Cruise, Royal Caribbean,
2003
Key West, Cozumel Mexico, Belize City Belize
Cruise to Belize 2003
I did a 5 night cruise with my Mom last week. We decided about 6 months ago to try one and booked a good deal through the internet. Took a flight from home to Ft Lauderdale Fl to transport to the ship. Took a taki to the port which was an extremely short trip from the airport and still costing around $10. Seemed like we exited the airport directly onto a highway then got off at the next exit. The port was right down that road. ID's were checked at the port entrance then we were driven to our boat. We didn't know which dock to go to until we saw some signs with ship names on them. Onto #25 Enchantment of the Seas (Royal Caribbean).
Very structured entry procedure to board the ship. At the entrance hall area you are placed within 1 of 3 groups of chair lines. They let one group go at a time then fill up the empty chairs with next guests. You travel through security then into a large room with a few more lines to check in. Upon checkin you are given a room key/cash card for the ship. When it was our time to check in, we were told there was a problem with our room so they upgraded us to a balcony room. So far so good. After you are checked in you follow an escalator up to enter the ship. They take a quick snap shop of you for their security and off you go. The whole time we were told luch was waiting on Deck 9. Once inside we went to eat. Buffet style lunch with soup, salad, coldcuts, cheese, hot food, sandwiches and roast beef. The restaurant was on the top deck with windows all around allowing you to enjoy the scenery.
Our room was great. 2 beds, tv, climate control, small bathroom, couch and sliding door onto the balcony. Enjoyed many a nights looking out onto the dark waters and staring at the night sky. We left the room to check out some of the ship. Really nice ship. 10 levels with most of the action happening from 4 and up. Small casino, show hall, 5 or 6 bars, disco, rock wall, fitness room, 2 pools, main dining, casual restaurant, shops, and probably more. Before we knew it it was time for dinner and our luggage had not arrived at the room yet. We asked around and it seemed like there were some issues with a lot of luggage in the wrong places.
Dinner was good. I wouldn't say excellent, but good. I had a pasta dish with ceasar salad. Our waitor Alex was excellent. Very funny and good at his job. After dinner our luggage was still not there. 2 out of 3 arrived about an hour later then the last one an hour after that. Chilled on the balcony and called it an early night.
Key West was ok. I had been there once as a child but don't really remember much. Walked around Old Town for most of the time. Debated on doing the Conch Train but I felt that it was too overpriced. ($20-$25) Went in all the shops. Mom got a pair of Birkenstocks and a hat while there. Headed back to the ship around lunchtime. Again ate in the casual place where the buffet is served. So many desserts I can't resist, and I don't even have a sweet tooth.
Spent the rest of the day around the ship. Taking in the shove off from Key West on the upper deck. Quite windy up there. Had some big gusts come through rattling the chair I was on. Dinner again in the main dining. Had lamb for dinner that evening. It was good. Again, spent most of the night out on the balcony and off to bed early again.
Cozumel is not my favorite place. Although, I do enjoy the Mayan ruins the area has ro offer. A day excursion out to Tulum ruins on the mainland coast. The tour starts 1 hour late then, we have to wait on a few passangers for almost another 45 minutes. The ferry ride was through some rough waters due to the wind. I loved it. The bus ride to Tulum was fine with the obligatory stop at the handicraft shop. Upon arriving there was a short walk up a dirt road to the ruins. They are beautiful. Overlooking the waters below. Seem to be in worse shape than the ones around Chichen Itza. Enjoyed them lots. By the time we ariived back to the ship it was 6:45. The boat was leaving at 7 AND we missed the lobster dinner at 6. The tour was back over 2 hours late. We ate in the casual buffet place. The food wasn't great except for the jerk chicken. It was quite tasty.
Belize City was the next stop. The ship had to anchor out at sea and boats would tender us to shore. That was fun too. The boats go quite fast through the waters. Very small dock area and straight onto the bus we went. About 1 hour later we arrived at the guides dock to load onto his boat. The river ride lasted about an hour. He drove fast around the bends it was great. Slowing periodically to show us interesting birds, foliage and crocs. Lamanai is a Mayan ruin site along this river. The locals prepare a large buffet for the tourists coming in by boat. The food was excellent consisting of chicken, 2 types of rice, slaw, coconut tart and sodas. Quick trip to the bathroom after lunch I cam upon a Hogs Plum tree. I encountered Hogs Plum juice in Malaysia. I found Lamanai interesting as it is one of the oldest known for the Mayans. I feel like we had to rush it and missed out on some interesting things to see there. There are howler monkeys in the areas around the ruins. Nice walk through the jungle trail while visiting one area after another. Great boatride back to the bus. Fast all the way. Once back on the ship we hurried for dinner where I had prime rib. Good again. There is a guy who comes around to the tables to take drink orders from the bar. He is quite rude and snotty.
Day at sea was nice and relaxing. Ate a good breakfast then ventured up deck. Very windy again today. Captain said gusting at 45mph. I got in some sun time, people watching, rock wall tournament, good lunch, explored the ship some more and spent time on the balcony. Dinner that night was duck. The duck was amazing. The best thing I had all week. Gave all our workers their tips. I found it good to put the tip money aside in cash when you get on the ship. That night you must put your luggage outside your room. You pick it up again at customs.
Leaving the ship wasn't as bad as I thought. After a hurried breakfast, everyone must be out of their rooms and in a bar. common area or pool deck. They call your color code to disembark. We were the 6th group and left the ship at 9"30am. Took a while longer to get through customs then to hail a cab. Onward to the airport very earky. They checked our baggage and we had some lunch. Flight was ok coming back. Some woman refused to put her 5yr old child in a seat. She landed against the stewardess's harsh wishes with the child on her lap. Good trip with Mom. Would probably do another cruise but it would have to be something special destination wise.
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