Carnival Cruise from Tampa to Cozumel Part 2

Activities on the cruise ship:

There are so many activities to take part in while on the ship. Whether you like a quiet place to read or loud music by the pool, you can find what you want.

We continued to explore the ship and also spent some time on the pool deck listening to reggae music. My girlfriend and her sister also took part in Carnival's version of Fear Factor. I had some of the best laughs ever watching them compete! Alas, they didn't win but they had fun doing it.

There were many options of activities in Cozumel and we chose to do a jeep/snorkel adventure. We started off in an open jeep with some bumpy Mexican roads (4wheeling) - once again, everyone was having a good time and laughing our $%#$% off. We then came to a small Mayan ruin which was quite fascinating. Now off to the snorkeling - I watched as my girlfriend and her sister went snorkeling. I can't put into words how funny they looked swimming in the opposite direction of the group!!

We then returned back to Cozumel where we ate at a fantastic Mexican restaurant. The steak tacos I had were the best I have ever tasted while the girls loved the guacamole. Our other friend however chose to eat a cheeseburger and fries instead of the local fare.

I didn't care for the shopping. I found most of the shopkeepers were quite sleazy in their approach and they offered many things to get one's business. However, there were some bargains to be had and girls went back to the cruise ship with many bags!

Carnival Cruise from Tampa to Cozumel

My first Cruise - what to expect? I had no idea - all I knew was that it was a four night cruise with my girlfriend. No cell phones! We were booked on a Carnival Cruise departing from Tampa to Cozumel and back.

Wow - what craziness as we both pulled up to the luggage dropoff area. So many cops and porters and cruise takers all in one place. I self parked while my girlfriend chose to valet. I will write about that adventure in a future post to the blog!

We finally boarded the ship and found our cabin which was beside her sister's. If one is claustrophobic, you might have some issues with the size of the cabin. We quickly unpacked and started exploring the ship.

We made our way to the top deck in time to watch as our ship left Tampa. One great thing about this cruise was that every evening we witnessed the most magnificent sunsets!

The cruise ship offers so much to do including EATING, dancing, and gambling among other things. I really enjoyed being able to eat round the clock but by the end of the cruise, my pants had become tighter!

There is pizza available 24 hours a day and you can't miss the captain's dinners at night. We ate so well with choices like filets, lobster, escargot, and many other wonderful dishes I don't know how to spell.

A couple of other pointers to know:
Buy a drink card for the cruise for sodas (I think it ended up being $5/day all you can drink soda vs. $2.50 for each soda)
If you like alcoholic beverages, drink specials are offered every day. Make sure to keep your cup and get a discount on future refills!

Next time I will write about our adventures in Cozumel.....

Haunted House in Gainesville

As the Halloween season comes upon us, many haunted houses seem to spring up. I had the opportunity to visit a haunted house for the first time in many years on Saturday night. Nothing like a little fright - especially when its your girlfriends idea. I knew it would be a fun experience.

The first adventure came just trying to find the haunted house as it was a little bit off of a main road but we eventually found the small building. I am used to experiences like Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando and FrightNight but this small one yielded some memories that we won't forget (well, my girlfriend probably would like to forget).

Admission was 5 dollars but just for the pure scares that sent my girlfriend running into my arms made it priceless. I won't reveal all the scares but it tied in some horror movies and some universal scary characters. Are you brave enough to enter the Haunted House???? Will you make it out???

Adventures in Historic St Augustine

Wow - little did I know what to expect as I drove into St Augustine late on a Friday night. Thank goodness for GPS as I was travelling the backroads of Florida to get there. I was immediately impressed as we drove past Flagler College on our way into town - beautiful architecture!!

St Augustine offers so much history and it makes a great place to visit. There is the old fort which was much fun to explore and you can get some good pictures along the top of the fort. You do have to pay an entrance fee to enter the fort but it is well worth it.

My girlfriend and I essentially spent two days wandering the streets of historic St Augustine. There were some beautiful buildings around Flagler College as well as some nice churches. We found some great places to snack during our walks including chocolate covered strawberries and ice cream at Kilwins. Probably one of the highlights was a little tavern where history was reenacted down to the costumes worn and wood tables and benches. Watch your head if you are tall!!

The overall highlight of our trip to St Augustine was a nice walk along the beach at sunset! While you don't have the theme parks like Disney or Universal Studios here, I would highly recommend a visit to St Augustine.