So we went on a cruise.
This is sort of a big deal because I don’t consider myself a “cruise
person” and never wanted to go on a cruise…. But for a variety of reasons, which
I won’t bore you with, we booked a cruise last February for this December.
I put a lot of time and effort into researching which cruise line and which itinerary would be the best match for us. We ended up taking the Norwegian Star out of Tampa to Mexico (Cozumel and Matahaul) Roatan (Bay Islands, Honduras) and Belize City, Belize.
The kids were so excited.
I was so anxious (because I can’t control everything) and the cruise date fell at the
end of a very stressful few months. But in
spite of everything we loaded up the car and headed for Tampa.
“D” was very kind and upgraded our room from something
roughly the size of a Honda Accord with bunk beds to a two bedroom suite. I am
not sure we would have made it home without this extra space.
I can tell you this-the kids loved it. The cruise allowed them freedom and constant activity. There were always kids activities and friends
to hang out with. Even “T” loved going
to the pool by himself and eating as much bacon as possible. There were definitely some plusses that we haven’t
experienced with any other vacation. And
we were able to travel a little. 6-8
hours in a country…I guess that’s travel lite-but we were still able to fit in
a nice visit in that short time. And the
kids learned a lot about poverty and what a privilege it is to live in the United
States.
There were negatives too.
Cruising really opened my eyes to the American attitudes and behaviors
that the rest of the world finds so ugly about us. Only an American would complain about lack of
AC and bumpy roads in a third world country.
We were amazed by the ship.
Having never cruised before we had nothing to compare it to but it was
an engineering marvel as far as I am concerned.
I would liken it to a floating resort.
I would occasionally hear someone complain about some small inconvenience
and all I could think was…”you are in the middle of the ocean, you have running
water and air conditioning and elevators and shows and fine dining”…I mean WOW!
These ships are incredible.
We spent the night before the cruise in Tampa. That gorgeous weather...
I totally get why people go to Florida in the winter.
Getting on the ship the next day was blur. The ship was having, lets call it engine problems. Our itinerary was changed and the new schedule was handed to us just before we walked across the gangway. We spent the first hour furiously trying to change all the things we had booked months ago.
Luckily we worked it all out and after a relaxing lunch we explored the ship.
From the ship- overlooking Tampa
We finally found our room and we were pleased with the space we had.
This is the over-the-top entrance
Here is the living room and balcony.
You would not believe how comfortable this bed was. I thought my bed at home was the best...but I actually miss this bed. It was heavenly.
The master bath was pretty great apart from the clear toilet door.
Both the tub and shower had a window.
The kids hate sharing a room but they decided to make and exception this time. I tried to tell them that the regular rooms on the ship were just like their room but they didn't believe me.
It was nice to have coffee and tea in the morning, but "D" says it wasn't as good
as what he makes at home.
The sunset over Tampa Bay...um...shouldn't the sun set over the ocean. Yes it should but remember we had engine problems and we wouldn't sail until the next morning.
Looking down into the atrium
Walking around the promenade deck ("J" is at the kids club)
The pool was pretty neat but surprisingly not as extensive as some of the larger ships have.
The room steward left cute towels animals at night.
Whew! that was close.
The view after leaving the bay.
Looking out at the ocean from the balcony...a view that never grew old.
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