Thanksgiving Cruise

Hello everyone!

So for Thanksgiving this year Jeff and I decided to use one of our cruises from Princess (as we both were employees for five years each) over Thanksgiving break. It worked out perfectly for me to take time off and Jeff to leave school with the holiday break. By the time we got home we were kind of feeling so so about the cruise but overall we were so grateful to have been able to go and just relax. We both came back refreshed and ready to get back to school and work...so I would say that that is a successful vacation.

We chose to go on a Western Caribbean cruise hitting the ports of Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan Island, Honduras; and Belize City, Belize. We left the Houston, TX port on Sunday, November 22 in the afternoon. The Princess cruise ship was late getting into port due to them picking up some Cuban's trying to reach America. They had been out on a raft for forty days with a milk jug of water for each of them. The food on board was absolutely delicious!!! They had a variety at dinner and the buffet line; we loved that they tried to incorporate foods from the Caribbean-they had cooked shrimp you dipped into a fruit sauce that has some spice to it....mmmmmm divine!!! They had a turkey carving contest with the head chef, beautiful decorations, and the weather for the most part was accommodating.

Our first port was Cozumel; we got off and immediately are assaulted by people offering souvenir's taxi rides to "the best snorkeling sites" in Cozumel. Jeff had previously been there before so we walked out of the port and found our own little beach access site. We snorkeled for a couple of hours, looking for fish and trying to avoid the sea urchins unsuccessfully (I think I still have a prickle in my foot...). We then went to a local restaurant that had free Wi-fi where we ate lunch waiting for a rain storm to pass. And by storm I mean it POURED rain! It really does know how to downpour in the Caribbean. We enjoyed "matchos nachos" which said was a dish to share-when it got there we realized it was to share amongst a group of six people! Haha it had toppings of shrimp, chicken, beef, jalapenos, beans, sour cream, cheese, peppers, etc. It was LOADED with goodies!

When we were in Roatan, Jeff went snorkeling and got a nasty sunburn. Poor kid is still peeling (we've been home for about two weeks). We got off of the ship in Roatan and walked around for a bit. It's such a cute, quaint little town. We took a leisurely ski lift ride over to the beach-it had an over look of the park you walked through and the bay area. It poured rain for the first half hour we were there but hey, we were going snorkeling so it didn't matter. All in all Roatan was by far my favorite port. So colorful and there were not people everywhere trying to sell you things or offer you the "best deal."

Our last port was a bit of a bust....we took a fifteen minute tender ride to the port to find out that unless you have an excursion booked you are not allowed to leave the port due to the danger of the city. It poured again just as our boat got there....so we looked in the shops for a few minutes until it stopped raining and then went back to the boat. We then chilled by the pool, trying to catch some sun in between the clouds.

While at sea, we were able to watch two art auctions-the auctioneer was HIGHLY entertaining and very knowledgeable. It actually made me want to buy some pieces (he's good at his job!) and a comedy act by Steve Morris. Steve had toured with the Beatles and shared fun facts about them and other famous artist he performed with once upon a time.

On the day of our arrival we ended up getting fogged out of the port of entry....and were stuck there all day. They kept us updated almost every hour throughout the morning and afternoon until they were informed by the port authorities that they would be unable to come in until the following day. So we missed our flights home...and so did the other 3,000 people on board. They were finally able to slip in at 1:45 in the morning-we were the only ship to do so of the five ships that were waiting. Unfortunately due to 3,000 people needing new tickets, Southwest did not have any flights to Las Vegas for two days so we hurriedly booked new tickets through American Airlines (I have to say I was pretty impressed with their airlines, they kept us informed of any changes and had a wonderful staff). We are currently working with Southwest to see if we can receive a refund or transfer the tickets to another time and location. They have been very accommodating!

So like I said, it was WONDERFUL to spend a week together, alone however we were both very grateful to get home and start our routine. We are both studying like crazy for exams-Jeff is has finals all of next week at school and I take my national certification exam for medical billing and coding next Saturday. We will then be traveling to Dallas, TX to see a hockey game with Lynda and Logan for Lynda and Jon's wedding anniversary. When we get back we plan to go and look at the beautiful temple square lights in Salt Lake City. I have been four out of the five years I have lived in Utah, I told Jeff that it is a tradition that I plan on continuing until we have moved. They are just beautiful!!!

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving; have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years from the Tanners!

XOXO,

Jeff and Ashlyn Tanner