Cruising into the New Year (part 2)

Continued from part 1.


Our 3rd day of the cruise was probably my favorite of the entire week. Our port of call was Cozumel, which is one of my absolute favorite beach cities. Jeff and I had vacationed there several years ago and loved it, so we knew the area well. We decided to debark the ship and go out on our own for the day. We planned to rent Jeeps for the family but they apparently didn't have any available. Instead, we ended up with these super cool buggies to tour the island. I was so nervous at first because there were no seatbelts, not even for the kids! But I soon relaxed and we set out to explore Cozumel at our own pace. We drove around the entire island, stopping at various beaches and restaurants along the way. It was a gorgeous day and we had the BEST time as a family.

Here's a photo of us leaving the ship for a day in Cozumel.

Our Cozumel dune buggy. So cool and fun!

Our first beach stop. Beautiful!

Love this photo of our 4 kids on the rocky beach.

We love Cozumel!

Love this island with so many wonderful memories for the two of us.

Me and my girl.

Collin and Kevin took turns driving their own buggy. We all laughed at the sketchiness of the vehicles!

Our family of 6 on one of the Cozumel beaches. LOVE!

At one of our beach stops, Connor and Kaitlynn enjoyed holding this huge parrot and of course I couldn't resist purchasing this precious photo of them.

We found this little cove at one of our stops. It was the best area for swimming and so beautiful!

The buggy ride around the island was so relaxing. Even Kaitlynn enjoyed kicking back.

Back at the dock ready to get back on the ship. The sheer size of the vessel is incredible!

Our next port of call was Costa Maya in Mexico, which I had previously never heard of. It seemed to be a newer port with fewer attractions and less touristy than other cruise stops. We booked an excursion to see some Mayan ruins, and that trip took most of the time available at this port. The ruins themselves were neat to see, especially since we were allowed to climb on them and take photos. But overall, the excursion was quite boring for all of us. We learned that we enjoyed going out on our own so much more, like we did in Cozumel.

The kids on the Mayan ruins.

It was a beautiful day but HOT while we were there.

Love this picture of Collin and Kevin on one of the Mayan sites.

Jeff and I enjoyed a photo together in front of the ruins.

I asked a stranger to take our family photo on one of the biggest sites. He spent quite a bit of time arranging himself on the ground to get the perfect angle, ha!

Heading back to the ship.

After Costa Maya, we had 1 more full day to enjoy the ship while out at sea. We had the best weather with abundant sunshine, and we soaked in the cruise amenities on the last day. We also managed to get some nice family photos, always a favorite for me. Our last night of the cruise was New Year's Eve, and even though I still didn't manage to stay up until midnight (typical!), I honestly can't think of a better way to ring in the New Year!

Enjoying movie night on the deck of the ship.

The ropes course was a unique adventure aboard the ship.



Connor on the ropes course. A beautiful view from up there!

Kaitlynn and Jeff. Thank goodness for the harnesses, ha!

I just love this photo of Kaitlynn with her 2 oldest brothers. She adores them beyond measure!

Our last night on the cruise.

Our New Year's Eve dinner on the cruise.

Happy New Year!

Remember all the sea fog that delayed our cruise departure by a day? Well, it was back in full effect upon our return to Galveston. I follow several meteorologists on social media and caught these amazing photos of our cruise ship returning to port.

Do you see our ship? Wow! The sea fog was back in full effect!

That's our cruise ship off to the right, headed back to the Galveston port amidst thick sea fog.

I can't even begin to describe what an amazing time we all had on our cruise! With Collin and Kevin now living apart from us, we truly appreciate these precious moments when we can all be together. I am so grateful for the time we shared as a family on the cruise, and I know we all will cherish these memories for a lifetime. What an incredible way to kick off the new year!

Our family cruise photo. Love this family of mine!