On the Bridge with the Captain

30 July 2011

Our last day of our cruise.  Maeve and Truman have had the time of their lives.  Maeve cries when she has to leave her friends and be in at 11:00 pm!!!  She was so unhappy about leaving her friends at home when we got to New Orleans; now she's unhappy about leaving her new friends she's made on the ship.

The kids slept in today and had a late breakfast.  Then it was off to a VIP bridge tour with the Captain and Staff Captain of the ship, the Norwegian Spirit.  As we expected, Truman was in awe of everything.  He got to sit in the Captain's chair and loved the fact that the ship is guided by a very small joystick like he uses with his Wii or Nintendo.


This afternoon is for relaxing by the pool, packing and basically getting ready to return to reality.  This has been a wonderful experience for all of us.  We have had some of the best service on any ship we've ever sailed.  This crew is fabulous and so attentive to our every need.  The kids have both learned about their independence on a ship and how they can do things on their own with new friends.  Truman begs to go to the Kids Club at night.  Maeve is now out with her friends shooting a video of the ship.  We'll put this up on our website when we return and can edit it. 

Multi-generational cruising is the way to go for families.  The kids could have dinner on their own and we could enjoy a wonderful dinner together in the quiet of one of the many restaurants aboard the ship.  It's back to reality tomorrow and to work on Monday.  Thank you, NCL, for helping us make such wonderful memories.

Cozumel - Where it's HOT, HOT, HOT!!

29 July 11


Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico

I’ve used the term “hotter than a Mexican summer”, and boy, did today live up to that. It was 95 out and humidity so high that I couldn’t tell you what it was. We were dripping!!!

We rented a couple of jeeps this morning and made a round of the entire island of Cozumel. First stop was San Gervasio, the Mayan ruins on the island. When Charlie and I came here years ago, these ruins were practically nothing. Today, archeologists have unearthed more of the ruins and it is quite something to see. Maeve, our amateur archeologist, was amazed by all of them.

We drove to the east end of the island and stopped at a little beach where the waves and water were beautiful. Maeve got to hold an iguana, her dream!!! Jim T sat on a Brahma bull. Of course, he would do that!!! The Texan in him showed up in full force.

We drove on to Chankanab, the state park, where we came in the 80s and paid $5 admission for an entire cab full of people. The Mexican government wised up and today, admission is $21 per person!!! We passed on Chankanab, and instead, went to San Francisco beach and Carlos & Charlie’s where the beer is cold and the beach is free!!! Great fun for all of us and a wonderful way to cool off in the aqua-blue waters of the Caribbean.

Did a little shopping and found Truman an onyx chess set and Maeve a Mayan mask made out of onyx, marcasite, and abalone shell. What a wonderful way to spend the day in our last port of call. Tomorrow is another day at sea, then back to reality.

I "Belize" We're in Belize

28 July 11


Belize City, Belize

Do you "Belize" in magic???  Stop it's the "Belize"!!!   That's just a couple of the phrases we came up with today while we were in Belize.
Woke up to overcast skies after hearing storms during the night. Unlike yesterday in Roatan, we were bombarded by people trying to sell us anything from bracelets and necklaces to trying to sell us tours.

However, we found a private taxi with a van for 7 people to take us to the Belize Zoo where the animals are in their natural habitat. Maeve was in heaven when the first thing she did was hold a boa constrictor. We saw all of the birds and animals indigenous to Belize from warthogs to toucans and parrots. There were alligators as well as crocodiles.

The trip to the zoo was about an hour to get there and an hour to get back. By then, the heat was on us again, and with two kids wanting lunch, we headed back to the ship. Now it’s naptime and relaxing the afternoon away for all of us.

More tomorrow from Cozumel.

Priceless!!! Roatan, Honduras

27 July 2011


Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

Today was an incredibly beautiful day. It was hot, but not as humid as yesterday in Costa Maya. We learned some things today.

1. Roatan is an island in the Bay Islands chain off the coast of Honduras.

2. The people are friendly and love Americans.

3. This is a great place to see jungles and for adventure tours.

We hired a 7-passenger van today with a private guide for all of us for the entire day. Cost was $140 for all of us!!! What a deal! We piled into the van and took off with Trent as our driver and Allen as our guide. Trent is a huge country music fan and was so excited to know that we were from Nashville.

We had two things on our “wish list” to do today – go to a beautiful beach so the kids could snorkel and take Maeve zip-lining. Wishes granted.

We went up to the North shore of Roatan where the beaches reminded us of Playa del Carmen in the 80s. There are some beautiful condos there and the air lift into Roatan is getting better by the month. Prices are also really good. Maeve instantly was in the water with her snorkel and told us about all the fish she had seen, including the sturgeon.

Then, we went to the best zipline on the island. Maeve and Angela, my daughter, were the only two who ziplined, but it was priceless to see them fly 200 feet above the jungle. They were back and forth at 13 stops for 45 minutes. Great day. Great activities.

This island is so friendly and the people so warm and genuine. We didn’t feel pressured by anyone to buy anything. We felt safe. This was our sleeper on this cruise. Going to an unknown place and finding it to be such a delightful place is wonderful.

Oh, and if you want Trent and Allen as your driver and guide, we have their email addresses and can arrange a private tour for you. More tomorrow from Belize.

Costa Maya, Majuhual, Mexico - July 26

26 July 11


Costa Maya, Majahual, Mexico

Another beautiful day in Paradise. Costa Maya is a little port that was specifically built for cruise ships. There are little shops – some great jewelry stores, some with cheesy souvenirs. There is a pool in the center of the plaza that the cruise passengers can enjoy, and believe me, with the heat and humidity, a dip in a fresh water pool is very inviting.

Maeve swam with the dolphins for an hour and was enamored with them from the start. Charlie, Nell and I took a five minute taxi ride over to Majuhual, a little town on a beautiful beach. Prices on silver and turquoise are much better there than in Costa Maya. This is a quiet little place and is a great beach area to take a family.

When we returned to the ship, Maeve met a couple of girls her age from Texas. Of course, her Daddy is from Texas, so she had something in common with them. When she hadn’t returned to the cabin by 7:00 pm, I went looking for her. She was in the video room with the girls and they were having such a good time that she stayed with them for the evening. I think she has made some new long-distance friends that she will stay in touch with so that when they visit in Texas again, she can see them.

Charlie, Angela and Jim T went to an Indian dinner tonight night in a small dining room in Shogun. After 20 courses – and yes, that is correct two-zero – they all rolled out of the restaurant. Nell and I were escorted to dinner in Windows by the most adorable little man, Truman. He was a perfect gentleman, and held out his arms for both of us to take us into the dining room. He was perfect throughout dinner and couldn’t wait to go to the Kids Club afterward to play with his new friends.

The kids have adapted to ship life very quickly and all of us are relaxing and having a wonderful time.

More tomorrow from Roatan, Honduras

Cruising with the Grands

Charlie and I have been on more cruises then we can count. We are fortunate that the business we are in allows us the opportunity to experience many cultures and countries. It has been years since we’ve been to the Western Caribbean, but this week we are experiencing cruising from an entirely different perspective. We have grandchildren with us who have never been on a cruise.


My daughter, son-in-law, his mother, and two of our grandchildren are on the Norwegian Spirit which sailed yesterday from New Orleans. Let me regress for a moment and tell you about taking children into the French Quarter and especially down Bourbon Street at night. Truman, our eight-year-old grandson, was intrigued by catching as many Mardi Gras beads as he could that were being thrown down to us from balconies above the shops and restaurants. Our ten-year-old granddaughter was interested in buying a Mardi Gras mask and going into one of the gaudiest costume jewelry shops I’ve ever seen. Of course, she had to get a snake ring filled with rhinestones that will only fit her first finger. But Nana and Grammy had a great time shopping with her.

We boarded the Norwegian Spirit yesterday (July 24) at midday. We had lunch in Cagney’s, a wonderful steakhouse on the ship. Teaching the grandchildren how to order from the big adult menu in a fancy restaurant and learning how to make a “b” with their left hand and a “d” with their right one to indicate which side holds their bread plate and which side their drink is on was quite interesting. Now, Mr. Literal Truman makes certain that everyone knows which bread plate is theirs.

Both of the children easily adapted to ship life. By late afternoon, they had made new friends and explored the ship on their own. Last night my daughter commented to Truman that he was acting so responsibly. His retort was “The cruise is making me do that.” Why hadn’t we thought of this earlier and taken him on a dozen cruises already!!!

Maeve instantly met a girl her age at the pool and at dinner let us know her friend’s name and that she was from Oklahoma. She is having a ball being able to get out on her own and meeting new friends.

Truman has found places on the ship that none of us have found as yet. This morning as Charlie was getting off the elevator on our floor Truman came barreling in announcing “Come on! I’ll show you!” as he was followed by a posse of his new best friends. Where he was going and what he was going to show them is yet to be known.

The seas are calm and beautiful. The sun is hot, hot, hot. Sea days are the best!! After a massage and facial, I feel like a new woman. More tomorrow from Costa Maya, Mexico.