carribean-cruise

We’re back! I’ve taken the liberty to upload most of our honeymoon photos (leaving some duplicates out). I have a few favorites, largely involving tropical landscapes. There are some great ones of Ponzi peppered in the mix as well. I’d probably have a few hundred more snapshots if we weren’t sick for four days – which would have included more trips to Mayan ruins. Check out the turtles from Honduras, the Belize sunset, and the warm farewell from Guatemalans. Of course, please ignore the fact that I completely misspelled the word “Caribbean!” Nevertheless, we had a fantastic time – and would certainly recommend Regent cruises for anybody. I think we were the youngest couple aboard (by a complete generation, easily).

Read more on Honeymoon Photos…

What’s this? A day on our honeymoon when both Ponzi and I were not respectively sick?! Sounds too good to be true. We celebrated this glorious cough-free day in true honeymooner fashion – by staying indoors and watching television. Nah, that was only until we were ready to dive into the waters of Great Stirrup Cey in the Bahamas. No sooner had I finished applying my fifteenth layer of sunblock (to keep the daylight from burning me to a crisp) than Ponzi was alone on the tender jetting ashore. This was a private island, recently opened exclusively for cruise ship usage. Only Regent’s Seven Seas Voyager passengers were cleared to play on Great Stirrup Cey today, allowing us to wander about the entire area worry-free. Neither of us had to fight for a great spot on the beach, nor did we have to wait to relax in any one of the large hammocks. This “exclusive” island was one of the greatest outdoor luxuries I have ever known.

Read more on Snorkeling in Great Stirrup Cey…

Despite having unwillingly skipped most of our intended shore excursions, Ponzi and I have rather enjoyed our time aboard this Regent cruise ship. It’s been a relatively smooth ride, in some part due to the fantastic structure beneath our feet:

Read more on Cruise Ship Engineering…

We had a flightseeing tour over Guatemala scheduled for the day – but early this morning, Ponzi’s body forced us to change our plans. She slept her way through most of the morning hours while I watched Pirates of the Carribean (Dead Man’s Chest) for the first time. No pirates in these Carribean waters now (that I can find)! Today’s excursion would have taken us to Tikal:

Read more on Guatemala Coffee and Shopping…

Initially, we planned on kayaking in Honduras this afternoon. Tour tickets for this port of call were secured earlier this week, but this morning we found ourselves wanting to take a leisurely approach to the day. We lay by the top deck pool for an hour in between breakfast and lunch (without actually swimming). I sucked down an icy, rum-based beverage – par for the course. “Chris P” started to get crispy, so we knew it was time to head indoors. From there, we decided to take a tender ashore for a short while – if only to take a few photographs and make a few memories. Maybe I’ve become fully Seattlized, but I’m already sunned out for the week!

Read more on Rotan Island in Honduras…

If you asked me how it felt to walk among the ruins of Chichen Itza, I’d say it was relatively “surreal.” I’ve seen hundreds of photos / videos of this Mayan landmark, but being there in person was nothing short of amazing. My mind is still digesting what my eyes took in; history comes alive, even in the natural silence between the towering structures. Here’s a civilization that Western cultures once considered “savage,” but they obviously posessed advanced knowledge and skills – engineering, astronomy, mathematics, et al. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.

Read more on Yucatan Travelers…

There’s quite an ecclectic mix of couples aboard the Regent Seven Seas voyager this week. Few of them have discovered the blogosphere, judging from the size of today’s word processing class. I gotta know what other bloggers have done – or plan on doing – for their honeymoon? I probably should have asked this before booking (and then taking) our own Carribean cruise, but I can’t help but wonder just how many options are out there? I’m sure we’re not the only newlyweds going to the Carribean this week. It’d be cool to meet another newlywed blogger on this cruise! Bloggymooners? Honeybloggers? Moonboogers?

Read more on Blogger Honeymoons…

If you’re going to take a cruise, make sure you book a room with at least one full window and a balcony for two – otherwise, it’s simply not worth the cost. I’m not one for the great outdoors, but you simply can’t beat the views from any private cabin – no matter which direction you happen to be facing.

Read more on Carribean Cruise Surprises…

We have our own butler! I’m not sure what this means, though. I think we can ask him to bring us odd things at seemingly random times? “It’s three in the morning – where’s my freshly-pressed cranberry juice?” He asked us a zillion questions up front, but that’s only to make for a seamless experience on the open seas. Regent is spoiling us. I’m gonna call our butler again and ask him if he’ll come back and change the channel for us.

Read more on Carribean Honeymoon Fun…

Well, so much for free WiFi. Our travel agent from Vacations to Go told us that there would be free access available from the ship’s library, but it’s apparently closer to 35 cents a minute (ouch). I’ll just give Pluggd another plug for having kept us plugged in on our Alaskan adventure a few months back. The climate is certainly warmer in southern Florida!

Read more on Our Honeymoon Cruise Begins…

We made it! The honeymoon has begun! Break out the champagne! Where’s the Tylenol!?

We flew from Seattle to Atlanta, and then from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale – leaving home at 9 AM (PST) and hitting the hotel pillow somewhere around Midnight (EST). It was a long day, but in retrospect – it “flew” (so to speak). The first, and substantially longer, flight was on one of Delta’s newer 757s – with LCD monitors sewn into the back of each seat’s head rest. I watched “Little Miss Sunshine” on demand, a few minutes before Ponzi started to watch the same movie. I laughed, I cried.

Read more on Fart Lauderdale…

Ponzi couldn’t take another week of cold, wintery weather – so we’re blasting off to the Carribean for the next couple of weeks for our honeymoon. If you email me between now and then, I likely will not respond. Internet access will be quite limited (as you can very well imagine), but we’re cruising on a six-star Regent ship:

Read more on Carribean Honeymoon…

I’m not sure I can write about Ponzi anymore, because there’s a slight chance she might misinterpret my intentions or any ensuing comments of yours. However, I’m still free to talk about my own life! At least, for now? I’m happy to report that I officially ordered our honeymoon this afternoon. We’re going to be spending New Year’s in the Carribean, on a Regent (Radisson) cruise ship, the Seven Seas Voyager:

Read more on Our Carribean Honeymoon…