Day 43, Nov. 29th: On the roads again… Heading to Galveston for a 5-day cruise. It was foggy in San Antonio, and apparently even foggier 4 hours away in Galveston. We got a text right before we got in the car letting us know the ship was still outside the port due to heavy fog and the boarding would be delayed. We had been on the on-board side of fog in the past, so knew it could be awhile, but we were already ready to roll, so we started driving. We had a couple of text updates informing us the boat was still hanging out in the Gulf, and at 10:30 in the morning, as we were noticing the fog lifting outside of Houston, it was clearing up on the coast as well. Boarding would start at 2. This was OK, it changed our timing some, but not too badly. We got to Galveston with clouds, but no rain, so we grabbed a pizza buffet lunch at Pappa’s Pizza, dropped our car off at the Five Points Sheraton which offered a park and cruise option if you stayed at least one night (which we would do after the cruise) and then walked around the seawall. We stopped in at the Poop Deck – one of our favorite bars on the Seawall and enjoyed the view.
At three PM we called for our Uber and got through check-in with minimal irritation. Royal Caribbean had changed their check-in procedure – we didn’t get our room key/ sea pass card at check in, instead when the rooms were ready, they would be in the sleeve by the door. We still couldn’t go to the room at 3:30, so we went up to the Voyager Crown lounge which is generally one of the quieter spots on board, until the announcement came over the intercom at about 4:15 that rooms were ready. The key was outside the door as promised, and we unpacked for a few days at sea. We went to the Diamond Lounge (on Royal Caribbean, we have 120 nights so we get a lot of perks) and hung out until the muster – there are always some stragglers that make all of us wait longer than needed, then finally the ship was underway at 6PM ( pre-fog the original departure was 4:15). We have the eight o’clock seating for dinner, so we relaxed in the lounge and met fellow travelers. Our dinner companions are a mother-daughter pair also from Texas.
Day 44, Nov. 30th – sea day. We rose early enough for the 7AM morning stretch in the gym; after which the gym was packed so we did weights before going to breakfast. We found the “healthy breakfast” area in the Solarium – it’s small, with yoghurt parfaits, bagels, toast and fruit. John and I normally eat yoghurt and fruit for breakfast, so these options worked well for us. I practiced my guitar, and went to the casino – I did pretty well during the day (not so much later). John swore off the casino after he got a blackjack, but since the dealer also got a blackjack it was a “push” – every other casino pays on a blackjack as soon as you hit it, no matter what the dealer’s cards. Otherwise, it was a good day, playing trivia and relaxing. Before dinner, there was the Captain’s Welcome speech, on Royal, the Captains are almost always of Norwegian or Swedish background.
It was formal night, and I brought a brown dress that does not wrinkle. Since it’s only a five-day cruise, there wasn’t any lobster tails, but John enjoyed a steak and I had fish. The Royal Singers and Dancers presented a show based on Broadway shows – Little Shop of Horrors, Chicago and others.
Day 45, December 1st: We were up in time for the morning stretch again, then a light workout – twenty minutes on the treadmill before going to breakfast. We decide to check out the regular buffet with its myriad of offerings – including a waffle bar, I stuck to yoghurt, fruit and some bread since I don’t like to gain too much weight on these trips. John can load up a plateful, and lose weight. Me, not so much. For the morning, we did General trivia and decided on each of us doing our own since there were some answers we couldn’t agree on, though we did share some answers. We arrived in Costa Maya just after noon. John and I love Majahual beach. The first time we were on a ship that docked in Costa Maya was over ten years ago. Then, the village about 2 miles from the ship (shorter if you could walk on the beach, but you have to go along the roadway) was a hippie place with beach restaurants that grilled the fish in front of you, buckets of beer for $8, and beach hammocks. Over the years it has become more like Playa del Carmen, with rows of shops. The restaurants are back from the beach and the beach is covered with chairs you have to rent or buy food to use. You can still get a 1-hour massage on the beach for $20 or a little less (we got the two of us for $35 – and we’re pretty sure at least the main woman was one who gave John a massage 4 years ago – the last time we were in town.). The shuttle cost is up to $4/ person (it was $2). We had a beer at a beach place a little further down – the main beach is Majajual, we went past the black and white road marker and went to Playa Elephantine.
It was quieter down there, and there was still some hammocks, but prices were about the same. Currently the exchange is technically 20 pesos/ dollar, though most vendors give 17-18.
We planned to walk back to the boat, but it was still very hot and muggy, so ended up in a cab instead (same price as the shuttle). We took a short nap back on the boat, and decided on the Windjammer for dinner – it was packed. I have been in the Windjammer for dinner on every boat we’ve been on for dinner at some point, this was by far the biggest crowd I had ever seen. The advantage of the Windjammer was getting sushi with dinner and an ice cream sundae for dessert. The ”Man of a Thousand Voices” provided the entertainment for the evening – we’d seen him before and enjoyed his act, and some of it was the same, but enough was different to keep it interesting. I finished my night enjoying karaoke – I did Margaritaville. There are a lot of talented singers on board, so karaoke is fun and not too much cringing.
Day 46, Dec. 2nd: We awoke docked in Cozumel. We got up too late for the stretch, so showered, grabbed breakfast, and headed into town. John and I always walk the 3 miles to town, with a stop at a grocery store about a half mile out of the city. They have updated the store with a café where you can sip a latte or cappuccino while enjoying pastries. The cakes looked better than they tasted – they have a heavier style of cake – more like pound cake- than the style we tend to get in the US, and I enjoyed mine. We wandered into town, checking on prices for massages (the least expensive we found was $35 each for an hour), and occasionally stopping in for beer and snacks.
Toward the far end of town nearer the airport side, a few blocks back from the big Los Cinco Soles was the Crazy King Burrito (with a burro as a symbol). John got a “small” shrimp and garlic burrito for about $8 – John said is weighed about a pound, I wasn’t hungry so just tried it – very garlicky and the shrimp were properly cooked without being over or under done.
The sauce itself wasn’t spicy, but they provided two different salsas – the green was mild and the red had really good kick. After a day spent walking and enjoying some beer, taking advantage of the perfect weather, we came back to the boat and enjoyed a brief nap. I got in some guitar practice while John went poolside to read. We participated in Country Music name that tune trivia – not our best genre, but did respectably well. The show was based on movie themes, but even with all the flashy dancing and singing, I prefer hanging out at karaoke (for which I did “5 O’clock Somewhere”). The dining room was serving Prime Rib and I was planning on paying the extra to get Maine lobster – but the lobster was not available, so I had salmon instead (which is included).
Day 47, Dec. 3rd: Day at sea. We slept in until 8AM, which is late for us. The gym was crowded, and no treadmills were available, so I did the elliptical for 2 miles. We did morning trivia, then I practiced playing the guitar for an hour. After lunch, I went to the casino and was up a little (The “Bear Mountain” machine seemed to like me), then did Country Line dancing – doing the Boot Scoot Boogie, Achy Brachy and Cotton-Eyed Joe. Cotton-eyed Joe is very high energy and I could feel it in my knee a little afterwards. Overall, we had a nice, relaxing down day. The show that night was a different comedian who was pretty good, not all “the bathroom is so small” jokes – though I think he threw in at least one. Lamb chops and Tiger shrimp were on the menu at dinner, with escargots as an appetizer. The tres leches cake for dessert was a little disappointing – too much cake and not enough milk. I had to return to the casino for the raffle that night – and I won a t-shirt! One of the couples we’d met in the Diamond Lounge had won a free cruise – I’m never THAT lucky, but I’ll take my t-shirt. The lounges and centrum of the ship had dancing into the evening (had to practice the line dances we learned earlier) before getting packed up and maybe a few hours sleep before disembarking in the morning.
