The Fun Ship Trip

[hppants]

Spent last week on a cruise with SOQS and my two kids.  Each kid got to invite their best friend.  We sailed out of New Orleans and went to Belize, Isa Rotan (Hondouras), and Cozumel.  All 4 of the kids had the time of their lives.  SOQS also had a blast.  While this kind of trip is not really my thing, I too had a great time.  So, I thought you might enjoy some pictures of the trip.


While waiting to leave New Orleans, I spotted the Natchez, one of the few remaining actual paddle wheel river boats still in operation.



We sailed on the Carnival Triumph - about 900 feet of fun ship.  There was a huge TV on the Lido Deck - I watched several football games during the week.


This represents about 1/2 of the dry goods consumed by our cruise.  The staff on this ship worked like a well oiled machine all week.


The cabins are smaller than cramped, but the kids didn't seem to mind.



The boys were relentless in their practical jokes - my daughter and her friend were good sports.

[hppants]

While on board, there was always something going on.  I tried "Tea Time" - pretty neat.



We ate in the dining room every night.  The food was very good, not GREAT, but very good - I'll show you some pictures later.



We also played trivia games and were quite sucessful.  Here's the girls showing off their "Ship on a Stick" trophies.



One day, we celebrated my daughter's friends' birthday and surprised her with a cake.



We lucked out with calm seas the entire week.  The Gulf water is a beautiful blue - no sign of oil anywhere in the Mississippi Delta.

[hppants]

Our first stop was Belize where we went snorkeling.  These 45 foot fiberglass boats can hold 65 guests and crew, and fully loaded, these triple 200 Suzuki's can plane the boat out at about 30 mph.  Very impressive.



After a short boat ride, we jumped in the water and started swimming.  I brought a friends' underwater 12 mega pixel camera and took some great shots.  It's a Pentax Optio W90 - waterproof to 35 feet and in a shock proof enclosure.



Fish of all colors everywhere.  Even as blind as I am without my glasses, the view was beautiful



My boy's having a ball!!



Our 2nd stop was Mahagony Bay on Isa Rotan, a Honduran Island.  This place was my favorite - it was absolutely gorgeous.

[hppants]

A mixture of tropical jungle and coral reefs, we were stunned by the beauty of this place.  Here, we chose an excursion that included a walk through a wildlife refuge and a break on another private beach.  First, the refuge - the plants were very pretty.



My son got this great shot of 2 hummingbirds feeding.



I forgot the name of this flower, but Bed and Bathworks exports it to make some kind of lotion - it smells pretty good.



Cactus growing in the shells


They rescue injured animals, rehab them, and release them when ready.  Here I am with a Macaw.

[hppants]

And a monkey of some kind.  I wasn't too crazy about that, but the kids were laughing at me.



This is a Honduran rabbit - no visible ears or tail.



Then it was off to a  beach for some fun in the sun - more fish watching



The coral reef here is really pretty.
Edit - ignore the pic title - my boy verified this was indeed Rotan.

[hppants]

Our 3rd stop was Cozumel, Mexico.  SOQS and I have been here before, but thanks to some very strong margaritas, we can't remember much.  On this stop, we decided to go horseback riding and shopping.  On the bus ride to the ranch, the beach is very pretty.


I prefer my horses with brakes, a clutch, and 5 gears.



The kids really liked this.



We rode the horses through some Mayan ruins.



And to a limestone cave where they lived.



There were plenty of these guys running around.

[hppants]

I've never seen an Aloe plant this large - it was about 6 feet tall, and 12 feet in diameter.



After the horseback ride, we did a little shopping.  The area near the pier has been fixed up very nice.



SOQS and I gave each of the kids some spending money as well.  Additionally, my son saved his allowance for about 2 months.  Here is how he spent it.



The motorcycles in Central America are mostly small displacement bikes.  One can rent a 1200 sportster in Cozumel for $200.00 for 4hours!!



But every other bike is 250 cc and below.  I've never seen this CBX 250 in the States - nice looking bike.

[hppants]

Not sure what this bike is, but there were thousands of them.  I found most of the street bikes to be upright in design.



There were plenty of this style as well.





Back on the boat, SOQS liked the Animal Towel Art.  We had a new surprise every evening in our cabins.

[hppants]

Of course, no report would be worth its salt without food pics.  Here's some examples of what we ate.

St. Louis style spare ribs.


Escargot (snails) - taste like mushrooms to me.



A seafood medley



The kids enjoyed room service (no extra charge)



This was one of the best pork chops I ever tasted.

[hppants]

New York strip



Mozzarella cheese.



Lobster Bisque



Broiled lobster - my son and his friend asked for seconds - and they ate it.



Flat iron Steak

[hppants]

Crab cake



A really tasty cornish hen



And of course, there were plenty of desserts.  We ate this chocolate cake by the pound.



This was called a Chocolate Melting Cake - warm liquid in the middle - dip the ice cream and enjoy.



This was an amaretto pie.


And of course, ice cream 24 hours a day.  I think my kids had ice cream withdrawals when we got home.


Well, not exactly a ride report, but I hope you enjoyed the pics.

[drdubb]

Wondered where you'd been. Glad that all had a good time.

[fishmeister]

Nice report and memories forever.

Glad everyone enjoyed themselves!     Pants got to eat and didn't have to cook and do the dishes!

[luckylindy]

Good pics Pants.  Did you have NH withdrawal after being trapped on the ship that long?

[Burgi]

Now I know how to take a cruise...just look at someone else's pictures! All the fun and none of the that trapped, boredom. I think I enjoyed your cruise more than the ones I've actually been on.  

[Puppysnake]

Cool pictures, looks like a great time.

My parents took a paddle boat cruise for their anniversary a few years ago, I think it was the Mississippi Queen. They spent some time in New Orleans amd cruised up the Mississippi. I'd like to do that myself some day.

[edac]

Great report, looks like fun. SOQS wants me to go on one.

[bajakirch]

Nice report. #1 Son spent about a week in Belize with his grandfather last year. They spent most of their time in Belize City, which is NOT near the top of the list for tourist destinations. But they enjoyed themselves and had some nice adventures along the way.

I did a lot of cruises several years ago -- my former employer used to hand them out as sales incentives like they were candy. After 6 times in the Caribbean and once in Alaska, we were about cruised out. It's been almost 10 years since our last cruise, and we'd probably do another one now. While I do tend to start getting claustrophobic after 4-5 days on a ship, it's hard to beat a cruise for cost-efficiency when it comes to vacations.

[hppants]

Thanks for the replies, all.

LL - I did have NH w/d's when I got back Saturday.  So much, my neighbor, his friend, and I rode about 275 miles yesterday (Sunday) through the back country.  Upon my return, SOQS told me that when my son woke up (at 11:00 am - vacation crash) he asked her "where's Dad?".

"Where to you think?"

"Riding his motorcycle?"

"Good guess."

Puppysnake - the Miss. Queen has been scrapped, and the Natchez now remains.  My parents did a weekend cruise recently on the Natchez and enjoyed it.

Baja - I really enjoyed all of the Ports of Call.  It was the days at sea that drove me nuts.  Plenty to do, about 95% of it doesn't interest me much.  I'd love to fly to Hondouras (sp?) and spend a week there, including one day to rent a scooter and "scoot" around.

Oh well - back to the grind.   

[JB1290]

Great pics, Pants. Looks like the family had a great time.

[DesignFlaw06]

Been on 4 cruises, all of them on Carnival. First one was a traditional cruise, the other 3 were The Rock Boat.



But that chocolate melting cake is one of the best desserts I've found. Its even better washed down with chocolate milk. The wait staff had chocolate milk sitting at our table every night after the first night. They really are on top of things.

Last one, I took the SOQS with. But there were about 30 foot swells the last night, and she along with 85% of the boat got ill. People that think those boats can't be moved are sorely mistaken. It was humorous watching the bands up there trying to play while watching their stuff slide from one side of the stage to the other.

[Hangster]

Nice looking time HPP , is that a human skull i see in that cave?

[fishball]

You have some really wonderful photos Pants, thanks for sharing them.  The bikes you photographed are the same machines running around Buenos Aires.  By the way I had just finished lunch and after seeing your food photos I'm hungry again!

[hppants]

is that a human skull i see in that cave?

They are carvings.  Mayan relics.  A few originals, most of them were replicas.

[SliverXZennon]

And a monkey of some kind.  I wasn't too crazy about that, but the kids were laughing at me.

Looks like a great time! Thanks for sharing! And that monkey is a capuchin...