Since we moved back to this side of the world, every break has been about accomplishing as much visiting with family and friends as we can manage to squeeze into the time allotted. This has been absolutely wonderful but has also left us looking for a bit of actual vacation time. Since we had neither the time or energy to do the planning needed for a trip, we opted for the easy route and booked a Western Caribbean cruise.Since our dates were predetermined by the school calendar we had little choice in terms of destinations or ship so ended up sailing out of Tampa on the Rhapsody of the Seas.

The ship was quite lovely, our little cabin very cosy and pleasant and our cabin and dinner company were just fine. As always the food was very plentiful and always available and there was opportunities to dance every evening. We were disappointed by just how “commercialized” everything on the ship has become since our last cruise thirteen years ago. Much of what used to be quiet sitting areas, library and games room had been converted to retail sales space and we were constantly bombarded with announcements and fliers for “once in a life time offers” for art, jewelry, photographs and of course your next cruise. .

Two of our days were spent sailing and we booked snorkeling excursions at each of our four shore stops. Roatan is a small island on the coast of Honduras, with beautiful reefs close enough to the beach that we were simply able to swim out and see some amazing coral and fantastic fish.

Belize does not have a port large enough for the cruise ships to dock so we needed to anchor quite a distance away from shore and tender into the port. We opted to take a forty-five minute boat ride to a tiny, private island that is completely surrounded by a coral reef that is said to have 106 different species of live coral, 500 species of colorful fish and hundreds of invertebrate species. The guide was very knowledgeable and the calm waters just off the beach were perfect for snorkeling.

In Cozumel, the reef was somewhat deeper so allowed for us to see some larger species of fish and different types of coral but unfortunately the weather was overcast and limited our vision somewhat. After just a few minutes on the beach, a thunderstorm hit and we ended up spending the remainder of the excursion under a thatch hut being plied with free margaritas. Costa Maya was much the same with some half-way decent snorkeling just off the beach and Ernesto offering endless free rum punch.

We finished our cruise where we began, in Tampa, and had a nice breakfast at the Sheraton Riverwalk where we had spent our first night. We would recommend the hotel, which is perfectly located and has a nice view of the river. Tampa was an unexpected surprise, a very nice American city with a lively core and pleasant vibe. In future we intend to explore a little more of Florida, especially the Gulf Coast, which is clean and affordable, and only an hour’s flight from Cayman. Bon voyage!