lifes-a-beach

As I said, I’ve never had to use it. Duct tape would be effective in securing wrists, legs, feet and, of course, covering a mouth if necessary. Large zip ties might not garner attention. I’m just more confident in duct tape. As I also said, YMMV.

So back to the topic. Since we don’t fly to a port very often I wasn’t thinking of my carryon for a flight. There’s one thing I put in my carryon when flying that may surprise some. A brand new, still in the wrapper, roll of duct tape. Not one of the giant ones, just a 3/4 inch or so size. I can’t remember the exact incident, but somewhere along the way someone made the news because they went nuts on a flight and had to be restrained by passengers. As a retired law enforcement professional my training would include either handcuffs or large zip ties. Obviously either of these would be a no no at airport security. But in over two decades of flying a couple times a year and having that new roll of duct tape in my carryon I’ve never had to use it, but I’ve also never had an issue getting it through security. And if I did, it’s a $5 roll of duct tape so no big loss. YMMV

Upside down pineapples, yes. And they may be putting out a communicable disease, just not shingles. LOL

We leave Saturday and port there on Tuesday. This time we will walk outside the port away from the scumbag taxi guy who last time told us that Buccanos was closed, and catch a cab to Buccanos which, in fact, wasn't closed. Edit to say, a pool is almost a prerequisite for us too.

I regret not going to Cuba before the government screwed it up for everybody. I regret not doing Antarctica years ago when it wasn't so crowded and expensive. I regret not going out of Florida more back when airfare wasn't so crazy. It's so hard to justify an additional $800 plus a night in an overpriced hotel just to go to different ports.

Reading the Google reviews, I'm out. Vendors all over you and average food. All the good reviews look fake or solicited.

My kids and I went with Gypsea a few years ago and it was pretty good. Just don’t set your expectations as high as you might at some other places.

That’s really subjective. We are also in our 60s and started going to Paradise Beach 25 years ago when it was a line of chairs along the beach. Over the years they built an awesome attraction complete with a pool and very nice restrooms. For us, when they decided to go AI we started looking elsewhere. Mind you, the food is good and my wife enjoys a drink or two. There’s a taco truck there that’s also very good. The facility is beautiful and well kept, and if you get there early there’s not much of a crowd. But as the day goes on it gets crowded and the drunks start showing up. They turn the music up to accommodate their client base, which isn’t really us any longer. To answer your question though, it’s not particularly overcrowded. It’s a big place and sometimes it’s not very crowded at all. Five ships is a light day on Cozumel. If you’ve never been there and don’t mind the music and rowdiness, you should consider giving it a try. As they say, YMMV.

TXDOT will continue closures in the North Houston area this weekend. All closures begin at 9 PM, Today, August 23rd and will re-open at 5 AM, Monday, August 26th

That right there! We concern ourselves with this while planning a budget for something here at home. Planning a wedding? Buying a car? Home renovation? Yep. Going to another country where laws are different and largely unknown, where I don’t speak the language fluently, where I might be seen as a cash cow, I’m gonna have a plan, and it’s not going to include a bunch of unknowns. On a side note, if you’ve ever made an insurance claim here at home you know what a pain it can be, and how drawn out the process is. Now imagine that when it relates to a foreign country , with its own legal system and regulations. Nope. I’ll just hire a driver.

I'll chime in here. Imagine coming to in a hospital in Mexico with serious, even life threatening injuries. You've been in an accident, which unless you can prove otherwise was your fault. You can't leave Mexico until the bill is paid for the damage you caused, both to the rental and to another party if there is one. Then there is the bill for your medical care. Then there is the medical evacuation to get you back to a U.S. hospital Hopefully you got med-evac insurance as part of your travel policy. Assuming you are traveling with someone, they will need to stay with you. If you injured or killed someone, get ready for an extended stay, more medical bills, and having a Mexican attorney assigned to your case. Do you speak fluent Spanish? If not, imagine what that's going to be like. Did you have a couple of beers? Or maybe more? Now we're talking Mexican prison time. As an alternate, you could hire a driver for the day and be responsible for paying the bill. I know what I do in every country we visit. But you do you.

https://www.whatsinport.com/Cozumel.htm

That depends on where you are swimming out from and how good of a swimmer you are. The further south you go, the less crowded it is, but it will be several hundred yards swim out to the reef. Depending on your itinerary, it can be better to snorkel from the shore at other ports. West Bay Beach on Roatan for example. Or Cemetery Beach on Grand Cayman. Both are very easy to swim out from, close to the reef, with lots of marine life, and far superior to Costa Maya or Cozumel, at least in my experience.

We used Gypsea Divers several years ago. Very good communication before the trip. Easy to find. Good trip and lots of marine life. https://gypseadivers.com

My multi-tool was put in time out. Even though the little bitty knife blade is not even close to the size of the knives in the dining room. Stupid rule but one I will follow.

Just a suggestion, when my wife and I take a cab in Cozumel, we always ask those in the line if another couple is going where we are going. Sometimes it works and sometimes not.

Buccanos https://www.buccanos.com/ There are a few threads about it here. They open at 10 Cozumel time.

Driving conditions down here from Conroe south aren't much different on Sunday than Saturday. I recommend you drive to Conroe and stay the night. Go to Zully's Latin food place in Willis, next to Tractor Supply, for dinner. Easy drive Sunday morning.

Frankly, kids are better than drunks. We just got off a Carnival cruise and OMG the drunks. There was a fight in the piano bar. The PIANO BAR! I'll take some noisy kids any day. Of course, YMMV.

Thanks for this followup review. Just for everyone's information, I messaged the WhatsApp number on their website today at 3:23PM asking about making reservations. Got a response at 3:25 asking how many. I replied immediately, including our first names. Marcus replied at 3:27 that he would make the reservation. At 3:29 I thanked him and told him to let me know if he needed any further information. At 3:31 he replied that the reservations were made, see us then. So in 8 minutes it was done. EIGHT MINUTES! This is for next week so when we get back I'll follow up here with a review. Can't wait.

Thank you very much.

My wife tells me there is a plan for 4 devices. Can we share two of those with friends who are also on the cruise?

I had to Google it because I don’t drink but here’s what came through: For grocery and convenience stores, Texas's alcohol sales times for wine are the same as beer: Monday through Friday, 7 am to midnight, Saturday, 7 am to 1 am; and Sundays now, from 10 am to midnight. Aside from grocery or convenience stores, package stores sell beer and wine, not liquor.

Yep that's exactly where we went. My wife sat in a lounge chair under the trees while my kids and I went down those stairs. It's a beautiful place to snorkel.

Sounds like Half Moon Bay near West End Village. We did the same thing years ago with a Victor Bodden Driver.