to the room and got a quick shower. We went up at 5:30 for dinner. The theme tonight is

Caribbean food. Afterwards we went to the Manhattan Room. Most folks ate their dinner, while we

went to see “Wanna Dance” by the Burn the Floor dancers. And we enjoyed the drink of the day:

champagne. I change our watches back one hour and set a wake-up call. So tired... that we go to bed

early... 7:15 p.m.



December 1, 2021 (Wednesday)

I'm up with our 6:00 phone call and I'm soon heading to the cafe. There is a designated smoking

area near the pool. It was very surprising to see about 15 smokers in there at 6:08 this morning. I grab

croissants and coffee for Janet and return to our room. I then returned for my breakfast.

We exit the ship to meet our tour director at 8:15. It's the Gumbalimba Park and Tabyana Beach All

Day Pass. Located near West Bay, this is a 20 acre beachfront paradise. About 20 tourists are on this

excursion. There are lockers to store stuff. Since the monkeys love to go through pockets, we are

encouraged to leave unnecessary items behind. This is a huge, lush tropical garden. There's more than

200 vibrant plants and tree species. We see several macaws in the treetops, just looking down on us.

Our first stop is at the Insectarium. There are about 2500 preserved insects from around the world.

Informative signs were very educational. “Insects may have as many as 4,000 individual muscles;

whereas humans have less than 500”. “The smallest insects are hairy winged beetles and fairyflies.

They can easily fly through the eye of a needle.” A couple hundred preserved butterflies are on display.

And a few are some of the world's shiniest butterflies! I was fascinated by one display of partial butter-

fly wings. It showed all 26 letters of the alphabet and the numbers 1-9. These are actual patterns on the

wings!

Next up is Coxen's Cave. Are the stolen treasures of the pirate, John Coxen, hidden on this island?

This pirate cave has maps, weapons, art works to learn about the history of pirates. In the center of the

artistic depictions is a large 3D model of the long skinny island and nearby land masses. It is 48 miles

long and no more than 5 miles across. A few murals were also interesting. Christopher Columbus

landed in Honduras in 1502, on his 4^th voyage to the New World. A 400 year old cannon has been

recovered from deep waters and is on display.

As we walk along a nature trail, we stop at the Iguana Nest. It is lunch time for about 20 of them.

We see a few spiny tailed black iguanas. They are endemic only to this island. They were chewing on

large, leafy greens. The alpha male likes to eat by himself. There are supposedly thousands of free

roaming iguanas in this park. But their favorite activity is basking in the sunshine. Green iguanas eat

close by. The largest measure up to 4.5 feet long.

We continue walking and see a few green parrots by a bamboo forest. We spot the common bird-of-

paradise flowers. I'm always thrilled to see hummingbirds. A 238 foot long suspension bridge crosses a

lagoon. But our guide takes us a different route to see some beautiful birds. But the stars of our next

adventure are macaws. There is a bit of a wait. But it's finally my turn to have photos taken with 2

macaws on my arms... then 4 macaws on my arms... then 2 on my arms and I'm holding one like a

baby. I was told there were sloths here, but we did not see any today.

Coming out of a thick forested area is an agouti. Commonly called an island rabbit, it is a rodent.

In an enclosed cage is a mountain turkey. I got so close to him that he curiously pecked on my camera

lens. We hike past the hanging lobster claw flowers as we continue our little hike. I see several zip-

liners passing above us. That looks like fun.

We cross the Monkey La-La Bridge and arrive at Monkey Town. There are 31 White-Face Capuchin

monkeys here. They are all inquisitive and seem to enjoy perching on our shoulders. After a little wait,

it's my turn to be photographed with one of these warm monkeys on my shoulder! Ya gotta be careful...

as they love to go into your pockets. They will pull out water bottles, chap-stick, face-masks, etc. As

Janet and I wait, another monkey comes over and jumps on my shoulder. More pix!!

As we cross over the Wee-Wee Bridge and leave these cute monkeys behind, we walk over a line of

leaf-cutter ants. We pass by more parrots, iguanas and pretty flowers. Finally, we make our way to a

gorgeous beach. There are plenty of lounge chairs and we settle in for a little while. I stroll along the

white sandy beach then return to my chair. Light blue waters lead to darker shades of blue. And the

palm trees are so picturesque. Grabbing my snorkel mask, it's time to hit the water. Oh, such pretty

views.

There is a bbq lunch buffet awaiting us. Also on the menu were hamburgers, hot dogs, island beans

and rice, coleslaw, watermelon, papaya and cantaloupe. Warm gentle breezes just added to this

wonderful on shore excursion. If anyone was interested in souvenirs, there were dozens of beach

vendors, selling their homemade items. Relaxing is the best way to describe it.

We catch a shuttle back to our ship. I head on up to the water slides. I am ready to try the Free Fall

water slides. I try these 6 times! Stepping into a tube, a plastic side comes around to encase me. And

where I'm now standing... well, that completely disappears! Like a trap door. What was my speed when

I dropped? FAST!!! I try the Whip Ride slides a few times before going to swim in the pool. And in a

little bit, I get into the hot tub. 876 Konnect is playing Party Hits by the poolside.

Janet and I go to dinner at 5:00, as the ship slowly leaves the pier. There's wonderful food and

another memorable sunset. Back in the room, we finally connect with a phone call to our daughter. And

at 6:30 we go to the Shakers Lounge. The Rockaway Duo plays and sings our Favorite Tunes.

I have wanted to visit the Shanghai Noodle Bar. I order Peking style shrimp & chicken and lo-mein

noodles. The special desert is a 5-spice chocolate cake with ginger sauce. Yum!

I go up to the Theater for a 9:30 performance. Joseph Reohm is the comedy magician. Sitting on the

second row, I thought I might get to be involved in a routine. Yep, I was called on to choose one of four

paper bags. One bag had a long spike in it. And Joseph was going to smash three of the bags with his

hand. I chose a bag that did not have the spike in it. I did good! Later, he tried a card trick. I helped him

pick one card... the 6 of spades. It was an elaborate illusion involving a grapefruit, an egg and a lemon.

And the final result was quite remarkable.

At 10:30 Janet and I go up to the Spice H2O deck. Tonight is the ABBA Tribute Party. For one hour,

music videos are shown from the band ABBA. We seemed to step back in time. FUN!!! We're in bed at

12:20.



December 2, 2021 (Thursday)

We have a 7:45 wake-up call scheduled. I wake up by myself at 6:45. Janet ordered a room service

delivery for her breakfast. I go up to the Garden Cafe for my breakfast. A first time item for me is half a

bagel, topped with hash browns and scrambled eggs.

A 7-passenger golf cart takes the tourists to the end of our pier in Belize. With only 1 seat left, Janet

enjoyed the ride. And I walk about half of a mile. I had a 15-minute layover at an airport in Belize in

1997... but was not able to get off the plane. So, I've been looking forward to returning here. Formerly

known as British Honduras, the population of the entire country is only 404,000. Our excursion group

meets at 10:30 at the Harvest Caye Marina. We'll be boarding the glass bottom boat... Reef Explorer. It

was built in Russia and there is no other boat like this in Belize.

Fourteen cruisers go aboard for a 20 minute ride from Harvest Caye. Our destination is the Belize

Barrier Reef. This is part of a 560 mile long Meso-American Barrier Reef System. This is the second

longest barrier reef in the world. We drift in 5 – 8 feet of water for at least 45 minutes. There is a lot of

coral for us to view, including brain, yellow and fan. There must have been 20 large conch shells in one

small area. I was rather surprised to see so few fish. But we did see a dozen or so starfish (or sea stars).

One of the crew jumped into the clear water and retrieved a starfish. We each examined it as it was

passed around. It was neat to see and feel hundreds of spines on the creature. Now we see a large

jellyfish. And we got to see a baby tiger shark before returning to the Marina. This excursion has been

lovely!

Back on land and we visit the Manatee Bar. Ten conch shells line the entrance to this open air rest-

aurant. Janet ordered red snapper. I got a Cochinita Pibil (marinated pulled pork shoulder) meal with a

rum punch. Nearby were a couple of trees that I had not seen before. They were in the palm family, but

are in the genus: Ravenala. With fan like leaves, it is sometimes called the exotic traveler palm. They

were gorgeous!

We pass through a small shopping village and stop at Moho Chocolate store. The name comes from

the Moho River Valley in southern Belize. Mayans have produced chocolate from cacao for 1000 years.

300+ farmers in the rain forest produce the cacao for this family owned business. After a sample, Janet

decided we needed 5 bars of chocolate. I had to take a photo of a tee-shirt there. It read “Save the

Planet... It's the Only One with Chocolate.”

We return to our cruise ship and my wife needs a nap. I leave the ship and walk a little ways to the

beautiful 7 acre white sandy beach. There are hundreds of chairs, but I have the place to myself. Behind

me is a lighthouse that is the start of a zip-line. I was able to snorkel for 10 minutes, until I saw a large

jellyfish. I collected several shells and some small coral pieces which had washed ashore. Fun!!

After a refreshing shower, I head down to the Atrium. Good luck awaits me as I am 1 of 8 chosen to

play Beat The Clock. And I improved over my 6^th place finish earlier in the week. Points are awarded to

how fast a competitor answers. Down to the final 3 and I had the most points. The 45 second clock was

winding down as we named U.S. States. I called out Maine with 2 seconds left on the clock. But it had

already been named. Time ran out on me... but I enjoyed it!

Next up was the Airlines of the World trivia contest. We had to guess and write the name of the air-

line, when a picture of the tail fin logo was shown. When I saw an Eskimo, I wrote down Alaska Air-

lines. There are several Middle Eastern and Asian airlines that I had no idea. A retired air traffic

controller easily won.

Janet and I go up to the Garden Cafe for dinner. The theme this evening is Steak and Seafood. After-

wards we go to the Tradewinds store. There is a “Discover Zultanite Event” going on. Wow... it is a

gorgeous piece of gemstone / jewelry. The $16,800 necklace and ear-ring set was fabulous! We picked

up a couple of raffle tickets for the 8:30 drawing. She bought a pretty rhodium chain as we awaited the

drawing. Well, maybe next time. The clock moves up one hour and we're in bed by 10:30.



December 3, 2021 (Friday)

We receive a 6:00 wake-up call this morning. We go up together for breakfast where there's a pretty

view of Costa Maya. This is lowland with no mountains in sight (like yesterday). All cruisers must be

back on the ship by 12:30. It seems like we are being shorted about 4 hours.

We walk to the end of the pier to meet up with the Mayan Reality Tour. 24 of us tourists loaded onto

an air conditioned bus. We passed miles and miles of low wetlands and mangrove swamps. This is an

environmentally protected area by the Mexican government. There is a 45 minute drive inland to

Limones. 75%!o(MISSING)f the villagers there are Mayan descendants.

Our first stop in this small town is a 950 year old Mayan temple ruin. This 4-tiered pyramid rises off

a platform base with an unrestored temple atop. The height reaches 36 feet. There are stairways on all

4 sides: two to the top and two which reach the 4^th level. Our guide, Gerardo, told how the months,

years, seasons, numbers of steps, etc. all tied in to the Mayan calendar. This was projected hundreds of

years into the future... until December 2012. Most of the wooden huts/houses here are palapas. These

are open sided dwellings with a thatched roof made of dried palm leaves. And most don't have running

water.

On the outskirts of town, we stopped to visit with a Mayan family. The owners are traditionally

dressed. She is wearing a white and blue dress, featuring three layers. He is wearing a white Cuban

style shirt. There's a hole in the pocket... to hold one cigar. We pass two large trays where hundreds of

peppers are drying. Then we walk through a palapa, which serves as a church. In front of the residence

is a large mat with hundreds of ears of corn that are drying.

Pretty laid out pathways lead back to our “tables”. White-gray gravel paths are lined by stones,

adjacent to the dark, fertile soil with trees and shrubbery. Wooden tree stumps were the chairs, while a

2x4 board was the table. Lunch will be ready soon. A very large pot of chicken sits atop a bed of

charcoal, which is buried in the ground. It is covered by 9 tree limbs, then banana leaves, then dirt, then

more banana leaves. The chicken is scooped onto tortillas. There are three choices of toppings: pico de

gallo, avocado salsa and habanero hot sauce. I add 4 drops of the habanero to the avocado salsa. I then

returned for two more small tortillas. With 10 drops of habanero, I really felt it then.

One of the Mayan ladies, Jackie, then talked to us about locally grown tequila. We were given small

samples of Sabor Azteca tequila. Some of the flavors were plain, coconut, mango, strawberry and

amaretto. The tequila production is now into a seventh generation of Mexican family workers. We

learned that the “queen” tequila was aged for 12 years. While the “king” was aged for 18 years. Wow,

such a smooth taste... but $269 for the flavor Janet liked. Not this time.

The family also raised goats, chickens and turkeys. Such a peaceful setting. And we enjoyed a stroll

by beds of beautiful roses. We walked through a palapa where school classes were held. And there were

souvenir Mayan items for sale. This has been an enjoyable excursion.

We return from our final excursion on this cruise and walk towards the pier. We do find a Diamonds

International store and get a free charm for her bracelet. It is a beach chair. She now has charms from

16 different locations! We meander past a Fish Spa called Piranha. I experienced one in Corfu, Greece

years ago. It's a tickling sensation as fish nibble at your feet. We will do this one day, when there is

enough time. Gotta be back by 12:30.

There are no carts or bikes or shuttles to return us to the ship. We're passed by two young ladies that

were in a hot tub with me earlier this week. I noticed the pretty nails on one of them. At 12:29 we show

our I.D. / room key card. We're proud to be back on time... with one minute to spare.

It is time for another great lunch. 15 names were called on the P.A. System to contact the customer

service desk. They were late. Their names were called a few more times, before we slowly left at 1:40.

We learned after a two hour nap, that those 15 were indeed left behind. The Port Authority in Costa

Maya will make arrangements to fly them to New Orleans. Ouch! That could be pricey.

I go downstairs at 4:45 for another trivia game. This is about movies, cartoons, characters, actors

and actresses. I joined a team of 3 others. Out of a total of 60 points, we only got 14. We really did not

know too many modern cartoons and movies. One of my teammates was a little drunk and kept calling

me Mr. Sexy Legs #2. Lol.

I decided to take a chance at the casino. It does take paper currency. This is my first time, out of six

cruises, that I have played the slots machines. I got an employee to help me get started. I notice on her

name tag that she is from Peru. Of course I told her that I was on a missions trip to Peru four years ago.

Our Go International flight had landed near the Amazon area in Tarapoto. She lived about an hour away

from there. Cool! My slot machine had 6 games to choose from. So, I played on Bier Haus, Zeus III,

Fallen Angels, Zodiac Twins and a few others. I lost / invested $2.00. That was 20 minutes of fun!!

I returned to our room and Janet is ready for more shopping. And we find two more Christmas gifts.

We had 7:30 reservations for the Musical show called: “SIX”. This 75 minute show is about the six

wives of Henry VIII. The theme song is Divorced, Beheaded, Died, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived. I

think all six dancers are from Great Britain. It was amazing! Another high energy show. And I loved the

gold foil confetti at the end of the production.

To try something new we're going to eat at O'Sheehans Bar and Grill. Homestyle Meatloaf Dinner is

the main entree tonight. There is also sweet corn and mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy. We return

to our room to check the schedule for tonight. In a little while, we go to the Garden Cafe for snacks...

well, a variety of cookies! While there, we spoke to Joseph, the illusionist. He remembered me.

We go back to our room and rest a little. I then change clothes and make my way up to the Spice

H2O deck. About 10:30 we pass an island with lots of shining lights. It is either Isla de Mujeres or

Cozumel. It's time for the Glow Party. There is a 5 minute digital clock count down on a huge outdoor

screen. There were a couple of wavy inflatable tube guys. Glow sticks were given to all of us. It was

non-stop dancing. Men and women cruise workers were out there on the deck, and would dance with

whoever wanted to jump in. I cannot remember when I danced over an hour without a break. Yep... 75

nonstop! One hour into the Glow Party, there would be one solo dancer at a time, garnering

all the attention. I jumped in after 8 solo dancers. And I did my very best Johnny B. Goode dance! Lots

of applause. This was fun! When one song ended, another picked right up. I danced with two of the

crew, then found two Asian ladies to dance with. One tee-shirt I noticed had the message: PARTY-

Because I Can! Another read: KIND PEOPLE... I Kinda Like. A short while later, a conga dance line

formed. It was very loud music, but we all had a blast. As I was leaving, someone ran to me and told

me that I was a great dancer. Hah!

My ears were ringing as I returned to the room around midnight. Our cabin had received fresh

towels and a Time Change notification card. So, I turn the watch back one hour. I'm now going to bed

at 11:00.



December 4, 2021 (Saturday)

This is an At-Sea day for us which means no wake-up call is needed. I go and retrieve a cup of

coffee for Janet, while she's in the shower. Soon it is breakfast time for us. Another first time item for

me is a bagel with salmon spread on it. Janet finally had grits today. We did some window shopping on

our way back to the room.

We went and relaxed on the balcony for close to 30 minutes. Two ladies in the adjacent cabin came

out to their balcony. I found out they were from Casper, Wyoming. Hey, we were there 10 weeks ago.

The Gulf this morning is so calm... smooth like glass. It's just lovely.

I put on sunscreen and go to the top deck for the ropes course. Well, the ropes course will be closed

for the next two hours. So, I go down to the pool and find a lounge chair. There is plenty of bright sun

today. Crew members came by and offered orange popsicles to us. A couple of chairs down from me, I

recognized Berkley. She was a competitor two days ago in the Beat the Clock game. We chatted a bit

and I talked to her Wisconsin friend. We enjoyed listening to 876 Konnect with lots of Caribbean vibes.

876-K then started to play poolside party favorites. When The Wobble song started, I told Daphne to

come on and dance. Yes, this is my absolute favorite pool-side party song to dance to. After dancing for

a few songs, my feet had enough of the sun baked deck. It was fun!!

I went back to the room to check on Janet and retrieve some water. In the crowded elevator, I hear

“hey sexy legs” from the young Ecuador woman. It was now time for the Miss Norwegian Cruise Lines

2021 competition. I had talked to two of the competitors this week. Each one had to dance with a hula-

hoop. Then all 11 lined up and had to answer a question... the same question. “What kind of fruit would

you be... and why?” Most of the “why” explanations involved a “juicy” reply. Ha! My two favorites did

not win. I noticed four offshore oil wells as I headed back to the room.

We went up to the Garden Cafe for lunch. I love the variety of good foods. We do a little more

shopping. A sign in one of the shops read “Live. Love. Cruise.” Our deck # is called, so we go

downstairs for a mandatory nasal swab / Covid test. Everyone on the cruise ship gets tested today, as

we approach Louisiana. Then we enjoy a gorgeous sunset. At our room, we then rent the movie “Jungle

Cruise”.

Time for supper and the theme this evening is “Grilled Extravaganza”. Janet was thrilled to see

cornbread on our last night. Afterwards, I went to the Next Cruise desk. A young Croatian woman was

there to assist me. I placed a deposit and signed for two more NCL cruises within the next four years.

We will get a nice little discount.

Okay, this is our last night and we finish packing the suitcases. They have to be out by 10 p.m. We

will pick them up tomorrow when we leave. Out on the balcony, it has gotten chilly. We're in Louisiana

waters again as we've just entered the mouth of the Mississippi River. As we get into bed at 10:30, our

luggage has already been picked up.



December 5, 2021 (Sunday)

My phone alarm was set for 6:00. There is such a shroud of fog that I can't see anything. I go to the

cafe for Janet's coffee and croissants at 7:11. I'm greeted with a big “hi” from Emma. Her family was at

the comedy club earlier this week. The white sun finally starts to shine through the dense fog. After my

shower, we're ready for a relaxing breakfast atmosphere.

When we came aboard last Sunday, passengers had different colors on their name tag-labels. These

were wrapped around the luggage handles. As 1970 passengers were leaving, we were called by tag

color. Such a very long line of folks, but it went fairly smoothly. The line for 500+ passengers wrapped

around the Atrium and through the casino. Highlights of the previous weeks activities were shown on

the huge screen in the Atrium. Janet and I watched me, the 15^th contestant, as I participated by the pool

on Monday.

We make our final exit and retrieve the luggage. The trip through Customs was pretty quick. Before

any of us left the ship, we were given Covid quick tests. Our instructions were to test ourselves three

days later. It seems like 17 folks on the ship had tested positive for the Corona virus. And most were

crew members. One crew member had the Omicron variant and was quarantined all week. Not too bad

for 3200 people aboard the ship. Indeed, with such a tremendous emphasis on cleanliness, we felt

totally safe.

Crowds of happy people walk to various parking lots and we're soon on our way. Of course, I had a

little difficulty finding I-10 Eastbound. On the way back to Alabama, we discussed where we wanted to

go on our future NCL cruises. Hello Mobile... as we arrive home at 12:45. This has been everything we

could have wanted in a cruise. Life is good!

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