THE CRUISE

The second portion of our trip was spent on a Carnival cruise to the Western Caribbean, which included a stop in Key West and another in Cozumel, Mexico. Jerm and I had never been on a cruise before, and we both agreed that it was an enjoyable experience. I am going to post pictures with captions in lieu of a long narrative about the trip; I just don’t have that kind of brain power right now.

We embarked on our oceanic adventure in Miami. Here, Jerm is posing with Miami as a backdrop, even though you may not be able to tell. Upon boarding, we immediately soaked in the sights of the ship, becoming familiar with the various levels and places to eat and such.

The ship provided iteneraries full of activities and goings-on for each day of the cruise, and one of our favorite activities was karaoke. On the very first day, a contest was held to see who could identify the most artists based on song titles. I am proud to say that, thanks to Jerm, we answered all twenty songs correctly and won this golden "ship on a stick" trophy.

That evening, the stateroom staff left this cute little towel animal on our bed. They did this each evening of the cruise.


The second day of the cruise was a seven hour stop in Key West, Florida. Jerm and I boarded a trolley for a tour, driving by various landmarks with a conductor describing the history of the island and its buildings.

Highway 1 begins and ends in Key West.

The southern-most point in the U.S. Cuba is 90 miles away.

The gate to Ernest Hemingway's house. I tried to get a good picture,but all of the trees surrounding the house didn't allow for it. This is as close as we got.


On the third day of the cruise, we arrived in Cozumel and were allowed 8 hours to spend on the island.

We took a taxi to a park four miles away from the port, called Chankanaab Park, and we snorkeled and hung out on the beach for most of the day.

We actually took this picture on the ship before going to the beach, but I think it is such a good picture because it shows how clear and blue the water was. Plus, we are in our about-to-go-to-the-beach outfits. Though you can't really see it, I got the white dress in Key West for $5.00. Unfortunately, Jerm washed it today, and I'm not even sure it would fit a toddler. Maisie didn't like it when I tried to put it on her either.

A fun picture I took, though it doesn't do the place justice. You can see a small portion of the thatch hut that we were sitting under that provided us with some much-needed shade.


After the beach, Jerm and I returned to the ship to have dinner, and then we returned to do a little souvenir shopping in the various shops surrounding the port. I really wouldn't mind visiting only Cozumel one day. It was such a beautiful place!

The last day of the cruise was spent at sea, and Jerm and I pretty much seized the opportunity to eat and karaoke as much as possible. All in all, it was a very fun and much-needed trip, and we will definitely go on another cruise again.