The Fun Ship

So, I'm not sure that Anna and I knew that the cruise line we were taking was designated the fun ship. Seriously, this cruise was gambling, drinking, and partying 24 hours a day. This is us setting sail (the port is the in the background). I was a little disappointed at the lack of fanfare at the departure. No horns blasting, no confetti drifting from the deck, really I didn't know we were even moving until Anna noticed the port getting further away. (As you can see, we are girls from a dry climate, the humidity really did a number on our hair!)

We slowly realized that our lack of drinking could be an asset. And after meeting (what we fondly refer to as) "the gay guys" and "the drunk guys" we understood the fun part of the title.

Our formal dinner companions were a gay couple from Sacramento, CA - Andrew and Eric. At some points it was awkward silence, but we soon learned they were very similar to us in the fact that they LOVE making fun of people. They gave us all the ins and outs of cruising (although I really doubt I will be going again!) And best of all, they forewarned us about "prom night" or as the ship refers to it, formal dining evening. Seriously, these people really went all out for this dinner. (Sorry I didn't get any pictures of the "formal" attire, but it was just too jaw dropping too think quickly enough).

Our first stop was Cozumel, Mexico. I was so excited to get off the boat and be on solid ground. But immediately upon stepping on the dock, we got onto another smaller boat that took us to the island of Cozumel. I almost cried openly.....

Our excursion in Cozumel was a Jeep tour to some Mayan caves. The caves were full of natural mineral water. We were able to swim in the water, although it was a touch cold, it was amazing to be there. I forgot my water camera, so I was unable to take pictures in the water (and the one in the cave turned out too depressing to post!) Here's Anna getting ready to head into the cave - love the hard hat :)

We also drove through town (and almost died by being rear-ended by another Jeep in the tour - not a happy thought) and ended up on a private beach where we ate lunch and had the chance to play in the ocean. These are some pictures of the city of Cozumel.

I just loved this sign - seriously, horns must be a big problem....

This sunset was after our day at Cozumel. I was barely able to get the shot, due to hordes of people lining the deck trying to get their own shot. And me getting more sick from standing on deck and looking out and the water (still makes my stomach turn now...)

Our next adventure took us to Roatan, Honduras. We spent the day at a private beach - snorkeling and relaxing. It was beautiful and amazing. I remembered my water camera and was able to take some pictures of the fish - which turned out amazingly well for not having any idea if the camera worked or not.

If you look really close you can see a couple of fish in the picture. We really did see a lot of little fish, but nothing big or scary.



And this is our snorkel guide. He was really pretty ornery and annoyed both Anna and I. But we followed him none the less - didn't want to get lost in the middle of the ocean.

There was also this amazing rusted out ship - which had to have been a Pirate Ship. It was way too cool to just be a random boat. And I do love me some pirates - arrgh!

And then on to Belize. This was what Anna had been looking forward to the entire cruise. We had booked an excursion to the rain forest - including rappelling and a zip line. It was AMAZING! (And once again, Anna has these pictures - so you will have to be a little patient and wait until I get them...)

After Belize, we had a day at sea. I had finally come to the conclusion that I would continuously be nauseous and have a headache, so I just went with it. Once you accept the fact you will be sick no matter what, it makes things a little easier to deal with. This night we had the big Carnival Colors party. It was some random separation of everyone on the boat, which put us in teams. This is when we finally spent some "quality" time with "the drunk boys."

This is our cruise director, Butch. (Yep, that's his real name. And he was gorgeous, although the wig and random outfit don't properly reflect his "do-ability!")

And this is Mark (one of the famous drunk boys). And yes, he was drunk during this entire party and it was a riot. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time... I'm giving this cheese to Russell!

Finally, our last excursion was in Freeport, Bahamas. Seriously, this was probably my favorite port. We rode cruiser bikes (and I am definitely buying myself one of these) and rode all over the island. It started out as a beautiful, rather hot day. Then it quickly became overcast and the rain literally drenched us for about five minutes. Then it was clear again and we continued riding and drying out. I loved the entire day spent in the Bahamas. The entire island was beautiful and our guide was beyond wonderful. He was so knowledgeable and funny and continued to tell us all about his home. I am seriously considering moving there..... really everyone would love me because they could come visit!

And they also had a Pirate Ship - who wouldn't love to live there?!

The rest of the photos are on Flickr if anyone wants to see them. One day I'll get Anna's stash of photos and add them. But for now, I can't bother her because she wants me to pay her the rest of my portion - I figure avoidance is best :)