Cruise!

Overview

We took the kids on a cruise for fall break! I have been feeling guilty that Ryan and I get to go and do all the fun things, so we found a good deal and jumped on it. We left out of Galveston, just a 4-hour drive away. We cruised to Costa Maya, Mexico - which is as far south as you can go in Mexico before you're in Belize - where we saw a Mayan ruin and visited a Mayan village. Then we headed to Cozumel, Mexico where we snorkled. We had a great time! 

Wednesday, Oct 5th - Drive to Galveston & Board Grandeur of the Seas

We got stuck in some Houston traffic, but all in all, it was an easy drive. Ethan's nose bashed into Kate's head on the gangplank onto the ship, and he got a pretty nasty bloody nose. 

We unfortunately learned that the pool was freezing and tiny but enjoyed some hot tub and climbing wall instead. 

The kids discovered the soft serve ice cream machine and had their weight's worth each day. 

We had dinner at the nicer restaurant, The Great Gatsby. Then we put grumpy Kate & Ethan to bed at 7pm, and the rest of us watched the sunset and a trivia game show.

Thursday, October 6th - At Sea

We got up early and ran on the top deck's track. After breakfast, we played some ping pong and did more climbing wall. 

(Shockingly, Brennan's 5th grade teacher - who I sub for from time to time - was also on our cruise. This was Thursday morning when she photo-bombed the kids after breakfast.)

Ethan & Kate enjoyed some time in the Adventure Kids area, while the rest of us played Movie Theme Song trivia. After lunch, the boys headed to a movie, and Kate and I napped and read... and of course got some more ice cream. 

We enjoyed a nice dinner again and put Ethan & Katelyn to bed. The big boys and Ryan & I went to "Who Feels Like a Caribbeanaire?" which was super silly and super fun. 

Friday, October 7th - Puerto Costa Maya

We ran on the track and had breakfast again. After some shuffleboard and ping pong, we headed off the ship for our first excursion. It poured rain as we walked the 2 blocks, but the van was waiting for us early, so that was nice. 

We headed to about an hour to the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins. Our tour guide was great! We walked around and saw the whole compound, including 3 pyramids and lots of stairs. It rained a bit and the bugs were kind of bad. 

These ruins are different from Tulum & Chichen Itza because they are about 1,500 years older and the trees/forest wasn't all chopped down when they were excavated, so we were walking in the forest most of the time. There were monkeys swinging in the trees too, which was awesome. 

After Chacchoben, we rode in a van (just our fam) to a Mayan city, where we were given a tour of a traditional garden and lessons in making tortillas and Mayan salsa. 

Kate got to mix the squash seed powder into the salsa too. We also were treated a nice meal under a tiki hit - chicken, rice, black beans, squash & carrots, hibiscus tea, and more tortillas. 

Back on the ship that night, we decided to let Ethan & Katelyn stay up late to see Family Feud, but it was boring, so we headed to the pool area to watch some Jurassic Park before going to bed.

Saturday, October 8th - Cozumel

Early the next morning, we left the ship for our second excursion. We took a cab to Tortugas Beach Resort, and played on the beach until our boat arrived. Even though the beach part was pretty disappointing, the boat and snorkeling part was amazing! 

The kids had never done it before, but they did great. We saw turtles at our first stop. It was raining, but when you are swimming, the rain doesn't really matter. 

At the second stop, we saw lots and lots of HUGE starfish. 

The third stop was a huge area of amazing coral and lots of fish. 

The last stop was a sandbar of the softest, white sand and the clearest teal water I've ever seen! We swam with the stingrays and chased the fish. We ate ceviche, guacamole, chips, and pineapple on a floaty in the water while we played. 

This was the best relaxation we had the whole trip! After getting back to the ship, we got dressed up to attend the Broadway Music Show. 

Sunday, October 9th - At Sea

The water was really rough today, and Katelyn & I were pretty motion-sick, unfortunately. The kids built their egg-drop contraption with Ryan and enjoyed a movie in the theater while I tried to get it together. We played Harry Potter trivia too. During my "fresh air and deep breathing" time, I got to see this fun fruit & vegetable carving demonstration. 

That afternoon was the Egg-Drop Challenge, where their contraption was completely different from everyone else's and easily survived the first round despite not having a parachute. The second round was for accuracy, and ours led the whole time, but one parachuting egg lucked out and landed an inch closer to the target. We took 2nd place and were super disappointed. 

After the egg-drop was the Parade of Nations, where each country of the staff was represented with music and dance. 

After our last dinner, we headed to the concluding show, which was a comedy juggler. Super fun! They also did a farewell from the ship staff. 

Monday, October 10th - Drive home from Galveston

By the time we woke up, we were already back in port. We ate a quick breakfast, exited the ship, and drove home to Boerne. We had a traffic problems in Houston, but all in all, it went very smoothly. 

All in all, we are a bit on the fence about cruising again. The kids LOVED it - all you can eat all the time - but my stomach has still not settled more than a full day later. I always figured it would be hard for me, and unfortunately, I was right. I'm sure we'll go again in a few years, but we probably won't be regulars like some.