Western Caribbean Cruise - 2016
I took a 6 day cruise around the western Caribbean in December 2016. Caribbean cruises are mainly geared towards water-based activities like diving, snorkeling, relaxing on a beach etc. This cruise started in Fort Lauderdale, and went to Roatan/Honduras, Belize and Cozumel/Mexico, before returning to Fort Lauderdale. There was a Shore Excursion to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza, from the port of Cozumel, which was the main reason I took this cruise. I took the Saturday red-eye flight to Miami, arriving early Sunday morning. Flying to Miami was cheaper than flying to Fort Lauderdale. As a Princess Cruises employee, I don't have to pay for the coach transfer from Miami to the pier at Fort Lauderdale.
Monday was a sea day, and we reached Roatan on Tuesday morning. Princess Cruises docks at Mahogany Bay, which is owned by Carnival Cruise Lines. There is a beach within walking distance from the dock, as well as a lot of shops. I had booked an eco-hike in a rain forest. It started raining as I found the tour guide and waited for the rest of the group of 5 to come off the ship. We were driven in a small van to the start of the hike. We were provided with a bottle of water and a wooden hiking staff. It stopped raining when we started the hike. The trail was completely soggy, muddy and slippery from all the recent rain. It was overcast, but humid. When we reached the top, it started raining again. Coming down was even more slippery, though it stopped raining very quickly. The guide pointed out many plants and trees. After the hike, which took about 2.5 hours, we were provided with some light refreshments, then driven to a beach. The beach was almost deserted, since everyone had left when it started raining. After about 45 minutes at the beach, we were driven back to our ship. After lunch, I went back out, to browse through the shops at the pier.
On Wednesday morning, we reached Belize. This was a tender port. I had booked an open-air trolley ride through the city. After a leisurely breakfast, I went ashore and browsed through the shops at the dock. I then took the trolley tour through the city. There was not much to see. All the people were very friendly, especially the schoolchildren, who waved to us.
On Thursday morning, we docked at Cozumel. I had booked the tour to Chichen Itza. From the dock, we took a 30 minute ferry ride to the mainland of Playa del Carmen. From there, we took a 2 hour coach ride to Chichen Itza. We were provided with a box lunch on the bus. Along the way, the guide gave us an interesting talk about the history of the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. When we reached Chichen Itza, the guide gave us a quick tour of the main pyramid called Templo de Kukulkan, and the Great Ball Court. She then gave us free time. I decided to skip the souvenir sellers, and by walking quickly, I was able to see the Cenote Segrado (sinkhole) and the Temple of the Warriors, with it's many columns. We had about 90 minutes at the site. I really wish we had another 30-60 minutes, so I could have seen everything there. Tourists are no longer allowed to climb to the top of the structures, which was a blessing, because I would not have had time to do that anyway! It was a long day, but totally worth it. We actually got back later than planned, but because this was one of the ship's official tours, the ship waited for us and sailed about 30 minutes later than originally planned.
The next day was another sea day, and we returned to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday morning. I took the coach transfer back to Miami, and flew back in the afternoon. I really liked Chichen Itza, but the other ports were not worth it.
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Western Caribbean Cruise - 2016
