French Polynesian Cruise – Tahitian Princess, Feb. 19 – March 3, 2005

TAHITI – Day One, Feb. 19, 2005

This is one of my very favorite tropical vacations!!!  I want to go back, and will go back someday!!!

Way back in February 2005, we took a two week vacation (no kids) with our neighbors and best travel friends, Wad and Trina Woodard.  We had booked our cruise through www.kimskruises.com and got a great deal on Princess.  We had to book our own airfare and hotel for our pre-cruise stay in Papeete, Tahiti.  At the time, we found a good deal on Expedia.  We were able to book our flight, and book our hotel as a package deal, saving us some money!

Our Cruise Critic friend took this great picture of our plane flying
into Papeete.  You can see Moorea in the background!

Our flight to Papeete, Tahiti started in Seattle, leaving on Feb. 18 at 5:30pm.  We flew to Los Angeles and boarded Air France for the almost 9 hour flight. We left LA just after midnight, so we tried to sleep the best we could, since we were arriving in Papeete in the morning!

Tahiti is an island in French Polynesia, middle of the South Pacific.  French Polynesia is composed of over 150 islands and islets.  Tahiti is the largest of the islands with over 402 sq. miles of surface area.  The highest peak reaches 7,353 feet into the clouds. 

The views around the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort!  Amazing!

We arrived in Papeete early in the morning and taxied over to the InterContinental Beachcomber (ICB).  Toni and Trina were in the pool by 10am!  We had a 3rd floor panoramic room with a view of the lotus pool and Moorea at the ICB. The food at the hotel was very expensive – or so we heard. In the afternoon, went to the large shopping market (15 minute walk, right out of the ICB) and bought croissants, bread, cheese, water, juice and a few other snacks to get us by.

An aerial view of the ICB - see the lagoonarium and the water bungalow rooms!

The ICB was amazing top rated resort!  It looked right out over the South Pacific to Moorea.  It had a private beach, two pools (with swim up bars), two restaurants, spa, tennis courts, and a unique Lagoonarium.  The Lagoonarium houses sea life of all species, including parrot fish, sting rays and angel fish.  You can snorkel in the lagoon or view the sea life from the bridges that cross over. 

Le Belvedere

Le Truck

For dinner that first night, we had made reservations at Le Belvedere through ICB. Transportation from ICB was included in the cost of the meal and was via a Le Truck. It was a wonderful choice, and I highly recommend it. For two people, we paid $123 US. That included transportation, salad, beef fondue (a large portion), really good French fries, a large carafe of wine, and ice cream for dessert. We had great company (also joined by our Cruise Critic friends) and a great view of the city below! It was well worth it! 

The amazing view from Le Belvedere

Belize Sunset......

Sunset in Belize

Belize, Central America……April 3-10, 2000 (Part 2 of 2)

Bike Trip with the Pull Ferry in the background!

One afternoon, the entire group rented bicycles.  We went for a 3 hour ride to the end of Ambergris Caye. As we traveled down the strip, we came to a water crossing.  There was a ‘pull’ ferry to get us across the narrow canal.  We all loaded our bikes on the wooden barge and pulled it across to the other side.  I have read that the pull ferry was recently replaced with a bridge. 

The Great Blue Hole was amazing!!!

A highlight of the trip was our excursion to the Great Blue Hole.  It takes a day to get out to the Blue Hole by boat.  Our excursion included diving and snorkeling during the day, an overnight stay on Half Moon Caye, and a morning dive at the Great Blue Hole. 

Nurse Shark                       Turtle                                   Ray            

Our morning started at 5:45am.  We loaded the boat and headed to Caye Caulker to pick up another diver.  There were several stops during the day for the divers (Rondavue, Long Caye Aquarium at Light House Reef, Half Moon Caye Wall) where snorkelers could jump in and swim around. 

Boobie Birds

In the late afternoon, we arrived at Half Moon Caye, where we would camp for the night. Half Moon Caye is a national monument and home to the famous red-footed boobie birds.  You are actually no longer allowed to camp there.  The Boobies live on the caye for about 10 months of the year. Flying fish are their favorite food, caught at night when the fish are nearer the surface. Half Moon's Boobies are a bit special because most are white, instead of the normal brown color found around the Caribbean. Over 120 other types of bird have been seen on the caye.

Half Moon Caye

Tent Camping on Half Moon Caye

You must bring everything you need with you on the island, and take everything with you when you leave.  Our diver masters and crew made us a barbecue dinner (chicken, beans, coleslaw, and bread), and we washed it down with Panty Rippers (coconut rum and pineapple juice).  We all slept in tents.  As soon as the sun goes down, the hermit crabs come out.  There were thousands of them crawling around at night in search of food.  We had to zip up our tents to keep the critters out. 

Ready to explore the Blue Hole!

We were the first boat to arrive at the Blue Hole at 7am in the morning!  The Great Blue Hole is a site made famous by Jacques Cousteau.  It is 984 feet across and 480 feet deep!  It is home to reef sharks, black tip sharks, bull sharks, and hammerheads.  The dive masters throw chum into the water to bring the sharks to the surface.  The snorkelers are able to get in and swim around while the divers get ready.  It’s a relatively quick dive for the scuba divers.  Our particular group of divers descended down to about 140ft.  At those depths, narcosis becomes noticeable, and you need more time to decompress before reaching the surface.  The divers are not able to stay at the lower dept for long.  Amazingly, the water was just as clear and blue at 140 feet as it was at the surface!  On our long trip back to Ambergris Caye, we stopped at Caye Caulker for lunch.

                 Turtles                                               An Eel

Belize and its surrounding islands may be small but have so much to offer.  Divers, sunbathers, snorkelers, anyone wanting some relaxation while looking out into the clear, blue water, this is a place for you!

Belize, Central America……April 3-10, 2000 (Part 1 of 2)

San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize

Wow, this trip was so long ago!  It was our first time to Central America and this Caribbean getaway.  We flew into Belize City and caught a VERY small plane to Ambergris Caye, San Pedro Town.  Ambergris Caye is the largest island in Belize, and San Pedro is the only town.  It is the dive capitol of Belize and Central America with the Great Blue Hole, Shark Ray Alley, Hol Chan Marine, and Turneffe Atolls. 

Sunbreeze Hotel

We flew on a small plane like this!

We stayed at the Sunbreeze Hotel (sunbreeze.net), right across the street from the airstrip.  We walked off the plane with our bags and wheeled them to the steps of our hotel.  It was not an all-inclusive resort.  The purpose of this vacation (for most of the travelers) was diving.  I was not certified at the time, but it certainly peaked my interested to get certified later on.  There were dives planned for each day, which left time for the non-divers to relax in the sun, shop for treasures in town, and snorkel. 

The Reef Restaurant

The food in Belize is very good and inexpensive.  Many of the restaurants offer only fresh fish and ingredients.  It was not unusual to be out to dinner at night and have the power go out.  We would finish dinner by candlelight.  One of our favorite places to eat was the Reef!  We sat in white plastic lawn chairs, and the floor was sand!  The fresh fish was amazing and the prices were very inexpensive.  Conch ceviche is a favorite any where you go including the Reef!

This was a ‘dive’ vacation, and there were times when snorkelers could go along in the boat too!  The blue water was so beautiful!  My favorite trip with the divers was to Shark Ray Alley and Hol Chan Marine Reserve.  There were dolphins everywhere!  I jumped in the water and they swam all around me.  You could hear them talking!  It was the coolest thing!  We used Aqua Dives during the trip and the dive masters and crew were the best!  (www.aquascubabelize.com)

Dolphins

Aqua Dives

When the non-divers were not tagging along in the boat, we would walk through town and snack on jerk chicken at a local eatery!  There were many homeopathic remedies you could buy in the gift shops, and we purchased a few to bring home. 

San Pedro                          Sunbreeze Hotel

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine

The last day on a boat! At Sea…..

Having fun on the Sky Walk!

We spent our last day at sea, soaking up the sun and having fun with all the activities!  Several of us tried the Sky Walk.  Many of us also took a swirl down the water slide. 

Connor learned to make towels animals while we set by the pool.  He mastered the elephant!  In the late afternoon, we enjoyed a yard of beer at the Red Frog pub! 

Playing Bean Bag toss in the Red Frog Pub!

We all had fun playing bean bag toss in teams!  It was competitive and fun!  We had a great cruise, despite missing a port!  We had great company and the best hosts while in Houston!  We would highly recommend sailing on the Carnival Magic!

Cruising with Friends!!!

We had great Wait Staff - Victorio and Daniella

Cozumel, Mexico! (Friday)......

Mr. Sanchos - Cozumel, Mexico

We have been to Cozumel many, many times! We have been to beaches, all inclusive resorts, shopped, etc.  This time, we wanted to try an all-inclusive resort with something the kids would like!  Because we missed our port of call in Grand Cayman, we arrived at the dock in Cozumel an hour early!  We did not pre-book a reservation to Mr. Sanchos (www.mrsanchos.com), because you book through a third party.  We would have saved $5 per person, but we thought it was best to check the place out and then pay there.  All of the adults paid $50 per person for the all-inclusive deal.  For the kids, we decided to ‘pay as you go’.  The only down side to that was the kids had to stay in a section next to us, so we didn’t share food and drinks with them.  In the end, it all worked out fine.  We started a tab for them, and Hector took the best care of them. The boys all got the $12 bracelets to play on the floating water toys. 

The boys had so much fun playing on the floating water toys!!!

 They loved that part and spent a lot of time in the water.  The highlight for Kyler and Jason was parasailing. 

Kyler and Jason fly!!!

We made a deal for the two of them, and Jeff and I both got to go in the boat to take photos.  Both the boys were completely scared!  When it was all over, they said it was the best part of the trip!  I took about 100 pictures to capture the excitement!  Great day in Cozumel!

Posing in our matching cruise t-shirts!

*****We had made t-shirts and tanks tops for our group at Carnival Fun Designs (http://carnival.victorydyo.com/).  The prices are very reasonable!  You can create all sorts of fun stuff.....can cozies, tote bags, beach towels, etc.  They have many cool designs!