Waking up with a sore throat and the fear of the onslaught of something worse sadly marked the arrival into Cozumel. But I was not going to let that stop me for this was the part of the trip that I had looked forward to the most; seeing and walking amongst the Mayan ruins.
In typical cruise boat fashion, we gathered at a certain time in our groups before heading to the ferry that would take us to the mainland. The ferry ride took a little more than 45 minutes. From there, a mile-or-so walk to the busses in 100°+ heat. This walk was through a crowded little shopping district where locals beckoned the tourists to depart with their money. Finally, we are back on the bus for an hour-and-fifteen minute ride to the ruins. This means that we started getting ready to head to the ruins around 10:00 a.m. but didn’t arrive until well after 1:00 p.m. – and in stifling heat.
The most astonishing thing one notices upon arrival is the color of the water; I have never seen such pristine, crystal blue liquid before. As with all our previous stops, we had pre-arranged the day’s tour – this time, a turtle farm and the stingray encounter. In typical cruise fashion, we waited for the requisite bus to carry us to our destination. Our first stop, the turtle farm, was a fabulous experience (albeit, a tad touristy, but I can look beyond that just to see these amazing primordial creatures). For $3.00, you can buy a bag of kibble to feed the larger animals and they allow you to hold and pet the smaller, four month-old turtles. Given the instruction that when they start flapping a bit, a simple stroke under the chin calms them down.
There is a Seventh Level of Hell and it is a place where a cruise ships dock and the 4,300+ inhabitants must disembark and attempt to board waiting travel busses to various excursions. I’ve invoked the term abattoir in this cruising experience and that feeling is no more prevalent when thousands of people are sardined in on staircases, waiting to pour out of a small hole in the side of the boat. Once the exit is achieved, the feeling continues as one walks into a giant room where lines are being formed to get on the travel vans.
Labadee is interesting in that although part of Haiti, it is really a privately-owned beach-front resort built and established by Royal Caribbean®. This means that the nitty gritty that may be considered unsafe in Haiti is beyond the bounds of the tourists visiting this gorgeous locale. Inasmuch, the cruise ship sets up more than ample activities, including jet-ski, parasailing, and – in my case – snorkeling.
The boat is anchored and the guests take a “tender” (a smaller boat) to the shore line. There, multiple lounge chairs are set-up on the beach, drinks are offered shore-side, and various bands perform Reggae music with CDs for sale. It is all terribly commercial, contrived, and rather forced, which is a shame for such a beautiful location. But, acknowledging the questionable safety of the nation as a whole, perhaps there are some internal benefits to the residents of Haiti that may not be seen to the general public.
I am on a cruise. Yeah, this is the sort of thing my parents used to do. I admit; I’ve been on cruises before (two with my parents before they passed away as part of family vacations). Last January, my two sisters asked me if I wanted to join them on a cruise. They are now part of that “cruise community” meaning they are frequent cruisers – at least once a year.
What I didn’t realize when I agreed to go on the trip was that I was booking myself on the world’s largest cruise ship, the Liberty of the Seas. I won’t give you the specifics on the trip. I’ll just tell you that it is bloody big. Take a scan through my pics if you aren’t sure. This boat has 22 cocktail bars (one fashioned after a British pub, a Champagne bar, one with a nautical theme, etc.), two different pool areas (one for adults and one for kids), an ice skating, rink, a Johnny Rockets, a Ben & Jerry’s, and the Promenade displays a Morgan +4 vehicle.