Cruising in 2022

Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas

Ports of Call: Roatan, Costa Maya and Cozumel

Our first port of call (officially – we made an emergency stop at Cozumel to unload a passenger with a medical emergency) was Roatan. The beautiful island off the coast of Honduras is our favorite place to take excursions. We spent the day on the “Ultimate Nature Combo” from Viator (a company that provides tours that mirror those offered by the cruise companies at about a 20% discount) for $99/pp. Our only glitch was our limited internet – but we found a way around it. The morning of the tour, Viator texted John with the link. Since our internet was set up on my laptop and not his phone – we could not go directly to the link. I typed in the link’s address which brought up the tour voucher, and we took photos of the ticket on our phones. Tours purchased through Royal Caribbean meet just off the dock and in the cruise terminal “village”. Those arranged through Viator, Shore Excursions or one of the other companies that cater to cruisers meet outside the gate, past the endless number of gentlemen offering taxi services and tours, to the line of people holding tour company signs. And if you don’t see your guide company – don’t panic, ask one of the other people holding signs and they will point out the correct person – sometimes one person represents a couple of local tour operators and he can only hold up one sign at a time. We found our “Roatan Henry Tours” liaison without difficulty, surrounded by about twenty other cruisers – luckily – not on our tour. For that matter – for the van and our first part of the trip – we had a private tour. (For some unknown reason, the Norwegian ship scheduled to be in port that day sailed in, turned around and sailed out, the others who had booked the Ultimate Nature Combo were on the Norwegian ship.)

Our driver spoke perfect English, and gave us updates on the local political and economic climate of the island as he drove us about 45 minutes to the west end of Roatan for our boat tour through the Mangrove Tunnel – an alleyway through the mangroves, cleared out by pirates hundreds of years ago to escape with their treasures.

To this day, pirate booty is sometimes found (and quickly claimed by the government). Captain Alex took us through the waterways of Jonestown, a pretty town popular with Expats and fisherfolk – and historically, pirates. The tunnels were beautiful, and have been maintained as a path through the water and protects small “commuter boats” from heavy winds and surf as people boat from one town to the next. The mangroves themselves protect the local inhabitants from storm surges and offer homes to crabs, fish and other estuary wildlife. 

After leaving Captain Alex,

we drove back towards the town of Roatan, stopping at a well-maintained beach that offered horsebackriding and snorkeling. Our ride through the marshland and briefly into the water was fun.

I am not sure if I always get the lazy horse, or if I have a “lazy seat” that seems to encourage my mount to hang back and create gaps (which lets me trot to catch up). While our riding guide was busy getting pictures of us and another couple on this part of the tour, his horse decided to wander off in the bush. While the guide took photos of the other couple – John wrangled the steed back to us. As a reward, and since John demonstrated his excellent horsemanship, the guide let John gallop part of the way back to the corral. I chose to trot along with the others. 

The snorkeling was wonderful. For the many not great swimmers on the full boat, they set us up so a life vest was secured around our waists and the section that normally is at your back and under your neck is under your chest – this way you could float along with little effort and enjoy the wonders of the coral reef below. I regret not having an underwater camera – the water was extremely calm and clear and I saw more than on any snorkeling trip ever. Brain coral, sea cucumbers, schools of colorful fish and starfish. We even went to the coral cliff – to see the reef descend beyond the depths of vision – with only little streamers of light around and beneath me. 

We grabbed a local beer and sat with the couple with whom we shared the horsebackriding trip.  We dried off for about 45 minutes before heading back to the ship. Suffice to say – I took a nap when we got back to our room. 

The next day brought us to Costa Maya. The port town was created by the cruise companies, and try to re-create a Mayan village, often with demonstrations of Mayan dances and people in Mayan dress. The real town – Mahahual – a fishing village discovered by hippies in the 1970’s until the early 2000’s and then displaced by throngs of tourists, is a 30-minute walk or 5-minute (and $8) taxi ride from the ship.

The downside of the beach is the thing that makes the area great for fishing – the sargasso grass. Locals cart the washed-up grass away by wheelbarrow (and sometimes the front-loader) to large mounds used to make compost. The town is a great place to relax, unwind, and get a $20/hour beach massage and $5 bucket of beer.

And the massages are good – I have a nasty trigger point in my left shoulder that my masseuse worked on – and kept coming back to – it is the smallest it has been in years. 

Our last port, a mere 120 nautical miles away, and the quintessential stop for almost all Caribbean cruises – Cozumel.

Except for places I have lived, I have probably spent more days in Cozumel than any other place on this planet. And I still like Cozumel. What we do is based on the weather. On nice days, we take a cab up to one of the many beach resorts for a day pass, or if its near Christmas, I go into town or to the flea market near the ship for some shopping. Sitting in the main square with a bucket of beer, snacking on nachos and listening to competing mariachi groups is one of my favorite past times. On not-so-great weather days, like on the day we arrived, we head about ½ mile towards town to one of the many bars overlooking the sea (not Senor Frogs or Carlos N Charlies – too touristy and very overpriced) where we can sit, have a beverage of choice,

and relax under a protective overhang. John’s new dentist is also in Cozumel, about 3 blocks from the port, she’s good, thorough, speaks English and inexpensive.

The last stop is back to Galveston – for those not from the area, it’s a pleasant beach city with miles of sand and the 10.3 miles of sidewalk along the Seawall is thought to be the longest continuous sidewalk in the world – providing a great place to bike, walk, or even rent a self-pedaled surrey (sorry, no fringes on top).

My favorite “nice” restaurants include Fisherman’s Wharf right next to the cruise pier, Willie’s just a block further and a block from there is Katie’s. and all have M-F happy hours well worth the stop in if you’re on a tighter budget. On the beach side, there’s the more budget friendly and always popular Miller’s (18^th and Seawall) – but be prepared to wait. They have the best shrimp and grits on the island (or for the vegetarians – Gouda grits without the shrimp). Nick’s – the more casual brother restaurant to Gaido’s, has a fun outdoor bar and swimming pool with an ocean view. Another local favorite is Shrimp N Stuff on 39^th street – great fried shrimp and oysters, and the best hushpuppies on the island.