Travel Planning: Cruise Edition

In November we are going to Tampa Bay Ukulele Getaway, and hubby says "hey, as long as we're already in Florida, why don't you see if there's a cruise we can do?"

So I did.  And it wasn't outlandishly expensive so we said what the hell.

We're sailing on the Carnival Legend.  This will be a first cruise for both of us.  It's an older ship and Carnival is a budget brand, so if we like this, odds are we'll like anything higher-tier than this at some future point.

We've been attending classes to get certified in SCUBA diving.  Hubby, of course, is good at it.  (He's good at everything.  It's one of his more irritating traits.)  So far I suck at it.  I have to overanalyze everything, and my anxiety kicks into high.  My teacher is wonderfully patient and lets me keep at it till I conquer the task at hand.  Stubborn beats anxious, every time.  We have two dives left... one at an inland lake, and one in Lake Michigan.  I hope it's not cold!

So, back to cruising.  We'll be stopping in Cozumel, Belize, Honduras, and Grand Cayman.  My goal was to keep the excursion budget reasonable.

Cozumel: I found it to be surprisingly cost effective ($240 plus tip) to get a private boat and divemaster rather than go with the huge herd of people on the cruise line's sponsored diving excursion.  As a new and anxious diver, I'd like the extra security of someone who is specifically looking out for me.  We're using Chucho Divers.

Belize:  We'll be doing Cave Tubing with Vitalino Reyes.  $50 each includes lunch.

Roatan:  Probably Little French Key.  $20 each plus cab fare, includes kayak use and mini zoo.

Grand Cayman:  Either free snorkeling, or if we SCUBA, it will be $70 each from an operator right at Eden's Rock.  Not bad.

I am glad I'm past the review-reading stage of trip planning.  Hopefully everything goes smoothly.

The more important question of what to wear on the cruise will be addressed in an upcoming post.  Swimming, daywear, and dressing for dinner while keeping baggage weight down should be an interesting challenge.




(Now we're discussing whether we want to do a getaway for Christmas.  As empty nesters, staying home is a little depressing.  Maybe Niagara Falls at Christmas would be pretty?)