We left Houston on Sunday, Feb 28, 2016, so it was still
early spring in Texas...and still cool!
These look like experienced cruisers! Refreshing adult beverages,
and a little dancing at the poolside launch party!
The first full day at sea we explored the ship
Just like any cruise ship, it was magnificent!
On the tallest level (Floor 18) is the Sun Deck, and towards the stern
(back of the boat) is the Skywalkers night club. We sneaked up there
in the afternoon for this Photo-Op, even though they don't open til 10 pm.
Don't worry, we'll be back after dark!
The main Lobby
And every ship displays art for five or six days,
and then near the end of the cruise, they have a big auction.
Here's some of the artwork and a couple of models:
Anyway, one of the paintings was almost exactly like a watercolor I painted,
back in the day. Kids, back me up on this, have you seen this before?
Wait a minute, what place is this? And what do you mean,"Games of Chance"?
It's the Grand Casino, where I promised to teach Great-G-ma the game of Craps.
But alas, it wasn't meant to be.
Instead, every afternoon, the big Bingo battle in the Club Fusion!
All cruisers talk about the wonderful dining, and this trip was no different.
Linda and I dressed for a formal dinner in the elegant dining room,
but we caught Ruth and Jean poolside, eating ice cream
after their hot dogs and pizza (like a couple of teenagers!)
Sorry, no pictures of dinner,
but here's what we looked like while we ate!
She had fish with fruit salsa, he had the prime rib!
And afterwards, strolling the deck at sunset.
Then after a quick change, we hit one of the hot tubs!
Next morning, we docked at Cozumel, and grabbed a cab to one of
the many Party Beaches stretching along the coast.
Aaah, low 70's and not a cloud in sight!
Wait, who authorized this picture?
Our trusted waiter Gabriel, serving me something blue he called Mexican Windex.
I don't know what it was, but it prevented me from getting a sunburn!?!
I could get used to this...
How am I ever going to get him back to the boat...by myself?
Oh, who cares? Let's go play!
Somehow we made it back before the boat took off.
Late that afternoon, Linda went to High Tea in the dining room,
while I checked out the casino. I won at Craps, and she loved the scones!
Next morning we arrive at Roatan, and this was a great stop!
A short walk from the pier is Mahogany Bay, a shopping and beach area
exclusive to the cruise ships. And all beach access is free!
Here I am with Popeye's boat.... and Linda revealing her true pirate nature. Aaargh!
There's a short walk between the shopping village and the beach,
and for those who wish, there is this overhead lift available.
The bridge option wasn't far, and lined with vegetation, so we opted to walk.
Along the path we spotted this hammock, and had to try it out!
Mmmm now that feels great...
Until she stood up again!
Just for that, put her in the stockade!
Wait. Who ratted me out?
Check out the amazing sand castle...
Here it is, up close:
This entire beach was developed by a partnership
of several cruise lines, just for their guests!
So entry to the beach, all loungers and cushions, the live music,
were all free to guests of the Ships!
And the white sandy beach was the best beach on the trip!
After swimming and
lounging awhile,
we were ready
for lunch.
We tried
this open-air cafe
known for
Caribbean
Jerk Chicken
and it was most
delicious, Mon!
I feel like Captain Hook!
Shark? What shark?
OK everybody, back to the boat!
When we returned to ship, we checked on the girls, and all was well!
In fact, Jean had checked an item off her bucket list
today when she swam with the dolphins!
And we got a special surprise at dinner that night. Team Shaw had
arranged for us to receive a bottle of the bubbly with our dinner!
Thank you Shaws, we salute you!
And the special tonight is pasta prepared table-side...
You may order it for an appetizer, or for an entree!
Hey boys, I'm pretty handy in the kitchen, do you need any help?
Next stop: Belize! Which means because of the shallow water depth
at the coast, all cruise ships anchor out in the bay, and tender in to the dock!
Here we are early in the morning, waiting for our snorkelling boat!
Instead of going to shore to catch our expedition boat,
we left straight from the big boat to the little boat!
At 185 miles long, the barrier reef at Belize is second in size only to
the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. But considering we could only
snorkel about 185
feet of it, we had plenty to do!
Dorrie? Is that you?
Snorkelling was great fun, but a couple of hours is all we could handle.
Since it was still mid-morning, we changed and caught a tender
into Belize city to do some exploring.
Just like at Roatan, the cruise lines have partnered to create a clean,
beautiful "coastal village" for the pleasure of their guests. This place was
large enough to handle several ships at once (think thousands of shoppers)
with cafes,bars, shops, art galleries and jewelers! In fact, it was so big
and well insulated from the real Belize City, we almost couldn't find
the one spot to pass from here into the original Belize City!
But we did! Here I'm talking with some independent tour guides
about ways to see the city. Hmm, taxi or Carriage ride?
But since it was lunchtime, we decided to hoof it to a little local cafe
we had learned about from one of the shop girls inside the walled city!
Speaking of walled city, check out the plants growing out of this wall!
The place was called Spoonaz Cafe, and we took a table on the patio,
a spacious deck which overlooks the harbor and marina:
You could just sail right up for lunch!
We took this picture of the menu so we could copy some the tapas
when we got back home,
We tried some of the local brew, Lighthouse Lager.
And shared a sampler plate of tapas that I couldn't tell you
what it was!
But they were so tasty, we ordered a second!
What a great way to experience Belize City!
If you ever come, don't just stay inside the port terminal,
dive into the real Belize that sits on the other side of the wall!
Now we head back towards Houston, so the next two days will be at sea.
A few more pictures around the Princess...
Did you know the Caribbean Sea is the seventh largest body of water on planet Earth?
And a fair bit of shopping on board - Hey, it's duty free!
Finally, our last formal dinner. We'll be heading home tomorrow,
but it's been a Bon Voyage!
