My wife, Margot, and I took a cruise of the western Caribbean on the Carnival Legend in March of 2013. The one-week cruise departed from Tampa, Florida, on a Sunday afternoon, and we were at sea the whole day on Monday. That gave us a chance to locate all the restaurants, lounges and bars on board and to check out the amenities that we might enjoy during the cruise.
Tuesday morning brought us to Cozumel - an island on the east side of the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. The first Catholic mass in Mexico was celebrated by the Spaniards on this island in the early 1500’s. We chose an excursion which took us to several touristy places. The highlight was Discover Mexico Park, where miniature Mexican landmarks are replicated in a tropical garden setting. We also caught a Mayan rain dance performance in which a group of men were revolving upside down in mid air around a very tall pole with their ankles tied to a rope. Afterwards, the tour continued to El Mirador (an expansive stretch of jagged rock formation with a spectacular view of the coastline), and the Hacienda Antiqua (where we learned about the process of making tequila and sampled drinks with various flavorings). The last stop was the public market and shopping district of San Miguel. To my surprise, there are quite a number of high-end stores selling world-wide brand name merchandise. Apparently Cozumel is a very popular destination for cruise ships. On the average, thirty per week dock here during the winter months.
Belize City, Belize (formerly British Honduras), was the next port of call. The ship had to anchor 5 miles offshore because of a ring of coral reef outside the harbour. All passengers had to be tendered in. From what I could see while driving through the city and its surroundings, Belize is unquestionably a third world nation. Nonetheless, our local guide, Ann, was very proud of her way of life, and I believe, she spoke along a similar sentiment for her fellow citizens. During the two-hour bus ride to a Mayan archeological site, she talked non-stop on every aspect you want to know about her tiny country. The Xunantunich Mayan ruin is located very close to the Guatemala border and consists of several main plazas and more than 20 temples and palaces. We were able to visit only a small fraction of the whole complex. Lucky for us, the largest temple, called El Castillo, has been excavated and is partially restored recently. This temple is famous for its frieze, which is a banded stucco decoration midway around the pyramid. A winding series of very narrow and very steep stairs (with no railing to guard against a fall straight to the ground) leads to the top. This was the sacred site where human sacrifices took place. Margot and I climbed half way up, but decided to turn back because we were afraid we would be too scared to come down. I wonder why the Mayans built their temples this way to make it hard on themselves.
If it is Thursday, we must be in Isla Rotan, Honduras. Rotan is an island about 40 miles from the mainland. We signed up for a tour to Gumbalimba Park. It is a beautifully landscaped botanical garden on the hillside. There are designated areas to see humming birds, butterflies, colorful Macaws and white-faced monkeys. We had pictures taken with either a curious-looking parrot or a furry primate sitting on our shoulder. These critters are very playful. If you don't watch out, they will steal hats, sunglasses, buttons, or anything that sticks out of your shirt pocket. Iguanas of various sizes are roaming free everywhere. Some of them are 3-4 feet in length. My favorite is the "Jesus" iguana. It is called by this name because it can walk on water. On the way back to the ship, we spent a couple of hours at Tabyana Beach where we were greeted by powdery sand and steel drum music. Besides sunbathing and swimming, a variety of activities were offered, including snorkeling, parasailing and sea kayaking. The beach was a bit too crowded since there were a total of 4 cruise ships coming in on that day.
The last port stop was Grand Cayman - home to the world famous Cayman Turtle Farm. This is a research and breeding facility for green sea turtles. The turtles are separated into tanks according to size, ranging from hatchlings to 500-600 pounders, Visitors are allowed to pick up yearlings from the water for photographs. A local guide was on hand to explain the breeding cycle of these turtles. A mature female digs a hole 2 feet deep and lays about 100 eggs at a time. She repeats the process 5-6 times, 10 days apart, during a given season. The mother does not tend to the eggs once they are laid. In the wild, only 1-2% of the hatchlings successfully make it out to sea. The rest are often eaten by birds. Since its inception, the Farm has released over 32,000 turtles to their natural habitat.
Suffice it to note that the cruise line offers a wide selection of land excursions at each stop, ranging from the senior-friendly tours (like the ones we chose) to the more adventurous options (such as ziplining or swimming with sting rays). After dinner, we usually attended some shows or listened to music at the piano bar. One show that we went to see twice was a ventriloquist by the name of Gerry Goodspeed. He used two puppets as props – a man and a woman. The amazing thing is that he can make voices come out from both puppets at the same time. Gluttony was a major problem for me on the cruise. My pants were decidedly tighter when I disembarked. We were very fortunate with this cruise weatherwise - warm days, low humidity, brilliant sunshine, and calm sea. We could not have asked for better conditions. The Carnival Legend is a very comfortable ship. I would not hesitate to book another voyage on it -- Clement Ip