Documenting the dream western caribbean 01/21-28/2012; the money monkey goes cruising

[radrayjax]

ARRIVAL AT THE VILLAGE:

 

 

The main entry building facing the pier. 10:11AM:

 

The Village map on the main entry building. 10:12AM:

 

Here, unfortunately, the mannequins are clearly not alive! 10:12AM:

 

In The Village, north side view. 10:15AM:

 

I hope some McGoohan fan gets my references to The Village and Arrival.

LET THE SHOPPING BEGIN [AGAIN]!

 

This shop is across the way from the above. 10:16AM:

 

The next few shots are of souvenirs in one of the shops.

 

Colored onyx. 10:16AM:

 

[radrayjax]

In The Village...

 

Figurines. 10:17AM:

 

Woven hanging mini-tapestries. I liked some of these. 10:17AM:

 

Chess sets. 10:20AM:

 

 

Fairly quickly, close to the entrance to The Village, we actually found one, and only one, shop that had pins. They had a nice little display with some variety. They wanted $5.00 each but Fran spoke to them and got a deal of five @ $4.00 each and I got two.

 

Fran by a fountain in The Village. 10:24AM:

[radrayjax]

I went out back of a group of shops to the “sea side”.

 

White sand and palm trees. Imagine that. 10:27AM:

 

The ships as seen from the shore. 10:28AM:

 

LOOK! SEE! My feet in the sand. What? That’s not what you meant? 10:28AM:

 

People getting massages in the open. 10:31AM:

[radrayjax]

Back in The Village....

 

 

Señor Frogs. 10:35AM:

 

Pool area behind Señor Frogs. 10:36AM:

 

The wading area pool to the right of the above. 10:36AM:

 

After some hemming and hawing, I broke down and bought white t-shirt with the Aztec Calendar for $14.00. It was the type that was black and white inside but showed colors under the sun. I’ll show photos later. I was done; Fran was still shopping.

 

Tequllieria on the back row of the shops. 11:02 AM:

 

Interesting bottles in the tequllieria. 11:02 AM:

 

One last group of interesting bottles. 11:03 AM:

 

We didn’t find anything else we were looking for in these shops and decided to head out back.

 

 

Our shopping adventure will be continued tomorrow including a surprise sculpture garden!

[radrayjax]

Still looking strong Ray. Enjoying the review. By time i step on her, Dream, in September it's going to be like coming home. I'm going to know where everything is located. Hopefully i will be turned around. :)

 

Krystal, Thanks! What do you mean by "turned around?"

I can now just about predict when I will be finished with all this....

[KrystalWaters]

Krystal, Thanks! What do you mean by "turned around?"

 

I can now just about predict when I will be finished with all this....

Nothing bad about your review, it's just i'm just starting to get used to Starboard and Port side (lingo). I can see myself going one way and getting lost. Your review comes in hand because i'm learning visual landmarks. At home i never get lost because i live along one of the Great Lakes-east towards the lake. That's my landmark and i go from there. I have to find my pivot point on the dream else i'm likely to get "turned around" and go in the wrong direction.:eek::p

I'm fairly new in the cruising world and its lingo.

Question: where you able to get any pictures of cabins besides your own?

[radrayjax]

Nothing bad about your review, it's just i'm just starting to get used to Starboard and Port side (lingo). I can see myself going one way and getting lost. Your review comes in hand because i'm learning visual landmarks. At home i never get lost because i live along one of the Great Lakes-east towards the lake. That's my landmark and i go from there. I have to find my pivot point on the dream else i'm likely to get "turned around" and go in the wrong direction.:eek::p

 

I'm fairly new in the cruising world and its lingo.

 

Question: where you able to get any pictures of cabins besides your own?

 

Krystal, I posted a few pictures when covering Decks 11 and 12. I didn't get to pass many open cabins. I didn't get any on the Main or Riviera decks, the only two sleeping decks I've yet to cover.

[radrayjax]

DOCUMENTING THE TRIP CONTINUED:

 

 

COSTA MAYA JANUARY 26, 2012

 

 

GOING OUT OF THE VILLAGE:

 

We went out through the west security gate. Not a big deal. There were more shops and restaurants here, as we saw from the ship. And there was more, to my surprise.

 

Looking at the rear of The Village from the back parking, taxi/bus area. 11:12 AM:

 

THE SCULPTURE GARDEN

 

What I found out here was a wide central walkway/park, that was also a sculpture garden. It contained a number of works that ranged from whimsical to serious.

 

One of the first, larger works we came upon. 11:12 AM:

 

Fran poses with the sculpture. 11:12 AM:

 

11:13 AM:

 

The edges of the walkway/park were lined with many varieties of coral.

 

Close-up of coral lining the park/walkway. 11:14 AM:

A trellis on the walkway. 11:14 AM:

[radrayjax]

The Sculpture Garden, Arrival at Señor Frogs Outlet Store...

 

 

11:14 AM:

 

This faux pyramid marked the end of the shopping area to the west. 11:16 AM:

At about 11:20 we arrived at SeñorFrogs Discount Outlet.

 

Fran with a faux burro at the front of Señor Frogs. 11:20 AM:

 

 

The obvious line is “how ‘bout them maracas?” but I won’t go there. 11:21 AM:

 

Señor Frogs had this huge tequila display that was a museum. 11:25 AM:

[radrayjax]

The Sculpture Garden and Faux Pryamid...

 

Before settling in to shopping in this interesting store, we decided to finish sight-seeing up to the pyramid at the end of the plaza.

 

More from the sculpture garden near Señor Frogs Outlet Store. 11:34 AM:

11:35AM:

 

11:35 AM:

 

Closer shot of the faux pyramid. 11:37 AM:

 

Wide shot of Fran at the faux pyramid. 11:38 AM:

Close shot of Fran at the faux pyramid. 11:39 AM:

[radrayjax]

More at the Shopping Plaza...

 

Señor Frogs, which is next to their outlet store. 11:39 AM:

 

Telephoto shot of the two ship’s funnels from the far end of the outer plaza. 11:40 AM:

Wider shot from the plaza, showing some sculptures and the overhang. 11:51 AM:

Closer shots of some of the smaller sculptures. 11:52 AM:

 

 

[radrayjax]

Back to the Outlet Store...

 

A larger work 11:52 AM:

 

More of the coral edging. 11:54 AM:

 

Back at the outlet store. See what’s in store for you with too much tequila? 11:58 AM:

 

 

The next few shots are of some souvenirs in the outlet store.

 

11:59 AM:

 

12:00 PM:

 

Fran had settled in to do some serious looking and shopping. I wandered in and out of the store.

 

These were very large. 12:01 PM:

[radrayjax]

In Señor Frogs Outlet Store...

 

Front of the store. 12:16 PM:

 

The store next door. The name means The Treasure of Kukulcan. 12:18 PM:

 

This was one TIRED old dog. She barely gave a wag when someone would speak to her. 12:20 PM:

 

This was a great carved and painted chair of the national historic treasures Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. 12:28 PM:

We spent over a half hour at this store. I was tempted to buy some vanilla and Mexican coffee. But we don’t cook so the vanilla might go bad in the bottle and Fran like Bustello coffee, so she wasn’t particularly interested. She ended up buying a couple of sombrero refrigerator magnets (@$2.00) (kept one), three small picture frames (@$8.00) and one dress (@$15.00). She spent a total of $53.00 at this port. I spent $14.00.

[radrayjax]

Heading back to The Village and the ship.

 

We started heading back just before 12:30PM.

 

Fran by the street sign across the street: Caribbean Avenue. 12:28 PM:

 

Items in front of El Tesoro de KuKulcan. I wasn’t overly impressed. 12:28 PM:

 

We were back in The Village within 5 minutes.

 

Señor Frog in The Village. 12:34 PM:

 

A last look at the center of The Village. 12:35 PM:

 

The next couple of shots are just of watching the wave action at the shoreline.

 

Wave Action south of the pier. 12:44 PM:

 

[radrayjax]

Back on the Pier...

 

Going back through the security checkpoint to the pier. 12:45 PM:

 

Shore line on the north side of the pier. 12:45 PM:

Another Money Shot of the Star on the way back. 12:45 PM:

Nearing the two ships. 12:50 PM:

[radrayjax]

RETURN TO BIG SHIP CANYON:

 

Shooting straight up Big Ship Canyon. Note Fran by the big cleat, right. 12:52 PM:

 

Closer shot of Fran by the big cleat. 12:52 PM:

 

I was trying to figure out why Fran didn’t have any shopping bags in the pictures above. Now I remember: She stuffed everything into my back pack.

 

Me by same. This is the only shot I kept. 12:52 PM:

In the midst of Big Ship Canyon. 12:54 PM:

Carnival’s Water set-up for returning passengers. 12:57 PM:

 

Crew-only gangplank amidships. 12:57 PM:

[radrayjax]

Back at the Ship...

 

Norwegian’s water set-up for returning passengers. Note the tents. 12:57 PM:

 

Norwegian’s tents. Why not just go inside where it is air conditioned? 12:57 PM:

Closing in on our forward gang plank. Note Fran ahead to the right. 12:58 PM:

 

One parting shot across the bows, mates! 12:59 PM:

Back into the ship. 12:59 PM:

The shore excursion lasted almost exactly three hours. Not bad!

[radrayjax]

Modeling the Clothes, examining the other booty:

 

We made our way back to the cabin to take some time to unpack and examine what we bought in this port. At this time I also photographed the items bought on Tuesday in Belize City, but I posted those with the Belize City chapter.

 

My Aztec Calendar T-shirt. 1:22 PM:

 

[Out of order] My Aztec Calendar T-shirt in the sunlight; showing the colors. 1:59 PM:

 

I almost ruined the shirt within a couple of days of coming home. I was eating Bar-B-Q and spilled everything on. I washed the shirt with bleach and the BBQ sauce stains did not come out. I then took extreme measures and soaked the shirt in strong bleach/water solution in a sink for hours [at this point I had nothing to loose] and re-washed it in the machine. It came out better than new. So, it is a high-quality shirt.

 

The sombrero refrigerator magnets. The hat part is about 2 ½ inches across. 1:22 PM:

 

The five Costa Maya pins. 1:24 PM:

Fran modeling the Costa Maya dress. 1:26 PM:

 

Close-up of same. 1:27 PM:

[radrayjax]

Finishing the Costa Maya Souvenirs...

 

Close-up my sun hat with the new pins added. 1:37 PM:

Close-up of the three Costa Maya photo frames. 1:40 PM:

Here are a couple of close-ups of my pins, taken under tripod conditions at home:

 

 

 

After this we headed aft to the Gathering for lunch.

[radrayjax]

LUNCH IN THE GATHERING:

 

We got to the Gathering at about 2:00PM and it definitely wasn’t crowded. In keeping with the day, I decided to try the burrito bar. Fran is not a fan of Mexican food so she ate something else. Puerto Rican’s have their own preferences. Her children like Mexican food. Her son doesn’t have too much choice since he is married to a Mexican. However, she doesn’t cook “Tex-Mex” food.

 

Today’s main line in the Gathering was a Caribbean lunch.

 

Menu for the Caribbean lunch. 2:02 PM:

 

The Burrito Bar. 2:09 PM:

 

Build Your Own Burrito instructions. 2:10 PM:

 

I had fun naming some of the ingredients to the “burrito builder” in Spanish: Bif, queso, frijoles rojas, [beef, cheese, red beans] lettuce (I forgot the Spanish word). It was all wrapped in a fairly large tortilla. Since I picked the ingredients, and hot sauce was available on the side, I had no complaints.

 

It wouldn’t be a meal without my usual accompaniment. 2:16 PM:

My burrito. 2:22 PM:

For dessert I had a Citrus Napoleon and tried a Chocolate Raspberry Pie. I much preferred the Napoleon.

 

Dessert: Citrus Napoleon and Chocolate Raspberry Pie. 2:31 PM:

[radrayjax]

GETTING READY FOR SAIL-AWAY...No, WAIT!

 

I was done at about 2:40PM. The ship was scheduled for sail-away at 3:00 PM. According to the Fun Times, the hatches were closed at 2:30, but there were still a couple of surprises yet. I went topside to the Spa Deck watch the sail away. Fran went to the spa to exlax.

 

See the white ambulance below?

 

P1050159 Port and aft view: The few passengers you see down there are from the Star. 2:43 PM:

 

P1050161 Where is this heading? 2:44 PM:

 

P1050163 Heading forward, but for which ship? 2:44 PM:

 

P1050164 Looks like it is for US. 2:45 PM:

 

P1050166 I can’t see a thing at this point. Note that the dock appears totally empty. 2:46 PM:

 

The ambulance stayed for about 20 minutes and our sail away was delayed for a few minutes. That didn’t matter. I don’t recall hearing any talk about WHO was taken off the ship. My wife never heard a thing about the ambulance. The mystery would be solved the next morning of all places during the Behind the Fun Tour!

 

P1050171 The only traffic is for the Star. You can just see the white of the ambulance, in the lower right corner. 3:06 PM:

[radrayjax]

The Ambulence Goes Away and so do...

 

Now the ambulance is in clear view once it is past the gang plank and tents. 3:06 PM:

 

Driving away on a virtually empty dock. 3:07 PM:

 

The last of the Norwegian Star passengers are going on board. 3:07 PM:

 

MORE CASTOFFS?

 

A few minutes later, between the lifeboats below (well, above in the last photo), I see people walking AWAY with their luggage.

 

People walking away – from OUR ship? 3:12 PM:

 

It is now almost 45 minutes past our original “batten down the hatches” time. These can’t be crew calmly walking away. I didn’t see which boat they came out of. And they don’t have enough to have had ALL of their luggage thrown on the dock. But still…

 

Three of them; walking away almost in sync... 3:12 PM:

[radrayjax]

All ABOARD! The Star crew takes down the tents. They probably are sailing away about an hour after us. 3:19 PM:

 

Break down continues very fast. The dock is totally clear of passengers. 3:20 PM:

[radrayjax]

CAST OFF - SAIL AWAY!!

 

A few minutes pass and all is quiet.

 

I THINK we’re moving...I just can’t see or feel it yet 3:27 PM:

 

THERE IT IS! Water! We’re just a few scant feet away 3:27 PM:

 

The tents are still being decamped and we’re moving. 3:27 PM:

 

Now yards separate us from the dock 3:28 PM:

 

View aft and port. 3:28 PM:

 

3:28 PM:

 

[radrayjax]

Sail Away, The distance widens...

 

3:29 PM:

 

3:29 PM:

 

View to port and forward. 3:30 PM:

 

 

 

View to port and forward. 3:30 PM:

View to port. Now about half of the Star is in frame. 3:32 PM:

View to port and aft. 3:33 PM: