Days Go By: Come on down to my boat, baby...

If the title of this post doesn't ring a bell, you've missed out on one of the gems of 60's music. It's by Every Mother's Son. (Give it a listen on YouTube)

A couple of months ago, Don & I sailed away from Galveston for a cool trip of our own. I was so tickled to be back on the Carnival Magic, my favorite ship. It's been such a cold and icy winter that the idea of getting out of here for a week was awesome!

Off course, the first thing you do after embarking is EAT. Here's a few gratuitous food pictures. First, the Mongolian Grill. I ordered shrimp, shrimp, shrimp, ha! It was delicious.

I'm not sure what was going on in this picture, but I think it had something to do with cookies.

It's so funny how your tastes change over the course of a week-long cruise. I started out the first couple of evenings by ordering two Shrimp Cocktail appetizers. They're tasty and all but I moved on.

Then one night I ordered the Fresh Fruit Cocktail as a starter and it was out of this world. I mean, how do they do that, pick the very sweetest fruit for cruise ships? I don't know, but whatever, it was perfect every time. The Cream of Broccoli soup was so good, too.

Another note about food. You can have the most mouthwatering spread of awesome food, but if the service is poor, it kind of spoils it. You know what I mean.

The first couple of nights we bounced around in a couple of different spots in the dining room, but then - then, we got Glenn as a head waiter. And once we had him, we were not going to sit anywhere else.

He was efficient, warm, charming...and he could tell if I liked something instantly. No kidding. One night I had ordered Prime Rib, but when it came, it just didn't suit me. Before I could even ask, he whisked it away and brought me the Panko Crusted Jumbo Shrimp instead. Crazy good service!

OK - we did do things other than just eat. The weather was spectacular! We left Galveston in the sunshine and it stayed sunny and bright all week, except for one cloudy afternoon in Jamaica.

The Magic is a beautiful ship and you can walk all the way around her on the Promenade deck. Not many cruise ships have decks like that. The Sky Deck has a Serenity area (no one under 21 allowed) and it was wonderful. It was dicey to get a place to lay out during the afternoon, but if you look carefully, you become pretty good at finding a couple just getting up to leave and heading over to their spot. ;)

So pretty at night. And the sky is gorgeous. If you wait until you're out to sea (past the drilling platforms) the stars sparkle like diamonds. We sat on our balcony a lot and watched the sea drift by.

Other things we did:

Trivia games.
Line dancing. (ok, just me)
Hot tub.
Napping.
Reading.
Entertainment...stage shows in the Showtime Theatre, comedy acts in Punchliner, and live music all over.
People watching/ people meeting.

This is the deal - you meet some people you absolutely love, some you can take or leave, and some you are glad to never see again (just like real life!). Most nights at dinner we sat near the same 3 ladies and loved talking to them (they were also taken with Glenn, the waiter, so they made sure to sit in that section). They were sisters, who once a year, meet and cruise together.

The last night at dinner we sat at a tiny table and on either side of us were couples. One - honeymooners (he was a tennis pro, she was a spa manager) and the other, an old couple from Australia. They had been married more than 50 years, no children. But they had traveled the world, spending months at a time in far away countries. We were so torn, we wanted to talk to both couples, and so we did. That was awesome.

Our destinations on this cruise: Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Cozumel. At Jamaica, we just went to shop a little in the port terminal.

Grand Cayman. Of all the excursions we've done, this one was #1. Fantastic. Super. Fun. Amazing. And I know this much is true...we will do this again.

After the short tender ride to GC, we met our group (Marineland Tours) and took a short bus ride to the boat. I was specific in booking this boat and crew (they only can be booked through Carnival).

The boat was so fun to ride. The Cayman Explorer is powered by Cat engines...always a good thing! Smooth ride. Easy steps down the back into the water. We didn't wear the life preservers because the water was only chest deep. (my kind of water)

Bert and his crew are - yes, there are such people - "Stingray Whisperers". They were friendly, encouraging and gave us very good info. We formed a circle in the water with the crew in the middle and they gave us some guidelines. They told us how Steve Irwin died (Crocodile Hunter) and why that wasn't going to happen to us! Good to know.

Some of the rays were young and little bit antsy. But my guide found a mama who was mature and relatively calm. Don & I both got to hold her...it was exhilarating! We didn't have a waterproof camera so we took turns taking pics from the steps of the boat. I missed getting a shot of Don holding one, dang it.

Holding that mama was like nothing else. It's hard to describe, but it was almost like a gift.

The look on this little girl's face says it all. Joy!!!

What a trip!! Another time, another day, we'll be back.

After we were back at port, it was time to find food and do some Cayman shopping. I love Grand Cayman, it's pretty and peaceful and fun. Don bought me a lovely Larimar necklace. And I was one happy girl!

All too soon we had to head back to the ship, and the next day it was on to Cozumel. We went to Chankanaab, a wildlife park. There was a sea lion show, and you could do the Dolphin Encounter (for extra $) or just watch. Then we headed back to Puerta Maya for shopping (silver, Del Sol, and the Cozumel pharmacy) and our favorite place for chips, salsa and guacamole, Pancho's Backyard.

OK, if we have to go back to Galveston, at least we have our favorite ship to take us home. French toast and omlettes in the morning and Warm Chocolate Melting Cake at night. It's a good way to go!

One more thing. I bought a hat for the cruise, and I'm not a hat wearin' girl. I love it! It's by San Diego Hat Co., one of those packable ones, so you can fold it all up and then pouf, like magic, it's good again. And it's SPF 50.

It didn't work in high winds though, so I had to take it off before it blew away. Still, good hat.