Vaca Recap Part 1

So, I know this is what you all have been waiting for. Let me just say, as much as I love going on vacation - I love coming home more :) There's just something so comforting about getting back into your routine. Anyway - vacation started out a little rough thanks to Mother Nature. We got an extended layover in the Las Vegas airport and finally got to our hotel in Fort Lauderdale around 2:00 a.m. A few hours later we got up, check out the beaches and then headed to the port. We were all processed through and on the boat by 2:00. Photos are the boat on the right and the sunset over Florida on the left. We never managed to get up early enough to see a sunrise.

Once boarding the boat we had to figure out where everything was. We were on level 7, at the back of the boat and everything else was on 9 and above (all the outdoor decks) or on 5 - the casino and shopping. Most things were at the front of the boat. We never used an elevator once!

After our first "Fun Day at Sea," we docked in Cozumel, Mexico. We had booked a clear canoe/snorkeling excursion. The canoe was interesting (I saw a starfish) and I don't snorkel. JB said it wasn't as good as Hawaii.

After being returned to the boat shopping - we took off on foot to check out a little bit of Cozumel. We saw horse buggies - this guy was wearing a straw hat - too funny! On our way back, JB thought the fountain made a good photo op. Yes, I did wear skirts most of the time on vacation.

Turn around is fair play - so I made him have a photo with this donkey! A Sunset over Mexico. We had another very relaxing sea day before arriving in Costa Rica on Wednesday the 24th. Never having cruised before, we didn't really know what to expect with the excursions and had booked them in all the ports. In Costa Rica we signed up for a 4.5 hour bike tour through a village. Well, first we loaded into a bus and drove for 2 hours to get the bikes. Then we got to bike.

We saw three different varieties of toucans and 2 different breeds of monkeys. It was pretty amazing to just be riding along the road, hear a bird and see such amazing birds. Or look around and see an entire family of monkeys laying in a tree. After riding along the street we headed down the beach and got rained on! Anyway - proof that we actually do vacation together. The ocean was washing in around this rock and it was beautiful. The next photo is taken from a cliff. It was a very slippery climb to get up there, but the view was well worth it.

After carefully climbing back down, we pushed our bikes back through the sand, then road them back to the starting point. Where they provided a snack of fresh fruit and juice. JB tried mango and enjoyed it! This is amazing because he hasn't eaten mango in 14 years since my sister gave him one that wasn't quite ripe.

After boarding the boat, we went up on deck to capture the sunset. There were no chairs out, so I just sat down on the deck and pulled out my knitting.

While on the boat, we saw several movies (there is an outdoor movie screen and 2 free movies daily in your cabin); we saw several musical shows and a few comedians. We had plenty of time to lounge around soaking in the sun reading or knitting.

Tomorrow - Panama and Florida.