2 to Sea

The taxi there was $15 and we asked in advance. On the way back, we didn’t ask ahead and the taxi charged us $20. Not sure the difference was our fault or just a different time of day. The prices of food and drinks are posted on their site under menu in pesos. Divide that by 17 and you will have your US amount. It was comparable to a US restaurant in price. There wasn’t a minimum to buy. They do serve breakfast if you want to get there early. They also provide the snorkeling gear, but won’t have prescription. Both of us wear contacts and that worked well with the gear. The website is thecabanabeach.com They have a map of their cabanas online, so you can choose your site. Princess changed the port day on us after we booked. I was able to change with them via email with no issues.

I forgot to check for a definite answer. With that said, it is my favorite and I didn’t see anyone with one, nor was it in the app.

Yesterday they announced they had all luggage off the ship about 8am and that no one needed to go to their assigned areas anymore. We walked off soon after and found our luggage. In addition, we signed up for their bus transport at $19 per person. That took the longest to get all luggage on the bus. As we left the luggage area, someone was offering $11/person transport. The airport is only about 15 minutes. You can ask to be off early with luggage, or walk it off yourself. Customs was a breeze. They took a photo and then we were through. I think it would be possible if you are ready to get yourself moving and/or take your own luggage.

Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The entire time on the cruise, the weather was warm and a little humid, which made time by the pool very refreshing. My husband loves the heat and is usually in the hot tub, but this cruise was warm enough for him to get into the pool. The inside of the ship was pleasantly cool, but not where you needed to put a sweatshirt on. I would do this itinerary again. We were jealous of those that this was their second week or those that were continuing today.

Final dinner menu in the MDR.

The production show on Thursday was Spotlight Bar. Both of us enjoyed this a bit more than Rock Opera.

Thursday night was the second formal night. Here is the menu.

For Costa Maya, we booked a trip to see the Chaachoben ruins through Native Choice. This was a much smaller tour than through the ship. Our guide, David, was very knowledgeable and enjoyed explaining everything. This was a slow paced tour and we were able to climb up some of the ruins. Absolutely amazing.

Here is one menu from the Salty Dog.

By the end of the day we had gone to the chocolate factory, rum factory, West End, West Bay Beach, Macaw Market, Rusty Fish recycled art, and a walk on the beach. Roatán was beautiful and one we hope to return to.

From there she asked if we liked coffee, which we do, so we stopped at a local grocery store to grab some. It was great and only a couple of dollars for an iced vanilla chai. We also had a chance to poke around and compare prices. This got us started on what people usually eat. in our way to the next stop, she pulled off on the side of the road to show us how cashews grow. I had no idea that cashews grew at the end of a fruit. We tried the fruit, which was sweet and tart. Also learned that if you tried to eat the cashew right off the tree that it will give your mouth blisters. In the photo below, the fruit is the yellow part and you can see where the cashew comes from at the end of the fruit. In addition, we learned that the only hospital on the island burned down two weeks ago. The last photo is the temporary hospital set up by the Red Cross.

Yesterday was Roatán, Honduras. We booked a tour in a private car through Victor Bodden Tours. None of the excursions hit all the locations we wanted to go to, so this allowed us to stop when we wanted, grab coffee on a whim, and see the real way of living. First, we navigated through the port to get to where the non-ship excursions were. It was about a ten minute walk, but there was a $2 taxi option that we didn’t take. I had read that some felt that the locals were pushy, but that wasn’t my experience. As soon as I said we had a tour booked, we were wished a great time. Kenia was our driver and she was friendly and knowledgeable. Of course she was born and raised there. Since it was our tour, she had a list of where we wanted to go, and also inquired if there was anything else. We let her know that we wanted to see what she thought was the best on Roatán. So our first part she took us through the neighborhood where the working people live. She gave us the history of why the streets were so narrow (no plan for cars at the time). Then up to a view at the top of one of the hills for a great view.

Yes they are! I didn’t know about this. Maybe I shouldn’t know!

Specific area for vegan and vegetarian, but another ten items or more available.

We went to the buffet tonight and ended up talking to the head chef there. He said there are many more items that are vegan or vegetarian, but you need to ask. We suggested marking everything, but he didn’t want to go that way in case someone with allergies gets something that is wrong. He instructed staff to cook with olive oil instead of butter. So rice and beans are good to go.