Cruise into Summer. Part 2. The Islands. Dec, 2024

Our ship made 4 stops at different islands. You can read about the ship here. And now, I invite you to leave the ship and step onto land together with us 

Bahamas. Private Island Coco Cay

An interesting concept — when a cruise company purchases an island and builds an entire entertainment park on it. Several ships can dock at the port at the same time, passengers go ashore and spend the whole day on the island. You can return to the ship, but there’s really no point, since everything on the island is included: food, pools, and of course the beach. As usual, additional развлечения, excursions, and other activities can also be purchased

And here are two huge cruise ships docked at the port

We choose a direction and walk around the island 

Here is one of the pools. There are not many people, since everyone has gone to the sea 

And here is a Christmas tree next to a sand sculptures, and it looks like the ship is already waiting for us 

Cozumel Island in Mexico (Cozumel)

We step off the ship in the port 

We book an agency in advance that offers us a private island tour by jeep. I won’t recommend the agency, since the guys turned out to be not very professional.

We stop at a few well-known island spots. On the right is Ixchel, the goddess of fertility and abundance. From ancient times to the present day, women — especially those hoping to have children — pray to her for fertility and help with motherhood

We also saw a monument dedicated to the coral reef. It was erected in honor of the protection of coral reef ecosystems and serves as a reminder of the importance of preserving nature. We also stopped by some souvenir shops 

Then we went snorkeling. It turned out to be great and served as a good warm-up for our next snorkeling experience at one of the most beautiful reefs in the world, in Honduras 

Roatan Island in Honduras

We book an excursion with a company I can confidently recommend. From the port, several large buses from this company were departing at the same time. There was a choice of different routes.

First, we headed to a sanctuary where we could interact with monkeys and also cuddle sloths

It turns out that sloths sleep up to 18 hours a day, and they only go “about their business” once every 3 days. We were told that each sloth interacts with only one tour group, and then simply goes back to sleeping :)

We also got to spend time with beautiful parrots. Then we continue on and switch to a boat

And we dive into the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea. The Roatan Barrier Reef is the second-largest barrier reef in the world, after the Australian Great Barrier Reef. We saw so many unbelievably beautiful fish!

After that, we had time to relax on a very cozy beach

We return to the port. Those who didn’t want to take excursions could sunbathe and swim in the port pools 

Costa Maya — a port on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico (Costa Maya)

In Costa Maya, we stopped for only half a day and didn’t have any special plans. We step off the ship and immediately find ourselves in the tourist area 

And this is the “Danza de los Voladores” (Dance of the Flyers) — a ritual that is an ancient ceremony symbolizing the connection between the sky, the earth, and people. During the ritual, a group of five men (four flyers and one musician) climbs a tall wooden pole (about 30 meters high). At the top, the four performers tie ropes to their ankles and descend while rotating around the pole, performing acrobatic movements. The fifth participant remains at the top, playing musical instruments and setting the rhythm for the entire performance 

We walk through the souvenir shops and get our hair braided 

We admire flamingos. There is music and fun everywhere 

It's time to return to the ship 

And that’s where our vacation comes to an end. Early in the morning, the ship arrives at the port of Orlando. We take a taxi and head to the airport. There is also time to stop by the Disney and Universal stores for souvenirs 

This man is always sleeping in the airport while waiting for his flight. The reason is simple — he’s not real. I don’t know what he’s made of, but he really looks like a living person