Cruisin' November 09

Cruisin' November '09

Our Western Caribbean Cruise. This November (2009), my husband Fred and I were lucky enough to receive this wonderful trip to the Western Caribbean.Â We had such a great time that I wanted to share some of it with you. First, we flew into Miami, then drove up to Boca Raton to visit a couple of my high school friends, Barbi and Steve. They have a beautiful 45 foot boat, or small yacht, which they've dreamed of owning for years. We spent the day cruising the waterways around Boca, then enjoyed dinner as they shared their stories of deep sea diving and all the wonderful places their boat has taken them. The next day we embarked on our cruise ship, the Carnival Valor. For the next seven days we cruised the Caribbean and visited four different ports of call along the way.
	Port of Miami


Costa Maya Our first 'port of call' was Costa Maya, Mexico. We did some shopping, then had lunch in an open-air restaurant on the water. Some other ladies from the ship were dancing to Latin music and didnâ€™t have much trouble getting me to join them.Â We even managed to get Fred to join us for a song -- though I donâ€™t have any pictures to prove it.

Susan. . .dancin' with the girls!

Belize The second port we vistied was Belize, a small country bordering Mexico, where we took a shore trip to a series of river caves. To get to the caves, we rode in a van with seven other guests for about an hour into the countryside. Once we arrived, our tour guide gave us lighted helmets and inner tubes. However, we still had a ways to go to reach the river. So we hiked two miles, as our tour guide identified the surrounding trees and vegetation. When we reached the river, we jumped in, climbed onto our inner tubes and hooked together. Then we headed downstream. As we entered the first cave, all talking ceased as we tried to take in the beauty of these caves. Due to the water, I didn't have my camera, and thus don't have any pictures of these beautiful caves. But their memory will always be with us. They were stunning and huge, with wide openings and many channels going off this way and that. The Mayans once used these caves to hide from enemies.Â The rock formations took many shapes and colors. It took us about an hour to float through them and ended before we wanted to leave.Â This was the highlight of our cruise and one I recommend to anyone that gets the chance to visit Belize.
	Our Own Balcony
	Dressing For Dinner

Cozumel Our third 'port of call' was Cozumel Mexico. Again, we walked around the town and did some shopping. We also took pictures of some of the more colorful locals; the Pirate and the Mayan costume were displayed as they were worn years ago.
	The Valor & Carnival "Sister" Ship
Pirate and Mayan

Our final port of call was Grand Cayman. Here we took a trip in a small boat to a spot called â€œStingray City.â€ The water was crystal clear and beautiful shades of blue, varying from light to dark to turquoise. Even though we were miles from land, the water was only about four feet deep. So we put on our snorkel gear and joined the stingrays as they swam around us. Some of them were six feet across, and all were very graceful. They love people and, hoping to be fed, they swam between our legs and even allowed us to hold them gently in our arms. Again, I have no pictures because my camera isn't water proof.
Fun On The Ship
	The dining room staff dances and sings, entertaining us at the end of 'another' wonderful meal.
	<-- James, Susan, Fred & Kim These last pictures are of the wonderful people who work on the cruise ship: our cabin steward, Errol, and the dining room staff, James and Kim.Â They treated us like royalty and made us never want to leave! Errol & Susan -->
Thank you for letting me share this with all of you. I hope you have enjoyed it!