46. Waves, Wonders & White Sands: A Caribbean Cruise Adventure
It all happened so suddenly. We awoke in the middle of the night to the blaring sirens and flashing lights throughout the ship. We had been briefed during the safety drill and were instructed to head to the emergency room. I couldn't believe this was happening; my mind was racing, and we had never anticipated anything like this.
While announcements echoed over the loudspeakers urging everyone to "DO NOT PANIC," I wondered how it was possible not to panic in such a situation. I remembered how some boats had sunk after hitting an iceberg and heard people around me jumping overboard. "Oh my God! What on earth is happening?" I thought.
Were there enough lifeboats? They had assured us there were, but chaos erupted as people ran everywhere, panicking and leaping off the ship. I felt a sinking sense of dread as the water began to rise. The cold water lapped at my feet, and I could feel the boat starting to go under.
Suddenly, just like that, I woke up from the nightmare.
Many Americans would love to take a cruise. If you're like me and hesitant about cruise ships, it's understandable. Millions of people travel to the Caribbean on cruises, the most well-known globally. The average cruise ship has grown significantly, with some now accommodating over 10,000 passengers, which is mind-blowing.
I love traveling, but have always opposed cruise travel—until I finally gave in. Many people have distant experiences of what cruising is like. One of my biggest concerns about being on a ship is the potential for motion sickness. It brings on an awful feeling of nausea, dizziness, and overall discomfort. Therefore, we were very cautious when choosing the ship.
We finally arrived for our cruise after booking our flight and navigating various packages, including fine dining and Wifi options. We had booked this cruise nearly a year ago, and now the day had finally come. I braced myself for the possibility of motion sickness, as I had heard mixed reviews from friends and family about the cruise journey. Now it was time to experience it for myself.
We arrived at the Miami port after spending a day there before the cruise. Seeing the city transform during the weekends was fascinating, with heavy traffic cutting through downtown Miami. People seem to have grown accustomed to the chaos brought on by the influx of cruise passengers. The cruise ships have become bigger and better, accommodating over 10,000 passengers—it's pretty overwhelming. Such large operations should be outside the city center to avoid this disruption.
Exiting the car, we noticed the cruise staff was already marking our baggage, which would be delivered to our room later. From then on, we faced long lines as we prepared to board the cruise. It felt like stepping onto the Titanic; thoughts raced through my mind about what could happen—what if the boat sinks? What if a hurricane hits? Thankfully, once we stepped aboard, the cruise manager reassured us that there were enough lifeboats in an emergency, which was a huge relief.
This was our first time on such a large cruise ship. The last time I was on a boat was crossing the English Channel, which was bumpy and resulted in significant seasickness, which caused severe nausea and dizziness. We also had an experience in Costa Rica when we went whale watching on a small fishing boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, which turned our day into a miserable one. We had to return to the land halfway through that trip.
After settling down, the rooms were spacious, and the bathrooms were bigger, surprisingly. I didn't expect that at all. We checked out the balcony with good views right off the boat. As the ship started, it was celebration time with music and dance on deck 16, the top deck. People were already in the cruise attire(relaxing attire) and the pool, starting to dance to the rhythms and having a good time. Some DJs performed with loud music. It was horn, and then the Boat started. It made a U-turn showing the Downtown of Miami, and then off we cruised. The boat's luxury did not even feel like movement on the ship. It was as sturdy as it could be. I am amazed by the cruise; it was huge, I mean, huuuuuggggge. This ship was able to hold 5000 Passengers and 1600 crew members. What an achievement for humankind. Sometimes, we have to wonder how lucky we are to have witnessed the things we are enjoying. Gratitude for this time, place, and moment. Just gratitude.
We started sailing into the Caribbean Sea, the first into the Gulf of America, as it was named; I didn't know one could change names so easily, but it did. We entered the Gulf of America; Sailing was peaceful. It was a different feeling when the boat started without a hitch. It was beautiful to see water all around. With the blue skies, the pristine waters, and off we went. On the first day on the boat, I was a little confused and dazed about what was available and what was off-limits. Everything on the ship is à la carte payment: Wi-Fi is à la carte, dining requires a reservation, drinking is à la carte, and even soda comes with a purchase package. Well, this is how they make extra dough. I remember the flights doing the same thing, from baggage fees to hand luggage fees; check-in baggage is cheaper than pulling luggage into the cabin. It's my pet peeve about the whole thing; if you have to charge for something basic, you charge prior. Not everything is à la carte (Craziness). Well, I have every right to complain as I speak about the number of passengers aboard facing similar things. We had a good evening and ended up in a beautiful fine dining restaurant with good food. The rest of the night was good. It was a tiring night, and I slept like a baby.
The boat was at sea the next day, meaning no stops today. Just exploring the ship has given me some time to explore it. It was when you had to look into all the various restaurants. As I have the drink package, one good thing is that one can order unlimited drinks at multiple places. There were 20 decks, and between 16 and 20 were top decks, mostly pools and outdoor activities for kids, water slides, and many others. There was a fitness center on the 16th floor, which I was getting accustomed to. There is nothing like looking into oblivion and the horizon and working out.
Last but not least is the food. We started exploring various food places and excellent dining. There were a few decent restaurants. If one cannot control the hunger, pangs soon add additional pounds. Well, I don't want to say anything about the food alone. People tend to overeat, especially when food is free and good at the same time. It does affect me also. The whole day was spent hanging about on the ship. Deck 8 was waterfront, meaning we could walk around the boat with multiple restaurants overlooking the water. And walking around the ship gives glimpses into the vessel and the beauty of the ocean. We were somewhere in the Caribbean, floating away, floating away.
As dawn broke, it was a beautiful sunrise from the ship balcony. Time for a stop at Cozumel, Mexico. I have visited this part of the world multiple times; Mexico reminds me of most of India growing up. Inequality is quite stark in this part of the world, similar to India. At our stop, we headed to the Shankanab, a small resort close to Cozumel town; after entering the resort, the guide gave us a tour and helped us snorkel the beautiful reef coast of Cozumel. The water was pristine and turquoise blue, classic for the Quintana Roo district, including Playa del Carmen, Cancun, and Tulum. Something that calms and is heavily refreshing. Snorkeling was terrific; it was midday and cloudy, which we didn't expect. The fish and reefs were beautiful, with different colored fish; there were schools of fish and different colored fish. I spotted an eel trying to camouflage itself among the surrounding reef. It was beautiful all around. We saw statues under the water and also multiple stick hangings. After a scrumptious lunch on the beach, we return to the boat. It was a tiresome day. Again, fine dining at its best. So far, the food has not disappointed us on the ship. Witnessed some of the beautiful sunsets and relaxed our way into the night.
The next day, a new country was on the horizon; this time, it was the island of Belize. It's a private Norwegian Island with mangroves, a relaxing beach with activities, and a lighthouse with zip lines. There were private animal parks. The one that I got into was the owl-shaped Butterfly, a Large butterfly. It sat on eyeglasses, which was pretty incredible, and I was glad to capture the video of the little arachnid. Also, the beautiful toucan with the macaw cheered us on. Before leaving the park, we saw large geckos lying lazily basking in the sun. It was humid, so we returned to the ship and soaked in the pool that afternoon. Later, as the day passed, I wrote a blog post and enjoyed trivia near the conference room.
The next day was Roatan, Honduras, A beautiful island with turquoise waters and various colored beaches. As we stepped onto the exit to Roatan, we booked a trip after talking to the onboard services. Alfred Flowers, a local, joined us in showing Roatan. We booked a much-awaited trip with ATV, Reef Snorkeling, and AJ Animal interactions. We started our journey on the island with Animal interactions with various animals; it was like a shelter with the animal keepers. We interacted with guinea pigs. It was our turn to visit the Sloths. Indeed, sloths are not the slowest; they kept moving and wanting the hugs, but I didn't know. I ran to hug it. However, the animal keeper was shouting from behind, not to pet the wild animal, but only to be seen from far away. It was terrific to see Sophia (sloth name). It kept looking at us as long-lasting friends. There were macaws, yellow-green parrots, and none other than Capuchin monkeys.
The capuchin monkeys are one of the most intelligent monkeys. They grab things from humans in exchange for food. They have advised them not to wear hats or goggles while holding and leaving. Overall, it was a fun experience. We all had such an incredible experience interacting with the tropical animals. Later, we hit the ATV and the bikes, and there were many helpers. The terrain was treacherous and uneven, but overall, it was fun. We were almost tired, but we booked the boat ride to the reef. It was pristine clear water, and with the snorkeling gear on, we jumped around the reef area. We witnessed some amazingly differently colored fish in their environment. I also saw this beautiful coral and fish swimming like other fish in the neighborhood; I was like a big giant watching these cool species. Also saw a school of fish with a purplish hue swimming away; it was beautiful. Everyone was tired by the time we finished our little adventure. Alfred is waiting to head back to the coast with our driver, who is waiting to pick us up and drop us off around the cruise.
The next day, we stopped at Costa Maya in Mexico before returning to Miami. It was almost a week-long trip. We started to feel a little homesick. We might need another holiday to cool off from this holiday. Costa Maya, with its beautiful coastal towns south of Chetumal and Tulum. It was quite a lovely town; the exit area had no major activities. So, we hired a car to visit the local city called Mahaual. Mahaual, a small village in Costa Maya. We booked a small table, and the local guy helped us settle down; they had a beautiful beach to ourselves.
We wanted to explore and booked a boat for deep-sea fishing. However, the guy was apprehensive about the fishing experience as it was mid-afternoon. We did go on the small fishing boat, and he said they would have Barracuda, etc.; we started trolling for the event with the fish bait, but we couldn't catch any fish. It wasn't enjoyable, but sailing on the beautiful waters was incredibly scenic. The water was so clear that we could see the ground. We returned to the beach with food awaiting; we ordered ceviche and other local specialties. It was great, and we returned to the boat after a long day at the local beach. We also had a massage right on the beach. Due to the short notice, we didn't do it for long. Later in the evening, we checked out the restaurants on the boat and later spent time in the brewery on the ship. The brewery was close to our room, providing a relaxing atmosphere for me to gaze at the faraway waves and horizon.
Observing the waves was incredible: the waves that the dinosaurs witnessed, the waves that harbored the most vibrant species, thousands of years of Human exploration into the waves that revealed the new world. It's just awe-inspiring to look at the waves and not be mesmerized. With a beer in one hand and a laptop in the other, I slowly slipped into the magical world of daydreaming.
The next day, just before our disembarkation, it was time to relax and prepare for our departure. We slowed down from our previous day of sailing and stopped at four different ports. This was one of the first trips of the cruise. The food and drinks were excellent; however, the activities were somewhat lackluster, and I didn’t get started with WiFI(terrible connection even after paid service). After discussing the cruise multiple times and considering various opinions, we finally decided to take this plunge. This week-long cruise visits several countries, checking two more off our list. Will I cruise again? Yes, but I prefer shorter trips. A week feels like a long time, especially being cut off from the world with a sketchy WiFi.
It was spring break with the kids, and we found the perfect week to spend in the Caribbean. We didn’t see pirates, but the atmosphere was full of adventure. The waters were stunning, and the sea was calm. The boat was sturdy, with minimal movement, which helped prevent seasickness. The ship was a testament to human engineering, pushing the limits. As I mentioned, gratitude is essential; we often take things for granted, but reaching this point has taken time and effort. Life moves on, and after a perfect vacation, we return to the day-to-day hustle of work and the office. Until the next adventure—ciao!
"Soch raha tha, jo cheezein samundar ki gehraiyon mein rehti hain, unmein aankhen nahi hoti. Magar insaan ke paas aankhen hoti hain, phir bhi usme gehraai nahi hoti".
I was thinking—The things that live in the depths of the ocean don’t have eyes. But humans do have eyes, yet they lack depth.Suman Manchireddy MD