Wednesday, November 21, 2012 – Belize City, Belize – Mostly Cloudy - 82F

Cloudy but warm in Belize City…

The NCL Star is anchored about 20 minutes from the shore.

Our plan today is to go on tour with Becca and the crew to the Mayan Site of Altun Ha (“Rockstone Pond in Mayan”).  Altun Ha is the best excavated site in Belize and about an hour and 15 minutes from the port.  We are not expecting good roads. The buildings date back to 100 AD and 10,000 Maya lived here at one time.

We are anchored with the Norwegian Dawn so we are cautioned on leaving on the tender to get back on the correct tender.

Norwegian Dawn anchored

A Carnival ship is also anchored along with us.

The seas are a bit choppy so hopping on the tender is a little tricky – we are using local tenders (not lifeboats).  Once the tender cleared the immediate vicinity of the ship, the throttle went max and it was definitely an “A” ride.  I sat on the aft bench so I got a good feel for the sea and speed.

Really moving on the tender

As we approached the pier, the tender slowed and picked up a flock of birds (I think the screws churn up the waters bringing fish to the surface). 

Birds trailing the tender

The pier at Belize City looked pretty much the same as I remembered it – colorful buildings. 

We caught our tour bus on the back side of the Cruise Terminal Building.  We had to wait in the bus (thankfully air-conditioned) for about 40 minutes for nine passengers that never arrived.  The roads were not the greatest even though we were on the highway (one lane each way).  The tour guide told us that the British (Belize used to be British Honduras) left the island with a lot of things – good roads were not one of them.

Everything was going along pretty well until the bus suddenly stopped on a bridge.  I did not know that the bus and a van had tried to go on this narrow bridge at the same time and now then were wedged together.

  

View from the right side of the bus (on the bridge)

View from the left side of the bus

The two vehicles were stuck and we could not evacuate the bus because there was no surface to stand on once the door was opened.

Here’s how we got free.  Occupants of the van actually lifted the van a few inches toward the edge of the bridge.  This provided just enough clearance (with a little scraping) to allow the bus to clear the bridge.  The delay was about 30 minutes and should never have happened.

We finally arrived at Altun Ha and were told that we would only have about 45 minutes at the site.

Altun Ha consists of 13 structures located around two plazas (A and B). 

The entrance to the site is adjacent to Plaza A. 

Plaza A

The first structure we see is A6.  This pyramid is only partially excavated (the steps actually) but it is a large structure.

Structure A6

A very large Allspice tree sits at the entrance of Plaza A. I got a great shot of the sun peaking through.

 

The Temple of the Green Tomb is the site that contained a treasure trove of artifacts including jade jewelry.

Temple of the Green Tomb

The next structure in Plaza A is called A3 (what no name?).  This was a climbable structure even though the plaster covered stairs were big enough for giants to use (instead of the 4-5 ft tall Maya).  No problem getting to the top in the heat.

 

Structure A3

The view from A3 was very spectacular – can you spot Ellen in the picture below (hint – look for an umbrella).

  

Ellen from A3

From down at the base of the temple, you could see Noah and me wave our “Wave of Triumph” after scaling the difficult steps (thanks to Becca for the picture).

 

 

On top of A3 with Noah (Temple of Masonry Altars in the background)

Plaza B is highlighted by the Temple of the Masonry Altars.  You can get a great view of this Temple from A3. 

Temple of the Masonry Altars from A3

We made our way down from A3 and headed over to Plaza B.  The Temple of the Masonry Altars can also be seen from Plaza A.

Temple of the Masonry Altars from Plaza A

The Temple of the Masonry Altars is the tallest structure in Altun Ha (60 feet).  It was the center of religious activity in the settlement.  The stairway leads to a large altar at the top of the temple. Several tombs, believed to have been those of Altun Ha’s priests, were found in this temple.  The most significant find was a jade head (15 cm high) of the Maya Sun God, Kinich Ahau.

The top is reached today by a stairway with railings that goes up on the right side of the structure and down the other.  It is a little difficult to climb due to the stone steps but Gary, Noah, Eliana, and I made it to the top.

At the top of the Temple of the Masonry Altars

On the way down from the temple, one of the stairs caught our eye.  What do you think it looks like?

We returned from our trip safe and sound.  We walked around the pier area a little to see what kinds of stores they had.  There wasn’t much so we hopped on the tender and went back to the ship.

Dinner was in the Aqua Dining room.  Dova had spoken earlier to one of the Maitre D’s about the service and tonight she caught another one and lodged a complaint about the service.  Before we knew it, we had Mojitos on the house (my new favorite drink) and wine for tomorrow’s dinner. 

 

Enjoying our Mojitos in Gatsby’s Lounge

 

Playing Scrabble between shows

Showtime tonight was an all-girl show – “Shout – Mod Musical”.  It was a fun show  that spoofed the 60s with songs that I did know. 

 

Pedometer: 5028 steps; 2.38 miles; 246 calories

Tuesday, November 20, 2012 – Costa Maya, Mexico – Mostly Sunny – 85F

A beautiful and not windy day at Costa Maya…

This port tends to be very windy making it difficult for ships to dock.  The last time we were here, the ship had to divert and our port day became an extra sea day.  Today, the weather is calm.

Ari and I watched the approach to Costa Maya from the open deck.  We are the only ship here today – the last time we docked here, there were four ships here.  The vendors and shops will be disappointed.

 

Approaching Costa Maya

Becca and her family are going to go to a nearby beach resort recommended by our waiter in the Blue Lagoon.  The rest of us are going to walk the long pier to the port. 

The NCL Star docked in Costa Maya

Costa Maya has expanded quite a bit since our last time here.  At that time, there was only a pool bar – maybe a Senor Frog.  Now there are several pool bars and many more shops.  Our goal was to find some wifi so see if anything was going on back home (even though we had everyone with us on this trip).  I went store to store scanning for wifi until I found an unsecured hotspot at a clothing  store called Zingara.  The signal was accessible only within about 20 feet of the shop so I hung out in the shade right next to the store.  Nobody seemed to mind.

We caught up with Dova and the crew in the shop area.  It was hot and we were looking for shade constantly.  I also went looking for the new Mayan Pyramid on site.  Apparently, the port was shut down for over a year for renovation and the Pyramid (a very much scaled down) “duplicate” is now a drawing card for the new Museum of Jade (actually a store).  The Maya would not approve.

Both Amelia and Macie opted for some hair braids and they looked very cute with their new “dos”.

Amelia with braids (not all hers)

I was also able to get a great picture of Macie in the mouth of a crocodile sculpture.  I got her out of there quickly after the shot since I didn’t know how sturdy the creature was.

The locals put on a “Mayan Show” for the tourists and it was all very interesting up until the climax, which, of course, dealt with the major activity associated with the Maya – the sacrifice.  It was very well done but the large knives gave away the punch line.  We left just about that time.

Local Mayan Show

The heat did get to us and we headed back to the ship.  There was a trolley but we opted to walk.  It is a long pier.

NCL Star from Pier

 

Costa Maya from Pier

Dinner was in the Aqua Restaurant – I had the spaghetti Marinara.

Pedometer: 6516 steps; 3.09 miles; 319 calories

Monday, November 19, 2012 – At Sea – Gulf of Mexico – 70s – Windy

A warm but too windy day at sea…

The schedule is full of activities but nothing I would be interested in.  They could really use some enrichment lectures to make this sea day more productive (oh wait!!! they used to).  Some of the events appear to be educational - “Dealing with Back Problems”.  I was in the Centrum coffee lounge when the Doc on board came in for her talk.  I was the only one there and she asked me if I was there for the talk – I said “no” and she packed up and left. 

I got up a little earlier than everyone else and gave the buffet a try for breakfast.  Waffles are made basically per order so there was a long line for the waffles (my staple).  I did have my standard waffles, cottage cheese, and jam – not really a Belgian Waffle but OK.  A bit crowded and noisy for breakfast.  The buffet is really cafeteria style – looks like an industrial lunch room since there are no separate stations just a single line for the food.  On the plus side, they do have sugar coated cinnamon rolls.

After breakfast, I joined Ellen and the kids for another breakfast (just coffee for me).  The kids are cute at breakfast – they also have their own little buffet they can use.

Lunch was in the Blue Lagoon – they have really good Tomato Soup, and Salad (if you remove the meat), and OK (if undercooked) Fish and Chips.  The best thing about the Blue Lagoon is that few people eat there so it is relatively quiet.  It is full service and most of the time the food comes pretty quickly.

After spending the afternoon, playing cards with the kids and reading on my phone, we had dinner in the fancier venue, Versailles.  The difference here is that you cannot wear shorts in this restaurant.  It is similar to the dining rooms on the NCL Pearl without all of the pictures of the Romanovs.

The menu is just about the same as in Luna but the service seemed a bit slower.  We decided to not come here again but eat in the more efficient Luna.

Showtime in the Stardust Theater tonight was “Club Band on the Run”.  This was a review of 70s tunes (most of which I could not identify).  Again, the volume was turned way up so it was nearly deafening.  The singers and dancers are pretty good but the whole experience is diminished by the decibel level.

Club Band on the Run

There are few venues where you can enjoy music after the show.  There is the Motown Man in the Gatsby’s Lounge – he is pretty good but the room is a bit smoky due to its proximity to the Casino (on this ship, you can smoke in the Casino).  There is a trio in the Centrum but they are also a bit loud for the space.  When they sing up on the balcony overlooking the Centrum, they are a bit quieter and more enjoyable. 

Family Cruise – Western Caribbean – Norwegian Star – November 18-25, 2012

Sunday, November 18, 2012 – Travel Day

AA3648 is scheduled to depart O’Hare at 8:05 AM so our cab has been called for 6:15 AM.  He is there ahead of schedule but we are not on our way until 6:22 PM.  The ride to the airport is fast since it is a Sunday.  Our gate G13 is in the American Eagle concourse, which is actually down the stairs from the rest of the G Concourse.  Since we were subterranean, I couldn’t get a picture of our plane until we arrived in New Orleans.

The weather is perfect for flying.  Our Bombardier CRJ700 is almost like a private jet.  We had perfect seats – Exit Rows – and we had to answer verbally that we could assist in the event of any emergency (the flight attendant wanted to make sure we could understand English).

CRJ700 in New Orleans

The climb out from O’Hare was smooth and scenic.

 

O’Hare Climbout

The flight was short – covering just over 700 miles in an hour and 45 minutes.  What was nice was that the jet was assigned a cruising altitude of 40,000 feet.  This should mean a smooth flight.

The plane was almost empty – maybe about 25 passengers total – so I could get shots out of the windows from just about anywhere (if only the windows were scratch-free).

 

Cruising at 40,000 feet (top two pictures)

Still no clouds as we approach New Orleans.

New Orleans is surrounded by lakes – including the massive Lake Ponchartrain – and rivers (including the Mississippi).  They generally look muddy brown but not today – nice and blue.  On final approach, we flew over swampy (Bayou country) terrain.

  

Final Approach – Lake Ponchartrain

 

Final Approach to Louis Armstrong International Airport (MSY).

While most people gate checked their bags, we checked ours with the agent so our bags would be at the carousel.  There were no bags there when we got there but I spotted our bags in the baggage office – I will bet that we were the only passengers that checked bags.

The kids picked us up at the airport and after a bit of a wait, we were checked in and on the Norwegian Star. The NCL Star can carry 2300 passengers and comes in at 92,000 tons.

 

Crescent City Connection Bridge (New Orleans to Algiers)

The Mississippi River (not so muddy today)

 

Cutest Kids in the World on deck

The last time we sailed out of New Orleans, the sail away was at night.  This time, we will have a little daylight when the ship departs so we can catch some of the Mississippi shoreline on the way to the Gulf of Mexico (the entire transit of the Mississippi – Delta take about 8 hours so we will certainly not see it).

Departing ships have to turn all the way around to exit – they cannot go under the bridge.  The sail away is shown below.

New Orleans Sail Away

Our cabin on this cruise is Deck 3 Mid Ship (4538) just down the hall from everyone else. 

 

Cabin 4538

We decided to have dinner tonight in the more casual Aqua Dining Room (pretty much the same menu as the more fancy Versailles Dining Room).  Since this ship is “Freestyle Cruising” you can dine anytime as long as it is between 5:30 and 6:00 PM for large parties.  You also need to reserve seats for large parties – makes sense since they need to set up the big table (only one that can hold everyone). 

The menu options are not as extensive as on other cruise lines but there are plenty of options for the kids – pizza, mac and cheese, and peanut butter jelly sandwiches (no crust).  There is always Salmon for the adults and generally a pasta of some kind.  The best things on the menu (from my perspective) are the mixed salad with 1000 Island Dressing and the Mushroom cheese tortilla with guacamole and salsa (I had those every day at dinner).

Amelia, Eliana, and Macie dining at the Aqua

We went to the Welcome Aboard Show – the Cruise Director is not on the ship so all of the shows are being hosted by the Assistant CD.  The singers and dancers were good but again, the sound system was blasting away.  The theater is pretty big and the seats are tight (many of them are in disrepair) so it will be important to get to the theater early to get good seats. Headliners tonight are the juggling duo “Shark Bait”.  We have seen them before on NCL and they are goofy and entertaining.  Tonight, we did not stay because their background music was deafening as were their mics.

Tomorrow, we are at sea.  The ship has a nice “Kid’s Club” so there will be many activities for the kids.

We are on our way.