Hi fellow travelers! I hope you are still considering exploring, even in the time of this unfortunate COVID-19 virus. I, myself was nervous taking our cruise on Royal Caribbean earlier in February, before the spread of the virus was too far. But, we did, we survived and I learned a few things a long the way. We sailed on Royal Caribbean and truth be told, it was an adventure worth talking about!

Though I was nervous about traveling, I knew that the virus had not yet touched many places in the world, but, you still always wonder if there is a possibility of catching it. Once we made it Galveston, Texas to catch our ship, I was feeling a bit better, the weather was warmer and I was hopeful that Royal Caribbean was doing all they could to prevent the spread of the virus. Galveston is a fun little beach town, I imagine that in the summer it becomes overrun with tourists and locals, looking for the charming feel of sand, surf and roller coasters. Although, the pier was not open, it’s a nostalgic nod to summers by the sea.

Once we boarded the ship, Enchantment of the Seas, one of the smaller ships that Royal Caribbean has. I forgot all about the virus taking over the world and dreamed of sailing off into the sunset and landing in hot and humid Porto Costa Maya. But believe me, I sanitized our room, hands, clothes, beds and whatever could be sprayed or rubbed with Lysol. Royal Caribbean was also sanitizing as much as they could and it felt like we might actually be okay. However, we did not make it there, our port was occupied by another ship and we had to dock somewhere else, namely in the next port, Cozumel, Mexico. Once there, the sun warmed my soul, the sand beneath my toes soothed my fears and the salty ocean waves calmed my nerves. We even stepped back in time, visiting San Gervasio, an ancient Mayan archaeological site. I love the Mayan culture and Mexico is full of it, if you don’t stop and see what ancient Mexico was like, you will not understand it, as it exists today.

We even were lucky enough to see these little guys sunning themselves under the blue sky.

Lunch at El Pescador, while expensive, was divine, the chicken tacos and guacamole were heavenly. The scenery was not bad either, rocky shores salty waves, and sand covering my toes made everything much more relaxing.

Who wouldn’t want to slip into serenity with this view……?

While Cozumel was the only port we were able to see, it was worth it. After sailing back to Galveston, I realized that cruising, with it’s unpredictable docking issues and health concerns, may not be for us, it still was an adventure, it was a learning experience and I found out that my kids do not get seasick, which is a plus. But once we had docked and disembarked, I felt incredibly lucky that we were not a ship, that had experienced quarantine due to the virus. This vacation will be tainted with the memory of some fear, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but it will go down in the books as an adventure!