Day 5. Belize.
Music of the Day: "Birthday" by Paul McCartney from the Tripping the Live Fantastic album.
Gee, is someone having a birthday today?
I wake to Sir Paul singing about my special day. Room service for breakfast, then to the Ivanhoe to get our tender tickets.
Musical background: "Boat in Belize" by Kelly McGuire.
We tendered to the port area for our River Wallace/Altun Ha excursion. Our tour was set up to cruise the river first, then visit the ruins after lunch. Other groups see the ruins first, then cruise the river back to port. It's a small boat, and we had to wear life jackets while on the bay -- but not on the river.
the manatees was camera shy, we saw the tips of their noses but that was about it. Once on the river, though, we saw crocodiles, iguanas, even howler monkeys -- one actually howled at us. We also saw lots of people practicing for the national canoe race, which takes place in March.
Lunch was at a rustic resort called the Black Orchid resort. Black orchids are the national flower of Belize. We dined on baked chicken, rice and red beans. the only other alternative would have been hamburgers.
Then it was on to Altun Ha. this was the best, and worst, part of the excursion. Our shipped arrived late, and then we had a very long wait for the bus while at the Black Orchid. So by the time we got to the archeological site, our tour guide kept telling us "we don't have a lot of time!" We got a thorough and well-informed tour, but it felt rushed. And we didn't have time to explore the site on our own.
We learned that the Mayans got their name when Columbus asked who they were. They said “maya”, which meant “we don’t understand”, but the "name" stuck.
It was amazing to stand among ruins that date back to 600 AD . I didn't climb any of the structures, however, it just looked a bit too scary.
Musical cue: "Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing.
Appropriate song choice for two reasons. the first, of course, is because it's my birthday and I am having a wonderful time.
But also...
It's our second formal night. Everyone dress up for my birthday, you hear?
The show tonight is a salute to the 80’s. We loved the dancing and singing – Madonna, "Thriller", Flashdance…break dancers ... the memories.
On to dinner. I ordered a pasta dish and prosecco. The pirate king ordered a birthday cake --- yellow cake white frosting and strawberry filling. sophisticated, not overly sweet. the waiters sang "Happy Birthday" to me. And for a few minutes, i really really really missed my daughters.
Our late night entertainment included a show in the Eagle Lounge, "Liar's club" starring Big Tex and two other members of his staff. Very funny.
Day 6. "Mexico" by Jimmy Buffett
We arrived in Cozemel looking for the sun, but found only a cloudy day.
the port area has a lovely shopping plaza, we browsed for awhile before meeting up with our tour. The pirate king made the mistake of calling home on his cell – we heard all about the s-n-o-w.
Our tour today is Isla Pasion by Twister. The Twister is a speed boat – you must wear a life jacket and you must be strapped in. It’s a 20 minute ride to the lagoon at Isla Pasion, when you get to the lagoon you do the twists and spins. You WILL get wet.
Song:
Isla Pasion is a lovely beach... but there’s no sun! The weather has not cooperated all week. The white sands, the blue waters, it’s very inviting and I did go for a short swim. Then we ate lunch, drank some rum punch and did some serious shopping – silver bracelets for the kids and a tanzanite and opal ring for me. Don’t be afraid to bargain with the sellers, they will give you a much better price. Then back on the boats, more spins in the lagoon before returning to the pier.
We did A LOT of shopping at the pier in Cozumel. Bought a ton of souvenirs.
Tonight's entertainment is a comedian. Dinner is seafood Newberg and champagne. I was so tired by that point, I decided to make it an early evening. the pirate king decided to go exploring, however, and went to the deck party for the Mexican buffett. He tells me he was not impressed with the food...first time either of us were disappointed with food on the ship.
Day 7.
Background music: "Sea Cruise" by Frankie Ford.
Our day started with breakfast on the Lido deck. I am really getting used to this. It’s our last sea day.
Next up is the Behind the Fun Tour. It involves lots of walking and several sets of steep stairs, but it's a great tour – back stage at the theater, crew quarters, galleys, garbage disposal facilities, engine control room, laundry room, bridge. Security accompanies us to the secure areas of the ship, such as the engine control room and the bridge, Do you know that the bridge is on deck 8, right near passenger cabins? We picked up a stowaway as we walked through the deck, someone followed us onto the bridge. security quickly escorted him out.
the captain told us that the previous week the Valor had a real-live rescue at sea! One night one of the officers spotted a flash of light in the dark that turned out to be a man in a small sailboat.the boat was taking on water. the man was pleased to see the Valor, but upset that they could not save his boat.
We got refreshments along the way – coffee in the library, water and juice in officer’s mess, cookies in the Lincoln dining rom, champagne in Scarlett’s, and cookies and chocolate covered strawberries in our room. We also got photos, lanyards, pom bags and caps, all bearing the Carnival "Behind the Fun" logo.
After the tour we stopped at the gift shop to buy a few last-minute souvenirs. then it was back to the room to pack.
Then up to the Prometheus pool (because it has retractable roof) for some swim time. There’d been sun in the AM but by the time we were ready to swim it was cool and cloudy. The water in the pool was cold but the swim felt good. Hot tub felt even better.
We went up to the deck to watch the sun set. We could see the Florida Keys in the distance. I turned to the pirate king and said "welcome back to Florida", and he replied "Why must you say such evil and horrible things?"
It was actually very lovely on the deck, a bit breezy, but we could see the moon and stars in the night sky.
Our last dinner aboard ship ---prime rib. Our last show from the waiters –singing "Leavin’ on a Jet Plane." It was nice, but not nearly as good as their dance to "Low" earlier in the week ("apple bottom jeans...boots with the fur...")
We went to the Ivanhoe for the raffle drawing, hoping to win a cruise. No such luck. We had no interest is watching the "Legends" show, so we headed back to our cabin and went to bed -- we had an early departure from the ship because of the time of our flight home.
Day 8. Debarkation day.
Song interlude: "Good riddance:Time of Your Life" by Green Day
The weather is gorgeous! too bad we have to go home today. We had breakfast in the room. Getting off the ship easy, we collected our luggage in the terminal -- and got on the line for customs. Now I knew we were home.
It was a picture perfect day, I almost wanted to cry. We had an easy bus ride to Fort Lauderdale airport (I prefer it to Miami, much better layout.) and an uneventful flight home.
Next I will post some photos from the cruise.
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