I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons.
1) I didn't think anyone would be interested; and
2) This trip didn't include much of the normal topics: good beer, good coffee or John-style travel.
But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together.
On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days.
We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port. My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music.
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Remembering Hurricane Katrina
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On the third day, we walked to the port, managed some crowds and long lines, and boarded our ship, The Getaway. Because this was my mother's first cruise, we booked separate balcony rooms. We learned that Norwegian gave my mother a free upgrade to an expanded balcony room. That allowed us all to sit on her balcony together with table and three chairs. I don't know if Julia and I would ever cruise again, but if we do, we will get a balcony room. It's a lovely way to escape the crowds and enjoy sunrises/sunsets. On our only other cruise, we had an interior room with no windows.
The ship left around 4 p.m., and we watched the sun go down, as we made our way down the Mississippi River and eventually out into the Gulf of Mexico.
On the fourth day, we had rough seas. The captain told us that we were going to be outrunning a hurricane, so we went pretty fast through the big waves. The plan was evidently good, as the hurricane passed to our east without incident. No one in our group got seasick.
On the next four days, we visited ports that were fairly close to each other. The limited travel occurred at slower speeds and overnight. The ports included (in order) Costa Maya (a small town on Mexico's Yucatan), Harvest Caye (a small Belizean island), Roatan (a Honduran island), and Cozumel (a Mexican island). I don't recommend cruising to get to know places. Almost all of the business near the port are owned by the cruise lines. Prices are inflated. Food tends to be bland.
My two favorite ports were Roatan and Cozumel. On Roatan, Julia took my mother on a wildlife tour and gave me the freedom to explore.
I ended up in a bar where the cab drivers go, drank a few bottles of cheap, local beer, and met a bunch of interesting locals. On Cozumel, Julia and I walked past the port area and had some great blue corn tacos with mole, a sauce made from scratch with many spices and chocolate. Later we found a bar overlooking the gulf with cold beer and a very pleasant breeze.
There was one more sea day on the way home. The weather was not great with gray skies and drizzle. We arrived at the New Orleans port early the next morning and checked into the Embassy Suites for another day in New Orleans. Mom was tired again, but joined us for a Cajun dinner and live music. The Cajun food was too spicy for her Iowa taste buds, so she ordered onion rings to stave off her hunger.
The flight home was supposed to be simple and non-stop. Spirit Airlines cancelled our non-stop flight and turned a three hour flight into eight hours of travel through Florida. We made it to Chicago without further incident, picked up the car, drove Mom to Iowa, and drove back to Wisconsin, arriving at about 2 a.m.
After all of that travel, it felt good to slip into a routine at home again.
