Hola Mi Amigos
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Morning- Ships and Ships and More Ships, Oh My
We all slept much better this night, especially me since the bed was now perpendicular to the ship and I did not feel the swaying as much since I was now moving front and back. However, due to the darkness (and I mean COMPLETE darkness) of the inside cabin I kept waking up thinking I had overslept and missed getting off the ship. I eventually just set an alarm on my phone and we all got up around 7:00AM. If you are sailing in an inside cabin it is easy to lose track of time and sleep later and longer than usual. Be sure to bring an alarm clock or smart phone with you if you are sailing in an inside cabin. Chris decided to go jogging as I got the kids ready. Luke threw yet another fit because he did not understand why he had to wear a swimsuit now since we were not at the beach yet. I finally got him to get the swim trunks on by bribing him with Lucky Charms.
Chris got done jogging and met up with us on the Lido Deck for the morning breakfast buffet. On our way to the buffet we saw the Towel Animal display at the main pool. This is done on all Carnival ships towards the end of each sailing. The kids LOVED walking around and naming all the towel animals! Be sure to check it out when you sail on Carnival. After we saw all the towel animals I took the kids up to deck 10 to look at the Mexico mainland but instead they wanted to walk on top of the empty deck chairs! Either way, they still had fun!
Part of the Towel Animal display at the main pool.
Hello from Cozumel, Mexico!
Natalie's 1st Buoy picture!
Walking on the empty deck chairs.
Luke loved this and didn't want to get off.
"Look Mommy, that is land"
I love this girl so much and she loved the ocean!
They love this ship!
The kids did really well as we went through the buffet line with the other 500 people. They loved looking at all that was offered and for the most part they both ate about 70% of what they took so I was happy with the outcome. We all finished our breakfast at the bar overlooking the water as the Captain carefully pulled us in to dock at the International Cruise Pier in Cozumel.
Daddy being silly!
Luke really liked the fresh fruit on the buffet.
A few of the swimmers!
Natalie's 1st Buoy picture!
Walking on the empty deck chairs.
Luke loved this and didn't want to get off.
"Look Mommy, that is land"
I love this girl so much and she loved the ocean!
They love this ship!
Luke really liked the fresh fruit on the buffet.
We typically see multiple ships when in port but we seem to always see ships in various ports and then take a cruise on the same ship (or sister ship) in the future so we were anxious to see which ships were in Cozumel. We saw 2 Royal Caribbean ships at the Royal Pier which turned out to be the Brilliance of the Seas and the Independence of the Seas. The Independence of the Seas is a Freedom class ship in the Royal's fleet and is the same as the Liberty of the Seas of which we will sail in March 2017 for our 11th anniversary.
The Independence of the Seas!
Once we finished breakfast we climbed up to the 11th deck to see the north side of the island and the Emerald Princess who was docked at the 3rd of Carnival's Piers. The Emerald Princess is a Grand Princess class ship which is the same class/ size of the Caribbean Princess of which we will sail on in March 2016 for our 10th Wedding Anniversary.
The back of the Emerald Princess... I hate the way this looks!
The Emerald Princess!
We played our traditional round of mini golf and this time Chris won. I had a fairly large lead going into the 6th hole but lost it all and Chris ended up winning!
Chris... The Mini-Golf winner (of this cruise).
Natalie playing golf... She did very well and finally got the grip of the club correct!
Luke had a lot of fun running all over the empty course.
The Emerald Princess!
We played our traditional round of mini golf and this time Chris won. I had a fairly large lead going into the 6th hole but lost it all and Chris ended up winning!
Luke had a lot of fun running all over the empty course.
After we completed our golf game we went down to the room to get our stuff ready to get off the ship. We planned on getting off and going straight to the taxi stand to get a cab to Mr. Sancho's Beach Club. We were cleared by customs around 9:20AM and headed down to deck 0 via the stairways. We did have to wait longer than usual and we were even took around the ship to a secret passage way by the cruise staff to get off the ship faster and we were still off the ship by 9:35AM.
We snapped a few pictures of the ship and we were off to hail a cab. We were able to get a large van to haul all 7 of us to Mr. Sancho's which was about 12km away from the cruise terminal. The cost of this taxi was $34 each way, which is still a pretty good deal for that many people. We got there and were greeted by the owners of the beach club and taken to our beach chairs and dining table. We were fortunate to get there early enough to get a large covered area which we needed for our very delicate and fair skinned group.
Once we got there we had the kids lather up in sunscreen and we headed to the water just feet away. Natalie immediately went into the water and splashing around. The tide was high and the water was coming up as high as the lounge chairs and Luke got a little scared. He would have no part of the water. Yet again... No family pictures for us! I totally struck out in this category!
She loved this beach... "Wow, mommy the water is pretty"!
Why yes it is Natalie!
Why yes it is Natalie!
Luke was really scared and started to throw a fit but I calmed him down and within minutes he was playing in the sand and the shallow part of the water. He never really went into the water more than 1-2 feet but he still had fun. Allison, my parents and Chris swam all the way out to the buoys in the very deep waters. I stayed with Luke and Natalie was swimming by herself in the shallow waters. Auntie Allie came and played with Luke in the sand so I could go out and enjoy the water! I was able to take Natalie out to the deeper part of the water and us and Auntie Allie were able to experience an entire school of fish the locals called "Sargent Major" (Tiger fish) swim next to us and actually nibble on our leg. It was AWESOME!
Poppy swimming in the beautiful ocean waters.
Natalie and Daddy looking for seashells.
Little man playing in the sand!
They found some seashells so they brought them back to our bag!
Luke loved burying Auntie Allie in the sand!
Me and my girl in the Caribbean waters!
Luke did eventually got over his fear as he thought it was funny to dip his head in the water!
Little man playing in the sand!
They found some seashells so they brought them back to our bag!
Luke loved burying Auntie Allie in the sand!
Me and my girl in the Caribbean waters!
The rest of the morning was spent enjoying the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean in Cozumel and having fun with each other! There was lots of sunscreen used and sand in our shoes but we had a blast.
Some of the school of fish Natalie, Allie and I saw in the ocean!
Afternoon- Flying High
Natalie and Luke both had their 2 hours of fun and were tired which is our typical time frame when we go to our home beach of Galveston. We knew they would not last long but they had fun. They both went to the beach chairs and took naps! In fact, those were the only naps they took the whole cruise! We covered them with beach towels so they would not burn and they wrapped up like babies and fell asleep!
This was just too cute!
While they were napping Chris, Allie and I went parasailing in the open waters of the Caribbean. This was purchased through Mr. Sancho's and was only $65 per person. Due to the high winds we had to all do it individually but it was incredible. Chris and I have para-sailed in Nassau, Bahamas before and loved it. This provided picture perfect views of the island, our beach and even our ship. Allie was scared of heights but we were able to get her up there and she loved it. The Captain even "dipped" us all into the ocean which was a thrilling experience for sure. I would HIGHLY recommend parasailing on your next beach day.
Our Parasailing boat!
Time for some sisterly fun!
Allison taking off on her parasailing adventure.
This was my much anticipated DIP into the middle of the ocean! I LOVED it!
Time for Chris to sail!
Chris loved it too!
Time for some sisterly fun!
Allison taking off on her parasailing adventure.
And now it was my turn! I LOVE this so much!
I really think I want to do this in EVERY port eventually!
I really think I want to do this in EVERY port eventually!
This was my much anticipated DIP into the middle of the ocean! I LOVED it!
Time for Chris to sail!
Chris loved it too!
Once we got done with our parasailing trip we started to head back to the beach and the boat stopped and would not move forward. We heard the Captain say something like "Abandon Ship" in Spanish and they started sending out distress signals over the radio. At first we thought we were helping a different boat but it turned out that we were the boat in trouble. It took about 20-30 minutes before a new boat came to get us but we made it safely back to shore and have a story to tell.
She did it... Auntie Allie faced her fears of heights and did parasailing with us!
Way to go Allie!
The swings at the restaurant of Mr. Sancho's.
Gigi Shirley having fun with the kids!
Way to go Allie!
Mr. Sancho's was an incredible venue for a beach day and offered a free entrance. This included a beach chair, access to the pool, hot tubs and bathrooms as well as full beach access. They offered services such as massages on the beach and spa packages as well as entertainment like parasailing, ATVs, horse back riding on the beach, an inflatable area in the middle of the ocean for the kids to play on and so much more for an additional cost. Plus they had a full restaurant right in the middle of it all. The food was average priced and offered fairly large portions. We were able to share a full plate of nachos and 2 non-alcoholic drinks for only $15 USD. It is a GREAT beach break and full of fun! Be sure to check it out the next time you are in Cozumel.
On our way back to the ship!
We have had fun Cozumel... See you in December 2016 (with the kids)!
We got the kids, and us, some food and called a cab to take us back to the Cruise Terminal. Gigi, Poppy and Allie stayed in port to do some shopping and Chris and I took the kids back to the ship around 2:15PM (3:30PM all back on board). We went ahead and got lunch at the Lido buffet since we were all still hungry. Natalie and Luke destroyed their food and Chris and I were able to try the full buffet for lunch as well as Chopsticks. As mentioned before Chopsticks is another hidden gem that cannot be missed on The Triumph. It is on the Starboard side about midway back on the Lido Deck.
Luke... the cruiser and eater!
After eating we decided to go for a swim since we were already in our suits. I was even able to go down the slide with Natalie a few times. Luke still didn't want to go down the slide so him and daddy enjoyed the hot tub. I never really noticed the other 3,000 people or the kids on this cruise BUT the kids I did notice seemed to always be in the hot tubs. The Triumph did not offer a Serenity Deck like The Magic and I really missed having an "adults only" area.
After we had some more pool and hot tub time we decided to go and get ready for the evening and dinner with my family. We were supposed to set sail at 4:00PM but didn't leave until 4:35PM because we were waiting on a Carnival Shore Excursion to get back. This goes to show that if you are on an excursion through the ship they will wait. If you are out on an excursion on your own, they will leave you. Be mindful of that as you plan your next cruise and excursion.
Evening- A Relaxed Night
We went back to the room and got ready for an evening with my family. We decided to do a later dinner since we all ate lunch so late and my family had just got back on the ship right before 4:00PM. The four of us got ready and went and took Dr. Seuss pictures in the Lobby and then went to get coffee at the Coffee Bar on Deck 5 and play cards, which you can get a FREE deck of cards from Guest Services. This Coffee Bar was well staffed and had excellent coffee. Not quite the Starbucks that was offered on RCI Navigator but it was still worth the $3.95 price tag. We decided to meet at the Taste Bar at 6:45PM. The Taste Bar is not open on Port Days so unfortunately we were not able to get a pre-dinner appetizer on this day.
Our only sunset of the cruise!
These are absolutely gorgeous and a must do on a cruise!
Natalie loving the sunset too!
As the sun set we watched the Brilliance and Independence of the Seas sail away as well.
Natalie and Luke... the pirates!
Natalie and Daddy playing cards!
When in Rome Mexico...
These are absolutely gorgeous and a must do on a cruise!
Before we met up with my family the 4 of us also tried some more family pictures and were somewhat successful. Luke still did not want to do them but participated even for just a little while. I was fairly happy with how they turned out and bought a few of them!
Family portraits take 2!
Priceless memories!
Me and my cruising girl!
Natalie... wanted to take a picture at all of the backgrounds!
She LOVED IT!
We got to the MDR around 6:50PM and there was not a line. We were able to get a larger round table and it was nice to be able to spread out and see everyone. We had hoped that a later time might mean fewer people and better service but dinner still took 2+ hours; however, the overall service and wait staff was much better than the previous 2 nights. The slower service could be a factor of a larger table as Chris and I usually experience a 1.5 hour or less dinner time. The kids did great every night so it was not a real issue.
Natalie has acquired a taste for "iced coffee" and I told her ONLY on the ship!
She loved drinking it from a wine glass!
Time for the "Happy" dance by the waiters!
MDR #3... more pasta for Natalie!
Me and my cruising girl!
Natalie... wanted to take a picture at all of the backgrounds!
She LOVED IT!
We got to the MDR around 6:50PM and there was not a line. We were able to get a larger round table and it was nice to be able to spread out and see everyone. We had hoped that a later time might mean fewer people and better service but dinner still took 2+ hours; however, the overall service and wait staff was much better than the previous 2 nights. The slower service could be a factor of a larger table as Chris and I usually experience a 1.5 hour or less dinner time. The kids did great every night so it was not a real issue.
She loved drinking it from a wine glass!
After dinner we "walked around the ship" as Luke requested and the kids ended up walking in the Rome Lounge Theater for a while while Luke shouted "I Pooped" from the top deck. We told him to come down so we could take care of it and he just kept screaming "I pooped". I was totally embarrassed but looking back it is funny! We got him changed and we were ready to go to the EA Sports Bar so we could watch the OU/ osu Bedlam game. Even while on the high seas we were able to watch the Sooners beat up on osu and win the Big XII Championship Title. We were all able to go into the EA Sports Bar and watch the game and even Luke loved being able to see football on the "HUGE TV" as he said. Boomer Sooner!
We ended the evening at the Main Show at 10:00PM called The Big Easy. This was a great show and The Triumph had just got a brand new cast of singers and dancers. The show itself was not that impressive but the 2 lead singers were very good especially for being BRAND NEW to a ship. Luke fell asleep quickly but Natalie kept interest... until the on stage fireworks and then she was done. We left at 10:50PM (50 minutes into the show) and the show was still not over so plan accordingly. We were back in our room with our tired babies by 11PM once again!
Poor little guy was so tired!
It was a FABULOUS day of enjoying God's creation on the beach and seeing His true beauty. We had a great time but it is time to say "Adios" to Mexico and we hope the seas will be less rocky as we head back to the great state of Texas.
Next Up... Sea Day #2
God is good... All the time!
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