2020 NCL Cruise Day 8-10

 Our next stops on this 10 night cruise were both in Mexico, one in a port I had never visited, Costa Maya, and the other a port I had been to before, Cozumel. The last day was an "At Sea" which would get us back to Port Canaveral.

The Day 8 stop was at Costa Maya Mexico located on the Yucatan Peninsula. They have built a large pier for cruise ships and a small area for tourists to shop, dine and party. Tom  and I went ashore and had a few beers, Mexican of course. The first people I saw were some Mayans, who seem very happy to see me with big smiles and waves.

There were plenty of shops to find trinkets. I bought myself a ballcap which is one of my favorites to wear. I took this picture of Tom looking back at our docked ship.

We did not go snorkeling, but we did get some pictures of the reef. The tropical fish seemed bigger than in the Bahamas. Here is Tom next to Nemo.

They did have a pool where you could interact with the dolphins. I took some videos of these two girls being pulled by the dolphins across the pool. They said due to my larger size, I would have to pull the dolphin so I passed.

We did find a bar that were serving assorted Mexican beers including Dos XX Amber.

From the bar, we could see the wrestling ring. That is Tom (or at least the back of his head) and a few of the many wrestlers that performed for the crowd. It was very entertaining.

The wrestlers even came out into the bar/dining area and grappled on the tables.

No one was hurt during this match, although the table did not fair as well. After a few beers and some shopping, Tom and I headed back to the ship. I took this shot of the area from the pier.

Another shot from our balcony on the ship.

So that ended Day 8 of the cruise, next we were headed to Cozumel, a famous tourist destination. Did you know that Cozumel is actually the name of the island? It is located about 50 miles south of Cancun. We arrived just after sunrise on Day 9.

Tom and I were one of the first off the ship. My plan was to find the local Margaritaville to add to my bucket list. The pandemic put that list on hold but I did recently reviewed it again. Many on my original list have since closed but there are new ones that have opened. Too bad Jimmy Buffett has died. Our first store we saw in Cozumel was this one...

Funny that the store is one that we have just up the road from my home, Ron Jon Surf Shop. Oh well, we skipped that one. I did get this great shop of our ship docked at Cozumel.

Tom and I skipped the taxis and started walking down the street where we saw this sign...

Within a few minutes we were at the Margaritaville...

Tom and I sat at the open-air bar and had a few beers in Paradise. You can see had bought a nice shirt in Honduras. Again, we were drinking local beers.

Tom took this picture of me along the water's edge. I liked it, it made me look smaller.

After Margaritaville, we headed over to the Hard Rock Café. It was like a repeat of the places we visited in the Caymans. We stopped in and had a draft beer and appetizer, I forgot what. There was a band setting up to play in the afternoon. They were from the US.

We walked around the Port for a while to do some sightseeing and shopping. Tom was taking a picture of some very large drinks. We did not try one.

There was a Mayan temple but I think it was built within the last 30 years. Not positive, but it seemed to fit into the shopping plaza too well. It was a great photo opportunity.

We finally went back to the ship where I took this photo of the Margaritaville we visited. The Hard Rock is in the upper left.

There was a Mayan on the dock who greeted us back from our walk. He looked like he was built in the last 30 years too.

Our ship had a "conga line" with many of the crew. Loud music and dancing. Fun for everyone!

To end Day 9 I went to a show in the theater. It was a rock band that specialized in 80's music. There name was SWITCH and they were from Orlando. After the cruise, I saw them play at Lou's Blues, my regular hangout in Melbourne.

On Day 9 there was a change on the ship and they started to have servers along the buffet lines. You had to give them your plate and they would place the food on it, no more self serve. They said it was because of some new virus in the Asia area on some of the NCL ships there. Of course, this was the start of the COVID pandemic.

The last day, #10, was a day at sea. I did play a round of miniature golf.

They even had some bowling lanes.

As you can see, it was not the greatest weather. I guess it just added to the gloom of the cruise ending. In reality, I think 10 days is pushing the limit on how long I want to be on a cruise. Seven Nights seems the best. Maybe it was just because I had to ask for the bacon and eggs at breakfast. I would take six slices early in the cruise, but with a go between, I would only ask for three. No more two desserts. Haha

I know this is not a great photo to include, but it was Miami Beach as we headed North back to Port Canaveral. That would end Day 10.

I did catch the trip route on one of the monitors near the Concierge.

All in all, it was a great trip and I got to visit some new places. I am looking at an 8 night RCL cruise out of Port Canaveral that visits two places I have not been, Willemstad Curacao. and Oranjestad Aruba. End of April, maybe...