Birthday Cruise

My brother and I have amazing parents that sent us on a birthday cruise! Matt's birthday is in May and mine is in August so June was the perfect time between each of our special days to take a vacation. We LOVE to cruise. I mean - we love it. It is the best kind of vacation I can think of - food at any hour, dance music on the deck, ample time to read and soak up some sun, opportunities to meet people from all over, exciting excursions off the boat, and, best of all, you don't have to do any thinking or planning of where to go, what to do, etc. Everything is ready for you when you walk on board.

This was my 5th cruise with Carnival and I cannot say how wonderful each one has been. This time, Matt and I got a room with a balcony. I will tell you - once you go balcony, you don't go back. :) It was such a nice feature to have. About 10 minutes after we set sail from Galveston, I was already passed out sitting in a chair on the balcony. When I woke up I told my brother, "I haven't been that relaxed in 2 years!" Seriously y'all, it's the truth. 

Day 1: Embarkation and First Night at Sea

We set sail Saturday, June 20th from Galveston and headed toward Progreso, Mexico. The first afternoon/night on the cruise is so exciting! You spend time getting to know your way around the boat and meet lots of new people. There is always a send-off party on the Lido deck with lots of music and dancing. We hung out there for a while and enjoyed the music and mingling. Everyone was so excited to be on board and the staff was equally excited to have us there. Dinner the first night is always interesting, especially if you are seated at a table with other people. We were fortunate enough to have a super sweet newlywed couple, Mike and Crystal, joining us for dinner. They were from Houston so we had lots to talk about! The food is usually pretty good and you get to try new things you wouldn't have tried before. (Little inside secret: the dinners are all you can eat so you can try everything if you are really feeling adventurous!)

Day 2: First Day at Sea

The days at sea are some of my favorite days on the cruise. They are so relaxing and allow me time to kick back, work on my tan, read my book, and eat lots of delicious food. We started the day by sleeping in and catching the sit-down breakfast in the dining room. I got some amazing Frosted Flake crusted french toast and conversed with a funny couple from Dallas. They were celebrating the wife's 60th birthday and she was a cute as a button. We bonded over cheddar grits and coffee. Most of the day I spent reading my book, The Runaway King (The Ascendance Trilogy is a great read by the way), and soaking up sun on the Lido deck. This night was formal night so Matt and I dressed to impress and enjoyed lobster for dinner. So delicious! A really cool thing about cruises is that they have mini photo shoots every night at dinner time. Matt and I decided to get a photo of us take for the parents and grandparents. We had to explain to the photographer that we were siblings, not a couple. (Haha!) It is always neat to see couples and families dressed up on formal night! We were fortunate enough to have a west facing balcony on the way to Progreso and the sunset was just beautiful!

Day 3: Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico

Progreso was the first excursion day! We got up really early to meet our group and head to Homun for our Cenote Swim day. Our tour guide, Alan (of Mayan and Cuban descent), was so great! He was funny and very knowledgable about the area and the Mayan culture. We drove 2 hours on a bus to Homun, a city southeast of Merida, the capital of Yucatan. Alan took us through the town of Cuzman where we were able to really see the village. We learned about the market, the streetcars used to drive short distances, the local churches, and even saw a Mayan ruin in the middle of the city! We also drove by some old Mayan huts that people are still living in today. Alan told us about how the Mayan's lived and some history of their culture and rituals. The main part of our tour was in Homun where we swam in 2 cenote's there. Cenote's are basically natural ground water reserves that were exposed from sinking limestone. The Mayan's used these cenote's in sacrificial offerings to the gods. We swam in a semi-open centote (with a hole allowing for some sunlight exposure) and a closed cenote (no exposed sunlight). It was such an amazing experience! I have always wanted to swim in a cenote! I didn't get any pictures inside of the cenote because the GoPro camera died on the trip to Homun.

After we swam, we were provided lunch by some of the local Mayan descendants who lived in the village nearby. They fed us salbutes, which are essentially tacos. They hand make and fry corn tortillas and place lettuce, marinated chicken, avocado, mexican cucumber, and pickled red onions on top. They also had fresh roasted habanero salsa to add on the top of the salbutes. Y'all, these were the BEST tacos I have ever eaten in my life. All the ingredients were local and organic and prepared in house. So delicious!! (I am jonesing for a salbutes right now…)

When lunch was over we walked around the village and met some of the local people who were selling items made from hemp. Hemp is a populous plant in Homun. I bought a hand fan made from hemp, a really nice dish made from a tree, and a Mayan hair brush. (Mayan legend says those who use the brush will have long, beautiful hair!) It was so neat to meet the people and help support them by buying their handmade items. Matt bought a hammock for $50. It is so beautiful and one of the more sturdier hammocks I have seen.

The bus ride home was long - Alan said, "See you in 2 hours. It's time for a siesta!" We napped and when we got back on the boat it was time to shower and get ready for dinner. After dinner I watched Cinderella at the "Dive In Movie" on the Lido deck. So fun!

Mayan Ruin in Cazmun.

Old Mayan Hut.

Salbutes!!

Making the fried corn tortillas.

Day 4: Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Cozumel is always a fun place to visit. It is definitely more commercialized than Progreso but there is always a lot to do. Matt and I signed up for a 2 tank scuba dive with Sand Dollar divers. A little over a month ago, I got scuba certified so I could do this dive on the cruise. The dive in Cozumel was my first BIG dive. I was a little anxious but having my brother there helped! When we got off the boat it started to rain and there were dark clouds and lightening off the coast. We were really disappointed because our dive to "The Wall" was cancelled due to the weather. We were still able to dive to about 70 feet at another part of the reef for our first dive. Our second dive was a drift dive to about 45 feet and I saw some amazing things! I cannot tell you what it is like to be under water, swimming with fish, and being a part of their environment. I would say diving is one of the coolest things I have EVER done! On the drift dive I saw 2 barracudas, a parrot fish, an eel, 2 lobsters, and lots and lots of other fish. Words and pictures just do not do this experience justice. Take a look at these pictures and video:

Did you see the barracuda in the second video?? The pictures and video just don't do the ocean justice.

Day 5: Last Day at Sea

The last day at sea is always a lazy day. After two full days of excursions we were exhausted! We slept in and then ate breakfast in the dining room. I had Frosted Flake crusted french toast and it was delicious as always. I soaked up some sun on the Lido deck and read my book, The Shadow Throne, while listening to the sounds of the ship's resident DJ. I napped some before dinner and enjoyed a last delicious meal. After dinner Matt and I met up with our dinner table buddies to see the final comedy shows. One of them was so funny! He made everyone in the room laugh. The sunset on the last night was gorgeous!

All in all, they trip was so relaxing and fun! I am glad to have spent the quality time with my brother. Not many people can say that they are friends with their siblings but I am so blessed to be so close to mine! Thanks Mom and Dad for helping me start out my summer right!

"Being out there in the ocean, God's creation, it's like a gift He has given us to enjoy."  

-Bethany Hamilton