We went on a cruise. Neither of us had ever been before. We were extra-careful to choose an itinerary that was appealing to us, but our inexperience left us feeling just a teeny bit skeptical. So, we hedged our bets and extended the trip by hopping off the boat at the last stop and staying an extra week. I highly recommend this.
Turns out, cruises are awesome! And very low-maintenance, just as everyone promised me. Food was amazing. We made some new friends at our dinner table, and there was always some form of entertainment going on. (I think my favorite was the night we went clubbing. We may not have been the best dancers on the floor, but I'm pretty sure we had more fun than anyone else.)
We sort of made things up as we went and chose our excursions the night before each port, which revealed a very unexpected trend:
Grand Cayman: diving
Roatan: zip-line tour, then diving
Belize: charter plane ride to the Cayes, then diving
Cozumel/Playa del Carmen: diving in the ocean, going to church, roaming 5th Ave, and diving in a cenote (imagine spelunking...only the cave is filled with water)
Turns out we're both obsessed! Will we ever be able to plan a trip again without first considering if we'll be able to dive there?
We diversified a little when we got to beautiful Tulum: See ruins, count iguanas, be lazy, watch Mexico beat France, watch LA beat Boston, take naps on the beach, go for long walks on the beach, try to take pictures of the stars, try to find turtles laying eggs, hitch a ride from fishermen to check out the ruins again from the water at "sunrise," mourn the imminent return to "real life..."
All good things must end. But you know what? Even though we're no longer lounging around paraiso, life is still good.
