This week is my Cruise Anniversary.
Last year, from March 7 – 14th, I spent 7 beautiful sun-filled days aboard the Carnival Legend. It was my first cruise vacation, and I went into it not quite knowing what to expect. Part of me was worried that cruises were still only for “old people” and there would be nothing to do aboard other than play shuffleboard. Another part of me was worried that it would be party-central, and I would remember none of it when it was over. Yet another part of me wondered if I would fall overboard while leaning over our balcony, never to be heard from again.
It was a special trip to me for a multitude of reasons, some of which are no longer quite so special. But the cruise itself remains one of the best experiences of my life. The places we visited were absolutely breathtaking in their beauty and we could not have asked for better weather!
I was looking at some photos earlier and decided that I wanted to share some images from the cruise with you (who knows, you might actually catch a glimpse of me in one or two!). This is actually going to be split up into 2 posts because of the quantity of pictures (you might want to skip tomorrow if you aren’t interested in this type of thing). This photography should give you some insight into the type of person I am. These are the images that stayed with me… the sites that took my breathe away. I guess I am pretty easy to please 🙂
Our trip began in Tampa, Florida. Cruise ships that leave from Tampa have to clear the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, and let’s just say its pretty amazing to watch that happen!
This is a shot of the bridge after we had safely cleared it.
I won’t bore you with photos of the ship itself (I think they all pretty much look alike) but the Legend was nice. It’s a nice size ship – not huge, but not small. We spent most of that first evening exploring, playing in the casino a bit, and just drinking in the views. Let me just tell you – sunsets as seen from a cruise ship deck are INCREDIBLE.
The first full day on the ship is a “sea day”. Most of this was, again, spent exploring.
There I am on the ship! (SHHHH!)
I became a bit obsessed with the wake of the ship... it's mesmerizing.
These little guys were fun. Each night you’d come back from dinner and find a new towel animal in your room. I don’t have a photo of the elephant from the first night, but this was the rabbit. Cute, right?
When we woke up at sunrise on Day 2 we were in Grand Cayman!
Time to wake up - Grand Cayman in the distance!
This is SUCH a beautiful island and the locals are extremely friendly. We chose to spend our time in Cayman visiting Stingray City and doing some snorkeling.
Could that water be any more beautiful?
Another catamaran in the distance
Me and my friend the Stingray. (Excuse the cleavage and sunburn!)
The sails of OUR catamaran
Getting back to our ship after the fun is over
Have I mentioned how much I LOVED the views of the Caribbean Sea from the ship? Just spectacular.
Upon leaving Grand Cayman, we headed straight to Cozumel, Mexico. Our personal destination? Nachi Cocum Beach Club. I HIGHLY recommend Nachi Cocum if you are ever heading to Cozumel. For $49 per person, you not only get full access to the resort for the day – you get an OPEN BAR and a 4-course lunch. Did I mention an open bar?
And it looks like this:
I would say it is heaven on earth, except that came a few days later in the trip. All too soon we were heading back to the Legend. This Princess cruise ship was our neighbor during our stay in Cozumel:
Meanwhile, back in the room this guy showed up to greet us. I am not sure what he was. Ideas?
…and off we went to our next destination!
Check back tomorrow for the highlights from Belize and Roatan!
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