Last month, my family and I went on a 7-day cruise on the Carnival Jubilee. We sailed from Galveston, Texas to Honduras to Mexico. Here’s a day-by-day travel log of my trip.
Day 5: Mahogany Bay (Tues. May 6, 2025)
Today was our first port of call: Mahogany Bay in Rotan, Honduras. A scenic little island with lush green trees, rolling hills, and crystal blue waters.
One of the first things we did when we stepped off the ship was ride the chair lift to the private beach. It was crowded with folks sunbathing on the shore and wading in the water. We took a dip in the water for a little bit, then dried off and went to browse the shops. One of our family members bought a tiki, which was wrapped in a long brown package.
There were many amenities at the beach. One place allowed you to dip your feet into a tank and let fish nibble at your toes. They claimed to have health benefits. I highly doubt that, but I bet fish tickling your toes feels good.
I went back to the ship and had lunch at the sandwich shop Beach Buns. I ordered a grinder on a baguette with ham and cheese. I ate it with a side of chips and a bowl of tomato soup. The soup tasted more like sauce, and it had the texture of sauce.
I spent the rest of the afternoon napping in my cabin. I had nausea earlier that morning. I woke up in the middle of the night with nausea, and I woke up that morning with nausea. My sister gave me a pill to take. I did not have breakfast that morning. Only a ginger ale and a banana. Up until recently, I was feeling fine. I was not seasick. I just guess the extra rocking of the ship made me seasick.
We went to Chibang for dinner. It was a Mexican/Chinese fusion eatery. I had pot stickers with noodles and kung pow chicken. It was decent. I ordered the chicken because it was allegedly the spiciest dish on the menu. I’ve had spicier. And I had better Chinese food.
I went to a comedy show later that evening. I didn’t care much for his jokes. One funny joke: he mentioned the ship’s coaster Bolt. It’s called Bolt because of a missing part. And the vehicles are shaped like jet skis so if they fly off the track, you can ride them to your next port of call.
Day 6: Costa Maya (Wed. May 7, 2025)
Our second port of call was Costa Maya in Mexico. A scenic little getaway with swaying palm trees, thatched roof houses, and sandy white beaches with turquoise waters.
Two other cruise ships were moored at our pier. So, there was a lot of traffic with people disembarking from the ships. And the shopping plaza was even more crowded. Two unique locations included a poolside bar and a dolphin area where people can pet and ride dolphins.
My group mostly browsed the shops. One lady tried to get my sister to buy a $75 lotion. A lot of the shopkeepers pressed potential buyers to buy their merch.
I specifically wanted to find something with a mermaid. We’re in a tropical aquatic area, so I considered it fitting. I managed to find a snow globe. It went for $25. But my sister managed to haggle it for $20. So I got it for that.
Back at the ship, we ate lunch. I wanted the taco bar, but it did not open until 1 PM. So, I had a hot dog and shawarma instead. I then went to the gym to workout. The biggest downgrade: no air-conditioning. Back home, the treadmills had built-in fans, so that made jogging up a sweat more bearable.
For dinner, we went to a hibachi grill: appetizers included a soup or salad and some seaweed salad with tempura. They served rice without eggs (because one of our family members has an egg allergy). It was really buttery. I ordered the shrimp and chicken. I even had some steak. It was good, but not as good as the Japanese places back home.
I went to the comedy club after. The comedian was Tim Young. His jokes did not impress me. Here’s one: “People fear that immigrants are taking their jobs. But robots are the ones who you really need to worry about. I should know. I gave my girlfriend…” Well, something I can’t say. Rimshot!
So that’s two ports of calls down. One more to go. The trip is almost over. And how did it go? Stay tuned and find out as my tale comes to its conclusion.
