Tampa
The current Celebration Itinerary includes a stop in Tampa, Florida, where a new group
of passengers embarks. We left the ship at 8:30 AM and headed for Busch Gardens on the
tour bus arranged by the ship. Greg was a bit apprehensive about spending a day there, but
we both had a WONDERFUL time. It is an amazing Park, and I recommend it to EVERYONE.
There is a huge zoo, a plethora of exciting rollercoasters and water rides, and also several
shows, including Hollywood on Ice. The food and refreshments are quite reasonable compared
to other theme parks, as are the gift shop items. We were not thrilled about stopping in
Tampa, but we are so glad we got the opportunity to see Busch Gardens.
Grand Cayman
We chose the ship's 'Stingray City and Island Tour' so that we could see the island in addition to swimming with the stingrays. We took a tender to the island at 7:30, then immediately boarded a comfortable, small tour bus. In a short time we were headed around the perimeter of the small island, which consisted mainly of hotels, condos, and fast food restaurants. Reminded me of Destin, Florida.
Our first stop was the tourist trap called "Hell", so named because of the strange rock
formations located behind the overpriced gift shops and the Hell Post Office, where tourists
flock to send postcards from Hell.
Our next stop was the Turtle Farm, which was Greg's favorite experience of the entire cruise, if you can believe that! It was a small place with lots of turtles, some of which you can pick up and hold. We were there about 30 minutes, then it was on to the boat which would take us to Stingray City...
Stingray City was great -- not as many stingrays as I had expected, but the water was clear, and it was great getting to pet the stingrays. Some people were able to feed the stingrays some raw squid, but we missed out on that part of the tour because we were busy taking underwater pictures. Lots of people seemed scared to be in the water with the stingrays, but they are no threat, because they know that people feed them. It really was an awesome experience.
We spent an hour there, then headed back to our tour bus, which returned us to the port.
We went to a few shops near the port, but we found everything to be very overpriced, so we
decided to hold off on the shopping until Cozumel. If we ever go to Grand Cayman again, I think
we will skip the tours and take the bus to Seven Mile Beach, where we can just snorkel and hang
out. We didn't get to see much of Grand Cayman's "natural beauty" on our tour, so I would like
to do that next time.Cozumel
In Cozumel, we took the 'Snorkel, Sail, and Beach Party Tour.' This tour left at 8:30 AM
right next to the Duty Free Shop at the port. We took the Fury Catamaran out to a coral reef,
where we snorkeled for about an hour. The water was very clear, but the fish and coral were not
as colorful as I had hoped. After snorkeling, we headed to the beach -- free margaritas and beer
were provided on the trip there, as well as at the beach. The beach included kayaks, volleyball,
and places to sunbathe. Greg played volleyball, and I braved the waters in one of the kayaks.
After an hour at the beach, we headed back to the port, and more free drinks were provided. By the
time we were back, nearly everyone was drunk and having a great time. This shore excursion was
definitely worth the money, and I would do it again.
After the excursion, we returned to the ship to shower and eat, then went shopping in Cozumel.
We shared a $4 taxi to the shopping district, then began our LONG, HOT afternoon of shopping.
The prices in Cozumel are great, and I definitely want to return there next time we cruise. We stopped
at the infamous Carlos and Charlies, where people of all ages were drunk and dancing on the tables
at 3:00 PM -- it was just too hot to stay there, but I will stop by next time!