February 10, 2013: Cupcake Decorating

I invited Jim, Melanie, Jasmine, Gabrielle, Mirelda, Reina, and Jen over to decorate cupcakes for Valentine's Day.   I think we all had a good time.    I showed off my new decorating skills.   

Matthew Conlin and his wife, Heather, from church, came over to watch the 'Walking Dead Marathon' on our TV while we did cupcakes upstairs.  They came around 2 p.m. and stayed until 9:30 p.m.     I got a kick out of Matthew getting all comfy in the lazy boy with my electric blanket on.    I was surprised he liked this show.   It was nice to have them over, as they hadn't seen our new place.

The Grammy Awards were on at night, so I recorded those, as I love to see the fashion and the performances.   

February 7, 2013: Last Day in the Sun

The last day of vacation is always the hardest, especially when you know you have to leave the warm temperatures to go back up north to the snow and cold.    We got off the ship around 8:30 a.m. and had to stand in a long line for customs.  It was much easier to find our luggage this time.  On some other cruises, we have gone to this large room to get our luggage and there were thousands of pieces of luggage.  They were times where our luggage wasn't all together, so we had to find them.   On this cruise, we didn't have a problem locating our luggage.  

We took the shuttle to the airport which was only about 2 miles away.  We had about 3 hours before we had to leave.    It was interesting watching the people.   Some people dressed very stylish and others were just sloppy.

It felt good to have internet service again, as I couldn't get it on my cell phone on the cruise, without it costing me an arm and a leg.

We flew from Ft. Lauderdale to Newark, then to Grand Rapids.    Our flight in Newark was delayed about an hour due to a late incoming flight from Milwaukee.   
I had problems with my ears plugging up and hurting on this flight.    Friends on facebook said we should not drive back to Muskegon from Grand Rapids, as they were getting a big snowstorm.  We thought we were going to have to stay at my Aunt Charlene's house that night.

When we got to Grand Rapids, we drove out of the airport. It cost us $78 for parking.  Wow.    It wasn't snowing, but there was alot of snow on the roads.    I took East Beltline.   We decided to drive back to Muskegon, as it wasn't snowing too bad.    Once we got onto I-96, it wasn't too bad. It helped that there weren't many cars on the road, so I could pretty much drive where I wanted on the road.  

The roads were bad in Fruitport. They hadn't been plowed yet.   We got about 15 inches of snow with this storm.

Although I love to vacation, it was nice to get home to my own bed.   Maggie was glad to see us.   Betsy said Maggie wasn't eating much and curled up the first few days we were gone.  I think she was depressed and missed us.  Poor thing.   

February 6, 2013: Day at Sea

The day at sea has never been my favorite, as I have to think of what activities to do.  There is a daily itinerary for the ship, but some of the activities look boring to me.    I prefer to stop at ports and explore.   

All of us had breakfast together in the dining room, which was nice.    Last time I got eggs benedict, so I thought I would try something different.

After breakfast,  I went and got my Starbuck's coffee fix.   The Starbuck's coffee was about the same price on the boat, as I paid at home.  

Around 11:30, I got on my swimsuit and went with Marianne, Joy, Kim, and Wendy to the upper deck.   Kim and Wendy wanted to tan.    I wanted to go in the hot tub.   It was very windy up on the deck.   Joy and I went in the hot tub, until I saw it clouding over and decided to go back to the room.

There was another new policy on this cruise with regards to swimming towels.  You had to check out the towels and if you didn't return them, then you would be charged $25.   

I was bound and determined to find the chapel and the observation deck.  Joy came with me to find the observation deck.    We acted like we were on top of the world just like in the movie 'Titanic'.  

We all had dinner together in the dining room.   They got their fill of lobster tail.    I got prime rib, which was very good.

After dinner, mom and I went to see the show "Saturday Night Fever". The theater was packed.   It was excellent. Again, I wish the Gonyos' had seen this, as it was so good.   

We had to pack our bags and have them outside our room by 11 p.m. so we had to make sure we had what things we needed for sleeping and for the next day, as we wouldn't see our luggage until the next day.  

February 5, 2013: Cancun

Mom and I had been to Cozumel and to the Tulum ruins on another trip, so we decided to go on the Cancun excursion as we have always wanted to see that area.

It was about a 45 minute ferry from the ship (Cozumel) to Playa del Carmen. Then, we took an hour bus ride to Cancun.

The guide said that tourism is their main source of income in the area and that is it. It is pretty scary to rely on only tourism. About 42 cruise ships come to Cozumel per week between the end of December and April. Then, after April, it drops to about 6 ships per week. Our guide fixes computers and smart phones during the off season, in order to supplement his income.

Cancun is the busiest vacation destination in Mexico. Most of the hotels are all inclusive, so there are very few outside restaurants.
We went to this huge Mexican outlet for an hour, then had a nice lunch at a restaurant across the street. We didn't know the lunch was included in our tour. Then, we walked down to the beach which was beautiful. The sand was just like the sand at Lake Michigan. We were told the sand here is just like the sand in Cuba, too.

We walked along the beach to the Hyatt Regency. We were hoping to go inside, but we got stopped by hotel security on the beach. They wanted to know our room number. I just said we were just putting our shoes back on. I know that was a lie, but I was trying to come up with a story. 

We had dinner with the Gonyo clan tonight, which was very good.

February 4, 2013: Belize City

Today, we went to Belize City. I was surprised how poor this country is. There are about 312,000 people on this island, with 90,000 of them living in Belize City. The Blue Hole is actually about 50 miles east of Belize City. According to the map, it was about two small islands east of Belize City.

We took a 2.5 hr ride west to the Mayan ruins, Xunantunich, near the Guatemala border. We walked up to the top of one of the ruins. There were no guard rails and the steps were big and rocky. Mom didn't think she would make it up there. Once you got to the top, there was about 4 feet in front of you and then you would fall over the edge. It was pretty scary. In the U.S. you wouldn't have tourists walking around sites without guard rails, as that would be open to lawsuits. I am surprised they allowed it here.

We had a nice lunch with some guys playing Marimba music. They served us chicken, fried plantains, and this delicious potato salad that had some kind of coconut oil in it. It tasted wonderful.

When we got back to our room, Wendy stopped by our room. She looked out our port hole and saw a tender boat with my name on it.  I had to take a picture.  That was awesome to have a boat with my name on it.  

We didn't have dinner with the family as we got back on the boat so late. We decided to have pizza at Sorrentos and then a milk shake at Johnny Rockets.

February 3, 2013: Day at Sea/Cupcake Decorating

Today was our day at sea. All of us had breakfast together. Then, Wendy, Joy, and I went walking on the upper deck and then went to look at the Flo-rider and the rock climbing wall. Wendy said she would love to do that.

Then, went shopping with Joy and Marianne. They got some jewelry. Marianne loves Swarovski.

Mom and went to our cupcake decorating class and learned how to make a puppy dog. It was $22 to take the class. It took about 45 minutes to make our dog. We both did a good job.

We went to an Ice Skating show which was wonderful. Mom said it brought tears to her eyes. She said that was the best ice show she ever saw in her life.

Tonight was formal night, so we all dressed up for dinner. We went to a show 'Up in the Air'. None of us cared for that show. Wendy, Kim, Marianne, and Joy were enjoying themselves and drinking quite a few. Joy wasn't feeling well after dinner, which was too bad. It probably was the mixture of foods she ate.
After dinner, Mom and I went up to the deck, as it was Superbowl Sunday and they were showing it on the big screen.    Wendy ended up getting drunk that night and was telling random people how nice they looked. She even participated in the Battle of the Sexes game. I went with Kim and Wendy dancing for a few minutes, but decided to leave when I felt like the third wheel. I decided that I am too old to follow people around like a puppy dog. I used to do that on other cruises, but not anymore. I did say something to them the next day, as they wondered why I had left and I did tell them how I felt. I usually don't feel that way around my cousins, but I did that night. I am not a big drinker, as I don't care for the taste. I do like some wines, but I will have 1 or 2 glasses and then I am done.

I read a little in my bible and then went to sleep.