Magical B2B, Turtles, Sharks, Rays and Medical

[sewut]

Thursday, Belize

This was the day DH was waiting for, swimming with sharks and rays. We booked this excursion through shoreexcursioneer.com. Belize is a tender port, a long tender. Our meeting time was 8:00, the same time we "docked". We were able to get on the first tender since we are platinum. By the time we reached the meetingplace, it was about 8:30. There was a table with a dining fly over it and no other people. The tour had left already. There was a lot of scurrying around, trying to find someone to take us. We had to run through the streets, following someone that was running ahead. I had the backpack, a huge snorkel one with all our gear. Between that and the new knee, it was hard to keep up. We made it while the last person was getting snorkel gear and boarding the boat. We paid for the tour and climbed aboard. Good thing we had our own equipment. The boat had bench seating along the sides with an aisle down the middle. There were 10 people on each side, feet to feet. There 5 guides, who perched in the back. This boat was very fast. The front was out of the water, spray coming back at us and very jarring. The sides were cushioned for our back, but not our bums. Our first stop was a cove in the mangroves where one of the guides through fish heads into the water to entice the tarpons. They were everywhere. There were pelicans too, looking for a handout. Next stop was the reef. It was hard to snorkel and keep up with the guide too. There were lots of fish, rays and even a turtle or two. One of the guides, Allison, took my camera down for some turtle photos. There were schools of fish right under us, lots of coral, and crystal clear water. I got separated from DH, he had headed back towards the boat. He said he saw a shark, not a nurse shark.:eek: The guide told me he had gone back, and it was time to go. It was a short trip to the next stop, where the sharks and rays were. The captain started tossing in fish heads, and there they were, all around us. A couple of guides went in, and I grabbed my snorkel and joined them. There were fish and nurse sharks everywhere. The rays hung out close to the bottom. DH grabbed a shark's dorsal fin and got a little ride. I "pet" a shark that a guide was holding. It felt like sandpaper. We weren't there long before we had to climb back aboard. We had a group from Princess that had to be back earlier than us. We went to Caye Caulker next. We stood in line for the restrooms, and were given an hour or so to get lunch or shop. We ate at a little open air cafe. Our bill came to $17, and DH gave them $20 USD. He got back $23 Belizean. lol We got back on the Splash Wave and speeded back to port. Some of the people up front were getting seasick. They let us off right at the tender dock. I was able to snag a Di charm, a mask and snorkel, how fitting.

We tendered back to the ship, room service sandwiches, showers and balcony. This was second elegant night. DH didn't want to wear his tux, so he wore a tropical print shirt and slacks. No problem, Mon!

[sewut]

Enjoying your review! Waiting to see the "medical" part - though your "leg" hint gave me a pretty good idea what may be coming! Quick question: do you mind me asking how much El Cid cost? Looking for something different to do.

 

Thanks for following along. My leg did fine. The medical is coming up.

 

We booked El Cid through shoreexcursioneer.com. It was about $50 each.

[sewut]

Friday, Cozumel

 

At 1:00 a.m. I awoke with an earache. It could have been from the underwater scooter ride, the wind buffeting my ear on the Splash Wave, or who knows? I had drops with me for swimmer's ear and I put some in and I got some relief. I went back to sleep, but awoke at 3 with abdominal pain, and pain in my lower back. I went to the restroom, and there was blood in my urine.:eek: I never got back to sleep after this. I was going back and forth between the bathroom and bed all night. The pain was really bad. I curled up in a fetal position whimpering and crying. DH didn't say a thing. He thought it was sunburn.:confused: I have a high tolerance for pain, 5 kids delivered naturally with no drugs, I'm no crybaby, so I don't know why he didn't ask what was the matter. Finally, at 6 a.m., he turned on the light and checked the Fun Times to see when medical opened. It opened at 8. I suffered another 2 hours and got dressed to go down to Deck 0. Hubby went to breakfast and then went down. He's diabetic, so he needed to eat. The medical office was full of crew members trying to get out of work for the day. I waited at the window and was warned that I would have to pay. We had travel insurance, but she said I would have to pay up front and file it later. Okay, so help me already! I was given a clipboard with a form to fill out. I handed it in and waited. I kept drawing up my legs in pain. A man came in with a swollen foot and leg and shortness of breath. He grabbed the doctor as he was passing by and the doctor took him into the Intensive Care room. After 55 minutes, the nurse took me into a room and took my vitals. The blood pressure cuff kept pumping and pumping, I think it was a boa constrictor. It finally unvelcroed itself and flew off. The nurse looked surprised and put it back on. She took me to a restroom and gave me a cup to pee in. When I came out DH was there. We waited some more and finally the doctor called me in. He took my history and examined me. He left the room and DH mentioned that I had had a kidney stone about 12 years ago. I mentioned it to the doctor when he came back in, and he said that was what he was thinking. I mentioned the earache too, and he told me to keep up with the OTC drops. He said he was going to give me some meds IV and sent me to another room. The nurse came in, and gave me two shots. I guess that's what IV means in Croatia, where the doctor was from. lol I was told to come back the next day for my records to file an insurance claim. They put $205 on my S&S card. I told her that was less than we sometimes pay for pictures. After that, we went to breakfast. I was starving, and it was 10:00. I got breakfast on the Lido deck and DH had second breakfast. We sometimes eat like hobbits on a cruise. lol

When my eyes started to glaze over, DH hustled me back to our cabin and I crashed. He went to Cozumel to pick up some vanilla and a couple of souvenirs for gifts. I didn't know when he left or came back. The room steward knew I was sick. He had seen me go to sick bay and come back. We had a late lunch and did a whole lot of nothing all afternoon. I felt well enough to go to dinner and I went to bed early. We had the Behind the Fun tour first thing in the morning. I was determined to do it.

The two shots were both muscle relaxers. I also got two pill prescriptions. The doctor dispensed them in an envelope. One of them was a pain reliever.

Edited January 30, 2015 by sewut

[sewut]

Saturday, Behind the Fun and the dreaded packing

We were up and dressed early and grabbed a quick breakfast before heading to the steakhouse to meet up for the tour. They had pastries and juice and coffee set up. We signed in, our shoes were checked (had to be close toed) and were given a lanyard with a pass on it. We got to keep the lanyard. We were led all over the ship, steakhouse chef first, then galley, store rooms, freezer, laundry, engine control room, backstage, crew lounge and diningroom, and bridge. We always used the stairs, going up as many as 5 flights at a time. It was very interesting, and we could ask questions. We ended up in a bar where there were mimosas waiting for us. We could have orange juice instead. We each got a drawstring backpack, a ballcap, a rubber bracelet, a paper with chocolate melting cake recipe, and a hand carved soap.

We went to lunch after this and then to our cabin to pack. It took me forever, because I had to rest often. I finally got everything into 3 suitcases, a duffle bag, and a backpack. We had t shirts from B.O.S.S, and the ship, the Jamaican shirt and coverup, and my ship on a stick to add to the stuff we brought on. We do self assist, so I didn't put it outside the door.

Dinner was in the MDR, we were able to time it so I missed the dreaded tear jerker song.

I had to stay up until 10 to take a pill, and then crashed.

[sewut]

Sunday, Galveston

We were up early due to the balcony door slamming of our neighbors, sure don't miss them. We had breakfast on Lido and went back to cabin to brush our teeth and pack up the rest of the bathroom stuff. We were to meet in the diningroom on deck 3 for VIP self assist. We met them in the lobby and joined the line for the last doink. Customs took a little longer than usual. In the past, it's been swipe and go. This time he looked up something on his computer.:confused: We got outside and to the red flag. DH called the hotel for pickup. We waited for 40 minutes and then called again. We were told he would be right there. He wasn't. The desk clerk asked if we had cleared customs when we called. I assured her we were under the red flag. He'll be there any moment. Yeah, right. He finally drove up and we loaded. Then we made a stop for RCL passengers. We had to stop and drop them off at another hotel. We wasted an hour and a half of driving time just getting to our van. We made a quick potty stop at the hotel and were on our way. I slept a lot on the way home, only drove about 4 hours. I wasn't on pain meds by now, just antibiotics. We made good time, and were attacked by our grandkids when we got home.

This was a great cruise in spite of the medical issues. I did a followup with my doc on Monday and she told me to finish up the antibiotics. She thinks I might have had a really bad UTI rather than a kidney stone. Whatever, I'm feeling better.

We came home to a broken dryer and have gotten it fixed so now I can get the laundry done.

If anyone has any questions, I might be able to answer them as long as they don't involve booze, nightllfe or casino which we don't do.

[ginka]

thank you for taking the time to review your B2B!! that is on my bucket list :). I'm glad you are feeling better.

 

Do you recall how much the 'behind the fun' tour was and how long it took? Are you allowed to take pictures at all? lastly...can you share the recipe :p

[sewut]

thank you for taking the time to review your B2B!! that is on my bucket list :). I'm glad you are feeling better.

 

Do you recall how much the 'behind the fun' tour was and how long it took? Are you allowed to take pictures at all? lastly...can you share the recipe :p

 

Behind the Fun was $95 each on the Magic. Some of the smaller ships are $55. You are not allowed to take any pictures. No cameras or cellphones are allowed on the tour. We were wanded by a security officer at the beginning. I had a drawstring backpack on and I had to open it to show I just had water and my antibiotic pills to take at 10:00. The tour took 31/2 hours. Here's the recipe.

 

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

Yield: 4 servings

 

6 oz. dark chocolate

6 oz. butter

4 eggs

6 oz. sugar

2 oz. flour

 

Melt chocolate and butter. Mix the eggs andsugar and whisk for a few minutes, add the flour. Add the egg mix to the chocolate and mix. Pour into a greased mold. Bake directly in the oven at 390 degrees F for 14 minutes. Note: Make sure that the eggs are at room temperature and chocolate is warm enough while making the mixture. Serve with ice cream and fruit garnish.

[nybumpkin]

Dinner was in the MDR, we were able to time it so I missed the dreaded tear jerker song.

LOL - Last night I was at a business dinner with musical entertainment and the band played "Leaving on a Jet Plane." It was all I could do to keep from waving my napkin over my head.:p

 

Thanks for sharing your review. I'm glad your medical problems seem to be minor!

[ginka]

Behind the Fun was $95 each on the Magic. Some of the smaller ships are $55. You are not allowed to take any pictures. No cameras or cellphones are allowed on the tour. We were wanded by a security officer at the beginning. I had a drawstring backpack on and I had to open it to show I just had water and my antibiotic pills to take at 10:00. The tour took 31/2 hours. Here's the recipe.

 

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

Yield: 4 servings

 

6 oz. dark chocolate

6 oz. butter

4 eggs

6 oz. sugar

2 oz. flour

 

Melt chocolate and butter. Mix the eggs andsugar and whisk for a few minutes, add the flour. Add the egg mix to the chocolate and mix. Pour into a greased mold. Bake directly in the oven at 390 degrees F for 14 minutes. Note: Make sure that the eggs are at room temperature and chocolate is warm enough while making the mixture. Serve with ice cream and fruit garnish.

 

AWESOME!!! thank you so much!!