|
|
In Tampa, hop aboard the Celebration and savor the sail to fascinating places - from the crystal waters of Grand Cayman and Cozumel, to the mystical Maya ruins of Tulum, to the jazz-soaked sidewalks of New Orleans. Seven days at sea
By KAREN HAYMON LONG of The Tampa Tribune
At dinner time Sunday the big ship Celebration glides away from Tampa, past Davis Islands, where knots of people wave from the waterfront. As if on cue, dolphins leap from the bay for pictures. The Calypso band strikes up, adults sip sweet rum drinks, kids run to put on bathing suits, and the celebration begins.
It's party time on the seas and it will be party time for the next seven days - in the Gulf of Mexico, on Grand Cayman Island, in the turquoise waters of Cozumel, and finally in New Orleans, where tourists stroll down Bourbon Street swigging beer before noon.
Half the ship's passengers come aboard in New Orleans on Friday, so by Sunday, they know the routine. They know to get to shows early and to bed late - after buffets that often start past midnight. They know how to do the macarena, the hot Latin pop dance the ship's waiters perform one evening at dinner. And they know that odds are they'll lose money in the casino, but they wander back anyway.
Some passengers have never been on a cruise. Others have been on dozens. But every cruise is different. And passengers have their own expectations and reasons for cruising.
One man, joking that his two kids are probably in the brig by now, says he only came on the cruise to gamble. Another passenger, 27-year-old Keith Realmuto of Daytona Beach, on his honeymoon with his wife, Michele, qsays, ``I wanted a no-brainer. This didn't take much planning. We had planned so much for our wedding - from soup to nuts. I didn't want to make any more decisions.''
Ray Cody went on his first cruises with his parents to Cuba as a child. Fulgencio Batista was in power. Fidel Castro and his guerrillas were in the mountains outside Havana planning ambushes. Ships weren't air-conditioned then and when they pulled into Cuba's port, passengers got off and checked into hotels. Cody remembers his parents and other passengers going to the Copacabana and other Havana nightclubs.
Since then, Cody, who owns a printing company in St. Cloud, has been on at least 50 cruises, about 23 with his wife, Misty. They never take any other kind of vacation.
Sitting at a Caribbean poker table, Cody explains why. ``We like to get away from phones, to relax. We like the fact that you pay up front one time for everything.''
Seven-day cruises like this are better for unwinding and relaxing than shorter ones, he says.
Relaxing is one of the major pastimes of a seven- day cruise. Passengers kick back by pools (the Celebration has three saltwater pools), in lounges (they are everywhere on board) and in cabins and read in deck chairs (mysteries seem the most popular).
A college student sailing with his parents and younger brother says he feels thoroughly relaxed and rested, thanks to long naps in his dark, windowless cabin.
Like the Realmutos, he and his brother say they are pleasantly surprised that so many young people are on this cruise. They expected passengers to be mostly older people.
Every generation and many nationalities are aboard this floating United Nations. The crew and staff represent 37 nations. Passengers are from Great Britain, Germany, India and many parts of the United States.
One woman says a cruise is a lot like the Olympics because citizens of so many countries come together and get along peacefully. More people should go on cruises, she says. It would be good for the world.
On Monday, Thursday and Saturday - at-sea days on the Celebration - kids frolic in pools, while adults fan out to a volleyball court, indoor treadmills, a beauty salon, spa, massage room, jewelry store, duty-free shop, a wood-paneled library, a casino, and deck chairs.
Fleecy clouds float in a blue sky the color of the calm seas. Land seems millions of miles away, worries about work even farther.
Relaxing on deck chairs with his friend Jane You, New Yorker Tom Herman says he is enjoying soaking up the sun, since it only came out twice in the past month at home.
``This is a no-stress environment,'' says Herman, who's head of security at a New York high school. ``This is very relaxing. The rest, the food, the service are excellent. You don't have to worry about luggage or where to eat.''
It's going to be tough to go back to school lunches, he says.
Food is one of the first things people ask about when someone returns from a cruise. Many passengers say the food on this cruise is good, better than they expected. But usually not great. They say portions are plentiful and some items, such as the salmon, prime rib and pastas, are delicious. Some passengers even order two dinner entrees every night.
The Celebration has two seatings - early and late - for more formal breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Informal breakfasts and lunches in a casual setting offer cafeteria-style choices.
Dinner time is ideal for meeting people, since passengers are assigned seats in formal dining rooms at tables for eight.
``In this environment, you get to meet new friends,'' Herman says at the dinner table he shares with You and six ``new friends'' assigned to their table.
``When you travel from hotel to hotel, you never get to meet other people. Here, you do. We've been hanging out with people at our table.'' One evening, they all sat together cheering for You, who sang twice on karaoke night.
Mark Skolnick, 22, of Fort Lauderdale, one of those at Herman's table, says on cruises, ``You are forced to meet people. Honestly, I do like that.'' He and his girlfriend, Sherry Johns, also of Fort Lauderdale, recently visited a young couple in Maryland they met on another cruise.
At night, the ship turns into a floating Las Vegas with a packed casino, overflowing lounges and standing-room-only musical and comedy shows. Comedians are especially popular and funny, as is a phenomenal juggler who steals the show one night.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday are port days. On Tuesday, the ship docks early off the coast of Grand Cayman, where many passengers take a boat to the island for excursions: snorkeling, scuba diving or swimming with tame stingrays.
Some passengers go ashore to shop along Grand Cayman's waterfront in duty-free stores where some say they save 25 percent to 30 percent on French perfume and cologne, Irish linens, crystal, rum and other items.
Excursions, arranged on ship and paid for by credit card, are a good way to do a lot in little time. But some who took cabs on their own to Grand Cayman beaches seemed happy with their choice.
One extended family that arranged with a boat crew not endorsed by ship officials to take them to see stingrays had a scary experience. Their boat capsized, and all 21, including a half-dozen children, went into the bay. Fortunately, no one was hurt, but they said they learned not to take that kind of chance on their own.
Snorkeling is remarkable in Grand Cayman's clear, azure waters. On the Reef Teach Snorkel Tour, beginners and veterans swim around in two spots - one over colorful, diverse coral, the other over a shipwreck - to see brilliantly colored parrot fish, grouper, tarpon and other fish. The captain and deck mate patiently instruct beginners and stand watch. The mate offers to accompany veteran snorkelers to explore coral caves.
The two-hour trip leaves a few hours to shop or have lunch in Grand Cayman, a British Crown Colony famous for its 500 banks. Bank secrecy laws and the fact that income is not taxed make the Cayman Islands attractive to many foreigners.
On Wednesday, the ship anchors early near Cozumel, Mexico, where some passengers are ferried to buses in Playa del Carmen for an hour- long ride to see Maya ruins in Tulum. Others go snorkeling, shopping or sightseeing in Cozumel, where the water is even more turquoise than in Grand Cayman.
The ruins at Tulum, the only ones of the 1,700 known Maya ruins built next to the sea, are small but interesting. A stone temple to the sun sits on a hill overlooking crystal blue water. The site also includes what's left of the governor's palace and four citadel towers at each corner of the property.
Construction shows how much the Maya knew about astronomy. They could tell time by shadows cast on one building. The sun blazed through a hole in a wall of another building during the summer solstice.
Guide Hugo Lizama says archaeologists believe Tulum was a military post, occupied between the years 925 and 1527. The site has an aquifer, which must have made it attractive to the Maya.
On the bus ride back to Playa del Carmen, Lizama pours free Mexican beer and cola for his passengers and answers questions about his homeland. The Yucatan Peninsula's terrain is a lot like Florida and Cuba, he says. Soil is mostly limestone and shell stone. And, like Florida, the region is subtropical, with savannas and mangroves. Wildlife includes spider and howler monkeys, white-tailed deer and tapirs.
Those who spend the day in Cozumel shop in duty-free shops, known for deals on silver jewelry and perfume. Lizama warns passengers to bargain with vendors selling jewelry, Mexican blankets, rugs and other items. Some will come down 50 percent.
Some passengers snorkel, go scuba diving, or ride motor scooters around the island. On one beach, some see giant iguanas climbing trees. Some passengers eat lunch at Palmeras, the Hard Rock Cafe and other popular spots across from the waterfront. But they are warned not to drink water in Cozumel unless it is bottled.
Newlywed Michele Realmuto, 29, says she likes the shore excursions - the snorkeling in Grand Cayman, the visit to Tulum - more than she likes the cruise. This is her first cruise and she was afraid she would like the ports better than the voyage. She was right.
``It was a good experience, but I'm not sure I would do it again,'' she says.
``The thing I liked most was seeing Tulum, seeing the Mexican culture. I like the idea of flying somewhere and staying in one place better than cruising.''
Friday dawns with the ship gliding along the Mississippi River toward downtown New Orleans. It docks at a terminal a short walk from Riverwalk, an upscale, riverfront shopping mall about a half-mile from the heart of the city's famous French Quarter.
And the French Quarter is where most passengers head and hang out for the next seven or eight hours: in Cafe du Monde, known for cafe au lait and sugary beignets; at the French Market and Flea Market near Jackson Square; in antique stores along Royal Street; in bars and shops along Bourbon Street; and in restaurants all over the quarter.
Some visit one of the hottest new restaurants and clubs, the House of Blues, on Decatur, a block from Canal Street, where blues music shares billing with crawfish, crab cakes and oyster po' boy sandwiches.
It rains in the late afternoon on Bourbon Street. A saxophone's notes waft from an open-air bar. Neon signs beckon tourists inside strip joints featuring naked men and women.
A woman asks her companion: ``Is prostitution legal in New Orleans?'' Another woman trips across the street sipping from a foot-long mug of beer. In a shop window, a T-shirt sports a photograph of ``Star Trek's'' Spock with a pair of real handcuffs dangling from the cloth. Under Spock, it says: ``Beat me up Scotty.''
Back on board the Celebration, along with newcomers who board in New Orleans, veteran passengers crowd the decks at 10 to watch the city lights disappear as the ship sails away.
Some who have never been to New Orleans before say they wish they could stay to experience the city's rollicking nightlife.
But that longing doesn't last. The Calypso band strikes up on the Lido Deck. The casino reopens. And yet another midnight buffet and another port - this time, Tampa - await.
