Day 6 - Observing life 100 Feet Below Water in a Submarine in Cozumel, Mexico

Port of  Cozumel, Mexico 

Cruise Trip – Day 6, Cozumel, Mexico


We got up at around 7am and by the time we went for breakfast, it was well past 9am.

Our land excursion tour at Cozumen, Mexico, for today would leave at 10am so we rushed to get breakfast before leaving our ship.

The port at Cozumel is the largest port we visited on this trip.






















It has many shops and a few good restaurants offering free wi fi to their customers.

There were a few  people relaxing in the shade by the terminal.

We signed up for the Mexico’s
National Marine Park tour on the Atlantis submarine.

For those passengers who did not sign up for tours, there was something for them to do as there was a good size shopping plaza at the Cozumel terminal.














There were about 25 passengers on this trip. It was exciting as we had never been in a submarine.





















While we were on the catamaran taking us to the submarine, the staff explained to us the safety rules and demonstrated to us how to wear the safety vest in case of emergency.


He was a funny guy who used a lot of humour to get our attention.

Watching Submarine Atlantis emerging from under the water of Cozumel, Mexico!

After a 20 minute boat ride, we were at the site of  the submarine.

We could see that the submarine was starting to emerge from under the water.

We descended gingerly to the bottom of the submarine via a narrow flight of staircase.

Each one of us sat in front of a pot hole to observe the marine creatures living in this marine park.

Inside the Atlantis submarine under the water of Cozumel, Mexico

As we first sat down, I did not feel comfortable at all. I felt hot, a little claustrophobic.

I felt so warm that I regretted not wearing my sleeveless shirt. I was secretly praying that I could last this 2-hour tour in a such warm tight quarter.

As the submarine started descending into deeper water, I felt cooler and more relaxed. I started to see some fish swimming around the pot hole.

We were down as deep as 111 feet in the water!

One thing that I observed from this underwater tour was that the bottom of the ocean is similar to the landscape we have on dry land. It has vegetation, hills, flatland and deserts.

We saw three divers working around a sunken ship at the bottom of the ocean at Cozumel, Mexico

We also saw three divers working around a sunken ship on the bottom of the sea. The ship was deliberately sunk to create more coral growth. The divers saw our submarine and waved at us.

The colour on the strip changed depending on the amount of light in the cabin.

Our tour guide explained to us why the ocean water always looked blue. He directed our i attention to a small strip of paper with various coloured square taped above us.

It was interesting when he turned on the light, the bright colours all appear in their normal colours. But when he turned off the light, the colours on the copour strips changed.














However, I was a little disappointed as we did not see any big fish at all.

We have never been on a submarine until today. It was both an educational and a fun experience!

We got back to the Cozumel Port shortly after 12pm. 


Instead of running around to another trip which might cause us to miss our cruise ship, we stayed close to port.  

We ordered a couple of drinks and some fresh guacamole and tortilla chips.

Looking out from a restaurant at the Cozumel terminal, Mexico

We spent the afternoon leisurely at the Fat Tuesday Restaurant, enjoying some Mexican food, relaxing and looking out to the blue ocean.

With American pop music playing in the background, some patrons started dancing around and a dance party started in the restaurant.

















Amid all the noise and dancing, I attempted to use the wi fi,  do some blog posts and check my emails.


Though the wi fi was painfully slow, I managed to publish 2 blog postings in Mexico.
















A mariachi band came by offering to play a song for us for a small fee. Although the music was loud inside the restaurant and we could barely hear a thing. 

But why not?

We believe in supporting the local economy and artists wherever we travel.

So we invited them to sing a song for us.

My husband strolled around the shops at the terminal while I did my blogging. 

Shopping plaza at the Cozumel terminal, Mexico

He excitedly informed me that he found some perfect souvenirs to bring back to our friends in Canada.

Heading back to our cruise ship from Cozumel, Mexico

He took me to a store selling rum cakes and we were offered some free rum cake samples. 


After we bought a few of them for our friends back in Canada, it was time for us to get back on the ship.

Terminal at Cozumel, Mexico

On our cruise ship, the dress code today was cruise elegant.

We dressed up and met up with the couple, Robert and Dana, from Ottawa for dinner in the dining hall.

We had some great conversations and have a fun dinner!

R.T.
Cozumel
Mexico

Serenity Lounge - an Adult Lounge on Our Carnival Miracle Cruise Ship

Serenity Lounge - an adult only lounge

There were many beautiful places to stop for a coffee or a drink on board of the Carnival Miracle ship during our recent cruise trip.

One of those places was the Serenity Lounge - a place for adult passengers only,  a respite from all the loud music.

The bar at the Serenity Lounge, Deck 9

It was an ideal place place to read, to nap or just hang out and relax.

We loved the comfortable furniture, especially the huge blue clam shell style chairs positioned with an ocean view on the upper deck of the Serenity Lounge.
















We had one full sea day and there would be another sea day when the cruise ship would be sailing at sea for the whole day.

Instead of  betting at the casino on board or drinking at one of the pubs, we spent quite a bit of time at the Serenity Lounge on Deck 9.

With our coffee or cold drinks beside us, I could enjoy writing on my computer without any domestic interruptions while my husband was reading or taking a nap beside me.

With the sunny blue sky above us, cool breezes blowing and the sound of ocean water splashing against the ship, we did not have a care in the world at that moment. It was a great feeling!

Upper level of the Serenity Lounge

On the upper level of the Serenity Lounge, it was the ideal place for us to catch the sunset.

Watching the sunset on Deck 9 of our cruise ship

We were there at least three times enjoying the sunset.


A wonderful place to be at dusk!

Relaxing at the Serenity Lounge on our cruise ship

R.T.
Serenity Lounge
Deck 9
Carnival Cruise Ship

Day 5 - An Excursion to Starfish Island and Snorkeling in Belize's Barrier Reef

Cruise Trip  Day 5 – Belize

Today we visited our third port of call. Our cruise ship - the Carnival Miracle docked near Belize early this morning.

We have never been to Belize and would have liked to go on a city bus tour and learned about the people and history of this country.

However, we also wished to engage in an activity which we otherwise would not have an opportunity to do in Canada. Snorkeling in Belize's Barrier Reef ! We made the decision to go snorkeling.

Our excursion was scheduled to  departe at 8:45am.

We were asked to assemble in the cruise ship’s theatre and waited for our turn to go into the tender boat.

Passengers who purchased land excursions in Belize were asked to sit and wait to be called. There were a lot of people who had signed up for various activities on land.

The cruise staff did an excellent job organizing the tendering of its passengers for the various shore excursions.

We were given a yellow sticker and waited only for a few minutes before our group was called.

Snorkeling Vest

Our group was put in a tender boat which took us to the barrier reef after about a 30 minutes ride.

I was excited and a little nervous about this snorkeling excursion, my third one on this cruise. 

But this was the first time I had to use the full set of snorkeling equipment – mask, snorkeling vest and fins.  

Snorkeling Fins

The instructor gave us very clear instructions what and what not to do when snorkeling in the barrier reef so that we would not destroy any part of this beautiful reef.

We were divided into three groups, beginner, intermediate and advanced.

There were only a few people in the advanced group, about half and half in the immediate and beginner’s group.

Snorkeling in the Barrier Reef in Belize!

I admired some people in the beginners group with some medical problems.
Regardless of their age and some minor medical issues, a few people still wanted to have this experience.   I was inspired by these brave souls who did not seem to be deterred by their apparent limited physical abilities.

We snorkeled in a group in the Barrier Reef. 

With our equipment on properly, we got off the boat from a ladder and into the water. It was a little cool to the touch but as I immersed myself in the water, it was fine.

I was a little nervous at the beginning. So I stayed close to the rescue boat and later to one of the staff members. I learned that I needed to get my breathing rhythm right to prevent getting water into my mouth.

It was tiring but invigorating to snorkel in deep water and watch the colourful fish swimming around me and the coral wavering in the bottom of the sea bed.

The singing dancing bartender on our catamaran!

The snorkeling was scheduled for an hour. Though tired from all the kicking and swimming around, I was glad that I could sustain for the entire duration. From time to time, our guide yield out warnings such as: a stingray is coming!

Look deeper, there is the lobster!

We all listened carefully. In case there was a shark coming close to us.

We snorkeled  and stayed close together as a group. I was  proud when we were done! Though I bought my new snorkeling equipment, I got it mixed up and used the one issued by the staff on the snorkeling catamaran.

While sailing to our next destination, the bartender served us some happy juice. He was a jolly fella, singing and dancing while serving the drinks to us.

His infectious cheerful mood affected us as well! He was more than a bartender, he was an entertainer as well!

Starfish Island, Belize

After the snorkeling in the barrier reef, the catamaran took us to Starfish Island.

Starfish Island, Belize

I was going to buy some wi fi time on the island so that we could check our emails and do some blogging.

But I was told that the wi fi was not available for purchase.

However, the lady in the office was kind enough to give me the password so that I was able to use the  wi fi to check my emails which was all I could do.

We did not want to lie in the sun to sun bath, so we stayed in the shade provided by a thatched roof hut made of palm leaves.



















It was comfortable with the sea breezes blowing .

A gentleman came and started talking to us thinking that he talked to S. sometime earlier.

We had a great conversation with this gentleman from Memphis, Tenseness. He told us that he was a roofer and he got his business from chasing the hails that had damaged people’s roofs.

What a heck of a smart business man!

Starfish Island is a very small but peaceful island with limited amenities.

Starfish Island, Belize

It was quiet without a lot of tourists compared to the other ports, a good place for people like me who enjoy taking pictures of nice scenery.














After our snorkeling excursion, we went back to our cruise ship, relaxed a little and took a nap.

At dinner, we got talking to a nice couple Dana and Robert, from Ottawa, Canada, who later invited us to join them for dinner the next evening.

Another great day full of activities and meeting interesting people on the cruise!

     

R.T.
Starfish Island
Belize

Catching the Sunset on our Caribbean Cruise Ship

After our visit to the Maya West Beach in Roatan,  we got back to our cruise ship around 5:30pm.






Watching the sunset has always been one of my favourite activities no matter where we are.
On this cruise, it was no exception.

Watching the sunset from our Caribbean cruise ship

Since we have been scheduled for dinner at the second seating on this cruise, we had a bit of time.

We went to watch the sunset on the Serenity Lounge on Deck 9.






















Life is beautiful!
However, sometimes the most wonderful thing may only last for a brief moment.

Carpe diem!

That is exactly what we have been doing on this trip.

Enjoying ourselves and catching the sunset whenever we could!

 After watching a magical sunset, we went to the Phantom Theatre and enjoyed the nightly entertainment.

Some members of the Playlist group performers on our cruise ship

The group that has been performing nightly on our cruise is called The Playlist.


They do an excellent job performing a different show for us each night.

Delicious appetizers!

Following the show, we took  our dinner in the Bacchus Dining Room on Deck 2 where a delicious dinner and excellent service awaited us.


To our delight, the wait staff in the dining room performed their dance for us for the 2^nd time this week!

A wonderful dessert!

The best part of the evening was we met another very nice couple with whom we started a casual conversation.

Food seemed to taste better when we were in good company!

After dinner, we watched the 9:30pm show , our second for the evening -  the love and marriage show. It was an interesting show with three volunteered couples answering different questions revealing how much/ little they knew each other.

After the show, we explored Deck 3 and saw the Gatsby Garden, a beautiful place.

Before heading back to our room and calling it a night, we went to Deck 9 to get some hot water.

We came across the Mexican festival with some amazing cravings of watermelons and lots of food! A feast at 11pm as if we didn’t have enough to eat already!

Wow! What a great day!
We did a tour on Roatan, enjoyed a spectacular sunset with my loved one, tasted some excellent desserts and met some interesting people.

I have no complaint about our cruise holiday at all!

R.T.
on a Caribbean Cruise