Monday, June 19, 2023

{CARIBBEAN} Days Nine & Ten - Princess Cays, Eleuthera, Bahamas + AT SEA

Yesterday turned out to be a nice, low key beach day...

We docked at Princess Cays, Eleuthera in The Bahamas... 


and quickly got situated with a couple of shady lounge chairs...

Princess Cays is a private resort owned by the parent company of our cruise line, and it features all of the amenities needed for a fun day at the beach...


The frozen drinks were flowing, which helped with cooling off...


L & M enjoyed the water...

{Hubby is always taking pictures of me taking pictures}

B did some reading...


and, I did, too!


Hubby enjoyed some local beer...


and for probably the highlight of the day, the girls got to try out an aqua bike...


before enjoying the water just a little more...


We grabbed lunch, and when it was time to go...


we boarded the tender and headed back to the ship...


Once back on board, the kids went straight to the pool...


I guess they didn't quite get their fill of water fun for the day!


Hubby and I took in a movie...


and all the girls went to the production show!


Everyone slept well, and enjoyed today's relaxing day at sea, until...

Grandma ended up in the ship's medical center with a broken fibula (right above her ankle)...

At least we had a nice view down there...


They put a soft cast on, and are suggesting that we (my mom and I) disembark in San Juan tomorrow.

More to come on that!

Saturday, June 17, 2023

{CARIBBEAN} Day Eight - Fort Lauderdale, FL

Early this morning, we arrived back in Florida. Though we are continuing on the journey, all guests had to disembark and go through customs. We took that opportunity to run a couple of errands and grab lunch out.

We chose a popular spot on the water called Coconuts...


It was yummy, and made for a nice outing...


before heading back onto the ship...


Next stop, The Bahamas!

Friday, June 16, 2023

{CARIBBEAN} Days Six & Seven - Tulum (Cozumel), Mexico + AT SEA

Yesterday, we made a stop in San Miguel de Cozumel, the largest city on the island of Cozumel, about seventeen miles off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of the mainland of Mexico...

Now, with this port we were able to walk right off onto the pier, BUT since our shore excursion was set to take us to the mainland, we had to catch a ferry over to Playa del Carmen...


Navigating this was simple, as everything was set up by the ship, BUT adventure seems to await us, always...

Now, this ferry holds a lot of people, like a lot, A LOT, and as we were some of the last to board, we were escorted down into the lower, front area that was airconditioned. When we figured that out, we were initially thinking, SCORE! Well, not so fast..  So, evidently, about halfway through our journey, it got really hot and the televisions stopped working and I thought I might pass out...  I was so busy fanning myself and trying not to lose my breakfast, that I never realized that we actually lost power and STOPPED MOVING in the middle of the water (remember, it's a 17 mile trip over), so yes...it was a bit of an undesired "adventure"...

I guess they got things up and running again, but I was hot, and never really recovered from starting off on that overheated foot ~ ha!

Once, we (finally) arrived in Playa del Carmen, we met up with our tour leader, boarded a (very) welcoming (and most importantly, AIRCONDITIONED) bus and set off on our way to Tulum!


When I last visited Tulum in 1997, I was on a cruise with my parents and one of my brothers. I vividly remember that 1) we actually docked in Playa del Carmen (so no, broken down ferry ride over from Cozumel) and 2) my brother was not feeling so well that morning, so my mother stayed behind and just my dad and I went on the excursion. All that to say that they have yet to figure out how to cool the place off ~ ha!

We arrived in Tulum after about an hour bus ride, and got ready for a HOT day of exploring another set of Mayan ruins...

It was just as I remembered...

!!!

We tried to find whatever shade we could, while learning about the history of the ruins...

We climbed up for a gorgeous view of the water...

before my four climbers did a self-guided tour around the ruins...


and encountered this guy along the way...

{see him right between L's & B's heads???}

Meanwhile, as I tried to refrain from melting into a puddle of boiling water, I had this guy to keep me company...


It was a fun (HOT) adventure ~ another day, another set of Mayan ruins...


From the ruins, we headed over to the shopping area to grab lunch at a spot recommended by our guide...


before boarding our (AIRCONDITIONED) bus headed back to Playa del Carmen. Once we got back, we made SURE to secure ferry seats up on the top deck that were open air...


and things were MUCH more pleasant on the trip back to Cozumel!

Today, we enjoyed an appreciated day at sea, and after ALL of us slept in...


the girls went for a run...


and met their brother for a swim (with a side of ice cream)...


and we capped off the night with a fabulous production show...


Tomorrow, we will check back in to Florida before taking on the other side of the Caribbean!