Our First Cruise Together: Extending Our Honeymoon

One of the things on my bucket list has been to go on a cruise. Well, I finally achieved this goal with Daisy.  She is an experienced cruiser so we booked an excursion from Fort Lauderdale, FL to the western Caribbean. This was a 9-day adventure with 4 days at sea and stops in Cozumel, Mexico; Limon, Costa Rica; and Colon, Panama.  

Carnival Freedom: 3000 passengers and 1500 crew

We had time on our side so we drove 1,481 miles from our winter base in Edinburg, Texas to the port of departure.   On the way there we met Lee and Dee, whom we had known from previous RV parks. They were traveling to go on the same cruise.  We parked in a facility that provided transportation directly to our terminal and handled our baggage.  With ease we boarded early and had lunch.  Departure dragged a bit in that there were 4 ships scheduled to depart that afternoon within minutes of each other.   

Our departure for Chip's first cruise ever

The Goodyear blimp came to celebrate my first voyage.

Several boats were awaiting their turn to leave the dock.

Coast Guard did donuts to celebrate our departure.

The open sea beckons.

We are number 3 to get to the big water.

Just awesome

Top of the ship

The port was a beehive of activity with crews, passengers, and supplies all being transported to the ships. I am so glad we got on when we did.  It was an added plus to see the Goodyear blimp hovering over the port area giving all a “Bon Voyage.”

Lee and Dee

Our stateroom was ready for us to check into right after lunch.  It was well appointed and, coming from an RVer’s perspective, was cozy and spacious.   We were on deck 2 in about the middle of the ship, and Daisy wanted an ocean view, so we had a large window.  There was sufficient storage for our luggage and carry-ons. The only shortcoming of the room was not having enough outlets for 2 computers, 2 e-book chargers, and other assorted electrical devices.  I should have brought a multiple outlet adapter.

Cozy stateroom with ocean view

Best toilet flusher I ever encountered

Shower always hot; dry towels always plentiful

Ocean view, 2 decks above the sea, midship

After a lifeboat drill, we took a tour of the ship that would be our home for the next few days.  I humbly have to admit that the general decor was not what I would have in my home.  It was very opulent and overwhelming in its luxury.  Nothing was understated. The fabrics were rich, colors bright, and all metal shone brightly. All crewmembers had a smile and a word of greeting every time you encountered them.   I liked that part!

The other place we felt pampered was during the dining in the evenings. I will tell you about that later.

Aft pool on deck 9 with sliding overhead canopy

Our assigned life boat if needed

Typical elevator corridor on deck 2

Our assigned dining room on deck 4

Glass elevator shalf from deck 7

Entrance to one dining area forward

One of 2 main entertainment halls from deck 4

The seas were calm for the most part with gentle swells during this first portion of our 38-hour journey to Cozumel, Mexico, our first scheduled port of call.

Cozumel is Mexico’s largest island – 12 miles off the mainland.    The Mayans were the first settlers on the island and their cultural influences are notable.   The island is also noted as one of the best scuba diving areas in the world due to its 20 miles of reef.  San Miguel is the only town on the island and it has a mix of shops, restaurants, and hotels that surround the central plaza where the heart of the city activities take place. Daisy and I toured this plaza and its market places with our group.  We also escaped from our organized group tour for a walk along the ocean boardwalk and its shops, and a margarita with tortilla chips and spicy salsa at a local outdoor restaurant.

I did not know that Cozumel was an island of Mexico.

We celebrated Marti Gras in town and on board ship.

Open-air butcher shops

Plaza Central entrance

Vegetables of all kinds--many unknown to me

Vehicle of choice for the narrow streets

Boys wore blue and the girls pink on the boardwalk this day.

El Mirador is one of the hidden treasures located on the east side of Cozumel that was part of our bus tour. This side of the Cozumel stretches in long sweeps of open road, dotted with sand dunes and a clear view of the ocean.  It was carved by years of ocean waves splashing against the rocks. The rock formations are craggy in spots and have some natural bridges and tidal pools whirling around.

El Mirador de Mar

A coral beach  with water carved rock formations

Pretty 

Discover Mexico bills itself as “the newest and most seen park in Cozumel that offers the tourist a unique experience of Mexico.”  That may be true in that it has a representative collection of various styles of arts and crafts of the country, including scale replicas of the architectural types that have been built in the recorded history of the country. It was interesting.  However our bus guide’s knowledge of this island and of the history of Mexico was more informative.

Discover Mexico in Cozumel

Discover Mexico exhibited historical replicas  of  all of Mexico

This one is called the castle

This is a 17th  century castle model

We only got to experience a small part of what the island has to offer.  I think our next trip there has to be one in which we do not come by cruise ship for a day but rather stay awhile visiting the local stores and hideaways nearer to the residential areas and also the more remote natural beaches and cultural sites

  Meanwhile back on board the Freedom...

Another dress up dining room for evening fare

The dining experience on board was awesome.  It was a dress-up affair that Daisy and I enjoyed participating in each evening.  The standout experiences had to be the varied presentations of foods in every course.  Whether it be the starters, main courses, or the deserts, there were at least 5 choices in each category.   I quickly learned (from our frequent tablemates, John and Leslie) that I could enjoy several starters before receiving the main course, of which Daisy and I would each order something different and share. Sometimes we even had multiple deserts!

John and Leslie were experienced cruisers and shared their  knowledge with us.

Clams simmered with tomato, onions, and herbs

Oysters Rockefeller with spinach, bread crumbs, and butter

Shrimp, white fish, scallops,and crabcake medley with steamed veggies

Escargot in a wine cheese sauce with garlic

Smoked salmon, shrimp, ahi tuna pate

Crab-cake with tomato lemon-dill sauce

Chocolate mousse cake with caramel sauce

Valentine heart-shaped chocolate truffle  with a strawberry garnish

Lobster tail with drawn butter and hollandaise sauce

Another part of our Cozumel shore excursion

We traveled by bus to the Hacienda Antigua to learn about the process of making tequila.  This also included a tequila tasting session.  Our onsite guide informed us that if we only drank 100% blue agave tequila, we would never suffer from a hangover the next day. We have yet to test this proclamation, but we did bring some home to use in our research.

From boat to bus

Daisy and tequila guide after taste testing

No, these are not big pine cones,  but blue agave plant roots for tequila

Outside the Hacienda

Kind of humbling viewpoint, isn't it

Two of the Carnival Goliaths of the Seas--Freedom and Liberty

On our tour of Costa Rica, we visited a family-owned nature reserve and followed the owner on a guided walk through the reserve.  Various types of flora and fauna were present. The reserve specializes in taking care of injured indigenous animals like sloths, monkeys, and native birds, until they can be released back to the wild.  The tour guide met us with 4 of her college student volunteers, each holding a native animal that was in their care.  One had a howler monkey.  Howler monkeys are named and known for the loud, guttural howls that they routinely use at the beginning and end of the day. They are the loudest animal in the New World, and while their howl is not a piercing sound, it can be heard for three miles through dense forest.

Another of the students was holding a three-toed sloth. It is a verrry slow moving critter. We found out that some sloths stay in the same tree for years. Their huge hooked claws and long arms allow them to spend most of their time hanging upside-down from trees.

Riverboat tour  of Tortugero Canals

We have life jackets and  BTW,  saltwater crocodiles live here.

We heard howler monkeys from the lush jungle shoreline.

Snowy Egrets

Blue Heron

Spider Monkey

I always wanted a sloth hug...didn't you?

Three-toed sloth

Cute and cuddly aren't they...the ladies maybe, not the sloth,

 Spectacle Owls hanging out for the tourist

Another owl, with ears?

Hiking trail--see any snakes?

Over the swamp and thru the jungle to grandmas's house we go!

This banjo/drum duo laid down a calypso beat with an African flavor.

Another stop in Costa Rica was at a Del Monte banana processing facility. The interesting thing for me was the non-mechanized means of getting the fruit from the field to the plant. A field worker would hang 10 or so bunches of green bananas on a wire and pull them on a chain from the field to the processing plant for washing, branding, and sorting.  Only 100% non-bruised fruit would be placed on ships for export.

Blue bags cover the fruiting banana plant.

Fruit clusters coming into the processing shed.

fruit clusters are detached here

Sorting here

Washing

Meanwhile back on board the Freedom...

Each night when we returned to our stateroom there was a surprise: an art object awaiting us!

Towel art anyone?

Ah...a puppy!

Valentine heart using the cards we gave each other

A cool seal

Equally cool turtle with my glasses

Of course a stingray

Elephant that loves chocolate

One of the highlights of our cruise was the stop in Panama. Our ship was too large to transit the Panama Canal, but of course we wanted to see as much of it as possible. Daisy and I and a few hundred of our shipmates took a 1-1/2 hour bus ride from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific Coast for a ferry ride through several locks in the southern part of the canal. I especially liked crossing the continental divide.

Things that I learned:

• The system lifts a ship up 85 feet to the main elevation of the Panama Canal and then down again on the other side of the isthmus. 
• It has a total of six steps (three up, three down) for a ship's passage. 
• Each lock chamber requires 26,700,000 US gallons to fill it from the lowered position to the raised; the same amount of water must be drained from the chamber to lower it again. 
• The water is moved by gravity. 
•  A lock chamber can be filled in as little as eight minutes. 
•  It can cost $250,000 for a ship to transit the locks. 
•  One daredevil man paid 36 cents to transit the locks by swimming, but this is now forbidden by law.

One of two ferry boats from the Freedom passengers

This ferry boat's original owner was Al Capone.

See any gangsters?

First set of locks

Notice the superstructure of cargo vessel in 2nd lock ahead of opening lock gates

Ferry enters and moors against the side.

Capone's boat ties up against the ferry.

A big one on the parallel lock.  See the mules?

Four locomotives (mules), 2 at front and 2 at back, guide cargo ships.

Daisy standing next to lock wall bottom after we are moored to lock dock.

It was fascinating to be in a relatively small boat that gave us a great perspective on the workings of the canal. We were tied up to the side of each lock during the filling process, and we were actually able to touch the side wall of the lock.

We reached out and touched the lock walls as it was filling up.

Lock 1  is opening to allow us to go to the next lock 2.

Off we go

Our friends Scott and Regina were in the ferry ahead of us.

The lock gates were built in sets of two so that there would be a redundant system.

Frontal view of steel gate

Top of lock when fully flooded

This bridge marks the central spot where the Atlantic fed waters of the Caribbean meet the Pacific waters.

Official certificate of "been-there-and-done that"

There was one place we passed that was not listed in the tour highlights...

BTW at this central point in the canal is the prison for Manuel Noriega.

Meanwhile back on board the Freedom..

Fat Tuesday celebration onboard. Guess who this is?

We met the ship's captain.

Daisy wore her finery for one night's party and I wore my tuxedo.

And then there was the ship's Valentine party--we danced the night away.

And we did make it a point to sample the local countries' beers....

Panama Beer

Costa Rica Beer

This was our first cruise together...but not our last!

Epilogue

On the way back to Texas we made some extra stops to visit people who are important to us.

Bob, Lea Ann, and I worked and played together back in 1977. It was a nice reunion.

And since it was somewhat on the way back, we had to go visit the grandsons in Alabama.

Shannon, Levi, Josiah, and Matt at home

We made it back to Texas with no problems and discovered that the first Texas Truck Camper Rally was going to be held 240 miles north in the Hill Country.  What new adventures might this hold for us?

(wait for it....)

we went....

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