Amazing vacation!

We absolutely LOVED the cruise! The Carnival Dream was perfect, and we really enjoyed the staff on board. We visited the comedy shows several times, and even sang a little in the Song room (Karaoke). Dinner time was delicious, and the wait staff made us feel right at home. All in all... the boat was amazing!

Roatan- Positives- the most beautiful views I think I have ever seen. We took a rental car with a tour guide, and got to see a few secret places off the beaten path. We learned a lot about the "real" Roatan, as opposed to the "tourist" Roatan most visitors get to see. 

Negatives- When we finally made it to the beach, we were constantly harassed by locals wanting us to buy a massage, get our hair braided, buy some handmade trinkets, and even got asked if we wanted to buy cigars to smoke on the beach. At first I was really annoyed. I mean... being asked if you want a massage 35 times in an hour was a little excessive, but when my tour guide informed me the income the locals make off of these massages, and trinkets, was the only income they make, it helped me understand their persistence. Also, we noticed a lot of local military armed with rifles posted at convenience stores and other stores along our private tour. If you have small children, might want to stay close to the port, and maybe choose to visit the beach right off the main dock. 

Belize- Positives- One of the best vacation spots I have ever been to! I absolutely loved the whole city! We chose to go cave tubing with a company called Ecotours. Our tour guide was named Raymond, and he was AMAZING! He was very friendly, and told us all about Belize City...right down to some of the medicinal benefits many of the local plants offer. There was a thirty minute hike in the jungle to reach our push off point for the cave tubing, but with our tour guide showing us the local plants and natural rock formations along the way, it felt more like ten minutes! The river we floated down was crystal clear, and the river bed was all smooth rocks. I would definitely do the cave tubing again!

Negatives- We didn't have enough time to really see all of Belize City. There is so much to do, and so many wonderful things to see, we just couldn't do enough in the 8 hours we were in port. 

Cozumel- Positives- What can I say other than it was AMAZING! The beaches in Cozumel are second to none! We had fresh margaritas and authentic fajitas on the jeep tour we took. Our tour guide took us to some of the smaller Mayan Ruins, and to visit the old Lighthouse. I highly recommend the jeep tour for 1st time visitors. 

Negatives- Like Belize.. there just wasn't enough time. I could have stayed on the beach for another 6 hours!

This trip was amazing from start to finish. I highly recommend cruising with Carnival. We are already discussing our next trip!