SUNNY ROATAN, HONDURAS

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 sunny --- high 80s ----- hot and humid

The first time we were in Roatan was about 10 years ago—TK went scuba diving and I took a quiet riverboat ride through the mangrove trees. The dive was great-Roatan is known for its dive because of its reef system and pristine aquamarine water-- and my ride through the trees was unique. I saw so many crabs clustered on the tree trunks and roots I could hardly see the trunks. There was only one shop for tourists back then and the little village was very, very undeveloped. I know there have been hurricanes in Roatan since then. A few months ago, Carnival Cruise Line finished building state of the art docks and a small tourist area with brand new shops and restaurants. There is a chair lift to a developed beach area, very much like chair lifts at a ski resort.

Roatan’s population is 25,000 and it is 49 square miles. Environmental tourism is increasingly popular here.

I was very pleased to see the development and when I talked to a young lady working at Del Sol, she was very happy to see the island become even more of a tourist destination. Her English was perfect (and I ought to know, JK said smiling). She said she learned English at school! Spanish is the native language. This area will be developed even more.

TK and I took the chair lift to the beach-white sand, lots of palm trees, lounge chairs, and warm clear water ($8 each for an all day pass). I won’t complain about the heat---it was very hot and humid with a wonderful soft Caribbean breeze. We stayed on the beach for a couple hours and then I shopped some—I bought nice t-shirts at a kiosk that was selling items to raise money for Roatan’s Coral Reef Alliance for B1 and B2—they have turtle designs front and back. The girl said she was a volunteer for the organization.

We returned to the ship and spent some time at the aft pool and then spent time on our balcony reading.

We had dinner at the Horizon Court—pork, steak, lamb, jerk chicken were all available. I think we are a little tired of formal dinners every night.

“Destination Anywhere, A Theatrical and Musical Journey Around the World and Beyond,” was the show tonight. At first the theme was quite clear-dancers as airline stewardesses, Viva Las Vegas and Heartbreak Hotel, but from there we went to dark songs in London that I did not recognize, then Lion King, and then moon suits. The pyrotechnique part was good, but I think shows on NCL are better. Maybe we just did not click with this show and the musical selections.

TK and I did quite well as a team in the Jeopardized Trivia Challenge game. Actually TK knew more answers than I in categories such as flags, numbers, science, Olympic history, and TV shows. The Club Fusion Lounge that hosted this game is very large and comfortable. In fact, all the lounges are very large and comfortable. I thought about Kenny in NJ and how much he liked trivia, too.

From there we went to the Island Night Party on Deck 15, at Neptune’s Pool. It was a beautiful night for a pool party, warm and a partial moon. TK really likes the island band on this ship, Temperature. Dancing, conga line, and a fruit and dessert buffet worthy of many photos. Our NCL Spirit and Grand Princess friends would have enjoyed this party—wish they ALL were here!