Just Cruisin’

Our first cruise. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Okay, that’s a little dramatic, but our cruise was definitely a tale of two experiences. Overall Chris and I had a great time; unfortunately for both of us we discovered that Melissa gets motion sick when there are 20+ foot swells and the boat moves as if it were a wineglass that was being used to sample a taste of wine. Round and round and round we go…whee!

The good news is that when I wasn’t sleeping in the cabin (thank God for bonine!) I was out having fun. There really is a lot to do on a cruise ship and even though I did see too much of the cabin I did manage to do a little gambling, eat a ton of great food, and win a painting. (I’m really excited about this painting, even if it is the one Chris didn’t want.)

The highlight of the cruise was, however, off the boat–our day excursion to Cozumel was awesome. Chris and I spent a week there several years ago and decided we wanted to take a little walk and find JT’s house where we had stayed. Of course, we were led on a merry chase each time we asked someone where the mini putt-putt was (JT’s house is across from it), but we didn’t mind. We wandered up and down the streets stopping in little shops here and there, drinking cerveza, and soaking up the sun.

In our search for the elusive house we did stumble upon an Irish bar called Kelley’s, and Kelley was from CO! What a small world. Even better was that Kelley’s was only a few blocks from our goal. So a quick tequila and we were off. We did find the house exactly where I remembered it to be across from putt-putt and the pharmacy, with the crazy pharmacy character still out front waving at people.

After lunch we all meet back up, hopped in our taxi, and made our way to the beach. We ended up at a really nice resort-style place with a great pool, tons of beach chairs (that we didn’t have to pay for–even better), and a nice open-air bar. Unfortunately, the water was so rough and the waves were so big that we couldn’t do any snorkeling. This was a big bummer for the kids. I, however, chose to take advantage of the massage table. I can now say from experience that there is not much that can compare to a massage on the beach, with the sound of the surf, a nice breeze, and Mexican music playing in the background. H-E-A-V-E-N!

There’s so much more I could write about, but then this post would go on for days. So, here’s a little more of the good and the bad:

This was great too

• Mojitos and moonlight while chatting with the nice couple from Minneapolis, on the Serenity deck.
• The comedians were, well, funny.
• Shrimp, shrimp, and more shrimp. Fresh shrimp every dinner. YUM!
• Fruity umbrella drinks–rum, fruit, and umbrellas.

Not so much

• I lost my favorite pair of sunglasses.
• The water was so rough. Next time I have to have one of those little patches behind my ear.
• Grand Cayman. Sure, it was nice hanging with everyone at the beach for a few hours but the shopping was overrated and the prices were inflated.
• The casino sucked. No energy, no enthusiasm, and it took my money.
• The price of all those fruity umbrella drinks. You definitely pay for the rum, the fruit, and the umbrellas.

All in all, it was a great way to spend Chris’s 40th birthday. Thank you Dave and Ivonne, for inviting us to cruise with you and for footing part of the bill.

A picture is worth a thousand words

Check out my pics, if you’re interested.