Tuesday Travels – Cruisin’ Away Part I

 

Last November, for our 1st Anniversary the Mister and I took a Western Caribbean cruise, and it was one of the best vacations we have ever been on.

Initially, we were going to do our official wedding ceremony and reception on the cruise-ship in port at Galveston, TX, since we got married in a courthouse with only our immediate family and Best-Man of Honor.

However, since the cruise was over Thanksgiving and a 8 day commitment none of our extended families really wanted to come, so we said screw it and went on the cruise anyways.

After a great deal of consideration, and research we decided on Royal Caribbean cruise lines. Royal Caribbean was a bit more expensive then Carnival, however we thought it was worth it because the reviews and recommendations stated that the food, accommodation, staff and atmosphere were much better. The other deciding point was the Carnival is known more as a party boat with lots of drunks and small children, while Royal Caribbean makes sure that children are entertained at all times and not running around wild.

 

 This was our itinerary, we made three stops and the first on the list was Cozumel!!!

Welcome to beautiful Cozumel Mexico! The weather was beautiful, the water was warm and the people friendly as ever.

   

We met this little big guy at the dive shop, operated by a lady from Denver, as we walked over to the boat to head out on our first set of dives.

Donald and I at about 90 feet! The temperature was about 78 degrees, the visibility was fantastic. Cozumel happens to be one of the top 3 dive sites in the world. There are a ton of reefs to check out, in addition the dive is a current dive, which means it’s super easy because the current simply pushes you along. Because the current helps you out your oxygen supply lasts longer, in turn you get to enjoy the company of all kinds of creatures longer, including these guys:

Yup that’s a barracuda. I personally think they are scarier then sharks, especially since they are attracted thing shiny!

We also had the pleasure of meeting this guy, who came out from under the coral to greet us. He was defiantly a cutie.

Our next stop was Georgetown Grand Cayman!

The Cayman Islands are part of the British Isles, and are absolutely beautiful. They are also one of the top 3 destinations for divers around the world. Throughout the year, the Cayman Islands see thousands of divers who come out to enjoy the fantastic underwater world.

This was one of the several party pirate ships that was hanging around the coast. People seemed to be having a grand ol’ time on the boat.

    

Our first dive was on a wrack, which has become an artificial reef for all kinds of little fish.

Donald found a bike And decided to take it for a spin.

Our final stop was Montego Bay, Jamaica!

  

We had decided in advance that we did not want to dive in Jamaica but rather lay on the beach and enjoy the sun. So we did just that.

We also made a stop at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville and enjoyed a $19.00 margarita.

Overall, we had a fantastic time on all the excursions, and next Tuesday I will let you know all about the cruise ship, things to do, the food and the days at sea.

We are planning on another cruise this year, sometime in the summer and possibly another for our anniversary. A cruise vacation can be surprisingly affordable, and I will talk all about this in the third and final post for our first cruise recap.