Marla found a great deal on a cruise line new to the ports in Galveston. So we booked our tickets on the MSC Seascape with Marla, Lex and new friends Jenni and Pat. Not forgetting—this was an occasion to celebrate Lex's early retirement too!
Watch the video on YouTube for best quality.
First Stop: Costa Maya
Marlex treated us to an excursion to the Chacchoben ruins. We climbed up giant steps and were greeted by two large, partially restored ruins. For the most part, the structures are solid—no chambers inside. Shocked? Us too.
A large group of about 30 monkeys live in the area, four swung from the trees above us. Marlex had hoped to see more.
It amazes me how many ruins have yet to be uncovered, but the man-power and money alone explain why man has have yet to discover all that has been lost on this earth.
There is a slide in the video of the guide is displaying an image of ruins before they had been restored. They are a giant pile of rubble because the foliage and trees push their way through stone structures and over time, they topple into mounds of stone and dirt and begin looking like part of the forest again, the only thing giving them away is are the hills of earth that seem out-of-place.
After the ruins it was a quick drive to the Lagoon, Bacalar. We were served three kinds of tacos (very yummy) and house-made drinks—that we stupidly sipped on and how we think Adam contracted Montezuma's disease for the next five days so far. (Only drink bottled/canned beverages when traveling!)
Jenni paddled around the lake in a canoe; Adam, Pat and Anna took a dip in the lake while Marlex took rest in the shade and enjoyed the day. And yes, a stranger found Adam. He is such a magnet for chatty strangers. Ha!
Second Stop: Honduras, Roatan, Fosters Beach
Because we had such a memorable at this location in 2017, we tried to replicate the experience. To our dismay we were provided with almost the opposite. The area had "grown up" as Marla put it.
The taxi ride was expensive, we were charged to enter the "private" beach, we dished out even MORE for chairs and umbrellas which Adam VERY begrudgingly did with the help of friends, as his pockets by then had already been emptied of cash.
A new dock had been built which meant more boats and other water toys with more exhaust to breathe in while bobbing in the ocean. And as were DONE sharing our money, a snorkeling trip was out of the question. Plus boats were zooming in and out of the bay so swimming along the shore face-down with a mask on was too dangerous.
The silver lining for me: our chairs were in the front row with an unobstructed view of the beach. There was chatting to be had, smuggled snacks to chomp on (including my favorite beach treat: dried mangoes) and refreshing drinks courtesy of Lex, all while we sat under the purchased shade—until the rains started. At which point we abandoned all hope of reliving our previous experience and left an hour early.
Third Stop: Cozumel
Having been to Cozumel twice previously, we padded our way into the local shops instead of booking an excursion. Jenni and Pat found items to gift to their kids. We all found foods to try from the local supermarket. The day on land was low key.
The MSC Seascape
The ship was modern, fancy and quite the maze with no visual cues to help navigate yourself throughout the ship. As a designer this frustrated me more than I let on. Shhhhh. I will not step onto my soap box for your sake.
The Cafe Lounge was a favorite of mine. It had a bit of mid-century mixed in; low back chairs and sofas. Dark woods. Great lighting with lamps and ceiling installments and a giant windowed wall. I felt like a cool grown up there.
Activities included eating, water slides, lounging, talking, hot tubing (where Adam made new friends, again) eating, a song and dance show every night (those backlit screens are a game-changer for the industry, as is AI...ALL the backgrounds they used were AI sadly), card games, eating, dancing, trivia, good conversation and more eating.
In the End
I am grateful for old friends who continue to invite our company. I am grateful for new friends who are open and generous to the idea of letting new people in.
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