On Thursday morning last, a cold and crisp morning, Wendy and I really did board a cruise ship; after 42 years of marriage, I finally took Wendy on cruise; something she has desired for a long time. For my part, I had no real desire for a getting on a cruise ship, getting out over water and getting far from high ground, yet I knew it was time to take care of the good wife! We climbed atop the Carnival Triumph, found our balcony state room and immediately went to lunch at Guy's Burger Joint. We explored all the various places to eat and then returned to the room to watch the ship leave the port of New Orleans. Being a local we watched the ship turn around to pull away from the Crescent City Connection as we enjoyed the pre-sunset view of Algiers Point and then many familiar points downriver. Dinner was next where we met a nice couple from Birmingham As we left the river, close to midnight, we began to see the big majestic oil rigs that dot the landscape. Friday was travel day, all day on the sea. Unlike what I had been told by so many, we actually experienced some rough weather late in the day and we rolled a bit, even rocked some. Although apprehensive, I was managing the situation. Friday was a mix of food, drinks, activities and shows. I was getting the hang of this but walking on a big boat that moving was a challenge. Friday night Wendy and I took in a great show with excellent dancing and singing.
Keep in mind we are on this boat now at a day and a half and on the water for well over 24 hours. Everything Wendy and I are doing is learning on the fly and then add in the rough weather and things are interesting. We are now so looking forward to Saturday morning because we are going ashore, a 6 hour stay in Cozumel, an island part of the Yucatan and what will be for us stepping upon our 4th foreign country. But when it came time to disembark, the rain came down, hard and sideways. If we carried it, owned it or wore it, it was soaked. We boarded buses soaking wet and made it to a Mayan village for a folklore event; various cooking demonstrations, a Mayan prayer of some sort, a demonstration of a Mayan sporting event, kind of like soccer but played on a most unusual field, oh by the way, if you were the winner, you earned the right to be sacrificed to the "gods". Oh, did I mention there was tequila tasting, not once but a few times. Then finally lunch and some Mayan folk dancing and our day was done in Cozumel Mexico.
Now this is where things get very interesting. Not maybe 15 minutes after leaving port, the seas became angry. We were now in some uncharacteristic rough seas for a Carnival cruise and was all you could do to get your legs under you. For that reason, and because we had such a busy day in Cozumel, we called it quits after dinner. Sometimes, when you are in bed, the rocking of the boat is kind of peaceful, and sometimes when it actually shakes, it's quite disturbing. Come Sunday morning, still rough seas and even more seasoned cruisers and some staff were mentioning the unusual aspect of that days weather event. Scheduled activities were being moved or cancelled, the pools were drained of the waters and deck chairs removed, it was something else. Yet, Wendy and I endured and found various fun things to do. Finally, as we approached the Mississippi River, the seas calmed a bit and once in the river, no more problems. Wendy and I took in a show dedicated to New Orleans music, had dinner, packed our bags, prepared for today, our return trip home. And home we are; we did it; Wendy and I successfully navigated our first cruised and really enjoyed it, despite the bad weather and rough seas.
Some things I found interesting: only a distance of about 90 miles, it takes 7 hours or so to navigate the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico and vice-versa. Also, it is approximately 640 nautical miles from New Orleans to Cozumel. I also found out that the ship we were on, the Triumph, is scheduled for a complete overhaul soon in dry-dock. Also, there are employees on board from over 80 nations and I think we were told there is approximately 50 languages spoken by the crew. Final interesting tidbit, despite the Mayan history, culture and presence in the Yucatan, since the arrival of the Spanish, there is no longer anyone living there that is fully 100% Mayan.
So even though there is so much more I could add, and may at some point in the days to come, that's about all for now. So the question needs to be asked, will I do this again? The answer is I would be very open to it. So we will see.
Cruise, check; Mexico, check; we survived(and had fun), check!
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