By the time I see the light of day we are docked in Costa Maya. The Carnival Jubilee, a new LNG fueled ship out of Galveston with about 6,500 passengers, shares the dock with us.
We are in no hurry, and head to the dining room for breakfast. Busy, but not packed. Again I have cell service. An excellent feature of my shared T-Mobile plan. I say shared because it is really my daughter's and she shares with me. Effective coverage is provided in several hundred countires around the world. It is rare I don't have cell service while in port.
We decide to walk into port. My leg is still sore, but I have learned what moves I can make and what not to do. Oh, and how many drugs to take and how often. The benefit of being prepared for many contingencies. The port area is crowded. We browse the stores, watch passengers playing with the dolphins, and catch the "flyers" decend from the 75 or 80 foot high pole. Always a spectacular sight, but nothing I would ever dare to do.
The weather is perfect. Sunny, a little breeze and no rain predicted. I ride the pier shuttle into port, but walk back. Hot and tired, but the leg survives.
Fried chicken legs and corn on the cob for lunch in the buffet was excellent. I couldn't have asked for it to be prepared any differently.
Ironically, while here in Costa Maya I get an email from my daughter asking if we would like to join her in December on a cruise to Cozumel and Costa Maya. The answer will probably be yes, but I need to check the calendar more carefully once I am home before making a firm plan. We have been asked to organize the train club Christmas party, and that will come first.
Service is slow again in the lounge before dinner. Our server has been working since 6:00 AM, called to extra duty to fill in for a fellow crew member that left the ship in Cozumel, scheduled or unscheduled was not shared.
The beef tenderloin, carrots and green beans are excellent.
A brief pause for some music in the Grand Foyer and then to see Gabriel, an illusionist, in the main theater. His show is excellent, a little more grand than most magicians. His card manipulations are excellent, his disappearance from the stage effective, and his escape from a straight jacket while hanging from his feet above the stage quite dramatic. He is booked on the ship thru March. With more equipment than most headliner entertainers it is not surprising that he is booked here for an extended period of time.
In overhearing other passengers it sounds like Holland has cut out most of it's live entertainment much the same as Carnival.
There are a number of passengers here enjoying a discount on their fare compliments of the casino. But I can assure you they are paying for that discount by making heavy gambling contributions. Making the casino non smoking has not hurt their business. In fact I would argue that it has helped significantly. Everytime I walk thru, the casino is packed.
Most passenger behavior has been good. Much better than on ships with a younger crowd. But of course there are exceptions. Riding in the elevator with the hotel director a passenger took the chance encounter to complain strongly that the water glasses in her cabin were not changed often enough. Of course it never occurred to her to ask the cabin steward.
Separately I did learn that two of the dozen or so young children on the ship are the 9 and 13 year old daughters of the hotel director. Originally from eastern Europe they now reside in Pennsylvania.
The seas remain under 5 feet and the ship is quite stable as we head towards Tampa at about 18 knots. By dinner time the skies have changed from being mostly sunny to solid cloud cover with a few showers. Tomorrow will be our last "gulf" day.
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