We take a trip just about every year with our friend Fred from back in Philly. Our birthdays are two days apart, so we always have an excuse to reconnect and visit someplace new. This year we decided to try a cruise. Rich and I have never been on one, and we worried we might spend the whole time sea sick or bored. But we had a great time!  We sailed with Royal Caribbean on the Navigator of the Seas.

Grand Cayman was our first port, where we swam with stingrays. We took a boat out into the bay where they gather (for feeding by tourists) in about 3-4 feet of water. They’ll swim right up against your legs with the flaps, and are very friendly. You have to shuffle your feet to avoid stepping on them (and getting a stinger in your foot).

We spent the rest of the time checking out the jewelry and watches available (in abundance) in George Town. I’m not much of a jewelry person… though all the tanzanite was pretty, I couldn’t see myself wearing any of it.

Our second port was Cozumel, which my first visit to Mexico.  We tried helmet diving, which is diving with a air-filled helmet connected to a pressurized air hose.  We got to explore some pretty cool underwater wreckage, including a wrecked plane and a canon from some long-lost era.

And of course, more jewelry and watches. Though we didn’t get to check out downtown, which I hear has more shopping.

But there’s always next time.  We definitely plan on taking another cruise, maybe on the world’s largest passenger ship.

And I definitely recommend Royal Caribbean.