On the beach in Negril, Jamaica
Mayan Ruins in Tulum (Mexico)
Overlooking the ocean in Tulum
Me and my girlWe just got back from a 7 day cruise in the Caribbean with the kids and my parents. Overall, we had a wonderful time; however, I don't think I ever want to travel with anyone else ever again (children included).
We were at sea on Sunday & Monday. Unfortunately, a cold front came in right before we left OKC and the weather wasn't as warm as we would've liked. I still laid out by the pool and managed to get a sun-burn.
Our first stop was Cozumel, Mexico. We went to see the Mayan Ruins in Tulum. I was really excited to see this historic place. It took awhile by ferry and bus to get there. Our guides, Nachos and Carlos, spoke very broken English so our tour was not as informative as it was probably meant to be. We only had about 20 minutes to wander around on our own so I don't recommend this tour to anyone unless you are going on your own b/c all the information you want on Tulum can be found on GOOGLE.
Second stop was Grand Cayman. Our excursion was to go swim with the stingrays and then snorkel at the barrier reef. Again, it was windy. Our boat captain took forever to get to stingray city and then on the way back the boat blew an engine and they had to get another boat to bring us back. Our three hour tour lasted five hours. We didn't get to meet up with my parents for shopping or go out to lunch like we had hoped. I still loved swimming with the stingrays and snorkeling around reef despite the other circumstances. The water is so clear!
Our third stop was Jamaica. People have been warning us for months that Jamaica was dirty and we would probably be offered drugs. We followed our travel agent's advice and went out to Negril on the western part of the island. Our tour guide, Sherilynn, was awesome!!! The beach was so beautiful. There was no wind on our part of the island and the weather couldn't have been better. We rented a jet ski and had a blast! This was, by far, the best part of the trip. No one really tried to sell us drugs - I guess we look too squeaky clean. No worries, mon.
The shows on the ship were really good. I took belly-dancing classes which were a blast!!! Despite what everyone predicted, I only went to the gym 3 times. I gained a lot of weight on this cruise, though. I'm back on the food wagon!!
My parents, God love them, complained about almost every aspect of the trip - the food, the room, the ports, the weather. OMG!! I thought I was going to have to jump overboard before I committed murder. I guess my standards are low b/c I loved the trip. Was it perfect? No. But how can you complain when you're being waited on, in the Caribbean and away from work????
