Cruising the Carnival Way- Belize, Honduras, Cozumel
This was my first cruise and I loved it. I don’t know if I will go on another cruise anytime soon. I told Lisa that and the only reason is because I got bored. I love flying into a place and having a big excursion planned each day. I like being up and going from early in the morning, doing multiple things every day.
On a cruise, it’s a totally different experience. It’s a great one, but it’s definitely more relaxing and as any of you know, I have no clue how to relax.
This trip was fun because we were with Alex, Josh, Lydia, Jess, Jasmine, Donya, Hasty, their cute Baba (dad), Shahram and a lot of Josh’s family and of course my Twin.
We had the best time on the cruise and you know any trip Lisa and I go on is pretty epic and we always have great stories to tell. This one is no different.
First off, we were extremely lucky. It’s all about the power of positive thinking. There was a tropical depression coming into all our ports and there was a high chance that we would not be able to doc.
I remember telling my new blackjack buddy Brian that when we get off. He said if, I said when. He just sort of looked at me, but every day we had sunny days for the time we were on land.
Pros and Cons of a Cruise Good
Pros:
- All the activities. I loved how much you can do; there are an endless things to do all day long.
- Great dinners. I will have to tell you they’re starters at the formal dining are delicious!
- Great employees. I have to say, we loved everyone we came in contact with on the boat. They were all so nice.
- Endless food. There is never a time when you can’t get pizza and Caesar salad.
- Picture Galore. They had picture stands every night. We took it with every background, but the photographer would make us do hugging ones, we told them it’s so unnatural. Twin and I do not hug in pictures.
- Easy to make friends. We made so many friends on this trip!
- Towel Animals
Cons:
- Bad Tight quarters. I can’t tell you how many times I tripped and fell over in the room.
- No Internet. This was rough for us, but it was actually really nice to be disconnected from the world for 7 days. But the first night I got Internet back, I was up on the deck until 3 AM.
- Casino on Board. This is a pro and a con. It was so easy for me to get swept up in looking at the cards.
- Food. Some people loved the buffet and the endless pizza, but I got tired of it. I just wanted healthy food and that’s when I found the salad creation bar.
I liked Carnival, but one thing I have to say is that going on this cruise ship and meeting all the crew makes me appreciate my life 10 folds more. There were 1300 crew members aboard to make this cruise go smoothly and I commend all of them.
Lessons Learned:
- Look at all the drawers in for everything. I needed a hair dryer so bad and would go upstairs to the spa to use it. On the day we left, we opened a drawer and there was a hairdryer.
- Bring power stripes. Ugh…so we only had one plug-in the room. It was so hard to survive. We had to switch charging our phones. I even tried to find a plug behind the TV, but the USB was not compatible.
- DON’T OVER PACK!!! You don’t need that much. I did and my luggage fell apart at DCA when I took it off at baggage claim. It was so embarrassing and the lady kept telling me they were not responsible for broken zippers and I overpacked. I told her absolutely not! I said it all fit in beforehand, but it is none of her business that I had to sit on my luggage to get it all to fit. FYI: That black bag is my dirty laundry bag, not a pillow. It was one of the lowest moment in my life, taping this bag up and taking it from DCA to VA on the metro. It was an extremely “ratchet” moment in my life and the look on Debbie’s face when she picked me up was priceless. Lisa took a picture of me struggling in the room, little did she know what would happen later in the day. But honestly, we had such a great trip with no issues, something had to happen and a broken luggage and my dignity was a small price to pay.
- Give yourself a gambling limit and stick to it.
- Book every excursion ahead of time.
- Don’t try to be one of the first ones off the boat when you dock. It’s a madhouse because people want to go home.
- On port days, you actually do want to be early because a lot of people sleep in.
- Remember, everything is on Ship Time!
Roatan, Honduras
Honduras is still considered a third world country and of course everyone says it is extremely dangerous. I would say any country can be even in the US.
Lisa and I did the Zip Line Excursion. I pre-booked through Shore Excursioneer for $75 per person, which included the Zip Line, Suspension Bridge, Eco Walk, and time at a private beach.
Zip Line
The Zip Line was awesome. We did the normal course, which takes you through 11 courses. There is an extreme Zip Line that some of our other friends did and they liked it as well. Lisa is scared of heights, so I was so proud of her for going. She did have to be rescued a few times, but it was the effort that counted.
I would recommend this tour to anyone, the tour guides were great and always in a great mood. You always felt safe and they get you through the lines very quickly and if you want, they will take pictures for you. You always have control over the zip line speed wise, but you absolutely have to listen to their instructions. The only thing they ask you to do is lift yourself up to be buckled and keep your hands in the position they tell you to.
They knew I loved pictures, so they always had my phone to take pictures. It was funny because all of them knew my password in case my phone locked. I was like feel free to look at whatever, I have nothing to hide.
They had us do two tricks on the course. One where you are upside down and another called the superman. When they asked for volunteers, no one really wanted to do it, so the guide looked and I said I will. I am so glad I did. It was so much fun. My guide nicknamed me superwoman and the joke with the group was why you don’t go first. Even after watching me, only one other person dared. Oh well, they do not know what they are missing.
This is an absolute must to go to. Make sure to tip well because these guys work hard and fast to make sure everyone is safe. I will tell you it is a tiring job because a lot of times they are helping lift you to attach you and take you off. I am sure they have had their hands pinched and injured many times.
Suspension Bridge & Eco Walk
This was fascinating. It is just a bridge suspended in the middle of the jungle. With each step everyone takes, the bridge sways and bounces. I was nervous going on this, but Lisa was not, which is really odd.
On the eco-walk the tour guide mentioned that these particular leaves on this tree can help heal anything. The first thing Lisa and I said was Ebola? Lisa actually picked it for her skin issues.
Monkey Business
We saw a monkey and of course had to take a picture. This monkey was being such a pain. He did not want to look at the camera at all. He kept covering his eyes in all our pictures.
Private Beach
We had a great time at the beach; it was very calm and beautiful. They let you stay there for about 2 hours before they picked you up and took you back to the port.
Chair Lift and Beach
Right at the port, there is a sign for the Magical Flying Chair Lift. It is $12 per person and you can take it back and forth all day. On the other side is a nice beach and we rented floating mats to lay on for $8 per person.
Belize City, Belize
I feel like it is a hit or miss with Belize. Some people love it while others are disappointed. I was one of the ones who were disappointed. We are going to be back to Belize for a few of their activities, but overall it was much more underdeveloped than I imagined. I thought Jamaica was bad, but Belize was worst. I do hope that the country does develop more in the next few years because it is definitely beautiful.
Here are some tidbits that we learned about Belize:
- There are very few stop lights.
- There are only 350,000 people there
- Tourism is how their country survives.
We did a private beach and snorkeling for $49. We did not book our excursion ahead of time, this was a mistake. We could have found something else to do. Even though the beach was nice, I would have rather done something else, but if you really want a nice and private place to relax, this beach was pretty. Just be careful, the waters have rocks in it.
Many of our friends did the caving tour and they loved it for $50.
Cozumel, Mexico
We all rented jeeps and drove around the place. It was spectacular. Here are a few pics from our little journey.
Mini-Submarine
This was the best experience! I loved it! You go into these little submarines. We were so lucky; we were the only two people on that day, so we got a private tour.
It’s about 1 hour-long in total. You have a quick briefing on how to get into the machine. Be prepared, you do have to swim a little bit to get in. The first moment is weird because you feel a little disoriented, but you get used to it quickly.
The cost was $79 + Tip. We did $25 for the two of us, they work really hard. The divers have to stay with us the whole time, go find sea animals, plus they took really good pictures for us.
Here is the link to the tour.
Cruise Friends
- Charles & Sonya- We met them in a very odd way. On the second night, Charles helped one of the girls up from the floor and we became instant friends. He said he felt like we were family!
- Amitai- He was our “cruise dad.” We met at the blackjack table when I was being harrassed by an ahole man. He came to my rescue and we become friends ever since.
- John- We met him through Amitai and just had a great time getting to know him.
- Phil & Brian- I met Phil when I was with Drunk Man #2 on the blackjack table. I pulled a card when he was hoping I wouldn’t. He turned to me and said, you just lost me $100, I’d kill you if you weren’t so beautiful. He then asked for my number. I said, first off you are married, secondly I have a boyfriend and he would not like it. Phil whispered to Lisa and said she doesn’t have a boyfriend and after that we became friends, which is where I met Brian. When we met, later on Lisa and I went somewhere on the ship and Lisa was like some guy is waving to you. I couldn’t see because he blended in the pole support, so I called him pole man.
Jerkfaces (I wish the world had less of)
- #1- Edward- We met him at the blackjack table. He helped us know when to hit or stay. At first he seemed very normal and would buy us a drink. He was a director of a hospital, so what happened next we would never expect. We came back to the tables after dinner and he was drunk. He kept saying can I buy you a drink, can I buy you a drink? I said no, that’s when he came really close to me and said come on can I f*ck you? That’s when Amitai, our awesome new friend pulled me aside and said I’m buying her drink and you need to back it off. FYI- Edward was married and Amitai and John saw him and his wife the next day, shame.
- #2- Drunk Man- This was the man sitting by me when Phil and I became friends. He was such a jerk. He kept hitting on me and asking if he could come see me all the while…he’s been married for a week and his wife was on the cruise.
- #3- Benji- This was the hot personal trainer on the ship that everyone was in love with. I appreciated his good looks, but he’s not my type. One day, all the girls wanted to take Lisa to see him. Well, I got in trouble for putting a bowl down. He said, that’s not where a bowl goes. I told Lisa I do not find him at all hot. Lisa disagrees, she was trying to sneak a picture, but she accidently captured me getting in trouble.
- #4- Unknown Mean Woman- We were boarding the boat from Honduras and it started raining. She butt in front of my twin, then I stopped and let a little girl go in front of me, so then she charged past me. Lisa was like geez, she turned around held up her giant arm and said, “I’m getting wet.” Yeah, well we all our lady.
Memorable Moments
- Gambling I realized I became a quick gambling addict the first time I played at the tables. I get really emotional when I gamble, a little dramatic as well, but I am pretty sure the dealers found Lisa and I very entertaining. Another fact, you make a lot of friends, good or bad at the tables. We were at the tables every night, sometimes twice a night.
- Losing All My Money. I played the tables very intensely. I was so into the game, I always stood on the edge of my seat. Lisa couldn’t help, but take this picture. There was time, she had to tell me when I was up to save my money from myself by putting the chips in my drink hole.
- My crush on the dealer. We giggled at each other, I could never play on his table because we would both blush. Lisa took this secret pic for me to always remember him.
- Make-up Time
- Give me a beautiful card. Baba was all about gambling, so when he wanted to get a good hand, he would ask the dealer for a beautiful card. I think everyone loved him. How could you not love him?
- That’s what she said. Twin had to teach me how to use that term. I was just throwing it whenever I wanted and she’s like um…no that’s not how you use it.
- Busted! I was trying to take this secret picture of Jeremy and Kyle. I am not very good because I left my flash on and it went off. Kyle just yelled BUSTED!
- That’s what I’m saying. One night, I was up $200 and Lisa went to cash her money and I was risky and did some big betting. I lost it all. When she came back, I just looked at her in silence, then she’s like where did your money go? I threw up my hands and just yelled, that’s what I’m saying!
- Wall of Fame. We got chosen as best of the day. Yes, we are FAMOUS!
- Table of No Judgement. That’s what Josh and Alex called our dinner table, but that was a lie. They totally judged me for ordering multiple desserts one night.
- Boob Shark? Just for Twin.
- On your left, a girl without Facebook! We were talking about how we love Facebook. One of our friends said she doesn’t have it. Lisa and I just looked at each other and said how? Alex then made it like an antique show, haha.
- My snorkeling mask is broken. Lisa and I struggle with snorkeling. The lady told us that once you inhale the mask should stick on your face. It kept falling off and I told the lady mine is broken. She said, well it’s supposed to fall when you exhale. Lisa busted up laughing.
- Why we aren’t trouble in the water. On our snorkeling tour, Matthew said you girls aren’t very much trouble in the water. I said, yeah we struggle with snorkeling, so we can’t do much. He said good we will keep you in trouble because I bet you guys cause a lot of trouble on land.
- I think we should take a break. I got swept up at the blackjack table with Shahram. We said we were going to take a break. I gambled and ran upstairs to take a shower. Lisa immediately walked in and found my poker chips and yelled at me.
- Fake Idenities. To avoid the crazy men, we made up an identity. I said my name is Penelope, Lisa yours is Felicity and we are from Dallas, TX and we have never heard of Utah. Alex decided to test us. He’s like what do you do? I said I work in the medical field. He said which hospital? I said Bayer. He looks and said busted, it’s Baylor.
- My Shoe! In Cozumel, Lisa was a hot mess! We got rained on going to the mini-submarine, so our hair was messed up and then Lisa’s flip-flop broke. We had to rush to buy another one, but this is how she had to walk for a mile. It was a pretty low moment on our trip.
- Billy Brooks. We met this retired NFL player on the ship. He tried to be my manager for 70% profit. I said no thanks. I saw him at the airport and he bought me lunch.
What We Learned about Each Other
- For 7 days, we got in 2 fights…both over pictures again. The first was over not being clear on the pictures I wanted of ziplining and taking dark pictures on the suspension bridge. The second was in Belize. My swimsuit was showing, so I asked her to retake it, she was so done with me by then. Haha, but for two “love birds” to only fight over that, it’s not bad. *We absolutely are not together, we like men, sexy men just to clarify.
- For some reason, Lisa drinks with all her other friends except me. I was so upset on this trip because I said I made her boring. My old soul makes her a boring person. She loves me so much said the reason she does not drink with me is that she has so much fun she doesn’t need it. I just folded my arms and said, no I make you boring! So then she’s like Twin you bring out the adventurous side of me and I would never do ziplining without you. That made me feel better. Old married couple.
- Basically a little married couple. We compromise very well.
- We know our strengths and weaknesses. Lisa takes very good secret pictures. I on the other hand take very good pics, but I suck at doing secret sneak attack pictures.
- She can figure out time very well. Whenever we are in the ocean and I say what time is it? She’ll say, I think it’s about X and usually she’s just a few minutes off. I on the other hand have no sense of time.
- I am a germ-a-phobe. I never let my dirty clothes touch clean clothes.
- Ahhh…Her big toenail got ripped off and it is never the same again. She showed it to me and I’m like ew. She said she’s going to send me pictures, I said warn me before so I don’t scream on the bus or somewhere in public.
- At night, she would watch her show, but when she was about to sleep, she said “Twin, you can now watch CNN.”
- She supports my fear of Ebola.
It was a great trip filled with great friends, memories, and more to come.