CRUISE LIFE: Arriving in Cozumel – Carnival Dream
There is something very special about waking up early in the morning to walk outside on the top deck of a cruise ship and watch the sunrise! I will admit this was the first time I have ever done it as I am not a morning person. But on this morning Jason woke me up so we could experience this together. The Lido deck was quiet and peaceful as so many were still asleep. We really soaked up the moment as we could see the moon glinting off of the Caribbean Sea. And we had a nice cool breeze blowing through our hair. We were still a good distance away from land but we could see the twinkling lights of Cozumel off in the distance. At 6:00 am we were two hours from docking and it was interesting to watch the land get ‘bigger’ as we got closer.
A bonus benefit to getting up this early…
Another first for me was to be the first one at the breakfast buffet. By mid-morning, the buffet can look trashed as hundreds of people get their breakfast, but it was fresh and pretty at 6:00 am when it first opens. So I proceed to fill my plate with carbs consisting of French toast, hash browns, and croissants. PS – Carnival has the BEST French toast! However, I did manage to put one piece of fruit on my plate as well! I grabbed a cup of juice while Jason and Ethan had coffee and we easily found a seat by the window in the near-empty Lido dining room.
Watching the ship pull into Cozumel…
My guys watching the ship pull into port
A little over an hour from our last progress check, the ship had sailed much closer to land. We are excited to see that we are the first ship into port for the day as we are used to arriving when the port is full of ships and also full of people. Because we had such an early, laid-back morning, we were able to stand by the railing and enjoy ourselves seeing first hand how such a gigantic ship can maneuver close to the pier. The Dream has huge engines with thrusters that can turn 360 degrees so can move the ship in all directions to get in and out of small spaces. Did I mention the sunrise? Well, let me tell you, this must be one of the most beautiful sunrises we have ever seen. The sun shining brightly on the horizon in a picturesque blue sky which is shimmering on the perfect turquoise water with an island paradise…. Yeah, it was pretty amazing!
Interesting about Cozumel…
From high on the top of a cruise ship, you can really see the landscape of this island. Cozumel relies heavily on the tourism industry and you can see the areas where the tourists go and that a portion of the island is uninhabited. From this distance, you can see vast expanses of untouched jungle and shoreline. The west side facing the Yucatan Channel and Mexican mainland coast are where the locals live. The east side is where the ports and resorts are. It is the center of the island which is filled with undeveloped jungle and has no electricity. On one trip we rented a Jeep and explored the island, it truly is beautiful.
We make our way down to deck 0, off of the Carnival Dream and walk down the long pier into the port. We were still the only ship here… This has never happened before as it is usually brimming with people. I must say that it was very nice to be able to walk and enjoy the sights with much, much lower crowds. We quickly find the meeting spot for our excursion and see the first glimpse of the speedboats that will take us on a wild adventure for the day…
Want to see the story come to life? Here is the video: Carnival Dream Day 3: Part 1
Want to see more from this trip? Here is the full Carnival Dream Playlist.
If you have enjoyed this post, please share! Also, sign up for our emails so you have every new post delivered right to your inbox!
Thanks,
Alisa
EECC Travels
