All Things B: Cruise me baby!

We went on a cruise!!! They were 4 most awesome days in a long-long time. We left Thursday July 9th, spent next day at sea, arrived at Cozumel, Mexico on Saturday, Sunday was another day at sea, and came back Monday the 13th.

If you have never been to one I strongly recommend it. It is a floating hotel with entertainment, all-you-can-eat buffet, elegant dining, art gallery and art auctions, kids camps, shows, dancing, gambling and drinking (if you're into it), pool, hot tubs, gym, spa, room service, games, contests (like hairy chest contests, battle of the sexes), mini-golf, shopping and tons more. Do I sound like an info-mercial? I just can't describe how much I loved it.

The day we left to drive to port of Tampa was the day we agreed to leave our screams, whines and cries at home. I think it worked! We arrived quite early, so we had some time to drive around Tampa till we came to the actual check-in spot. It was pretty easy to park the car across the street, bring your luggage, check-in, and... walk straight into the magical palace - Carnival Inspiration ship. Each guest was welcomed by a grand piano music. Not sure if everyone was starving to death or is it a free food that does it to you, but the buffet lines were long. Food on a cruise ship is extraordinary (as well as amounts consumed). After feeding local poor starved seagulls our french fries, we went up to play mini-golf before we left the port. Even though it rained and was very windy, golf balls rolled in an unusual patterns, it still was fun. It was awesome to watch ship leaving the port and being followed by a tiny coast guard boat. We also had one drill. Everyone on the ship had to grab their life-jacket and head over to a muster station to listen to some safety rules.

Don't know if it was all the driving and getting up early, but we were tired after we got to our room. However, curiosity won over sleepiness, so we went on a cruise ship exploration. We entered a few raffles (I won four works of art through them!!!). It is worth to go on a cruise just to see if you can win some of them. Some of the prises were - bottle of champagne, art, spa services, cash (if you win bingo), and best of all - free cruise!

Even though buffet style dining is convenient and easy, we decided to try elegant dining. You need to dress up a bit for it but it's worth it. The food is artisticly prepared, the servers are friendly and smiling. Each table is served by at least three people. Our head waiter was Antonio from India. He said he was from Indiana, a bit too strong accent for Indiana, but hey, who to judge? Well, he was pretty funny. I ordered this gazpacho soup, so he brought this little garnish on a plate a size of a single sushi, saying here is your soup. I thanked him thinking wow, I knew portions in an elegant restaurant meant to be small, but this one could not satisfy a fly. Little did I know our funny waiter was playing a trick on me, holding a pitcher with my gazpacho behind my back. The moment he poured it into my bowl, it all came clear to me and I rolled on the floor laughing.

Next morning we started with a visit to a pool. Water was salty. It was really busy too. Then I went to an art auction (my personal favorite). You can learn a lot about modern artists there. Amy and her canadian husband Chris (both redheads) were the auctioneers. I loved the way Amy led her auction, joking and making everyone excited.

We took a lot of pictures while on board, but purchased only one. They were over 20 dollars each. Spa was pricy as well, so we found other things to do. I visited this highly pumped-up "Shopping in Cozumel" meeting, where you're told little passwords that you can use in different stores in Cozumel to get free junk (seriously, not worth the whole wasted time, but fun to get something free). They're really pushing you to purchase jewelry in Cozumel, and if you're like me, and your heart melts if you see something new and shiny, there's ton to choose from.

Saturday morning we arrived at Cozumel. I just can't settle to the thought that we visited a foreign country, because it was so fast. The main point of interest for me in Mexico were Mayan ruins. This mysterious land with its traditions and history, own calendar, prophecies and human sacrificies sure will send shivers down your spine. But this place is a tourist must. We took a boat to Mexico's main land and a bus to the ruins of Tulum. What a beautiful location! Turquoise waters, historic lands, iguanas, bright hand-made crafts. Our bus tour guide Ceasar was half mayan-half spanish. So, seeing Mexico through his eyes and his stories was just more fascinating. What is it about this cruise, that everybody makes you laugh? I don't care, I was so into it, I laughed all the way. South Mexico thrives on tourism, it is their goal to bring more tourists in the country to boost its economy. Swine flu didn't help tourist flow last three months, but Mexico is doing much better now, welcoming everybody again.

I got little somber lesson about shiny toys from Ceasar. Mexico doesn't have its own gold, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and tons other widely advertised and sold jewels. However, it does have silver and something really special and meaningful for mayan history - obsidian. It was used in mayan rituals and to decorate their temples. Golden obsidian is black, but it shines like gold in the sun. Spanish conquistadores were attracted by its shine, who came to a new land in search of gold. People were killed and only later the spanish realized it wasn't gold after all.

So, at least now I know what to shop for in Mexico;-)))
After our excursion we had some time to explore the ruins on our own, to take pictures and dunk ourselves in the salty turquoise water of the gulf. It was too hot, so I didn't bother changing into a swimsuit - the water felt very refreshing. The moment we returned to the bus, it started pouring. What a great day!
The last day at sea we finished some things that we hadn't previously visited - water slide, adult-only area, another stage show. It was very bright and colorful, dancers and singers had me wondering about where they kept all those costumes.
Thanks to Skip, our cruise director, even boring "customs regulations talk" wasn't so boring.
I am definitely looking out for another cruise vacation opportunity.

Our family right before boarding