Texaribbean cruise

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WESTERN CARIBBEAN “TEXARIBBEAN” CRUISE
June 25 - July 2, 2005

Saturday, June 25, 2005

Seven of us boarded the NCL Sea at the Barbour’s Cut terminal just outside of Houston for our 7-day western Caribbean cruise: Linda, Bill, Mama, Brian, Christy, Lisa, and Eric. The boarding process was smooth and efficient, and we were in our staterooms by 3 p.m., readying for the mandatory lifeboat drill. Bill, Mama, and I are in a gorgeous and spacious VIP suite at the front of the ship on deck 8, immediately below the bridge (#8001) with two large windows forward as well as two portside. A basket of fruit, a tray of desserts, and a bottle of Champagne welcomed us. The kids’ cabins are down the hall.

We met our personal concierge Julie in one of the lounges to learn about the many amenities we are provided as VIP guests and to book shore excursions for the week. After dinner we all sampled the various ship activities—the show, shops, disco, casino, etc.

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Today we were at sea, so the day was spent enjoying the many onboard activities:
• Mama, Eric, Lisa, and I played bingo with electronic cards
• Brian and Christy learned to waltz
• Christy and I attended a “burn fat” seminar
• Mama, Bill, and I taught Brian and Christy how to play “42” dominoes
• Sat on deck by the pool; Lisa and Eric swam
• Bill played some blackjack in the casino
• Captain’s welcome reception: dancing, Champagne

Monday, June 27, 2005

We docked at Cozumel, Mexico, around 11 a.m. I had spent the morning making sure the kids had the necessary accoutrements for their shore excursions. Brian and Christy went shopping and then to Playa Mia beach, while Lisa and Eric enjoyed their first-time-ever snorkeling experience. It rained most of the day, so the beach didn’t work out too well, but the snorkelers weren’t affected and they had a great time, seeing thousands of colorful tropical fish and many types of coral.

Mama, Bill, and I got off the ship to shop for a few hours, and then we all met at dinner to discuss our day’s experiences and attend the evening’s performance in the theater. (Yes, everyone made it back to the ship on time!! My fears were unfounded.)

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Today promised to be an adventure, as we docked at noon at the beautiful Caribbean island of Roatan, one of the Bay Islands of Honduras. The island is still rather primitive, and the friendly, laid-back atmosphere is similar to that of the rest of the Caribbean about 25 years ago before tourism altered life as they knew it. We chartered a 9-passenger van, and all seven of us, plus a driver and our own tour guide (named Forn) took off on an individualized tour of the 4-mile by 14-mile tropical island.
Our first stop was the Iguana Farm on French Key, where 4,000 of these endangered creatures live and roam freely about the property. The preserve was started by a man named Sherman Arch about twenty years ago to “save” these unattractive but docile reptiles which are the basic ingredient in iguana stew, a delicacy on the island. Word soon got out to the iguana population that Sherman’s sanctuary was the place to go to avoid being shot by slingshot-toting hunters, and this protected species now numbers into the thousands here, ranging from tiny hatchlings to 5-foot adults. We happened to arrive at the best time—feeding time. As we walked down the concrete driveway that led to the iguana sanctuary, we saw a huge pile of iguanas gathered around the caretaker. It was feeding time and a gigantic frenzy of reptilia was squirming around, grabbing the old bananas, mangoes, lettuce and other greens that were offered. It's an incredible sight to see. We were also allowed to feed them ourselves and to handle them. We all had fun, especially Mama, who attracted quite a few with her tasty leaves, and Lisa, who made friends with a large male by stroking his back.

Next, we piled back into the van and were treated to a scenic drive across the length of the island, through jungles, up and over mountains—at one narrow point of the island, we were able to see the ocean down below on both sides of us. We stopped and spent about an hour at the west end of Roatan on a beautiful, picturesque beach called Paradise Beach, where Lisa had her hair braided and the rest of us relaxed or swam. Paradise Beach is said to be one of nature’s few perfect beaches, having the perfect balance of nature, beach, sun, water, fish, coral, etc.
Returning to the village of Coxen Hole, where the ship was docked, via a scenic road along the coastline, we stopped to shop at “Yaba Ding Ding,” a gallery of local arts and crafts (“Yaba ding ding” is a term for a type of pre-Columbian artifact.) before returning to the ship around 4 p.m., where a group of Garifuna dancers were performing on the pier. The Garifuna are the native Caribs of Honduras with a unique culture of music, dance, and storytelling.
It was a fun family adventure with all of us enjoying this unique tropical island together. The van driver charged us $20 apiece and stayed with us as long as we wanted and took us anywhere we wanted to go. What a deal!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Belize was our stop today, as we anchored around 8 a.m. about a mile offshore. The four kids took off on a wildlife adventure, beginning with a jungle river boat ride up the Olde Belize River. They reported seeing several manatees, two crocodiles, dolphins, lots of turtles, and a dozen or so black howler monkeys (the locals call them baboons), plus many types of tropical birds in and on the river. Lush tropical foliage lined the waterway, and small farms dotted the riverbanks. They disembarked about 20 miles up the river at the Olde River Tavern--a thatched-roof “restaurant hut” with no running water—on the bank of the river for a delicious lunch of boiled chicken, rice cooked in coconut milk, and fresh mangoes.
The afternoon was spent at the Community Baboon Sanctuary, where local area farmers and riverside villages have created an 18 square mile reserve to protect 1000 of the endangered black howler monkeys. Most of the sanctuary is covered with riparian forest that parallels the meandering Belize River. A 30-minute guided walk through the mosaic of forest and agricultural area provided them with close-up encounters with the monkeys, and they even hand-fed some of them. One crawled up Eric’s leg to get to a mango he was holding.

Meanwhile, Bill, Mama, and I boarded a tender (a couple of muscular guys lifted her wheelchair onto the tender) to the pier and spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon shopping. Then the two of them had a beer in a cool outdoor restaurant while I checked our e-mail at a nearby Internet café.
We attended the Latitudes (repeat cruisers) cocktail party at 5:30 (I won a prize from the spa) and then dined at one of the alternative restaurants on the ship called the Pasta Café. Dinner conversation was lively with everyone recalling the day’s activities.


Thursday, June 30, 2005
Today’s port was Cancun, and since we anchored three miles out, we decided not to take Mama out on the 30-minute tender ride to the pier. Instead, we stayed on the ship and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and lunch in the dining room overlooking the beautiful crystal blue waters the area is famous for. Additionally, Bill took a tour of the bridge, and I spent some time in the spa.
Lisa and Eric spent most of the day in Cancun shopping, while Brian and Christy embarked on a 4 X 4 cavern and beach exploration tour. They and another couple boarded a 4 X 4 Jeep with Brian driving and drove about an hour in caravan with other Jeeps to a natural cave with a mystical underground lake, where they swam and explored the stalactites and stalagmites and other natural formations. They then went on to La Playa beach and a buffet lunch. Their tour was a bit late returning, and I had some anxious moments when they had not yet returned to the ship at the scheduled departure time of 4 p.m. They made it aboard on one of the last tenders at about 4:10.
Friday, July 1, 2005
The last day of the cruise was at sea. We played dominoes, bingo, and blackjack, and enjoyed the luxury and amenities of our suite. Every afternoon this week we have been delivered a different tray of goodies: hors d’oeuvres, candies, sushi, chocolate-dipped strawberries, veggies & dip, fruit tarts, and pastries. Something different every day—one of the perks of having a suite!
Mom stayed up late tonight and attended the evening show in the theater after dinner, participating in a Jimmy Buffet song with hand motions (fins to the left, fins to the right, and you’re the only bait in town!). We got a kick out of watching her. She even did some gambling on the one-armed-bandits.
Saturday, July 2, 2005
As we docked in Houston at 8 a.m. and waited for the ship to be cleared for debarkation, we ordered room service for breakfast and then were smoothly escorted by Julie, our concierge, through priority checkout. Easy! Home by 9:30 a.m..
My informal poll revealed the following “favorites”:
Bill - the shows
Linda - the family excursion on Roatan
Mom - the food
Brian - Belize
Christy - Belize
Lisa - Belize
Eric - the monkeys in Belize

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Photos

Family
Lisa, Eric, Bill, Linda, Brian, and Christy on the Texaribbean cruise

Cozumel
With our ship in the background, Bill and Mama get ready for some serious shopping in Cozumel.

Roatan
Feeding some of the 4,000 iguanas roaming freely at the Iguana Sanctuary on Roatan Island, Honduras.

Roatan
View of Coxen Hole, where we docked on Roatan, which is part of the Bay Islands off the coast of Honduras.

Lisa and friend
Lisa makes a friend.

Belize
Mama enjoys more shopping in Belize.

Belize
Christy feeds a howler monkey in Belize after their jungle river cruise.

Cancun
Christy and Brian prepare to explore and swim in a cave outside of Cancun.

Comments

[Bobby]

I hope I have fun too!
Thanks for posting your adventures I'm going in december and it looks like a great time