Of Seas and Sons (cont.)

Sunrise over Roatan, Honduras. Gorgeous.

 

Day 4

We were in port in Roatan, Honduras, early on this day. (I saw an amazing sunrise over the island from our balcony that morning. A real Bali Hai moment.) 

We had a full day of excursioning booked, so we woke early and had a delicious breakfast at O'Sheehan's - over easy eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, toast, and coffee! Then, we lined up to disembark. Because the ship had arrived in Honduras early in the day and had a lot of time at port, the line to get off the ship when we left wasn't too long, so the process was quicker. (I imagine that a lot of our fellow cruisers slept in that day!) 

Making new friends at Gumbalimba Park!

Then, our excursion group boarded a bus for the 25-minute drive to Gumbalimba Park. Along the way, our guide Adrick (who works at the park and lives on the island) told us about Roatan, about the park itself, and about what we could expect when we arrived. 

Once we got off the bus at Gumbalimba, we rented lockers for our things. Then, Adrick started telling us about the park. Right away, we began to notice large iguanas in the trees. Adrick pointed out trees that locals use for cooking, for their medicinal properties, and for manufacturing purposes. We toured the insectarium, where we saw GIANT beetles, iridescent blue morpho butterflies, and tons of other amazing specimens. 

We passed by the iguana feeding area, where green and black iguanas were munching on cabbage and sunning themselves, and crossed a short suspension bridge over a lagoon.

Then, it was on to Coxen's Cave, a small exhibit about the history of the island, the local culture, and the pirates that used to hide in Roatan's many coves. Next up, we headed for the macaws. They have so many of them on the preserve that they fly free in the trees. They keep nesting mothers in large pens on the ground, and there were a few birds with injured wings that they were nursing back to health. We got to hold them and have them perch on our shoulders! 

Beautiful blue morphos

Lastly, we got to interact with the Capuchin monkeys. These little white-faced primates were frolicking in the trees above us, playing, sleeping, and generally having a fine day. When our group arrived, the trainer called to them, tempting them with sunflower seeds. They'd scramble down the trees and sit on our shoulders while he fed them treats for a while, and then they'd scamper off again. Adrick told us they were quite smart (about like a 5-year-old human child) and would run off with your hat, sunglasses, jewelry, and/or the contents of your pockets if you weren't careful! (Hence the lockers, where we'd stored all of our things.) 

Let's face it. We both love mischief.

After spending some time with the monkeys, our group headed back to the park entrance, where we collected our items, returned our locker keys, and loaded up on the bus for the next part of our adventure - the beach!

A five-minute drive later, we got out at Tabyana Beach. We took advantage of their restrooms and changing rooms to freshen up and get into our bathing suits, then stored our things in a locker. Then, we lined up for a rather dismal lunch. There was supposed to be BBQ chicken, but they were out by the time I got to the front of the line, so I had a sad hamburger. Luckily, they had fresh fruit, so I enjoyed some pineapple, melon, and excellent papaya. 

After eating, we found a couple of shaded beach chairs, settled in, and hit the water. 

Y'all. This beach was crowded. I mean, CROWDED. The sand was sugar-white and soft. And the waters were a lovely aquamarine. But, Lord. There were so many people. So. Many. We swam out a ways just to get some distance. Luckily, the water stayed shallow a long way out, so we just hung out there, taking in the sun and people-watching. We stayed on the beach until about 3 p.m., when we caught a shuttle back to the ship, boarded, showered, and rested a bit before another lovely seated dinner that night. Pooped, I read a bit before turning in early!

Of all the ports we visited, Roatan is the one I'd most like to come back to on my own. It had the authentic feeling of a place not yet overrun with tourism, but it also had enough infrastructure to support a visitor. (And I saw an amazing zipline from the top of a mountain down to the beach below that I HAVE TO TRY!) 

Tabyana Beach in Roatan, Honduras

Day 5

This was our port day in Harvest Caye, Belize. None of the excursions offered by the cruise line had tempted me for this port, and when I'd reached out to some local tour operators, our arrival and departure times didn't make a different excursion an easy proposition. (Those initial times changed, anyway, due to the shifts brought about by our boarding and departure delays, so anything I'd booked ahead of time wouldn't have lined up, anyway.) 

Beautiful beach in Harvest Caye, Belize. You can see our ship at top right!

As it was, we docked early. But since we had no definite plans on shore, we took our time disembarking to avoid the lines. I had a lovely Belgian waffle for breakfast, then dressed for a day at the beach. We left the ship and quickly found a lovely set of beach chairs with an umbrella and settled in. 

Harvest Caye is a small island off the coast of Belize that's owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines. They built it out over a five-year period, and now it boasts a beach with restaurants, chairs, umbrellas, and cabanas; a zipline; a small village with shops; and a lagoon offering paddle boarding, jet skiing, etc. 

Sun worshipper

We enjoyed our morning here. If we went again, I'd definitely bring our water shoes (which we *did*
pack), as the sea floor was a bit rocky in places. We swam out to one of the tethered floats and sunned a bit, relaxed under our complimentary umbrella and watched the zipliners hurtle above. Before leaving to head back to the ship, we browsed some of the shops in the village, picking up flavored chocolates as souvenirs. 

This day happened to be St. Patrick's Day, so after we got back on the ship, we showered and ate fish and chips at O'Sheehan's. Then, after napping and reading a bit, we walked the decks had another lovely steak dinner at Cagney's. A ship photographer was making the rounds that night, and he took a lovely photo of my son and I at our table. I loved it so much that I paid $25 for a large copy of it! (My handsome boy!)

I enjoyed more entertainment on the ship that night, starting with a female soloist - Anne Martinez. Then, I caught a fun musical duo in one of the lounges. (They were playing hits from the 60s and 70s - so many songs I used to listen to with my mom! Some of the other guests got up and danced!) After that, I caught the only mainstage comedy show all week in the large theatre and stopped back by the Howl at the Moon show again for an hour of singing along. So much great entertainment, and everything is fun and quick. 

Then, to bed!

Day 6

The same drink, more than
two decades later!

This was our port day in Cozumel! I had a beautiful seated breakfast, then swung by the buffet to pick up breakfast for my son, which I brought back to our stateroom. I wanted him to eat something before our excursion. This was probably one of the excursions I liked the best, because they basically just picked us up in an air conditioned van, dropped us off at Chakanaab Adventure Beach Park, and then picked us back up later. So, for most of the day, we were left to our own devices. 

We rented a locker for our money and passports, found ourselves some beach chairs, and broke out the snorkel gear we'd packed. What fun! The weather was perfect, and the water was clear. We saw fish, underwater plants, and some of the sunken statues that the park is known for. My son was great at snorkeling and loved it.  

And I have to admit, part of my reason for booking this excursion was nostalgia. Some 22 years before, on my honeymoon, we'd docked in Cozumel. And hubs and I had hopped right into a cab and come to this same park. We'd snorkeled, laid in the sun, and had a wonderful afternoon. Way back then, I drank a pina colada out of a hollowed-out pineapple and eaten some of the freshest salsa that I'd ever tasted.

I'm happy to report that the beach restaurant still serves both, and they are both still delicious! We also got some guacamole and chips! After I'd had enough sun, I walked the little paths through tropical gardens and the historic replicas exhibit, just as hubs and I had done on our honeymoon. So many sweet memories! 

Shows, shows, and more shows!

As our time ashore was growing short, we finally dried off, packed up, and caught the air-conditioned van
back to the boat. This was such a great day! We showered and had dinner in The Manhattan Room, accompanied by live music. (I chose the paella that night. And dessert was a warm banana soufflé. Yummmm.) Then, we walked the decks a bit to enjoy the evening air before reading a bit and heading to bed. 

Day 7

This was our last full day on the ship, and the second of our two sea days. So wonderfully lazy. I slept in, had a seated breakfast, and then slipped into my swimsuit and cover up for novel reading by the pool. After a bit of this, I changed into my gym clothes and got a workout in. By the time I was done with that, my son was up and about and hungry for lunch. We met at Shanghai, the noodle bar, for dumplings and noodles. 

After a bit more reading by the pool, I showered and packed us up. The skies were turning cloudy and the temperature was dropping as we headed north. My son wanted to attend the farewell activities in the teen lounge, so I sent him off to do so, leaving me with a night to myself. I had one final, lovely dinner (a flavorful veal scaloppine), then settled into the Breakaway Theatre for one of the only mainstage shows I had yet to see - a song and dance production called Burn the Floor. It was such fun! Three live singers, a rockin' band, and at least 12 incredibly talented dancers. Lots of energy. 

Then, I returned to our stateroom, tagged our luggage and put it out in the hall for collection, and turned in. 

Did someone say shrimp cocktail?

The next morning, we docked in New Orleans early. My son and I made time for a quick breakfast at the buffet, and we were able to disembark, pick up our luggage, and make it to our parked car in the lot within an hour. (I was so glad that this was much smoother than our initial embarkation.) A short drive later, we were home!

Throughout the trip, I had a wonderful opportunity to spend time with my sweet boy, and we had so many delightful conversations and experiences together on this trip. Lord, ya'll, he's growing up, and mama is a bit verklempt about it. We made some precious memories together on this vacation, and I'd love to do more mother-son trips in the future!

Takeaways

Now that I've cruised again, I think I've learned more about how to do it right. Some of my key takeaways:

1.) The balcony stateroom was definitely the way to go. It was wonderful to just sit out there any time you liked and enjoy the sun, the moon, the wind, the waves. In the mornings, we'd awaken and just open the door wide, with the sun beginning to stream in and the sound of the water lulling us slowly awake. 

2.) I really enjoyed the ship itself. It's a mechanical and engineering wonder. Norwegian is a mid-market cruise line, and I loved the freestyle dining and the plethora of activities on board. We were never bored and never hungry. 

3.) On future trips, I will book fewer (or no) shore excursions. Instead, I'll research independent options in each port, then walk to the end of the pier and take a cab to my chosen destination. I think this would save a ton of time and money and also help in avoiding crowds. The only downside - you'd have to keep a close eye on the time so as not to miss your boat!

4.) I need to do some additional research re: how to hack cruise ship lines for embarkation and disembarkation. This was one of the only tiresome parts of the trip. I'm sure one can likely pay additional fees for expedited boarding and disembarking. Depending on the costs of those fees. this could be a wise  investment. 

One could get used to this view . . .