Island Living

Saturday on the cruise - We are docked at Coco Cay, an island in the Bahamas owned by Royal Caribbean Cruise Line.

We slept in on Saturday morning- we were up late giddy with excitement after Karaoke and viewing the Full Moon rising from the Ocean. And listening to the ship's anchor being released and sent into the water at 6:00 a.m. (minor disadvantage of having a cabin at the front of the ship).

And when we did rise, the ship has just received clearance and was tendering (using a smaller ferry to get from the ship to the island) its guests to Coco Cay. I had some yummy oatmeal breakfast with apricots and golden raisins and bananas and cranberries. Noah was enamored by the muesli cereal and its accoutrements. We went back to the cabin and packed our towels and camera and headed for the island.

After a 7 minute ferry ride, we were welcomed to Coco Cay. First, there was a straw market with all sorts of souvenirs on sale. And then, chairs set up on the beach and hammocks and a station for renting snorkeling equipment and one for renting jetskis and kayaks. A place for a BBQ lunch. A few bars. We kept on walking past the crowded beaches, fully intent on exploring this island. We found a hammock city - a shaded area full of hammocks swinging in the breeze. Noah parked himself there and proceeded to take a nap.

I went to scope out the island. I walked for about 2 miles and found deserted beaches with beach chairs scattered and hammocks here and there. Not too much shade as it seems that part of this island might have encountered hurricane winds in the previous years. I was walking on the water's edge - clear and shallow waters when I noticed I had a friend. He was hard to see until I stopped and let him swim right up to me. See if you can find him in the waters below (look for a spot).

Noah woke up and we went for a walk and found a private beach spot - just him and me and the little fishies that came to the play in the shallow waters as we lay there and took in the sun and the skies and breathed the fresh air.

Some IN-secure-ities that came up for me today - my hairy legs and wearing my bathing top and shorts and what would people think or say when they saw my legs. It 's been almost two years since I stopped shaving, waxing, pulling my hairs out and just letting my body be like the Universe created me. And here I was, on a ship full of strangers and a ferry full of other souls just looking for their little spot in the sun and all I could think of was who would check out my legs. Tee hee!!! I had to laugh at myself. I thanked this thought for sharing and released it to the nothingness from whence it came. And I allowed myself to have a blast, hairy legs and all!!!

We got back to our cabin, fully kissed by the sun and detoxed from the ocean. We ate a late lunch/early dinner. We sat on the top deck and watched the stars come out and the moon rise. We let the wind caress us as the ship rocked a little to the right, a little to the left. We came back to our room to find a little surprise on the bed. Thank you Goddess Lisonette for taking care of our stateroom and giving us such a great laugh.

Cruising on a Friday afternoon

We did it. We took the plunge - just Noah and me - no cell phones, no computers, no thing to do, no where to go. We booked a three day cruise to the Carribean. A little honeymoon for two.

Friday, at 3:00 p.m., we checked in with Royal Carribean Cruise Lines and boarded the Majesty of the Sea. She set sail at 5:00 p.m. from the Port of Miami for destination Coco Cay (private island owned by RCCL) and Nassau, Bahamas.

We settled into our corner room on the Tween Floor (the 6th floor on this cruise is a half floor between the Shopping 5th floor and the 7th floor). We had an outside cabin with a porthole with a cubby. We skipped early dining and explored the ship instead.

We checked out the pools and the rock climbing wall. And the gym. And the kids' lounge. And the basketball courts. And found a pingpong table. We had a match and met a friend. Noah and Anthony from North Carolina (who happens to be a 8 year old twin) enjoyed a round or two.

So many food options while cruising. Besides the formal dining rooms, a buffet in the Windjammer Lounge, wraps and paninis at the Deli, and a complete Johnny Rockets on the ship, there is also 24 hour room service. We found some wonderful salad options and veggie choices and sat in the lounge watching the sun go down into the ocean. We then caught an entertainment preview show and enjoyed the comedy of Phil Tag. This guy was hysterical.

A little past our bedtime, I convinced Noah to take me to the Compass Lounge for some Karaoke. What a blast!!! I love Karaoke. Singing from the heart and just having fun. Tee hee!!! Enjoy my rendition of Joy to the World.

Day 2 at Sea - Cozumel

We met for breakfast in the Dining Room.  So much food!!!  Still feeling full from the night before.  And yet, once the food is in front of you, it seems that there is always a little room to eat some more.

I had never been to Cozumel.  The ship was docking at 11:00 a.m. and I had a feeling it would be a mad rush off the ship.  So we decided to convene with the Elders and the Great Aunties at 2:30 p.m. for our Mexican adventure.

WSM Noah and I got off the ship at noon once it received clearance.  Walking down the pier from where our ship was docked to the building with Duty Free and shopping, I could not get over how turquoise blue the water is.   

 Through the craziness of shopping kiosks and out the building we went to get a cab for the 10 minute ride into downtown Cozumel.  We walked through downtown and were a little bit disappointed.  Lots of American bars and stores selling gold and souvenirs and T-shirts.  It did not seem like we would see any Mexican culture at all.

In fact, Cozumel used to be a sleepy little island until the cruise ships began to come.  Now, Cozumel gets 4 cruise ships a day except on Wednesdays when it is visited by 8 ships.  Therefore, it caters to the tourist industry.

And it was hot in Cozumel.  A lot like Florida in the summer and this was at 10:00 a.m. (2 hours behind ship time).  However, we were blessed with some awesome sea breezes.  We walked back to the port and our ship and found some lovely cowboy hats for the Great Aunties.

At 2:30 p.m., wheelchairs and caretakers in tow, we got off our ship - not a person in sight, smooth sailing all the way.  We wheeled right down the pier and through the shopping plaza and waited for just the right taxicab (van size with a little step) for our group.  And so we drove the 3/4 mile to Discover Mexico for our little adventure.

Discover Mexico is a wonderful find in Cozumel - this place was like like being in one of Epcot Center's pavilions.  We were greeted warmly and offered refreshments.  We took a group photo before our tour.  That's me in pink between Dr. Bernie and Uncle Josh.

And then we went inside an air conditioned building and were seated in a big hall with four big screens.  The lights were dimmed and we watched a 15 minute movie with amazing sights and wonderful sounds of all the beautiful places and things to do in Mexico.  And then we were escorted into an Art Museum where our very knowledgeable guide, Ramon, took his time as he explained to us the different art work that graced the halls.  We oohed and aahed  at the colorful and beautiful art.  The tapestry below is but one of the awesome pieces we had the

 honor to see.

We were then led to the outside portion of our tour.  After meeting some fabulous Macaws and Cockatoos, we followed our tour guide Ramon through a most informative tour of miniature relics of all the pyramids and major sites of Mexico.    

For more pics, go to Cozumel &  Cozumel sights.

 

1st Seltzer Family Reunion

I just came back from a lovely cruise with my Great-Aunties Sylvia and Maggie (the Seltzer sisters).  Great Auntie Sylvia decided to spoil her sister a/k/a Margaret for her 89th birthday, with a cruise adventure.  Auntie Maggie flew to Florida from California on Tuesday for the beginning of a splendid trip.  Soul Mama (Noah's Mom) booked tickets for all of us on Celebrity Cruise Lines' Century ship.  And what a lovely ship it was.  And with a most wonderful sailing itinerary as well.

Thursday at noon, WSM Noah and I went to Miami's Port to get registered and checked in.  The boarding process was simple and fun.  And 15 minutes later, luggage-free and with a Celebrity ID/credit card, we went to check out our room - a lovely stateroom on the 8th floor with a balcony overlooking the port.  We then went to meet & greet the rest of the members of the family and walk them through the registration and boarding process.

By 1:30 p.m. we met up at the Lounge on the 11th floor and had lunch - a smorgasbord of culinary choices and appetizing dishes to eat.  We ate and talked - happy for this adventure to begin.  At around 2:30 p.m., sated and slightly tired, we wheeled the Great Aunties and accompanied their caretakers to the StateRoom on the 5th Floor.   We parted ways so they could unpack and nap with a promise to return to escort them to the Dining Room for early seating dinner.

At 5:00 p.m., we sat on our balcony (with a table and two chairs) and watched as the Celebrity left the Port of Miami.  The ship turned around in Biscayne Bay and sailed right out of the Port into the open sea. 

     

We explored our stateroom and all the choices available to us on this ship.  The best part is that everything is interactive through the room's TV screen. 

At 6:00 p.m, we met for dinner and were blessed with our waiter Hector from the Phillipines and Irwin from Ecuador.  Two of the nicest people you could ever meet.  It seemed that no matter how difficult our request was (hot steaming soup that had to be carried out on another platter because the bowl was burning hot), they were ready to serve and please.

And what a  blessing to be with the Matriarchs of this family and to share their wisdom and observe their mannerisms.

Our adventure has just begun!!!

For more pics of our adventure at sea, check out Cruise