Day 6– Friday, May 28

Port of Call: Cozumel, Mexico

The telephone did not ring . . .we overslept.

We woke up around 10:30 a.m. not knowing what the captain said on the loud speaker this morning because we were in a deep slumber. Reggie didn’t give his usual wake up call. It really didn’t matter because this time, the ship docked at 10:00 a.m. and would not be departing until 7:00 that evening. It was our last port of call so the question we had to ask ourselves of course was, with the trip being almost over, had we done everything we wanted to do? Whatever it was that we still wanted to do, we had to make a decision and make it quick and do it today.

When we departed the ship, we were met by a group of Aztec male dancers who especially enjoyed putting on a show for the ladies, for a tip of course. One of them really got a kick out of strutting his stuff. That was enough to make you wanna just hang out with them all day. But we decided to go ahead and see what the country had to offer, meet the people, do some shopping and go on a Mexican adventure.

When entering the city, you find yourself in the midst of shops and spirits, the liquid kind that is. There were also several jewelry vendors with great prices on jewelry made from fine gemstones, rubies, pearls, diamonds and gold. Just like Jamaica and Grand Cayman, their prices were also much better than what you would find in the states.

The Moped Club

Once you get into the swing of things in Mexico, it doesn't take long to see that the primary mode of transportation on the island is by moped. Moped rental shops were lined up and down the coast. You could rent a moped and take a self-guided tour of the island. Or if you did not want to drive, you could take a taxi. Some of us were given directions and suggestions of where to go while others just ventured out and relied on their sense of direction to take them where their hearts desired. Self-reliance was not always a good thing in the case of Kylah and Tone (Detroit) who ended up in the hood. Why is it when you don't know where you are going you always end up in the hood? Well, this is now an international question and maybe they can answer that one. Tanya and I went off by ourselves and we discovered that Mexican men sure know how to whistle. Our only recourse was to reply with a friendly smile and an "Hola!" and to keep riding. One local tried to offer us his services as an escort but we did not accept. You have to pretty much treat strangers in another country the same as you would in the States. While riding through the streets of Cozumel and getting a deep dark tan, who would pass us by? The Moped Club. Sherri, Ty, Shelly and others rode by on their mopeds through an intersection. We tried to make a right turn after the light turned green and catch up with them but we could not catch them. They somehow disappeared. They were on their way to a beach to have fun in the sun.

A New Record Set

The week was almost over. By now we had all gained weight from eating food all day and all night. At dinner, the captain made a congratulatory announcement. “Attention Royal Caribbean Guests. I would like you to know that you should be congratulated. You have consumed more food on this cruise than any other cruise we have had, 72,000 meals!” This history-making event was two fold: the first organized international roller skating event on the ocean and the record for food consumption. I’m sure Pepper had a lot to do with it as well, seeing that she started off eating six times a day. This was the night lobster was served and most of the skaters had at least two. Congratulations to Tanya (New Jersey) who broke the record with three!

Hitting the Jackpot

Quite a few skaters tried their luck at leaving the cruise with more money than they came on board with. A couple of them did quite well. Congratulations goes out to Kevin Williams and Calvin who both won a nice amount of cheddar in the Casino. Kevin did quite well despite the fact that he is really not a gambler.

Romance on the High Seas

One thing to experience on a cruise is the night time scene over the horizon. Watching the sun set is phenomenal. One moment, the sun is high in the sky and in a matter of minutes, you watch it disappear over the horizon. It’s a beautiful sight to see that is seconded by the moonlight glow in the dark of night over the ocean. This particular evening, people were on deck during the moonlight hours, observing the glow that was cast on the water and illuminating the ship’s helicopter pad. It was a very romantic scene to observe and many of the ship’s guests took full advantage as they snuggled up with their companions in embraces as if they were the only two people on the ship.