The cruise was fabulous. Here's the play-by-play of the whole trip:
Thursday: Left at 7:00 am and drove down to Hollywood Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. In the middle of nowhere down there, literally, there is about a block and a half of casinos. People have said it's the Las Vegas of the south. I don't think it was anything like Vegas, but whatevs. It works for me if those in the south are having fun there. We got a good rate on the hotel because Pam's sister-in-law, Andra, goes there a lot for the buffet and gets comps.
Friday: Continued driving to Mobile, Alabama. We stayed in Saraland, Alabama, which is just a few miles from where Pam's sister, Karen lives. We visited Karen at her house, had a meal, etc. I briefly swam in the pool and exercised in the gym at the hotel.
Saturday: Went to Felix's Restuarant, which is near where the U.S.S. Alabama is docked. It's right on the water and is a great restaurant. I'm glad we went, just for the experience of being on the water and eating fish done up right in the south. We boarded the ship! It was very small, even compared to the Majesty of the Seas. It was kept nice, though, and it felt sufficient.
Sunday: Was a day at sea. Peggy and I laid out most of the day. It was nice to just hang out and not have to think about anything.
Monday: Progreso, Mexico. We docked fairly early and left the ship early, too. We rode on a bus for about 45 minutes to the resort where the horseback riding was. They had to split our group into two smaller groups because there weren't enough horses to accommodate all of us at once. Our group went first, and I was glad for that. We didn't get much introduction to the horses, but they were all very well-behaved. To get them to walk in a line, we didn't even have to kick them or anything--they just followed one another. I was pretty nervous at first because horses are big and they kind of intimidate me, but once I became relaxed it was a lot of fun. We walked on a little trail near the resort for a little while and then we came to some water. The "beach" wasn't really much of a beach for awhile... There was very little sand and someone really should've picked up because there was quite a bit of litter. We came to a larger area of beach and had a little photo-op, then continued walking on the beach/in the water for a little while longer. I would say we were on the horses for about 45 minutes altogether. I think Peggy really enjoyed it. After we were done on the horses, we had about 2 hours to enjoy the resort with free drinks. The beach and the water were gorgeous! I had about 6 drinks, but didn't feel a thing. It was pretty hot while we were there and I got pretty sunburnt, especially on my shoulders and chest. Peggy and I both got massages on the beach too, which were phenomenal. Kind of an expensive choice, but a good choice nonetheless. I'm always surprised by the amount of poverty that is right next door to fabulous resorts and accommodations. The poverty on the drive to the resort in Progreso was probably worse than any I've seen before. It literally looked like some people rigged up some sheet metal and decided to live there. There's no way there was plumbing in these areas, but you could tell people were living there because they were sitting outside or there were clothes on the line. Very sad.
Tuesday: We were in Cozumel, Mexico. We spent quite a bit of time waiting for the others on our excursion. We were trained on the segways and I was kind of nervous at first because they are crazy little contraptions! They put us on this little course to practice for about 15 minutes and then we were off. We rode for about half an hour on a sidewalk and on the side of a road, some of the time we were right off the beach--it was beautiful. I was the first one in line and I'm glad I decided to do that because it was fun. We arrived a resort where we got our snorkel gear, rode a bus just for a few blocks to the snorkel spot, and then got into the water. We basically entered into the current and it was a real challenge to get to where the tour guides wanted us to be. Peggy, Pam, and Donna weren't able to swim and I felt really bad for them. They ended up just swimming up to the shore and hanging out the whole time. Once we got into the calmer waters, it was amazing. There wasn't as much coral as I wanted there to be (though I wasn't expecting much), and it was nice because I was still the first one and the tour guide kept acting like he had food for the fish so they would all gather around him and I was really close to him. It was really cool--I could literally have held out of my hand and touched tons of fish. They were pretty tropical ones, too. Once we were done snorkeling, we showered off and segwayed back to where we started. Overall I definitely think we got our money's worth for that excursion--it lasted a long time and we got to do a lot. Fun times!
Wednesday: Another day at sea, filled with relaxation. I tried not to expose myself to a lot of sun, but we did lay out for a little while.
Thursday: We got off the ship. :( It was a pretty fast process, which is always a good thing. We waited for Gary (Karen's husband) and Glenn (Karen's son) to pick up, and then we drove back to Karen's house. We ate a meal there and then headed back to the hotel to relax. At this point I was definitely ready to go home.
Friday: Drove from Saraland to Memphis and met Paul (Pam's husband) and Wally (Donna's husband) at the hotel. It took almost all of the day to drive to Memphis, and really all we did when we arrived in Memphis was eat at Logan's Roadhouse with Andra (Paul's sister who lives in Memphis) and her boyfriend.
Saturday: Donna, Wally, Peggy, and I went to Graceland. I really liked Graceland. It was different than I expected--more commercialized--but a lot of fun. It was fascinating to see where Elvis lived. All of the decor was the same as when he was there. After we went to Graceland, we met up with Pam, Paul, Andra, and her boyfriend in downtown Memphis near Beale Street. We ate at this amazing barbeque restaurant in an alley (the entrance to the place is literally in an alley and you have to go downstairs to get there) called Rendez-Vous. It was so good. I don't normally get into barbeque but the pulled pork sandwich was delicious and even the baked beans were to die for. If I ever get back to Memphis, I am definitely going there. The atmosphere is just really cool too because you feel like you know a secret being there. The waiter we had was awesome too because we had a huge order (8 people with all different kinds of ribs?) and he didn't even write it down... he just remembered. Amazing.
Sunday: Driving from Memphis to home. I was SO ready to be home, but definitely had an amazing time.
Altogether a great journey. Fun to be riding in a car for sort of a road trip--stopping in different places on the way down and on the way up and whatnot. I'm so grateful to Pam for paying for the cruise for us. That was so amazingly nice of her. I will have those memories forever.
When's the next trip?!
Thursday: Left at 7:00 am and drove down to Hollywood Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. In the middle of nowhere down there, literally, there is about a block and a half of casinos. People have said it's the Las Vegas of the south. I don't think it was anything like Vegas, but whatevs. It works for me if those in the south are having fun there. We got a good rate on the hotel because Pam's sister-in-law, Andra, goes there a lot for the buffet and gets comps.
Friday: Continued driving to Mobile, Alabama. We stayed in Saraland, Alabama, which is just a few miles from where Pam's sister, Karen lives. We visited Karen at her house, had a meal, etc. I briefly swam in the pool and exercised in the gym at the hotel.
Saturday: Went to Felix's Restuarant, which is near where the U.S.S. Alabama is docked. It's right on the water and is a great restaurant. I'm glad we went, just for the experience of being on the water and eating fish done up right in the south. We boarded the ship! It was very small, even compared to the Majesty of the Seas. It was kept nice, though, and it felt sufficient.
Sunday: Was a day at sea. Peggy and I laid out most of the day. It was nice to just hang out and not have to think about anything.
Monday: Progreso, Mexico. We docked fairly early and left the ship early, too. We rode on a bus for about 45 minutes to the resort where the horseback riding was. They had to split our group into two smaller groups because there weren't enough horses to accommodate all of us at once. Our group went first, and I was glad for that. We didn't get much introduction to the horses, but they were all very well-behaved. To get them to walk in a line, we didn't even have to kick them or anything--they just followed one another. I was pretty nervous at first because horses are big and they kind of intimidate me, but once I became relaxed it was a lot of fun. We walked on a little trail near the resort for a little while and then we came to some water. The "beach" wasn't really much of a beach for awhile... There was very little sand and someone really should've picked up because there was quite a bit of litter. We came to a larger area of beach and had a little photo-op, then continued walking on the beach/in the water for a little while longer. I would say we were on the horses for about 45 minutes altogether. I think Peggy really enjoyed it. After we were done on the horses, we had about 2 hours to enjoy the resort with free drinks. The beach and the water were gorgeous! I had about 6 drinks, but didn't feel a thing. It was pretty hot while we were there and I got pretty sunburnt, especially on my shoulders and chest. Peggy and I both got massages on the beach too, which were phenomenal. Kind of an expensive choice, but a good choice nonetheless. I'm always surprised by the amount of poverty that is right next door to fabulous resorts and accommodations. The poverty on the drive to the resort in Progreso was probably worse than any I've seen before. It literally looked like some people rigged up some sheet metal and decided to live there. There's no way there was plumbing in these areas, but you could tell people were living there because they were sitting outside or there were clothes on the line. Very sad.
Tuesday: We were in Cozumel, Mexico. We spent quite a bit of time waiting for the others on our excursion. We were trained on the segways and I was kind of nervous at first because they are crazy little contraptions! They put us on this little course to practice for about 15 minutes and then we were off. We rode for about half an hour on a sidewalk and on the side of a road, some of the time we were right off the beach--it was beautiful. I was the first one in line and I'm glad I decided to do that because it was fun. We arrived a resort where we got our snorkel gear, rode a bus just for a few blocks to the snorkel spot, and then got into the water. We basically entered into the current and it was a real challenge to get to where the tour guides wanted us to be. Peggy, Pam, and Donna weren't able to swim and I felt really bad for them. They ended up just swimming up to the shore and hanging out the whole time. Once we got into the calmer waters, it was amazing. There wasn't as much coral as I wanted there to be (though I wasn't expecting much), and it was nice because I was still the first one and the tour guide kept acting like he had food for the fish so they would all gather around him and I was really close to him. It was really cool--I could literally have held out of my hand and touched tons of fish. They were pretty tropical ones, too. Once we were done snorkeling, we showered off and segwayed back to where we started. Overall I definitely think we got our money's worth for that excursion--it lasted a long time and we got to do a lot. Fun times!
Wednesday: Another day at sea, filled with relaxation. I tried not to expose myself to a lot of sun, but we did lay out for a little while.
Thursday: We got off the ship. :( It was a pretty fast process, which is always a good thing. We waited for Gary (Karen's husband) and Glenn (Karen's son) to pick up, and then we drove back to Karen's house. We ate a meal there and then headed back to the hotel to relax. At this point I was definitely ready to go home.
Friday: Drove from Saraland to Memphis and met Paul (Pam's husband) and Wally (Donna's husband) at the hotel. It took almost all of the day to drive to Memphis, and really all we did when we arrived in Memphis was eat at Logan's Roadhouse with Andra (Paul's sister who lives in Memphis) and her boyfriend.
Saturday: Donna, Wally, Peggy, and I went to Graceland. I really liked Graceland. It was different than I expected--more commercialized--but a lot of fun. It was fascinating to see where Elvis lived. All of the decor was the same as when he was there. After we went to Graceland, we met up with Pam, Paul, Andra, and her boyfriend in downtown Memphis near Beale Street. We ate at this amazing barbeque restaurant in an alley (the entrance to the place is literally in an alley and you have to go downstairs to get there) called Rendez-Vous. It was so good. I don't normally get into barbeque but the pulled pork sandwich was delicious and even the baked beans were to die for. If I ever get back to Memphis, I am definitely going there. The atmosphere is just really cool too because you feel like you know a secret being there. The waiter we had was awesome too because we had a huge order (8 people with all different kinds of ribs?) and he didn't even write it down... he just remembered. Amazing.
Sunday: Driving from Memphis to home. I was SO ready to be home, but definitely had an amazing time.
Altogether a great journey. Fun to be riding in a car for sort of a road trip--stopping in different places on the way down and on the way up and whatnot. I'm so grateful to Pam for paying for the cruise for us. That was so amazingly nice of her. I will have those memories forever.
When's the next trip?!
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