It’s official…Sunshine and I are headed down south once again and will be cruisin’ the Caribbean in less than three weeks!!
Crazy, isn’t it? It was just two weeks ago that I was lamenting over how much I missed the time spent on a cruise with Sunshine last year. It was such an incredibly amazing time, yet it still wasn’t 100% us…the cruise was designed to help my dad temporarily forget the passing of my mom and simply get out of town. So while we enjoyed every last second of it, it was a family cruise with intentions of not leaving dad alone.
This time it’s all about us.
Our ride.
Circumstances fell into our lap one week ago that allowed us to stop dreaming about going and actually making it a reality. So now we’re booked to sail on the Carnival Legend out of Tampa, Florida on March 18th. We’re going on a trip through the Western Caribbean (we did the Eastern Caribbean last year) and couldn’t be more excited to make the most of our journey. Here’s the itinerary…
- We’re arriving in Tampa on the 17th: St. Patrick’s Day. Even though the cruise doesn’t set sail until 4pm on the 18th, the possibility of missing it because of delays with our flight made us book to fly down the day before. Last year we scheduled to go down to Miami the day before and had to scramble because weather canceled our plane. We didn’t get in until midnight, so if that had happened on the day of the cruise we would have missed it. Because we’ll have the entire afternoon/evening free, we’re not sure yet what we’re going to do (if anything). I think we’ll probably just lay low and relax until it’s time to head off to the ship.
- We’ll be picked up at the airport on Sunday the 18th at around 12:30pm by Carnival and will be transported to the port (of course, our hotel offers a free shuttle to the port, as well, so at least we’ve got options). The ship doesn’t leave until 4pm, but after last year we know that this is the perfect opportunity to explore the ship and try to get our bearings (we were lost on the Carnival Glory last year for the first three or four days). Once we set sail, the fun TRULY begins!
- The first day will be one at sea. I have no doubt that Carnival will have a ton of activities planned for everybody. Last year we attended trivia contests and other games and had a fantastic time doing it. We’re the type of people who don’t like to just sit on a deck soaking in the sun when we could be making our own fun somewhere (although lazy sun-drenched moments are totally in the cards…lol). We won’t know what’s planned until we’re there, but I’m sure it’ll be a great day.
- On March 20th, we’ll be in Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands. Because we don’t have any official excursion booked, we’re not in any hurry…which is good because it could take up to 90 minutes to disembark as there is no dock, only boat tenders taking passengers from the ship to the shore. I’m hopeful that the weather co-operates because Grand Cayman is supposed to be host to one of the most amazing beaches in the world, Seven Mile Beach. It looks like a beautiful location.
- Cozumel is our port on Day Four. From what I have heard, this Mexican city will be a great shopping stop for us…similar to what Puerto Rico was for us last year (which we loved). There is also apparently a great tourist attraction called Chankanaab State Park, which got some rave reviews from Cruisin’ Tam…so if we have the time and haven’t shopped ourselves to death, this is certainly a place for us to visit (I’m told the beach is pretty awesome here, too).
- The next stop is Belize. Originally, we weren’t sure if we would be able to book an excursion here as we don’t really have the funds for a $100+ visit to some Mayan ruins. However, once I read about the possibility of going cave tubing, Sunshine and I put that activity squarely in our sites. I mean, when other time in your life will you be able to sit back and say that you WENT CAVE TUBING THROUGH THE JUNGLES OF BELIZE!?!? And for only $45 each? Seriously…awesomesauce.
- The final port we visit is Roatan. This is a city in Honduras that I’m totally unfamiliar with. And really, other than the beach, I’m not sure (YET!) what this port has to offer. Of course, I thought the same thing about Grand Turk last year…and that turned out to be one of my favorite experiences.
- The last day sees us spending it at sea as we travel back to Tampa. Again, I’m sure Carnival will keep us more than happy as we make our way back home.
- Once we hit land on the 25th, we high-tail it to the airport so we can catch our flight back home.
To say that we are fortunate would be an understatement. We are blessed. Positive attitudes and positive thinking can breed positive results. This trip is the epitome of that.
Can’t wait!!
February 27th, 2012 at 9:30 am
So happy for you both (and a little bit jealous!). A friend of mine just did the same route on the Carnival Princess and had a fantastic time – her pictures were beautiful. I’m now itching to try a cruise. We celebrate our 10th anniversary later this year and my 40th next March so I’m thinking something like this might be a fun way to celebrate
February 27th, 2012 at 10:26 am
Cruising definitely isn’t for everyone, but we absolutely love it. Which is funny because it’s not something that I thought I would enjoy, and honestly only went on the trip last year because CBG’s dad was paying for it…and I’m so glad that I “discovered” it because we had a blast. And I know that this time, while different, will definitely be fantastic in its own unique way.
February 27th, 2012 at 9:52 pm
I can’t recommend cruises enough. I can understand it not being everybody’s cup of tea, but if you’re into exotic locations and cheesy fun with a couple thousand other people who are into doing the same thing, then a cruise is totally for you.
February 27th, 2012 at 10:05 am
I am so excited for you guys!!! This trip is much deserved and a huge blessing. can’t wait to hear the recap and I agree…cave tubing?! who DOES that?? Bucket list!!
February 27th, 2012 at 9:53 pm
I KNOW!!!
Never even thought there WAS such a thing. Insane, right? I can’t wait to do that.
February 27th, 2012 at 4:51 pm
YEA!!! So happy for you both!!! You will have a great time!
Cozumel is most definitely the place to shop till you drop and Grand Cayman is the place to soak in the amazing beauty of the Caribbean.
Can’t wait to hear all about it!!
February 27th, 2012 at 9:53 pm
See…I think we’re both in the position to take all of the advice that we can get.
Believe me…I’m making mental notes: Cozumel shop…Caymen beauty.
Got it!!
February 27th, 2012 at 9:46 pm
We cruised to Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Key West on Norwegian (left out of Charleston SC). While the cruise itself left a lot to be desired (due to location of departure, size of boat etc) there are a few things I can tell you. Seven Mile beach is nice but very very crowded. We spent $$ to do the excursion to it. We were disappointed. It was more packed than Parlee on Canada Day . Like WAAAAAY too crowded. Apparently there were some other ‘public’ beaches we could have gone to by catching a cab if we had done our homework. We were really disappointed that we hadn’t done another excursion elsewhere on the island.
We also did the Tulum excursion. If you have a chance, it’s good. We left from Cozumel.
February 27th, 2012 at 9:54 pm
Appreciate the suggestions, beachmum!! Thanks!!
February 28th, 2012 at 2:27 pm
So jealous…I know you guys will have a great time! I have dont West Carib cruise 3X. Never been to Beliz though. Looking forward to hearing about the cave tubing adventure. I have been wanted to try that.
February 28th, 2012 at 8:08 pm
We can’t wait to tell you all about it!
I think we’ll pick up a disposable underwater camera this weekend just to make sure we get SOMETHING from the trip (don’t want to risk getting our own cameras wet).
February 28th, 2012 at 3:07 pm
Yep, jealous too. If I had a left nut I’d give it for my man and I to have a beach vacation alone. ANY time alone for that matter…
Happy for you guys!
February 28th, 2012 at 8:09 pm
Heck…there are cruises out of Texas every single week! Surely to goodness if Sunshine and I can scratch our way to a cruise, you two can, as well.
Of course, each of you having kids throws a wrench into things, I know.
Still hoping to meet up at some point one day.
March 2nd, 2012 at 1:05 pm
Me too, my friend. Me too.
March 3rd, 2012 at 1:18 pm
You definitely want to book something in Belize, people who don’t say there’s nothing to do near the tender pier. I went cave tubing there with cavetubing.com, way cheaper than booking through the ship and they get you back in time so you don’t miss the boat. Check out my blog on the cave tubing at mycruisestories.com if you want to see photos of that adventure, including some inside the cave.
March 4th, 2012 at 7:39 am
We just booked our reservation for cave tubing. Can’t wait to give it a shot.
And thank you for commenting. We’ll be looking into your blog with great interest over the next couple of weeks.
March 5th, 2012 at 6:10 pm
I am so excited for you guys! I thought about ya’ll alot while on my cruise last week, making notes in my head to give you all the good scoop and time saving tips! Details to come soon, my friends!
March 5th, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Looking forward to hearing what you’ve come up with.
