waiting for the Cruise

Hi everybody!! I am writing to you from the beautiful waters of… the Gulf of Mexico? We could be in the Caribbean by now, but either way, the color of the water has been gorgeous. This is the 5th day of my trip, but only the 3rd day since we boarded the cruise. Tomorrow we will set foot on land in Honduras.

I’m on this trip with a group of 10 people. Some friends I’ve known for a while and some new people that I just met before boarding the boat. We were all brought together by my wonderful friend Kurt. He is a fellow lover of travel and one of the best people to have in your life. I have never been on a cruise before, so I was completely unsure of what to expect. I didn’t even really do any research beforehand; however, so far it has been amazing!

 

 

The cruise we are on is with Royal Caribbean and left from Galveston, TX. The ports we will visit are Roatán, Honduras, Belize City, Belize, and Cozumel, Mexico. The first 3 days on the boat are just sailing, but it is so big and there is so much to do that you don’t even know you are on the water. Already there has been pool time, belly flop competitions, amazing shows, and tons of great food.

 

Cruise buffet

 

Seriously, there is so much food on this cruise it is insane. A buffet is always available to you, in addition to a café with pizza, salads, and sandwiches which are also pretty much always open. The dining rooms are the real foodie heaven. They are formal dining rooms (all included in the price you paid), and you are served your choice of appetizer, main course, and dessert.

The menu options are great, including items such as lamb, pasta, fish, cheesecake and crème brûlée. You name it, they probably have it or something better. You are also able to eat as much as you want. If you want to try 3 appetizers, 2 main courses, and 4 desserts, just order them! They will keep bringing you plates if you keep ordering… which is dangerous, but hey, we are on vacation, right?! The waiters are also amazing. If you go to the dining room every night, they will try to seat you in the same area with the same wait staff. The wait staff will even remember your name and how you like your drinks and food.

We have gone to a couple shows, one was an adaption of Footloose, and the other was an on-ice skating show. The shows and performers are great! Just so much talent packed onto the boats, it really is crazy. All of the workers that we have encountered have been happy, and helpful. Our room attendant always makes sure our room is clean and he has even been leaving us little animals made out of the towels for when we return.

One of the best things I have done so far is the FlowRider, which is a wave simulator so you can surf or body board. Ross did the body boarding, but I didn’t attempt it. The following day they were offering surfing and both of us tried that out. It was so hard, I fell so quickly, but I did stand for a few seconds before completely wiping out!

 

view from the cruise

 

Really everything has been great so far. Nice and relaxing, but always something you can do. From watching shows, eating, or climbing a rock wall there is a never-ending supply of fun! Tomorrow we will hit land though, and I really can’t wait to explore the places where we are docking!