Let's Cruise, Baby!

Dan and I got to go on a little adult-only vacation earlier this month. My mother was in the neighborhood (well, in this region of the United States anyway) dropping my younger sister off at college and was able to stay here with James while we left for Miami where we boarded a cruise ship and spent the next six days sailing the Caribbean!
This was our night in Miami before setting sail. We went down to basyide via the hotel shuttle and walked around. They have these huge trees down there that actually grow their roots all the way from their branches, so naturally Dan wanted to swing from them.

Our first day on the Carnival Valor: After we boarded the ship we had lunch, or first experience at the fabled buffets. It was pretty good, once we discovered the huge line for hamburgers wasn't where the good stuff was, that was farther in (with much shorter lines.) Before we left Miami it started raining, so we explored the ship and then braved the rain to watch as we sailed away from the port.

Our first day at sea: We checked out the mini golf then caught some sun up on deck while we both read. I was silly enough not to put sunscreen on and I got sunburned! Da-doy! I could excuse myself if I had been lost in the wonder of white sandy beaches and crystal blue water for a couple of hours, but 30 minutes reading up on deck...well I felt pretty stupid anyway. The rest of the day was spent bumming around the boat and eating food.

First Port of Call, Grand Cayman: In Grand Cayman we did the Reef and Rays snorkel expedition which was pretty awesome. I'd forgotten just how salty the ocean is, but was quickly reacquainted! It was amazing to see all the undersea life, especially the rays. They are so graceful and soft! After our expedition we walked around Georgetown a little bit and ate lunch at The Paradise Restaurant...HOLY COW! That meal was way better than anything we ate on the cruise, no kidding. We had fettuccine Alfredo with peppers and onions in it and jerk grouper (fish) with a side of rice and beans and fried plantains. As we boarded the boat that was taking us back to our ship there were a bunch of blue and yellow fish swimming by the side, and people were feeding them. The water was incredibly clear right there (not so much where we snorkeled, but it was okay) and the city was beautiful!

Tuesday night was the first "elegant" night. Dan and I both agreed that eating dinner together was one of our favorite parts of life on the ship. It was extra special, though, when we dressed up nice for it! The dinners were so fun and fancy, but the one thing we kept saying to each other night after night was, "It's not what I expected!" The food would come out and undoubtedly be different than we had envisioned from the menu description, but it was good most of the time nonetheless.

Second Port of Call, Roatan, Honduras: What a beautiful place! We decided not to sign up for an excursion with the cruise and braved finding a taxi to take us around the island. Along with two other couples we piled in a (thankfully air conditioned) mini van and scooted off for a fun day! Dan visited the island as part of his mission and was able to see the town he spent a day working in. Then we hit the beach for some relaxation and ate some baleadas (again, better than cruise food).

Third Port of Call, Belize City, Belize: We snorkeled again in Belize, but the coral and fish were much better here. There was so much to see under the sea! And the water was much clearer here.

Then we hopped back on our ferry and they took us to Banister Island. It's literally like the size of a football stadium. All white sands and palm trees with little grass huts and beach chairs to lounge in all over. It was paradise! The weather and water were perfect, we couldn't have asked for a better day in Belize.

Dan climbed a coconut tree and got one for a guy who said he'd pay Dan $10 for it! Dan got the coconut (but not the money) and he felt pretty good that he was able to! Here's our little paradise as we sailed away from it. So beautiful!

Fourth Port of Call, Cozumel, Mexico: We took a tour of the Mayan ruins of Tulum with a couple of friends we made on the cruise. They had arranged to have an LDS tour guide give us the Book of Mormon version, so to speak. It was such a great experience. So many parts of the architecture and art on the buildings testifies of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon and the gospel. It was stinkin' hot with 100% humidity, but it was my favorite expedition of the cruise! Such a beautiful and spiritual place to get to experience.

A few other highlights from our cruise experience: I loved the karaoke. Even if I didn't get up and sing (which I did a few times) it was just fun to cheer on the other brave souls, especially the old folks and the kids (they're just so dang funny)! One night in the dance club they had an MJ tribute. I stopped by to get my groove on, which (some of you may know) I take seriously when it comes to MJ. The next night at dinner a man that sat at a table nearby said he saw me dancing and thought I must have been drunk! Ha! No folks, I'm just that crazy on the dance floor even when I'm STONE COLD SOBER!

In the end, it was nice to get home and see James. We both missed him a lot, even though it was a great trip. Thanks again Mom for making it all possible!