Solstice Dec 11-18 - Hangin' with the Primate Posse

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We were very happy we were with a small group here. As we were getting ready to leave, some of the large ships' excursion tour boats were arriving:

 

 

Yikes!

 

We boarded and headed a short distance to coral gardens for some snorkeling.

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We really enjoy snorkeling, and we are not very demanding when it comes to the experience. What I mean is, we are from Ohio. No ocean nearby. So to be able to float along in warm, clear, Caribbean water, watching whatever happens to appear below, is a treat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click on this one for a video:

 

 

After snorkeling for an hour or so, we were off to Rum Point!

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Yes, the water in this area really is this color:

 

 

The guys had passed a menu around on the boat for lunch and called in our orders. Delicious jerk pork and mahi mahi plates, among other choices:

 

 

 

Lunch was included with the tour, with a soft drink or tea, and other drinks were available for purchase. You could use US money for purchases, but any change would be given in Cayman dollars. They also accepted credit cards.

 

Rum Point is lovely, although it was a bit more crowded than the last time we were there:

 

 

 

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More Rum Point:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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After an hour and a half for lunch and relaxation, we boarded the boat to head back to the yacht club, with a stop on the way for Andrew to pull up a couple of starfish to...um...SHOW us.

 

 

 

 

 

I still can't get over that water color:

 

 

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Andrew took the boat through a small channel near the yacht club to show us some high-end real estate:

 

 

 

 

 

When we arrived at the dock, one of the Native Way owners, Sharon, met us, and asked for a group of four to ride back to the port with her in her car, as there was not quite enough room on the bus. We volunteered, and it was great to hear her stories along the way. She said there was one couple from Solstice who had signed up for the tour and showed up at 11:00, saying that they were late because tendering was delayed, and asking if they could still join the tour! She politely told them that 8 people from their ship had made it at 9:00, so she was sorry, but the tour had left 2 hours ago! She also talked about the poor weather they had had lately. The day we were there was the first in almost two weeks that ships had been able to tender. What a blow to the local tour companies! We really enjoyed riding with her, and were back in plenty of time to take some pics of the six ships in port:

 

 

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The cold drinks and cool washcloths that X provides at every port are a small thing, but what a treat after a day of touring!

 

We ended up on one of the lifeboats as our tender back to the ship.

 

 

We showered and had a snack, then of course I spent some time taking pics from the ship. Royal's Voyager of the Seas had joined the crowd since we arrived. When it was time to leave, it was like cars maneuvering out of a parking lot:

 

 

 

Shots of the stern and corner balconies from above:

 

 

 

Pirates among us:

 

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We had dinner in Blu again, and it was amazing as usual. Beautiful moon on the water again tonight:

 

 

Later that evening we had the Primate Posse Slot Pull. Everyone put $15 in the machine, had three pulls, and we were to split what we had at the end. It wasn't looking good for a while, but luckily Bob had a great spin, so we all at least walked away with $30 (so a $15 profit). Just another chance to socialize with a great group of people!

 

 

 

 

We moved the party to the Molecular Bar and kept the bartenders hopping. The creator of the drink menu, mixologist Junior Merino, happened to be aboard for the first part of the cruise:

 

 

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A few more of our fun group:

 

 

 

 

There was an artist on board as well, Graham Denison. I did enjoy his paintings very much, but they were out of my price range, to say the least:

 

 

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A bit more art appreciation:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By the way, the Molecular Bar had a special every night after 10:00, buy one and the second was half off. Of course with the drink package, that was not an issue for us!

 

After a few good laughs at the bar, it was off to bed. Beach day at Cozumel tomorrow!

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After the (minor) stress of worrying about tendering in on time for our tour the day before, it was nice to relax as we pulled into the dock at Cozumel on Tuesday. Even though we have only been on five cruises, we have been to Cozumel three times. The first time we went to Chankanaab and enjoyed it, the second to Paradise Beach, and that was just okay. We wanted a relaxing beach day this time, so we chose Nachi Cocom. Let me just say, it was a great choice.

 

We were scheduled to dock about 9:30, so we had a relaxing morning. The good news is that I had a healthy (and good!) breakfast from the Aqua Spa Cafe.

 

 

The bad news is that I then felt entitled to stop by Cafe al Bacio for "dessert".

 

 

Everything in moderation, right?

 

We saw the harbor pilot jumping aboard:

 

 

 

 

There were 2 Carnival ships in port, and we docked next to one of Solstice's sister ships, the Equinox:

 

 

The four of us shared a taxi with Sue and Doug, another couple from the roll call, who had also been with us on the tour the day before. Great people! I had forgotten what a convoluted path it is from the dock to the taxi stand outside the gate of the shopping area, but we wound our way through, and promptly boarded a cab for the 15 minute ride to Nachi.

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The driveway and parking area into Nachi Cocom is, let's just say, unimpressive. But don't let that fool you. Once you enter, it is absolutely lovely.

 

We had made reservations via email months ago, before the price went up from $49 to $55 per day, (Hmm, I just realized that's pretty much the same price jump as the X premium beverage package. Coincidence?) We showed them the email confirmation, paid the balance, and received wristbands. Much of the appeal of coming here to us was that they limit the number of people each day to 100. With something like 16,000 cruisers in port that day, we wanted a quiet beach. I really don't think there were more than 50-70 people at the resort that day, so you might be able to walk up without a reservation, but I'm not sure.

 

We met Manuel, our server for the day, and he escorted us to a palapa and loungers quite a way down the beach. When we first sat down, several workers came by to offer extra services, such as snorkel trips, massages, etc. The only extra thing we got was a floating mat for the day for $7. Well spent. I think maybe one other time during the day someone came by again offering massages, but it was very low-key.

 

Manuel brought us our first drink of the day, and we settled in. It was a perfect day, not too hot, but plenty warm for swimming. The snorkeling off the beach was nothing much, but Pete and I still went out for a while.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Service was a little on the slow side, but there was no problem stepping (or swimming) up to the bar to ask for a drink if you wanted. We had an assortment of deliciousness for lunch. The guacamole was outstanding.

 

 

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The pool is large and lovely, great for a dip in the afternoon to freshen up.

 

 

 

 

The swim-up bar:

 

 

 

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A few more general Nachi pics. We would definitely return here if we want a relaxing beach day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[curiouscat]

Wow, We had Junior Merino on one of our sailings on the Solstice too.... we had a great time getting to know him and his staff. I still follow him on his Facebook page...

 

Thanks for the pics....:p

 

CC

[Hollywood Traveler]

Sue:

 

Great job. Can't wait for the next installment. You, Bruce, Tom, Pete and the rest of the posse made it our best cruise ever.

 

Larry

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Aw, thanks, Larry! It was so great to meet and get to know you and Jan and the others!

 

When we arrived back at the pier we did a little shopping. We are NOT big shoppers, just get a few things for those back home and a remembrance or two. Although Bruce is a master haggler with a contractor or car salesman, neither of us was in the mood for bargaining, so we grabbed a few things and paid. Could we have gotten them for less? Sure. But could that store owner use that $15 or $20 more than we could? I suspect the answer is yes.

 

It was great to see the Solstice and Equinox side by side:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I have to say, I'm not sure exactly why, but even with fun and active shore excursions and four port days in a row, this was the most RELAXING cruise we have been on yet. Each day we would get back to the ship early- to mid-afternoon, have a snack and clean up, then have several hours to just chill or nap or whatever we wanted. We even watched a couple of the free on-demand movies in the cabin, something we have never seemed to have time to do before. It made for a great vacation!

 

We headed to dinner at Blu a little after 6. All aboard was 5:45, and we were scheduled to depart at 6. There were still some staff waiting for folks to board:

 

 

 

An officer happened to come to the rail beside us and let us know that they were waiting for 136 people who were returning from a ship's excursion to the mainland. The ferry pulled up and they were all soon aboard.

 

Pretty view of Cozumel at night:

 

 

And Equinox cruising into the sunset:

 

 

 

Another wonderful dinner at Blu, with a delicious (and pretty!) lime parfait for dessert:

 

 

Tomorrow, Roatan, the first of two ports we had not visited before.

[judyfssw]

I am so enjoying your pictures. We will be on the Soltice in 2013 and just looking at your pictures makes me want to go on a cruise sooner than that. I'll have to start figuring things out now.

[TraceyP]

I'm really enjoying all of your pictures and notes. We're going to be on the same trip on Solstice on January 8th. So far different excursions. And we're not in Aqua Class, but now I want to be. Blu looks amazing!

 

I'm hoping you went ziplining in Roatan???:)

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Sorry, Tracey, no ziplining this trip. We do want to try that sometime, though!

 

This would be our first visit to Roatan. Another view of a harbor pilot boat as we approached:

 

 

An NCL ship was already there, anchored in the bay, from where its passengers had to tender in.

 

 

 

A view of the other dock, past the airstrip, with a Carnival ship and a HAL ship behind:

 

 

Roatan was one of those ports that is not unusual for the Caribbean - a lovely little sanitized port area:

 

 

And what seems to be abject poverty outside the gates:

 

 

This contrast makes for some conflicting feelings when visiting, as we head back to our luxurious ship at the end of a port day. But it is our choice to cruise as a vacation, and we do try to contribute to the local economies.

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A few more photos from the ship:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Today we planned a trip to Upachaya, an "Eco-Adventure Lodge and Wellness Retreat" for a kayak and snorkel tour.

 

We followed the instructions in the email confirming our reservation, which told us to proceed to the end of the dock area, to Gate 7, and cross the street to meet the Upachaya rep. We found Marco quickly, and he walked us several blocks to his mother's house (really), where we were to board the van for the trip to the resort.

 

The van ride was about 20 minutes, the last 15 of which were over a dirt -- make that MUD -- road. I really thought we'd have to get out and push when we bogged down. This was not even the worst of it by a long shot:

 

 

But when we pulled in to Upachaya, it was an oasis, truly lovely.

 

 

 

 

 

We were met by Barb, an American who had chucked the corporate world three years ago to buy this place and now offers it as a B&B, yoga center, wellness retreat, and tour center. She does a holistic health radio show every week and is beginning to partner with a doctor to offer more wellness-oriented activities.

 

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Barb told us about the many plants on the property, including fruit trees (citrus, mangoes, etc.), and orchids growing symbiotically on the trees:

 

 

The caretaker's home:

 

 

The B&B lodge:

 

 

We paid Barb for the tour and then left our backpacks with her before heading down to the dock to meet our kayak guides, JJ and Moses:

 

 

We boarded our dual kayaks and headed out, first to see the mangroves nearby: