After our February cruise, we discovered we had over $800 in future cruise credit that was in Janet’s name that was not applied to our southern Caribbean sailing. We tried to apply it to our Alaska cruise in July, but it is completely paid for. They wouldn’t let us apply it to our Mediterranean cruise next summer because it’s scheduled for 2023. That mean that the only option to redeem the credit was to book another cruise. With our year already booked with other activities, the only time available was during the April break. So here we are again, but on the Western side of the sea. We’ve never sailed from Miami, so this was new. We have sailed on the Jewel of the Seas before, so that was familiar. I watch the Miami cruise port webcam frequently, so it was neat to see our ship on the webcams as we were on it preparing to sail. Miami was beautiful and we love eating on the outdoor patio behind the buffet. It’s one of our favorite aspects of the Radiance class of ships.

Our second day was a sea day. After catching a beautiful sunrise, we decided to investigate the art auction. I knew we couldn’t pass on it for too many cruises. We did find a beautiful piece that will hang above our buffet nicely.

Our third day was spent in Cozumel where we had one of the most interesting excursions ever, Salsa and Salsa. It started with a trip to the local market to pick up ingredients for our Salsa making experience. It was the kind of market you see in travel shows, but don’t expect to experience on a cruise. It was fascinating, but I’ll stick to my supermarkets.

After the market we were taken to the Playa Mia beach resort. Our fare was all inclusive so we had access to the buffet, open bar and all the pool and beach amenities. Our instructor, Angel was a prince. He instructed us in three salsas, Pico di Gallo, Guacamole, and Roasted pepper salsa. All three were awesome, partly because we got to make them ourselves. Then it was time to dance. A simple step forward, together, step backward, together, step side, together, step other side together, and an open step on each side and we were doing the salsa. It was amazingly fun and we picked it up quickly. We even had time to lay out on the beach and enjoy some sunshine. Janet and I both agreed it was one of the best excursions we’ve ever gone on.

The evening was capped off by a fantastic headliner group called the Barricade Boys, a group of West End Singers who have all appeared in Les Miserebles. The hit for everyone was a complete rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. A perfect sunset ended this thrilling day.

The following day was spent in Costa Maya. As in St. Croix on the last cruise, we didn’t plan an excursion. Janet stayed on the ship and I went for a walk. Unfortunately it decided to rain all morning so I returned to the ship and spent the day in the Solarium with Janet. Still found time to get some beautiful sunrise shots.

Our last port of call was Nassau. As in all our trips, we booked a catamaran snorkeling adventure. We have such a great time in the water. This cruise I got my camera to work and was able to get pictures under water. I was so fortunate to see a large crab about 2 feet across. Totally amazing experience.

Usually our cruises are seven nights. This cruise was only six. Since our plane wasn’t scheduled to leave till 9:00 PM we arranged to get a day pass at a Miami beach hotel. It felt as if we’d added the 7th day to our cruise. The water was beautiful and the sun enhanced our golden tans. It was the perfect way to come down from the exhilarating week. We’ve been very fortunate to have already gone on two cruises. Alaska is only three months away and we can’t wait.