Cozumel

Tuesday, July 3: Day Four.

Our fourth day was definitely my favorite.  We didn't dock in Cozumel until 11am, so we enjoyed a slow morning sitting on the patio, eating breakfast, reading, and praying.  So relaxing and wonderful!  Eventually, it was time to get off the ship and begin our adventures.  You'll notice that we weren't the only Carnival ship spending the day in Cozumel- I think that was the Elation ship next to us?

see ya later, Paradise!

We checked in for our expedition and had about half an hour before our shuttle left, so we wandered around for a bit.  Since this area is where the cruise ships enter, it was extremely touristy, but fun all the same.  We found a few photo ops...

such a beautiful day!

It's a zonkey!  (zebra-donkey)

this is me, trying to be intimidating...

A restaurant called Fat Tuesdays- totally Mardi Gras/New Orleans themed.  I gotta say, I'm proud to have lived somewhere that's so cool that even other countries try to emulate its celebrations!

Then, it was off to our excursion of the day, which was... SWIMMIING WITH DOLPHINS!  Seriously, this was one of the coolest things I've ever done.  Taxis picked us up and took us a few miles down the road to Dolphinarias.  Before we started, we watched a few other groups with the dolphins.

the view was breathtaking!

After a brief orientation, it was our turn.  Apparently, our time in the water was only 40 minutes, but it felt like longer.  Our group worked with Nautica, and we were able to give her a hug, kiss her, dance with her, pet her, and ride her.  It was expensive to purchase pictures, but we couldn't resist having at least a few of us in this once in a lifetime experience.

cue the teasing Cori about kissing another woman...

LOVE!

cuties

haha, can you tell how excited i am?  dancing AND dolphins?!  it's too good to be true!

dolphin ride! she swam up behind us on her belly, then we grabbed her fins and went for a little ride.

SO much fun!

We also got to see 4 of the dolphins make some awesome jumps.  It was SO cool!  After we got out of the water and bought photos, it was time for lunch.

mmmm.... fajitas!

After we finished lunch, we still had several hours before we had to be back on our ship.  The staff at the Dolphinarias told us that if we walked a few blocks, we'd find some shopping.  We enjoyed walking around Cozumel, looking into all the different little shops there.  We didn't buy anything, but had a great time looking and enjoying the city.

a picturesque little garden!

love being a goofball with cori!

seriously, this tree was beautiful!

this is my sassy pose!

be it the ocean or a water fountain, i love being near water! 

 On the way back to the Dolphinarias, we stopped to get gelato.  I got mint chocolate chip (does anyone else hear Michael Scott from the Office whenever they say mint chocolate chip?) and Cori got peach.  We got one last picture at the Dolphinarias- that's where the dolphins swim behind us- and then took a taxi back to the port.

I know this is a long, picture-heavy post, but I've still got a few more to share. :)  We snapped some fun pictures as we walked back to our ship...

Cori was playing the color swap thing on our camera and got some fun shots...

Before dinner, we spent an hour or so on the Lido deck, overlooking the water.  It was so relaxing to sit and read and chill after a busy day... for those who know me well- or really, who know me at all- know that time spent reading a good book (I was reading The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks) is pretty much heaven for me, especially when you pair it with a beautiful setting and being near Cori.  Then, we spent a little time in our room, showering, relaxing, and getting ready for dinner.

haha, this picture is supposed to be of our little towel creature, but it's rather fitting that i'm in the background, eating an ice cream cone.  i was also finishing my book- not long after he took this picture, cori came out of the bathroom, concerned because he heard me crying.  i had to reassure him that i was fine, it was just my book.  

we felt so swanky in our carnival bathrobes!

Then it was time for a late dinner.  During dinner, we enjoyed doing the congo line with our waiters and other fellow diners.  Afterwards, I told the people sitting next to us that Cori joining me for the congo line was proof that he loved me- being ridiculous in public like that is much more my scene than Cori's!  After dinner, we briefly went to a huge deck party.  Sadly, I was exhausted, so we didn't last long.  Cori laughed at me because after enthusiastically dancing for about one song, I started fading, and fading fast, and my dancing became pretty minimal.

had to take a picture of my good-looking hubby in his blazer

okay, clearly not the best picture of me, but i include it simply to underscore what i was saying before about wearing as many different outfits as i could.  i spent the morning in shorts and a tank top over my bathing suit, the afternoon walking around cozumel in one dress, changed into a different dress for dinner, and then after dinner put on this one... and wore it for less than an hour before i realized i was ready for bed.  ridiculous? yes.  but the truth is, i'm pretty proud of myself for fitting so many different outfits into such a short time period.

party on the deck!

Seriously, I loved EVERYTHING about this day.  It was just so wonderful!