Caribbean Cruise

 As we began our cruise Sunday evening, we tried to get familiar with navigating our way around the ship.  We got plenty of exercise just trying to find our room each time we left it.  We also started the challenge that Angela Fenton gave us to only use the stairs and never the elevator.  The top decks were very crowded and festive as we snaked our way down the Mississippi to the open ocean.  Our first full day on the ship was spent at sea.  It was a sudden change of pace to read and relax with no internet.  We also enjoyed experiencing the complementary dining options.  We got in a routine of eating breakfast in the cafeteria and lunch and dinner in one of the restaurants.  Our first stop was Costa Maya where it was pouring down rain.  We had booked an excursion, so we had to go for it. By the time we found and boarded our bus we were drenched.  The excursion took up our entire shore time.  We drove over an hour to the Mayan ruins, had a great local tour guide and experienced a local village complete with a lunch at a home.  Our second stop was Harvest Caye in Belize, which was basically just a resort island beach. We walked as much as we could, but also relaxed after at least getting in the water.  Our third day we were in Roatan Island, Honduras.  This was a much better cultural experience as was we able to walk the streets and observe a lot of local life. We did go to an animal exhibit where we were able to hold monkeys and a sloth.   Our last stop was Cozumel, Mexico.  It rained off and on, but we were able put in a five mile walk, ducking into a church and a Starbucks to avoid rain showers. Our final day was another day at sea with lots of sleeping and reading.  Disembarking the ship was pretty crazy, very congested and confusing.  But it was the only time on the entire cruise that we had to wait in line.  We carried our luggage down the stairs from the twelfth deck, sealing the challenge to never use the elevator for the entire trip.  With our room on the 12th deck, dining on 7,8, 15 and 16, and disembarking on the 4th deck.  We climbed a lot of stairs, but I don’t think that it made up for our calorie intake!