Cruisin’ Cousins, Part Four {Roatan}

When we woke up on Thursday morning, we could see land but we hadn’t docked yet. We had reached the waters of Honduras, though, because less than an hour later we were pulling up to the Mahogany Bay dock on the island of Roatan. I will say right off the bat that I would go back to this island and spend a whole week there. It was gorgeous.

We went downstairs to the Encore Lounge to meet up with our fellow excursioners. We went on the Jolly Roger catamaran and snorkeling tour that day, and it was SO. MUCH. FUN.

 

 

We cruised up the coast for about 40 minutes to get to our snorkeling site. The water was beautiful; I couldn’t wait to get in to see what we would see underneath the surface. If only Jeff and Cub were SCUBA certified; I would have loved to dive Roatan.

We got our snorkel gear on and jumped into the water as soon as we were given the all clear. I had brought along a waterproof case for my phone but it didn’t really work very well. Luckily, though, the Jolly Roger crew was amazing and got some great photos of our entire time with them, including some underwater shots!

 

We were in the water for about an hour, looking at all kinds of coral and fish. It was so pretty. We got back on the boat, turned in our gear, and got the party started. Rum punch, a great lunch, and fun music!

 

The crew didn’t take us right back to the ship, either. We trolled around and in and out of a few different areas along the coast, getting to see even more of the cute little island. (It’s only 36 miles long and 4 miles wide.) The rum punch was flowing (we drank them dry, going through 10 bottles of rum), a random little rainshower blew through fairly quickly, and we didn’t stop the party until we got back to the dock. I repeat, I could totally spend a week here.

The captain and crew were so much fun; they were what made the day so great. Very knowledgeable, personable, and helpful. Roger, Fausto, Wilson, Irvin, and Alvin, y’all rock!

The catamaran trip lasted almost 4 hours, but we had plenty of time before we had to be back on board the ship. We bid farewell to the Jolly Roger and her crew and walked back into the terminal area to explore. There were a few shops and a small craft market. We found stellar Roatan-produced rum; Jeff bought a bottle of their spiced rum. We got stamps on our passports and then ended up at Fat Tuesday to sample some local beer.

After two rounds, Cub decided he was done and headed back to the ship. We still had two hours left to kill, though, and Jeff and I weren’t ready to leave yet. So we walked over the bridge to the beach area, where we tried more local beer and had conch ceviche with fried plantains. So fresh and good.

 

We got back on the ship, changed clothes, and headed up to the deck 12 Serenity area at the bow to watch us leave our last port. I watched until we were completely out of the bay and cruising along the coast and then I went back to my comfy seat and promptly fell asleep.

Successful day all around. More cruise recaps coming your way soon!

Are y’all tired of them yet???