French Quarter - New Orleans

After we disembarked from the Norwegian Jewel, we took the airport shuttle bus and made our way to the rental cars, where we picked up our Honda.  We rented a room from a private party through Airbnb.com.  If you aren't familiar with Airbnb, it is a clearing house for people who wish to rent out a room in their home or complete house or apartment.  Here is the Airbnb link to Patrick's home.  It's perfect for us to relax and from which to visit the sites of the area.

We spent our first afternoon exploring the French Quarter.  Everyone is decorating and gearing up for Mardis Gras.

Great Music in the Park

Decked out for Mardi Gras

Russ and I met with SERVAS hosts Harvey and Grace for dinner and area tips on our first evening. We had a wonderful salad and fresh shrimp. Cuisine for the first day in the French Quarter at Patrick O'Brians included jumbalaya, gumbo, deep fried catfish, red beans and rice, and beer. In no time we'll be y'alling it!

All is Well with the Worrall Travel R's

Day 6 and 7 - Back to New Orleans

Sometime in the early dark hours of this morning, the Jewel docked in New Orleans.  Our last day at sea started warm and sunny. the temperature progressively cooled and became less humid as we headed northward.  By noon it was overcast and by 1:00 the wind and rain were whipping the deck chairs into the walkways.

We were in one to two meter seas with frothing wind waves, Aahhh! This brought back some fond memories, NOT!  Nice to be high and dry.  It all looks much less threatening in a big boat!  Within an hour we had passed through the worst of the squall, and the wind and seas calmed down along with passengers who had gotten seasick.

After eating breakfast on the fantail deck, I attended a zumba workout in the morning while Russ went to the gym and the golf cage. When it started raining we headed for the card room and played some dominoes.  Our afternoon was spent in  a Q & A session with the ship's senior officers and found out that we were traveling 22.3 knots per hour and burning 1 gallon of fuel a second.  Whoa! Put up the sails!

We hung out in the theater to learn the magicians tricks..how he does it....not really too informative as he didn't share the tricks he did during the show, but basic stuff you can learn from a book. Then there was a crew talent show where cooks, wait servers, stewards, bar tenders, etc., whose primary job was not entertainment, shared their talents!  There were some great vocalists and guitar players.
The barman was quite a juggler of bottles and glasses.  We finished the evening with a concert, dinner, game show, and goodbyes with new friends.

All is well with the Worrall Travel R s, now disembarked from the Norwegian Jewel.

Day 5 - Chacchoben, Quitana Roo, Mexico

The chocoholic feast last night was fabulous!  Oink oink!  We could choose from at least 30 different types of chocolate desserts  from cookies, cakes, pies, eclairs, fritters,and fudge dipped fruits, puddings, and mousses.  I thought with all that late night caffeine,  it would prevent sleep. But instead, I think I crashed out on sugar and slept through my alarm and have been in a head haze most of the day.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Once again, even though I was moving slowly, we left the ship at 8:00 a.m for a day of Pre-classic Mayan ruins, 4,000 BC- 625 AD.  We saw the classic ruins in Tulum, and the post classic ruins in Altuna Ha! in Belize.

Today was Chacchoben about an hour out of Costa Maya.  Our tour guide David, is a descendent of the Mayans in this area.  The ruins we saw today were the oldest, and I  thought the most interesting.

Yet to be excavated mound.

Jungle recaptures the ruins

Palms, strangling figs, and breadfruit trees (different than the breadfruit in the south pacific) with beautiful bark filled in the open spaces and provided some cooling shade.

Strangler Fig

Beautiful Bark of the Mexican Breadfruit

Stingless and stinger bees make their homes in the jungle.

Stingless Bees

Stinger Bees

Spider monkeys flew from tree to tree while we were on the jungle plateau of the spiritual temple. Our guide was very informative not only with history but of the flora and fauna.

After our ruin explorations we went to a small palapa resort on a freshwater lake where we could kayak and swim.  Lunch was included.  It was a beautiful and relaxing setting.

All too soon it was time to return to the Jewel.  Our all aboard time is 3:30, the earliest time yet, but we have a long way to sail back to New Orleans.

My plan for tomorrow morning is to sleep in and to lounge around like a lizard the rest of the day.

All is well with the Worrall Travel R's

Day 4 - Roatan, Honduras

Our Geocaching Travel Bugs Visit Honduras

Day 4 - Roatan, Honduras

Today, we arrived in Honduras on the island of Roatan.

The weather was warm, clear, and windy.  The N Jewel was the first to make it to the one ship dock. Later arriving ships usually have to anchor out and tender their guests a shore.  Because of the strong winds, they were unable to tender and come ashore.  It must have been very disappointing for these passengers, and the the local merchants who depend on cruise ship passengers.  

For us though, it meant it meant far fewer cruisers to deal with.  We were picked up and whisked away in a small van to do some snorkeling on the the opposite side of the island.  We went to Turquoise Bay by Subway Dives.  We brought along our own snorkels and masks, but rented fins.  We thought we might need a wet suit, but the water was warm enough without one...lovely

We spent the day snorkeling on the barrier reef and were thrilled to be back in the water.  The water was a little choppy, but it was 81 F and very clear.  We saw a couple of rays, lots of fish- puffers, sand dabs, tang, angels, trumpets, sea stars, brain coral, purple lace fan coral, pipe organ coral, and lobsters.

The sand was white, the water turquoise, the beer was cold.  It was a great day.  After returning late in  the afternoon, we had just enough time to find a geocache in the Market outside the cruise terminal

and get our passports stamped before boarding the ship.  We are now currently heading north, with one last day ashore in Mexico before returning to New Orleans on Sunday.

At 9:45 tonight there is going to be a chocoholic buffet!  I can hardly wait and will surely regret participating, with a big smile on my face!

All is well with the Worrall Travel R's aboard NCL Norwegian Jewel.

Day 3- Belize it!

We got up early this morning to collect the first tender group of tickets so that we could get to shore in a timely manner and make our 9:30 tour to the Mayan ruins on Altun Ha!  While we waited for our tour time at the cruise ship terminal, we searched around for a geocache and found one close by.  

Found a Geocache in the Bus Yard

I wanted to do a little shopping when I discovered I left my money in the safe along with Russ's wallet.  Darn!  No cash purchases today.  We didn't really need to buy anything, but it would mean that we would have to leave the bus without tipping our guides at the end of the day.  We can only hope the other members would be generous tippers and pick up the slack for us slackers.

The ruins  we saw today were built after 625 AD, post classic period.   When discovered  by Pendergast in the 1950's, the ruins looked like small jungled mountains.  

The Mayans believed in building their homes on top of their parent home.  The parent home became the tomb for the deceased parent, and the eldest son would cover the home /tomb with dirt, and build his home on top of the old one.  This custom continued for many generations.  Some of the excavated mounds had up to five homes built on top of one another.

Do you see the Mayan Face?

Nice view from the Temple Top

It is now 2:30 and we are headed back to the boat for a cool beverage and a dip in the pool before the sunsets.

Cheers from the Worrall Travel R's.

Day 2- If It's Tuesday , It Must be Cozumel

We slept like rocks last night and were awakened from a deep sleep when the alarm went off at 6:00 a.m.  With a few stretches, shower, and breakfast, we disembarked in Cozumel, Mexico at 8:00 a.m. as soon as NJ parallel parked at the dock across from the Disney Wonder.

Russ and I signed up with an off ship, small group excursion with Native Tours out to the Mayan ruins in Tulum.  We walked from the NCL dock to the ferry dock, where we met our tour guide Audie, a Lebanese American, working in Mexico. 

There were ten in our group from Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney, and Norwegian.  We boarded a 45 minute ferry from the island of Cozumel to the mainland, transferred to an air conditioned van and drove another 45 minutes south to Tulum on the Yucatan peninsula.  

Our guide was extremely well informed about Meso-American history and culture and kept us enthralled with wonderful stories from start to finish.  Tulum was built around 650 ad. , destroyed during the Spanish conquests, recaptured by the jungle, refound in 1956, excavated, and opened for tourists in 1960.  The setting of Tulum is on a bluff above the ocean where 10-15,000 Mayans once lived before being conquered by the Toltecs and then the Spaniards.

We returned to Cozumel about 3:30 in the afternoon with just enough time to do a little shopping and enjoy a walk along the Malecon enjoying the sculptures

and enjoying some ice cold beverages...beer and margaritas, before boarding the N Jewel at 4:30, casting off the lines and heading to Belize.  This is definitely a Worrall Wind Trip! Sure is wonderful being back in Mexico, even if only briefly.

If it's Wednesday...it will be Belize in the morning.  

Cheers from the Worrall Travel R's

Day 1 - On Our Way To Cozumel

NCL Norwegian Jewel left port at exactly 4:00 p.m.  Fog skimmed over the Mississippi and shrouded the banks as we turned a 180 in the middle of the river and headed out to sea.  Soon a white nothingness pressed in around us.  Ghostly ships anchored in the river appeared briefly and disappeared into the mist.  It took us six hours before the bow of the ship was in the sea. Jewel's movement changed only slightly as we felt the gently swells underneath us.

After dinner, Super Bowl viewing, and live entertainment (a preview of the week's performances) We sat on our deck in the warm humid air and eventually went to bed with the sound of sea.  It was bliss enjoying a glass of wine which we never drank while sailing our own boat, and retiring without worrying about sail changes, navigation, squalls, night watch, or anchor alarms. Oil drilling platforms lit up like Christmas trees and became crystal clear the farther we sailed from the shore.

Monday.  First Day at Sea.  

Now that we are cruising at sea, we will have to wait to post photos.  The satellite connection is slow and doesn't want to upload the photos.  I ll take care of the photos when we return to New Orleans, next Sunday.

We arose early and made our way to the fitness center for a workout before breakfast.  The ship's staff is  very conscientious about spraying everyone's hands with disinfectant before entering the dining rooms and the fitness center.  Given the incidence of Noro virus on cruise ships, we are pleased with their diligence in preventing the spread of bacteria and viruses.  Every entrance to a public meeting area has hand disinfectant dispensers.


After breakfast, we decided it would be fun to do a little golf practice in the cage.  We were disappointed with the ship's golf equipment for the cage.  We could select from one battered driver...for lefties.  Seriously? and no pitching wedges.   There is only one cage on board and we could each have only one club.  Russ chose a 7 and I found a 5 iron.  When we inquired about balls, the young man at the desk gave us each one.  Really, be a sport, could we have a few more?  Okay, we each got two, and not out of stinginess, but that exhausted the supply.  Then we had to sign some paperwork for the precious equipment.    After hitting our four balls a several dozen times, we returned the equipment.  Not sure we'll do this often.

Off to play BINGO....or so we thought, until we found a comfy looking lounge chair for two in the morning sun.  Russ read, and moi, I took a wonderful little power nap.  So much for BINGO.  It was time for lunch, a stroll around the deck and an afternoon of playing cards with some folks from Minnesota.  They taught us how to play Hand and Foot which has many similarities to Baja Rummy.  The sea has been calm, gentle swells, and no white caps.  We spent a pleasant afternoon relaxing and playing cards.

We met the Master (Captain) of the ship tonight. He politely bowed to people and gave them fist bumps instead of handshakes.  Guess he doesn't want to catch or spread gems by shaking hands either.  We talked with one of the officers today about the water system on the boat.  They desalinate seawater and the ship's gray water, producing 60 tons of water an hour!  We were happy if we got 14 gallons an hour aboard Worrall wind.  Amazing.

Our first day at sea was capped off by some champaign, dinner in the elegant dining room, and a Seventies music and dance performance in the Stardust Theater.  It's been an exhausting day. ;-).  Tomorrow, we will be in Cozumel exploring Mayan ruins.  

Cheers from the Worrall Travel R's

We Are Sailing Again!

This is our first time cruising on a boat that is not ours.  we are not the captain, first mate, helmsman, crew, cook or galley slave.  We are thrilled to be passengers on this trip.  Nice digs, and no night watch.  Yeah!

We arrived in New Orleans last night, boarded the ship this afternoon, and are preparing for an emergency evacuation drill in five minutes!  Gotta go!  More later.

Worrall Travel R's on Norwegian Cruise Lines heading to the Western Caribbean.