Cruise 2K8- Day 6 and 7

On Day 6 we arrived in Cozumel at 8 am. Our Dolphin swim was scheduled for 10 am, but we weren’t sure if that was ship time or Cozumel time and we didn’t even know what the time difference was! So we got off the boat at about 8:45 and found a taxi to take us to Chankanabb Park . We were early and the park wasn’t even open yet (we only had to wait about 5 min. though- until 8 am Cozumel time). Pretty much the only other people there were the 100 or so people for the Carnival Dolphin swim.

We checked in with the Dolphin swim people and then we were free to explore the park. It was so pretty. They had these big wood Adirondack chairs and straw cabana huts everywhere. They had a big blocked off snorkeling area, a nice pool, a lagoon swim area, an outdoor bar, a restaurant, and a shop where you could rent snorkeling equipment (they even had those bubbles you put over your head!) We walked down the beach and looked for Play Uvas (that’s where the rest of our group was going). Apparently it was right beside us, but in the opposite direction we walked. We saw a couple wild iguanas sunning themselves. We finally decided to go hang out in the pool until our dolphin swim. It was so relaxing.

After our dolphin swim we decided to hang out by the pool area for a little while until heading back to the port to go to Carlos and Charlie’s. We tried getting a drink at the swim up bar, but they didn’t serve alcohol. So we took turns going over to the bar by the lagoon. They had great pina coladas and a great strawberry/banana margarita! After getting some sun and cooling off in the pool we headed over to the bar together for one last drink. I got a coco loco (which is like a long island except with coconut milk instead of soda.) The best part about it was it came in a real coconut! So cool! At the bar we met a local tour guide who was really nice and was teaching us lots of funny (aka-bad) Spanish phrases. He was super nice and also gave us a coupon for some free nachos at Carlos and Charlie’s.

We then got a taxi back to the port and headed to Carlos and Charlie’s. There were all these people with monkeys/parrots/iguanas and they were charging to take a picture with them! Crazy! Carols and Charlie’s is crazy! It is loud and the energy is so upbeat! The drinks come in these long yardsticks. We each ordered fish tacos and used our coupon for the free nachos and each got a yardstick drink (our total came to like $30 each at the end). I went to the bathroom and when I came out they were doing a conga line through the restaurant so I jumped in. Well, this wasn’t any ordinary conga line. They had about 4 people throughout the restaurant that would shoot tequila into your mouth as you passed. It was crazy! Shortly after that the rest of our group got there and we had a great time! Some people had their specialty tequila shots where the girl pours it down your throat, shakes your head around, and pats and jiggles your whole body. Kristin and I got a free drink with our armbands from the dolphin swim- Sweet! But sadly the party had to come to an end so we could get back on our boat by 4 pm. That night some of us missed the second formal night due to our over-indulgences!

The last day was pretty lazy. Just packing, laying by the pool, and our last meal (Roger’s B-day!). We all pretty much did our own thing during the day which was nice because 7 days in a big group like that can get stressful. We set out our luggage that night and went to bed early. We got up early, cleared out our room and had our last breakfast in the dining room (it was all very bittersweet). We had to wait around just a little bit before debarkation, made it to the airport super early, and made it back to Raleigh safe and sound by 2 pm. It was so nice to be home!

Here are some pics from Cozumel :
Hint: Don’t click “Download this Video” just use the arrows at the bottom

Some other funny/interesting/strange/notable moments from the cruise:

- Stephanie and Brooklyn trying to figure out where the camera was on Medusa’s dance floor

- Carnival staff having to drain the pool because a kid pooped in it on our last sea day

- Thinking a burger and fries in Cozumel was $77 because we didn’t know everything was in pesos

- Finding “Zeta” brand water in Belize !

- Slipping all around on the pool deck

- “Butt-hole covers” (seriously some of the suits were way too skimpy)

- Almost our entire table special requesting mac and cheese every night

- Jeff throwing a cigar off the boat and into the ocean because it "sucked" (reminiscent of the watch incident!)

- Running into the same people over and over on the boat (hello Clayton Family)

If there are any that I missed please leave me a comment. These posts are really for me so I won’t forget what a great time we had! (But I hope you enjoying reading it too!)

Dolphin Day!

The second thing I crossed off my list was to swim with a dolphin. My friend Kristin came with me. When we got to Cozumel we took a taxi to Chankanaab Park for our Dolphin Swim Adventure. The park was actually really beautiful and we ended up getting there early and spending almost the whole day there (but I will post more about that in my cruise review later this week!).

Our dolphin’s name was Malinche (she had a boyfriend Chuck and they were hoping to get pregnant soon- how cute is that?!). They were so excited they kept jumping up out of the water and smiling at us while we were still on the dock. Our trainer guide told us Malinche was a princess and we had to do our hand motions exactly perfect or she would not do what you were asking her. She took us through the hand motions for each trick: a kiss, a hug, a belly ride, and the boogie board push. Each one was really cool but my favorite was the belly ride. She comes up behind you and flips over to her belly while you grab her dorsal fins and she pulls you through the water. The boogie board push was cool too. You lay on a boogie board and she swims up behind you and pushes your feet (they are strong, so you go pretty fast!). Malinche talked to us (we even got to hear what they sound like when they talk to each other underwater!) and she did lots of tricks for us…it was so cool! I don’t have the pictures from my water camera developed yet, but as soon as I do I will post some.

We also got to see the kindergarten area. This is where they have the baby dolphins (mostly still with their mothers). They even had one that was only 5 months old (and he was still pretty big!). Overall I think they have about 10-15 dolphins there.

After it was over they had us watch this really cheesy video of the whole thing that you could buy (for $435- pesos not dollars we learned) and they also had some cute pictures you could purchase as well. But since we had our own pictures on the water camera and it was so crazy in the store, we decided against it.

On a side note, if you ever do this while in Cozumel , I highly recommend booking through their website and NOT the cruise ship. The cruise ship excursion was right before ours and it looked like they had 100-200 people as opposed to our group of about 20 that was broken down into 2 groups of about 10 or so each. Plus it was cheaper than doing it through the cruise ship!

Also I will say it made me sad to see the small enclosures the dolphins have to live in. They were areas of the ocean blocked off to be about the size of a double car garage. They also had a big area in the middle that was about the size of a football field (not quite as long though). But they seemed really happy there so I tried not to think about how much it reminded me of a really hospitable dolphin jailhouse.

Oh and did you hear about the baby whale whose mother abondonded him and he is now nuzzling up to a boat? So sad. I heard about it on the Today show this morning and it made me want to adopt a whale. But really, where would I put him? I barely have room for myself, a crazy dog, and a fat cat in my house!

Tomorrow I’ll tell you about the third and final thing I crossed off my list on this cruise adventure!

Preparing, Planning, and Packing!

Well, it is back to the working world after a relaxing weekend at the beach. I didn’t do much of anything except lay on the beach, read my book, soak up the sun, and relax to the soothing sound of the waves. It was heavenly. I did have the most amazing dinner at Clawson ’s in Beaufort on Saturday. I had a yummy coconut grilled shrimp appetizer, a salad with a delicious homemade citrus-lime vinaigrette, and the most amazing shrimp and grits ever! We also took a long jog up to Fort Macon Sunday morning which was nice. It was a GREAT relaxing weekend!

Now it is back to work and it is hard to concentrate because we leave for our cruise this Sunday! I have been making my packing list, planning what I am going to wear each day, running errands to get last minute things like Dramamine and other random necessities, and making sure I am getting everything in order before this weekend. All this while trying to fit in working and an hour run with my dog each day makes for really, long busy days!

But here are some of the things I have to look forward to in order to keep me going:

- A relaxing mani/pedi on Saturday

- A really fluffy comfy bed on the cruise ship

- Watching the amazing views from our balcony

- Lots of yummy food

- Caribbean blue waters

- Soufflé (YUM!)

- Jet skis to Sting Ray City in Grand Cayman

- Dolphin Swim in Cozumel

- Drinks at Carlos and Charlie’s

- ATV and Cave Tubing in Belize

- A Catamaran sail and snorkel in Honduras

- The waterslide on the boat

- Eggs Benedict (YUM!)

- Cocktails poolside from a waiter that knows your name and drink everytime

- My Birthday!

I am so excited! Just four more days at the office to get through and then no email, no meetings, no cell phone, no work for a whole week! WOO HOO!

I bought the purse!

Today I made a huge purchase. I bought my first designer purse! It was $275 but I got 20% off by opening a Macy's account so that brought it down to less than $250. I looked at the purse several times over the last 2 months and was obsessing over it, so I decided to finally give in. It also helped that my mom gave me $100 as an early birthday present! Here is a pic (it isn't the best because it is from my cell phone, but trust me it is fabulous!)

I am using this as practice for #30 on my list: Buy an expensive piece of jewelry.



I also made steps to crossing off something else on my list. I booked a dolphin swim adventure for my cruise stop in Cozumel on Aug. 13. I am so excited! Only 8 more days until the cruise!

I'm headed for Atlantic Beach tomorrow, so who knows...maybe I will have something else to cross off my list when I get back!