When I was a kid, we went on a cruise ship called The Big Red Boat. From the way my parents tell it, this was a cheap, rundown ship not worth the idolization I gave it (when we docked in the Bahamas we took a photo in front of a different boat just to pretend), but I had the time of my 11 year old life. I made so many friends and spent all week running around the ship, chasing boys (who wanted nothing to do with me in my giant glasses and bandannas), and participating in ship-run activities for my age group. I couldn't have been happier.
I begged my parents to take us on another cruise for years, and finally, when I was 19, we went on a Carnival cruise around the Caribbean.
Well, 19 has to be the worst possible age you can be on a cruise ship. You're too old to participate in kid activities, but you're too young to frequent the bars or order drinks. On the last night I actually discovered a club for teenagers, but then of course I ended up being stalked by some Spanish creep until I literally had to walk back to my room and shut the door in his face to get him to leave me alone, so that was a failed night as well.
The ship was called the Carnival Liberty and was about 11 floors. My brothers and I were rooming on the Riviera deck, the first floor. A reggae band would play up on the Lido deck where the pool was, and there was a big screen that would show movies.
Looking like a miserable teenager at the pool.
I spent a lot of my time wandering aimlessly around the ship. You could usually find me on the Panorama deck smoking cigarettes by the railing.
I'd meet my family for dinner on floor 3, and sometimes I'd get bored enough to go drop coins into that infuriating coin-pusher game in the casino, usually wasting all my money. I generally avoid casinos, but that game has a weird reward factor when you hear the jingle of the coins finally dropping over the edge, only to leave you empty and depressed after you've put them all right back in.
Floor 3 had a jazz club called the Cabinet where Pete and I would attend tea time, and one night we joined the jazz and cigar night which made me feel like a classy sophisticate.
There was also the Venetian Palace Theater which hosted shows like the Marriage Game, kids talent show, and trivia games. Of course, my name was drawn for the trivia just after I drank a full flask of rum that I'd bought in Cayman, and I was failing so miserably by the end that the host actually asked a pity question about what state I was from so that I would at least be on the board. Not my proudest moment.
One highlight is that at least all of the food is included (my youngest brother Daniel's favorite perk- he gained 10 pounds in one week), and there was even a midnight buffet at some point.
Overall, the thing that surprised me about this second cruise was that I was much more into the destinations than the ship itself, so this was probably around the years where I was getting into traveling.
Cozumel
I love Mexico. I had been to Cancun twice as a child, and my memories from those summers include speedboats, street artists, hot weather, the blue tiled pool at Oasis, virgin daiquiris at the swim-up bar, and my grandmother dancing on tables.
My aunt bringing us up right.
Oh, and sitting on top of a real live nurse shark.
Our first stop on this cruise was the Mexican island of Cozumel.
I signed up to ride ATVs to some Mayan ruins, and my family left me on my own for that one. It was such a blast. They provided helmets and bandannas and gave us a brief on how to ride the quads, then we were off on a complicated path through the jungle. Some areas were wide open, then we'd veer off onto some narrow dirt path, clipping trees on the way. The dust was no joke. Going down some hills I couldn't even see what was in front of me through the dust cloud spiraling in the air.
Riding the ATVs themselves was worth the trip alone, but the fact that we were able to stop and visit ancient Mayan ruins along the way made it even better.
By the time we had finished, I was caked in dirt from head to toe. It was awesome.
This was only halfway through the ride and I already looked like a coal miner.
Fending off questions about my appearance, I made my way back to the ship to shower, meet up with my family, and grab some lunch, then we headed to a very touristy and expensive beach. You were required to spend at least $10 per person during your time there, so luckily I was able to have a few tropical cocktails while laying out on a recliner.
Obviously no trip to Mexico is complete without stopping in one of the party bars, so my Aunt Karen and I made a detour to Carlos & Charlie's before returning to the ship where I could finally have a real alcoholic drink with her.
Grand Cayman Island
I've got to be honest, I didn't see much of Grand Cayman. Since I had signed up for fairly expensive tours in Jamaica and Mexico (while the rest of them hadn't signed up for anything in Cozumel), this was my time off destination. My family had all gone on a tour, which left just me and my young second-cousin Caitlyn on the boat for the morning.
I wasn't entirely sure what to with her. She was one of those kids who wasn't very interested in anything at all. We'd have nice dinners on the ship and the chefs would have to specially cook up some chicken nuggets for her because it was the only thing she would eat. So we met up and went onto the island, and I wasn't sure where to go. I asked her what she wanted to do. "I don't care." "Do you want to shop?" "I don't care." "Do you want to go to Margaritaville?" "I don't care." And so off to Maragaritaville we went.
So unfortunately, my main takeaway from Grand Cayman was that the frozen cocktails at Margaritaville were delicious, and so was the rum that you could buy on the islands. Grand Cayman actually used to be Tortuga, which is a name you likely recognize from Pirates of the Caribbean. You can buy Tortuga rum there, and it is the best rum I've ever had. I bought a flask of vanilla rum on the way back to the ship, and I still have the bottle at home that I like to open and just smell sometimes. That doesn't sound weird at all. It's like birthday cake!
Jamaica
The last port of our cruise was my favorite. We were in Ocho Rios, and I loved everything about it. The markets, the laid-back attitudes, the palm trees, the Jamaican accents.
I spent the day with my Aunt Karen, Daniel, and Caitlyn, because we were going to swim with dolphins. Alright, disclaimer: I know that there is some controversy around the treatment of animals at these types of tourist attractions. I love animals, I'm a devout vegetarian, and I try my best not to endorse any type of activity that might be inhumane. If I was signing up for the activity now, I would have done some research into the center where we swam, but at the time I was 19 and hadn't thought about the captivity of dolphins.
At any rate, we went to Dolphin Cove, and I had no negative impressions about the wellbeing of the dolphins. The swimming areas were outdoors, there were multiple pools and caretakers, and it looked like the dolphins were energetic and in good spirits with plenty of space to swim. The pools were right beside the ocean, just cordoned off.
We were given lifejackets and split into groups of 10, each with our own guide. The experience was awesome. They showed us how to call the dolphins with hand movements, and one would swim over to us. We'd take the fins, straighten our arms, and the dolphin would lay on its back and swim, pulling us along.
We each got to pet one of the dolphins and take photos with her, and she was so intelligent and friendly. They demonstrated echolocation by having us toss a ring and then have her find it underwater.
She even danced and "sang" for us. It was so cute and an experience I have so much appreciation for. Dolphins are really amazing creatures.
Afterwards, we walked over to Dunns River Falls, where we were split up again into groups of about 25.
Our guides were really entertaining, and I seriously could just listen to Jamaicans talk all day. We started at the bottom of the falls and made our way up, and the climb was slightly challenging. The rocks were slippery, and we all held hands and helped each other along the way, but it was tons of fun.
So in opposition to my first cruise where the Bahamas just seemed like a distraction from all the fun I was having on the ship, this time it was the various ports that made the whole vacation so memorable. I wouldn't mind taking a cruise again one day. Although it's definitely cheaper to explore destinations on your own, this is a stress-free way to travel from island to island and take in multiple places in a week, all the while being able to relax and enjoy the journey itself. Besides, of all the seas and oceans I have seen, nothing beats the water of the Caribbean.
