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I just wanted to mention, since some of you have asked, about our cruise from New Orleans to the Yucatan last week.
The Carnival Valor ship departed from New Orleans on Saturday the 25th, returning Thursday the 30th. So, four days, and five nights. The ship was very comfortable, and it was quite a nice time. We had a balcony stateroom on the 7th deck (Empress) that felt quite spacious. The ship was very full, but it was easy to find quiet space, away from the noise and crowds throughout the ship. Even the balcony of our stateroom was very quiet. My calabash "brother" from high school I've known more than fifty years, and his wife of 46 years joined us from Virginia on the ship. We four had a great time together. We had staterooms on opposite sides of the ship on the same deck, so depending on who had the best view, we'd alternate hanging out on one side of the ship or the other.
Food was surprisingly good and quite varied, drinks were expensive, but the free ice cream and "FroYo" flowed easily. Self-Service locations in several places helped ease the pain of being on a ship that was essentially having a floating Spring Break event.
We departed port on Saturday afternoon, and during the evening we made our way down the Mississippi River to the open Caribbean. We spent all day Sunday and overnight at sea, arriving at Cozumel on Monday morning. On Tuesday we spent the day pier side at Progreso, the port city closest to Merida, the old colonial capital of the Yucatan. Wednesday was another sea day, and we pulled back into New Orleans on Thursday morning. It was a simple, easy cruise, fun and relaxing, for not a lot of money. (Our balcony stateroom only cost $750 per person.) I would highly recommend it, if you want an easy getaway.
The in-port period at Cozumel provided time for us to check out Chankanaab Park, a very comfortable beach and nature preserve about a $12 cab ride from the pier. I had arranged a beach day through Shore Excursioneer (www.shoreexcursioneer.com), which included admission to the Park, and rental snorkel gear. This was less expensive than a similar excursion provided through the Carnival website. There were quite a lot of fish to be seen, and it was a lot of fun. I was able to easily teach my "sister in law" how to snorkel. She had plenty of fun in the calm, warm water. (I had purchased a GoPro-like camera from Home Depot [of all places] for $25 last Christmas, and it worked perfectly. I got some great video of the fish. Score!)
In Progreso, I had also arranged through Shore Excursioneer for a private tour to take us to explore the city of Merida. The four of us, a driver, and tour guide had a minivan all to ourselves. We drove to the city and had a great day, touring around. It was nice seeing the areas of town we had only seen on TV before. (HGTV House Hunters International often shows people house hunting in Merida.) There is a huge American and Canadian ex-pat community in Merida, and we've wondered whether the city would be interesting enough to warrant a full-on destination vacation of its own. The answer is "most definitely Yes." We will add Merida to the list of vacation destinations after we're both retired. A lovely city, and not far from the Mayan pyramid and ruins at Chichen Itza.
All in, this cruise was simple, easy, and fun. I've never been to a Spring Break experience before, (Well, there were a few Navy days and nights spent in the Philippines, but we won't talk about that... ), and now I think I know what it would feel like to be on Spring Break at the beach. Was it fun? Yes. Do I want to do it again? Probably not. If I was a college-aged partier, I'd gladly go for it. I'm sure those who bought the ship's Bottomless Alcohol Package on the cruise would have easily spent the $56 per day cost.
We booked through Costco.com, and will receive a $100 Costco Cash Card perk for the experience. By paying for it through my Costco Citi Visa card, the up to 4% cash back, plus the 2% on my Costco Executive Membership, made the whole experience even more reasonable. It was a great time, and I can highly recommend it.
(But truth be told, if you aren't a Spring Break candidate, you may want to look for a similar cruise on a different cruise line. Fair is fair. )
Dave
The Carnival Valor ship departed from New Orleans on Saturday the 25th, returning Thursday the 30th. So, four days, and five nights. The ship was very comfortable, and it was quite a nice time. We had a balcony stateroom on the 7th deck (Empress) that felt quite spacious. The ship was very full, but it was easy to find quiet space, away from the noise and crowds throughout the ship. Even the balcony of our stateroom was very quiet. My calabash "brother" from high school I've known more than fifty years, and his wife of 46 years joined us from Virginia on the ship. We four had a great time together. We had staterooms on opposite sides of the ship on the same deck, so depending on who had the best view, we'd alternate hanging out on one side of the ship or the other.
Food was surprisingly good and quite varied, drinks were expensive, but the free ice cream and "FroYo" flowed easily. Self-Service locations in several places helped ease the pain of being on a ship that was essentially having a floating Spring Break event.
We departed port on Saturday afternoon, and during the evening we made our way down the Mississippi River to the open Caribbean. We spent all day Sunday and overnight at sea, arriving at Cozumel on Monday morning. On Tuesday we spent the day pier side at Progreso, the port city closest to Merida, the old colonial capital of the Yucatan. Wednesday was another sea day, and we pulled back into New Orleans on Thursday morning. It was a simple, easy cruise, fun and relaxing, for not a lot of money. (Our balcony stateroom only cost $750 per person.) I would highly recommend it, if you want an easy getaway.
The in-port period at Cozumel provided time for us to check out Chankanaab Park, a very comfortable beach and nature preserve about a $12 cab ride from the pier. I had arranged a beach day through Shore Excursioneer (www.shoreexcursioneer.com), which included admission to the Park, and rental snorkel gear. This was less expensive than a similar excursion provided through the Carnival website. There were quite a lot of fish to be seen, and it was a lot of fun. I was able to easily teach my "sister in law" how to snorkel. She had plenty of fun in the calm, warm water. (I had purchased a GoPro-like camera from Home Depot [of all places] for $25 last Christmas, and it worked perfectly. I got some great video of the fish. Score!)
In Progreso, I had also arranged through Shore Excursioneer for a private tour to take us to explore the city of Merida. The four of us, a driver, and tour guide had a minivan all to ourselves. We drove to the city and had a great day, touring around. It was nice seeing the areas of town we had only seen on TV before. (HGTV House Hunters International often shows people house hunting in Merida.) There is a huge American and Canadian ex-pat community in Merida, and we've wondered whether the city would be interesting enough to warrant a full-on destination vacation of its own. The answer is "most definitely Yes." We will add Merida to the list of vacation destinations after we're both retired. A lovely city, and not far from the Mayan pyramid and ruins at Chichen Itza.
All in, this cruise was simple, easy, and fun. I've never been to a Spring Break experience before, (Well, there were a few Navy days and nights spent in the Philippines, but we won't talk about that... ), and now I think I know what it would feel like to be on Spring Break at the beach. Was it fun? Yes. Do I want to do it again? Probably not. If I was a college-aged partier, I'd gladly go for it. I'm sure those who bought the ship's Bottomless Alcohol Package on the cruise would have easily spent the $56 per day cost.
We booked through Costco.com, and will receive a $100 Costco Cash Card perk for the experience. By paying for it through my Costco Citi Visa card, the up to 4% cash back, plus the 2% on my Costco Executive Membership, made the whole experience even more reasonable. It was a great time, and I can highly recommend it.
(But truth be told, if you aren't a Spring Break candidate, you may want to look for a similar cruise on a different cruise line. Fair is fair. )
Dave
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