Day 7 - Cozumel - NCL Joy

I might have slept later but the vibration of pulling into port woke me from my slumber.  Then, I could hear some hallway conversation, vacuums and finally the cruise director’s announcement.  It was almost eight and I can sleep at home.  Let’s get up and start the day.  

Breakfast was light fare in the Horizon lounge.  Chris wanted to try the Big Screen crossword in the Atrium.  They gave your 15 minutes to complete the crossword and a prize for who did it first.  No one finished so she gave some extra time.  Chris ended up being first with maybe four extra minutes.  He does The NY Times one each day and he said it was a pretty tough puzzle.  It was also old as some of the clues were dated.  It has been a while since Kodak was in the Dow 30 which was one of the clues.  I gave two of the prizes the the young couple sitting next to us as we had won the same items during trivia but Chris keep the pen.  

Instead of staying for trivia, we went ashore in Cozumel.  We walked to see the Mega store which is like their version of Walmart.  We browsed the usual souvenir shops.  I wanted to grab a wrestling mask to wear as a joke on board since masks are mandatory still.  I only would have donned it briefly and went back to a proper mask.  After spotting some mold on one, I couldn’t bring myself to get one just for comedy.  Chris did buy two hot sauces that looked interesting to him.  I spotted an item a few times in souvenir shops that I call “nightmare in a bag.”  These bags had creepy puppets, ukuleles and other little toys.  I’ll post a picture and you judge for yourself.  We walked almost 2.5 miles and returned to the ship.

The courtyard had the ceiling retracted so it felt very nice inside.  We took a dip the pool.  He did the crossword while I wrote.  He grabbed some hummus from the Horizon to snack on.  I had a Bloody Mary which I feel are made excellent on NCL.  Chris opted for an Aperol Spritz.  We decided to pop up to the sun deck to have lunch on the sun deck.  

We found some loungers in the shade with a view of Cozumel and the Disney Magic.  After a few minutes, we saw the Haven valet with a tray of food appear.  He delivered it to the other passengers and we stopped him to place our order.  We both tried the vegetable tempura.  I ordered the falafel and Chris had the fish sandwich.  It was very enjoyable having lunch while relaxing in our bathing suits.  We both ordered a Pimm’s Cup as well to have with lunch. 

The breeze felt so nice as we relaxed after lunch.  We had a little soak in the hot tub and just savored the relaxation.  I could have stayed longer but we wanted to try the virtual reality in the Galaxy Pavilion.  It opened at three so we changed into shorts and were there shortly after it opened.  We opted for the one hour package.  It was fun but I do not think I could do more than one hour.  We were able to try all we wanted to as there were no lines.  There was probably only about twenty of us playing the games, maybe less.  My favorite was the zombie theater style one.  I really liked shooting the zombies.   Some of the attractions take a fair amount of time so I can imagine with full capacity not being able to try it all.  We both had fun but we both think it is not something we would do if it was available on another cruise.  

From virtual reality, we we to the try the eco-friendly cocktail of the day.  This was another hit for me.  It was called Cafe Replay and was a mixture of vodka, frangelico, coffee ground cordial, pineapple juice and bitters.  It sounds odd but it works so well.  Chris stayed on the Waterfront to watch the Disney Magic leave.  I went back to the cabin to change for dinner.  

For dinner, we decided to go the Haven and try the crab cakes.   We had heard some good and bad about that entree so we wanted to try it.  While sitting at the Haven bar, another guest had told us that the crab cakes were really bad.  Since we still had one dining credit, we made a reservation for Ocean Blue.  We did not use the concierge for any reservations this week because it was easy to use the screens and everything was available since the passenger count was low.  

We sat outside at Ocean Blue and it felt amazing.  It is so nice hearing the water going by and looking at the stunning moon.  We ordered a wine with a slight upcharge because we wanted to try the Bon Jovi Rose.  I started with the shrimp cocktail and Chris had scallops with pork belly.  He enjoyed his and mine was pretty standard issue.  Our next course was the beet salad for Chris and I had the tuna avocado stack.  We both really liked both of our choices.  Chris did the whole lobster for his dinner which is an extra charge and I tried the cioppino.  It was tasty but the shrimp were very small after having the huge ones in the Haven.  For dessert, Chris tried the key lime pie and I had the sorbet sampler.  I really liked my dessert as it was very light and refreshing.    

Tonight’s entertainment was the adult comedy show in the theater with Rollin Jay Moore.  We were excited to see this show as we really enjoyed his first set in the comedy club.  He did not disappoint.  After the show, we went to the District which was standing room only when we arrived.  The pianist was doing a Freddie Mercury tribute.  We had a nightcap with our new friends and noticed the comedian standing at the table next to us.  Some seats opened up and we sat with him.  We enjoyed talking to him.  He might even use some material I gave him.  If you happen to hear him a make a joke about the Carnival Glory that is “adult” let me know!    It was another fun evening aboard the Norwegian Joy.