Back from Vacation...

... and it was AWESOME!!!

The pics above start with Galveston. I went there for the 4th (3 nights) to spend time with my family and hang out on the beach. We typically go twice a year. The beach was great, although we had some storms on Friday/Saturday related to Hurricane Alex.

If you've never been on a cruise (like me), I've been told you fall into one of two categories: You either love it or you hate it. I was hoping I wouldn't fall into the "hate" mix... and I'm proud to say that I definitely didn't! If you're looking for "simple," then a cruise is definitely for you.

Since we stayed at the Tremont Hotel the night before, we were able to park for free throughout the week. They shuttled us over and we arrived at the terminal at noon. Would you believe we were on the ship in less than 30 minutes? (I was told it could be up to 2 hours!)

Everyone was extremely welcoming... we immediately went to the "Activity" desk and booked our 2 excursions and one ship tour. We then grabbed a drink and walked around the ship. In some ways the ship was larger than expected... and in others it was smaller (if that makes sense). There are a lot of stairs, but thankfully quite a few elevators!

We went to the back of the ship to eat lunch - it was packed. That wasn't a very good first impression for me - tons and tons of people trying to eat (including screaming kids!). But the food was good and we weren't there long.

After the safety briefing, we started moving and David and I headed up to the front of the ship to watch us go out. It was fascinating - I've been to Galveston so many times, but never out the ship channel.

We went to check out our room and our luggage was sitting outside the door. The room was actually bigger than I expected - including the bathroom. The Ecstasy is an older ship - built in 1991 - but it was refurbished a few years ago.

That night we had dinner (3 courses) and then headed over to the karaoke bar. All I can say is people do the funniest things when they know they won't be seen by those around them ever again! It was hilarious! One big fat white guy got up there and sang "Baby Got Back" and brought the house down!

Oh, one thing on the dinner - they seated us at a table for 2. You're assigned a table throughout the cruise, so this was ours. It was a little surprising... we really thought we'd be sitting with others. But, there were A LOT of families on this cruise...

Tuesday was a sea day - we had no idea of the time when we woke up because it was so dark in the room (no window) - it was 10:3o AM! That day we lounged around a lot, went to the Casino, enjoyed the bars, and got dressed up for dinner.

One night on the cruise is a "dressy" night. David wore a suit and I put on a sport coat. Well, our little "table for two" table finally sought revenge/embarrassment. When the dinner was almost over, our waiter asked (in all seriousness) if we were celebrating an anniversary. Uugh... right then it felt like the spotlight was directed on us! Good gravy!

Wednesday we arrived at Progresso, Mexico, in a blinding rainstorm! A tropical depression was sitting right on top of us when we docked... and we had to be on the bus by 7:00... so we headed out into it. Everyone was running except me... oh well. David hung with me, though. He's a good friend. We were soaked from head to toe. Thankfully, the rain ended before we got to the ruins.

We drove 2.5 hours to Chichen Itza, the largest Mayan ruin site. It was very impressive, very large, and very touristy. It was interesting to learn about the culture (Mayans are of Mongolian ancestry). I was told by my fam that it would be a lot of walking, and they weren't lying. My knee was speaking to me! We drove back in order to make it back on the ship by 2:30... we arrived at 2:45 and the ship took off at 3:30.

That night we had another nice dinner in the dining room (I started asking the waiter what he recommended and it was always the right choice), then went back to the room. My knee was killing me, and I needed an ice pack in the biggest way.

Thursday we arrived at Cozumel - that island is incredibly beautiful. The water is very blue, the sand is very white, and believe it or not, most of the locals we ran into spoke very good English. We had signed up (on the ship) for a "Snorkel/Beach Party" excursion. Basically, it's a "Booze Cruise" that takes you snorkeling and to a beach.

Jumping into the water was awesome - we were on a reef where there were tons of fish in about 25 feet of water. Immediately these little tiger fish were swimming all around us thinking we were going to feed them. I saw all colors of fish... but the most impressive was a HUGE school moving beneath us... thousands of fish! It looked like a large black cloud.

Oh yeah, we also saw a barracuda. It was about 3 feet long... and it was very cool! Plus, the coral was purple and blue... As you can see, I really enjoyed it. We snorkeled for about 45 minutes, and then they called us up. I took pics with an underwater camera (future blog), but need to get them developed.

Then we headed to a beach - it was great. Very relaxing... drank beers and margaritas, swam in the water (floated on my back!), and hung out for about an hour... then headed back to the dock.

We had one mission: Buy watches. After about an hour of browsing and haggling in a recommended shop (by the cruise), we emerged with some nice watches. We then had lunch at a great little restaurant where we met the waitress who promised to show us more of Cozumel if we ever came back.

Friday was another sea day - but we did something really cool. We signed up on the first day to have a "ship tour." For the next 3 hours, we got a tour of the control room (engines), laundry, galley (kitchen), trash, storage, stage (performances), crew quarters, crew break room/galley/gym, and the bridge. Up there we met the captain (got a picture with him), saw the navigational equipment, and asked them a bunch of questions. It was freakin' awesome!

That night we ate at the sushi bar (we ate A LOT of sushi on this trip!), went to a show, went to the karaoke bar, listened to a very R-rated comedian (he was funny, though), and then went to a dance club (yes, we met some chiquitas to hang out with because if you know me, I don't dance!) It was a late night (and don't ask me any questions!)

Overall, the trip was just what the doctor ordered. I enjoyed the conveniences, the staff, and all of the excursions. The food was good, the drinks were plentiful, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun and easy vacation.

What would I do differently? Don't go in the summertime - too many kids/families. Make sure the boat has an "adult" pool because the main pool was a bit too small and crowded (never got in). We hung out in an adult area, but it only had 2 very hot jacuzzis. Oh, and make sure you break your twenties down so that you have money to tip with. Let's just say some locals got very nice tips.

Now, back to reality... I go see my surgeon in the morning. I'm pretty sure we're going to schedule the surgery.

More later...