Nick’s First Vacation: Costa Maya (Part 2)

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I think we were all ready to eat when lunch time came around.  All that playing in the water had helped us work up an appetite.  The group wanted a change of scenery for lunch so we decided to eat at the buffet in Cabanas.  Nick wasn’t so happy with that plan.  When we went to get him settled into his high chair at the table he through a huge fit (much like the one he had had in the morning).  I just wasn’t in the mood to deal with an unhappy toddler, so I picked him up and said that we were going to eat at the snack stands by the pool.  In the end everyone came out to join us because they didn’t like what was being served at the buffet, and Nick was very happy with my choice.

When lunch was finished it was time to go and explore Costa Maya.  The Costa Maya port was built specifically for cruise visitors and it was really nice! The port is actually miles from the nearest town, so it’s made just for shopping, sight seeing, and swimming. It was quite clean and there was a lot Mexican flavor. For those that have been to the Mexican pavilion in Epcot at Walt Disney World this port is a lot like that in the flavor and atmosphere (minus the fun ride with Donald of course).

When we got off the ship it was crazy hot. The dock is about a mile long, so it’s a good walk. They actually had trams running for those that wanted to ride, but we were happy walking. Since it was mid day the sun was bright over head and without sunglasses it was hard to see. It was so bright that it made Nick close his eyes and he ended up falling asleep! He slept the entire time that we spent in port.

We didn’t have a specific agenda for our visit, so we just wandered around. Everywhere we went people were trying to get us to come into their stores. This is a normal occurrence for every cruise port we have ever been to, but it drives Jason nuts just the same. It really ruins the experience for him.

We ended up wandering into a nice little shop that was way down at the end of the port. It was nice and cool inside and no one bothered us. We actually ended up buying quite a bit there.  My mother got my brother his shot glass.  Jason and I bought a beautiful hand made serving platter (with removable bowls) for Jason’s mom for Christmas.  I also bought this really cool parrot mobile.  It has three metal rings that hang down, one from the other, and a glass parrot sits in each one.  It made me think of the Enchanted Tikki Room.  Mom also had to buy Nick some maracas since she got some when she went to Mexico as a kid (he loved them).  Needless to say our bill worked its way up there.  Mom was going to charge it, but the girl behind the counter seemed a bit confused and mom was afraid of what would actually end up on the bill.  In the end we were able to scrape enough money together to pay for everything in cash.

When we were done with our shopping we decided we were ready to head back to the ship.  We strolled and wandered around some on our way.  There were a lot of street performers out.  I loved seeing the dancing girls in the white  dresses with the big skirts.  We didn’t stop and really watch anyone though because we knew if we did that they’d expect to be tipped, and we didn’t have any cash left.

By the time we reached the ship we were all roasting.  The walk back seemed almost longer and hotter than it had felt on the way out.  The cool air of the ship felt so nice, but the change in temperature woke Nick right up.  1:30 in the afternoon and nap time was already done.  The big question at that point was about how we were going to keep Nick entertained for the rest of the day.

To Be Continued…