 |
| The Norwegian Dawn |
Saturday – We drove from Atlanta to New Orleans. Next week is Mardi Gras so parades/festivities have begun. We passed floats on the highway in LA. After checking in to our hotel, we walked to past the Louis Armstrong Park, to Bourbon Street, to Canal Street, and back to Bourbon Street. After a Cajun seafood dinner, we Ubered back to the hotel because I was tired! 
Sunday – We are on the boat! Our room is an inside cabin on deck 12 – the same deck as the library, pool, and buffets! And it is an inside cabin on a short hall with only 3 other cabins! It was quiet. We loved it. We also loved the shower – it had a door!
Monday – Alan got up, walked 2 miles, did a stretch class and had his first breakfast before I got up. Then we had breakfast together and found a spot to sun on the tiered deck near the pool. Our room is on deck 12 – the same as the pool. Very convenient. Skewers of fruit were distributed poolside. Very nice. We dined in the Venetian dining room and watched the show – really good singers and dancers. Then we listened to music in various places. I stayed up past 10 pm since it is Alan’s last day as a 54 year old man!
Tuesday – Alan is 55! We are in Cozumel today. We have been here before so we didn’t rush off the boat. We walked around the shops, bought nothing, and returned to the boat. We relaxed by the pool. There were very few people on the boat. We had a jacuzzi to ourselves. Then Alan had the pool to himself. It was a beautiful day and very relaxing. We ate in the Aqua dining room tonight just to mix it up. We like the Venetian better.
Wednesday – The boat was rocking last night. Thank goodness for Dramamine! We arrived in roatan. Since we didn’t have a plan we ate breakfast and leisurely departed. We got a tour in the port area – beach, monkey zoo, and general tour of the area – $88. Much less than the ship excursions. Of course, you get what you pay for. We befriended a family with 2 small children. They thought they were getting a tour in a private car. We were taken to a beach that charged $10 extra per person. We dropped off 2 men who refused to pay extra and said they were told they were being taken to a different beach. We nearly left one couple. Then we went to a monkey park – not the one we thought we were going to though. We had monkeys land on our shoulders and that was fun. We saw beautiful birds and other critters as well. The family and couple returned to the ship. Alan and I were taken back to the beach. We insisted that we had already paid. We were reluctantly let in. The beach was beautiful, but crowded. And the natives were relentless in trying to sell their goods. It was annoying. Poverty is an obvious problem here.
 |
| Which one is the monkey? |
 |
| Armed patrols on the beach |
Thursday – We are in Belize. We had to tender 5 miles to shore. We walked around a bit and met “Frank” who walked with us giving tidbits of info on the area. He, of course, wanted a tip when we parted ways. We didn’t give him one and he wasn’t pushy. This port area was much bigger and nicer than roatans. We ran into the family from yesterday. I asked them if they were going to book another “tour”. The said no! They were shopping and getting back on the ship! That was our plan too. We did not try to find a beach. Alan took advantage of the free wifi in the port and then we returned to the ship.
Friday – Costa Maya! We were here about 10 years ago. Today we stayed primarily in the port area because it was overcast. The port area is great. There is a large pool area with lounge chairs, entertainment, and an area to watch people interacting with dolphins – my favorite. We were content to just browse and go back to the ship.
The King Family 
