January 23, 2019

Today’s port is Cozumel, Mexico. There had been an overnight rain and when awake we noticed a tiny bit of rocking. Catherine said that it did not bother her. The morning temperature at the dock in San Miguel, the main town in Cozumel where the ships dock, was 23°C. The other ships docked were Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas, Carnival Valor, Carnival Victory, Seven Seas Voyager and two other ships. Catherine had run on the Deck 5 track after the overnight rain and before breakfast.

Before the arrival of the Spaniards, Cozumel was an important trade center for the Post-Classic Putun Maya seafarers. There are more than 20 Mayan archaeological sites discovered on the island of Cozumel dating back as far as 1,700 years. Cozumel’s coral reefs and beaches are a draw for tourists. The Spanish invaded in the 1500s and were attacked by Dutch and English pirates for several hundred years.

We met the kids for breakfast at the Park Café in Central Park. It was a small buffet. Then Catherine and I gathered our excursion belongings and exited the ship to the end of the pier to meet with the Blue Water Sea Trek Helmet Diving and Snorkel Excursion at the end of the pier. The meeting place was after ship’s security, which we found after we had backtracked to the ship to the other end of the pier before asking the Shore Excursion staff what was meant by the end of the pier. We found the operator who gave us each a liability form to complete. There were two men, a father and son from Toronto, who had booked the tour yesterday on the ship and were the other members of the group – Jacques and Steve who are also on Deck 11. We were guided to a taxi for 4 and sent to the Sea Trek offices about a 10-minute taxi ride, which was included in our tour fee. The Seven Seas Voyager was docked at the pier near the Sea Trek location of the helmet dives.

Catherine enjoyed the helmet dive below Cozumel's pristine water. The astronaut-style helmet kept her head and shoulders dry for the 30-minue dive providing a continuous air supply from a hose attached to the helmet. At the last minute after having the helmet lowered to my shoulders, I decided that I could not descend the seven meters to the sea floor. I sat by the ladder watching the bubbles rise from the three people making the dive to the ocean bed. The water gently lapped at my legs, there were no white caps in sight. The scuba equipped guide instructed the four of us on equipment, safety and flow before heading back to the Sea Trek platform. The three of them explored the coral formations, small plane crash site and some ruins, enjoying the presence of tropical fish lured by the fish food provided by the scuba divers. Catherine enjoyed the interaction with the fish. The air temperature was about 24°C, the water was a bit cooler. Once on land everyone changed to dry clothes. Catherine and I enjoyed first, a Marguerita, then, a Mojito, included in the excursion fee. Catherine bought the photo CD of the dive. The four of us were returned to the port by taxi. Catherine and I returned to the cabins before going to meet Larry, Scott and Mia by the shops on the pier as they returned from their excursion. We looked around the duty-free store in the spare time before meeting them.

Larry, Scott and Mia took the Island Roots and Chocolate Traditions tour. At the Mayan Cacao Company, they learned the history of chocolate and how it formed such a central role in Mayan social life as well about the Mayan calendar and religious life. They saw the manufacturing process, watched a demonstration and sampled much of the delicious artisanal chocolate.

On the drive around the south western end of the island, they visited an ancient Mayan house and tasted authentic Mayan food, a corn tamale. The tour then went around to the rugged north side of the island where the high waves were rolling in on the strong north wind.

At San Martine the bus went back inland to visit a Tequila Place that was about a 10-minute drive inland where they learned about the making of this traditional Mexican beverage. This was followed by a tequila tasting. Six different tequilas were sampled, two of which were straight tequila and the other four were of various flavours. The first three flavoured ones were passion fruit, soursop and cherry & almond. The last selection was a combination of white and dark chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla and a couple of other ingredients – it was a lot like Baileys. After the Tequila Place, we had a quick tour of San Miguel, Cozumel’s main city, on the way back to the port.

We spent the afternoon, first sampling the milkshakes at Johnny Rockets then, relaxing on the balcony overlooking Central Park and sipping wine.

We met the kids for dinner back in the dining room at table 267 with waiter, Jose and assistant waiter, Muhammad. We are resigned to the chaos nearby of three tables of extended family totalling over 30 people including 20 children under 14 running around. After dinner, we parted ways and stopped at the Diamond Club Lounge for

a complimentary after-dinner cocktail.

The ship left Cozumel just after 6, and occasionally we can feel some vibrations and sway. Catherine says that she is now used to the ship’s motion.

Catherine joined us for the 9 p.m. comedy show at Comedy LIVE on Deck 4.