We booked our second cruise with Carnival Cruises. Departing the port of Miami, we had a total of seven days visiting: Cozumel, Mexico – Belize – Mahogany Bay and Isla Roatan – Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
Cozumel, Mexico
We met Zach and Chris on the cruise and decided to put our money together to hire a car from a shop across the road from the cruise terminal. It was so overwhelming as men who appeared crazy were throwing prices at us, competing for our business. We left it up to Chris and Zach who were from America but could speak some Spanish to haggle the price down. We always seem to end up with Jeeps on our holidays! We visited many beaches but most of them were private so we tried our hardest to get out of paying for a sun chair. The boys ‘swam across the border’ to use the water slides on the beach – it wasn’t long until they were caught and we were told to leave! We drove past beautiful stretches of beaches with the wild sea crashing against the shore.
We decided to stop at a Mexican tequila farm which was the most fun ever! $10 US got us a tour of the farm, a margarita and (what shouldn’t of been) unlimited shots of flavoured tequila. Their tequila was amazing and we learnt why most tequilas give you bad hangovers and why theres didn’t! After the tour, we tasted all types of tequila from traditional to coffee to sweet flavours and more – it wasn’t until the end that we continued to try all the flavours numerous times and it started to get messier. The owner asked us kindly to stop as we had drunk too much, so we bought bottles to take away and somehow made it back to the cruise port.
Belize
We left the muddy waters of the main port in Belize heading further and further out until we reached beautiful blue waters and the smallest island in the middle of nowhere. We arrived at the island of Goff’s Caye for our snorkel tour of the Belize Barrier reef, the worlds second largest barrier reef next to the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland, Australia!! We met Paul and Vanessa from Colorado and ate lunch that was included on the tour. The tiny island was filled with locals who were visiting for their yearly holidays. Heading back to Belize, we stopped in a bar on the dockside to sample local beers before heading to the duty free bottle shops. The owner actually helped our friends pour vodka into clear water bottles so they could sneak them onto the ship haha.
Mahogany Bay, Isla Roatan
We docked at the port of Mahogany Bay on the Island of Roatan in Honduras! We could see turtles swimming in the waters around the port and headed to the West Bay for a swim and a sun bake. We had a drink at the bar before walking around the markets, on the search for their smallest local currency as we collect them from places we visit – so glad I managed to find & keep one!
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands
Definitely the highlight of our trip. We waited for Paul and Vanessa at the port, meeting their friends Scott and Penny that they shared a table with at dinner. We booked a tour to Stingray City to swim with wild stingrays – the best day hands down! As Grand Cayman is a British territory, they drive on the left hand side like Australia which felt weird as we hadn’t driven on that side in so long! We were driven to a wharf where we boarded a boat that would take us to the stingrays. It’s amazing how many flooded towards the boat as we arrived, knowing food was coming. We were given hugs, kisses & even back massages from the rays! It felt creepy but awesome as they swam past and brushed our legs. The guides had squid which you could feed to the rays, ensuring it’s in your fist with your thumb inside your hand as they suck the food out.
After swimming with the rays, we were taken to a beautiful snorkelling spot filled with beautiful fishes, coral and even a lion fish hiding in a small cave!
TIP: in some instances, it’s a better choice not booking your activities on the cruise boat as you may find the same activity at a cheaper price offered by tour companies at the port. However, this is not always advisable as every location is different and it can be dangerous venturing out on your own if you don’t do your proper research. Especially in Belize where the port advises against going with any other company other than the ones offered through the cruise mainly due to people pretending to be authorised tour companies when they really aren’t.
We met the nicest people onboard the cruise and had so much fun, especially on the days we were travelling at sea. We convinced the restaurant managers it was someones birthday each night so we could join our friends table and celebrate with melting cake, we posed for ‘family’ photos… convincing people we were actually family! Went to comedy nights and even won the golden ship on a stick which was a great family achievement !! We made awesome life-long friends that really did become family. Other sea day activities included windy mini golf on the roof, swimming in the pools and slide, poolside movies with unlimited popcorn and soft serves and plenty more. You could do as much or as little as you like!
Pros of a cruise:
• unpack your bags once
• all meals (excluding specialty restaurants) are included
• entertainment included
• visit lots of destinations in a short amount of time
• great time to relax, sun bake and drink cocktails by the pool
Cons of a cruise:
• limited time in each destination, and no choice of staying longer
• drink packages are not included and can be expensive
• may not meet as many like-minded travellers
• optional shore excursions can be expensive, or sold out if not booked in advanced
Our holiday within a holiday was over and we were off to our last destination for the United States….
Cruise: Carnival Cruises – 7 night Western Caribbean cruise
Room Type: Inside cabin – free upgrade to window cabin.
Price: $653.40 including taxes and gratitudes
ONLY HAPPY WHEN I TRAVEL 