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Capital Jazz SuperCruise | One Love Gospel Cruise | Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage Cruise
Cozumel
Tuesday was our one and only port of call for the Rise and Rhythm Cruise: Cozumel. Cozumel is an island located off the coast of Quintanaroo, Mexico. This was a first time visit for Traci and me. Judging from the shore excursion offerings, the main tourist draw here seems to be beaches and water activities. Traci and I are not really beach people. We prefer the cultural aspects of the places we visit. There are some Mayan ruins on the island but we were not really in the mood since we've seen them at other Mexican and Central America locations. Therefore, we exited the ship with no plans other than to wander and buy a refrigerator magnet.
Stepping off the ship, I immediately regretted my decision to wear shorts. I was hoping that the chilly breezes that I was feeling was a result of exiting in the ship's shadow. I was certain that I would warm up in the sun. Nope. It was an overcast, windy day. I almost decided to go back to our cabin to change clothes but decided to tough it out - chill bumps and all.
As we were walking down the long pier to get to the town, we saw gospel recording artists and actors David and Tamela Mann on their way to board the ship. Traci wanted to say hello to them but decided not to. They seemed to be focused on getting to their destination at the time, so we decided not to disturb them.
The pier ended at a mercado (market) consisting of souvenir shops, stores, restaurants, street performers, photo ops, and more. The vendors were constantly calling out to us trying get us to visit their shop. There was American hip hop music blaring from the Senor Frogs restaurant. Curiously, we encountered quite a few stores selling leather goods. I did not know that this was a thing in Cozumel. Hmm, travel and learn.
Traci and I took a few pictures in front of various Cozumel signs and then sat in one of the swinging chairs at Starbucks. Starbucks offered free Wi-Fi even if you did not purchase anything. After checking emails and social media, Traci and I set off to explore Cozumel on foot.
found free Wi-Fi
We walked along Rafael E. Melgar Avenue which runs along the coast. We passed more stores, rental shops, etc... We stopped at a small souvenir market so that we could buy a Cozumel refrigerator magnet to add to our collection. I was proud of myself because I remembered to bring the pesos (Mexican currency) that I had left over from a previous trip to Mexico. I quickly found out that these 5 pesos were not enough to buy anything. Fortunately, U.S. dollars are accepted in this tourist region. We found a magnet that we wanted to buy. It cost $5 but unfortunately, I forgot to bring the small denomination bills with me. I had left them in our ship cabin. The smallest denomination I had was $20. I did not want take a chance on receiving change in pesos. Traci found $3 in her purse. The vendor accepted it because he said he needs the money. Given most of the souvenir stalls we saw were pretty much selling the same merchandise, I imagine that there is a lot of competition amongst the vendors.
We continued down the avenue and made a stop at a store aptly name Mega. It has a shopping mall on its bottom floor and a grocery store/department store (think Super Walmart) on its upper level. You could pretty much buy whatever you need at Mega. Traci and I spent some time looking around the department store and grocery store of the upper level but did not buy anything. I considered this as a sort of cultural experience that allowed us to observe the similarities and differences of the products offered there compared to what we buy at home.
We continued along the avenue pass hotels, a convention center, and other establishments until it looked like we were no longer in a tourist area. At that point, we crossed the street and walked in the other direction. There were a gazillion more shops, stores, restaurants, and everything else to entice you to spend money. There were also some interesting colorful statues along the sea wall. We came across the Plaza de las dos Culturas (Plaza of Two Cultures) where there was a replica of a Mayan ruin and a man dressed in ancient Mayan attire giving a presentation to a group. I was not sure if this was a free event so we kept walking. We did not encounter any beaches during our walk. As chilly as it was, I did not consider it a beach day anyway. Despite this, the sun eventually made an appearance. The sun is more intense in this part of the world but with the breeze, it actually began to feel pleasant.
We eventually turned around headed back to the port area when it no longer looked like we were walking in a tourist region. We made some detours onto side streets on our way back where there were more shops and restaurants. We needed to be back on the ship by 5:30 PM. We still had some time so we made a stop at Starbucks to use their Wi-Fi again. As we sat there in the swinging chairs I noticed that the market was really starting to clear out. The vendors were closing their shops and many passengers had already gone back to the ship. Traci and I finally boarded at 5 PM. It had been quite a day of walking. According to Traci's watch, we had walked 5 miles!
Back in our cabin, we got cleaned up and dressed in our theme night attire: Sneaker Ball. In general, you dress up but wear sneakers. This evening would be a new cruise experience for Traci and me. We would be having dinner at a specialty restaurant! We had never done this on pass cruises because we just could not justify paying for a meal when there are complimentary dining venues. So what compelled us to try a specialty restaurant on this cruise? We reread our welcome letter the day before and noticed that one of the perks of being Platinum members in Norwegian's loyalty program was free dining at two specialty restaurants including a free bottle of wine during the cruise. Even though this was indicated in the welcome letter, I was still skeptical. It has been my experience that there is normally a fee associated with "free" on a cruise ship. We stopped by one of the restaurants the day before to verify that there were no hidden fees. They assured us that the meals were truly complimentary. Wow! I wish we had seen this on the first day of the cruise because we would had had more reservation time slots available. When we finally made our two reservations, we had to choose from time slots that were during the concerts.
dressed for Sneaker Ball Night
Tye Tribbett
Tonight's specialty restaurant was Moderno Churrascaria, a Brazilian restaurant where they keep bringing you grilled meat (beef, sausage, chicken, lamb) until you flip the card next to your plate from the green side to the red side. I really enjoyed the lamb but the homerun for both Traci and me was not the meat - it turned out to be the grilled pineapple.
I was surprised that we needed a reservation for the restaurant because it was pretty much empty the whole time we were there. The hostess was kind enough to seat us at table next to a large window that overlooked the stage on the Pool Deck where gospel artist Jonathan McReynolds was performing. We could somewhat hear the music - especially the bass. We could also see some of the show but it was a backstage view. The best part was that Traci and I were nice and warm as we dined and watched the show. It was cold and windy on the Pool Deck. The audience was wearing coats and wrapped in large beach towels to stay warm. We had an interesting experience while we were checking out the concert from the restaurant. Because this was the Rise and Rhythm Cruise, the PA system in the restaurants and hallways were constantly playing gospel music in the background. At one point, one of Jonathan McReynolds' hit songs was playing in the restaurant at the same time he was performing it on stage. The songs were not in-sync but what a coincidence!
Jonathan McReynolds was finishing his show when Traci and I finished dinner. It would be an hour before the next Pool Deck concert: David and Tamela Mann. Some hearty souls waited in the wind and cold so they would not have to give up their good seat. Traci and I decided we would take our chances with finding a good spot by returning closer to the start of the show. We were walking back to our cabin when we ran into gospel artist Tye Tribbett. We said hello and took a picture together.
We put on some warm clothing and went back to the Pool Deck for the David and Tamela Mann concert. The Pool Deck was packed when we arrived so we found a spot on the deck above the Pool Deck that allowed us to look down from behind the stage. This was similar to the vantage that we had when we were dining at the Brazilian restaurant but we were outside this time. I actually enjoyed this perspective. We had a close view of the stage and performers. We could also see the other artists hanging out backstage. Traci did not care that much for this vantage point. She prefers to see the performance from in front of the stage with the rest of the audience.
dressed for the Pool Deck Concert
Tamela & David Mann
Tamela & David Mann
Tamela Mann
The Manns did a great job. David open with some stand-up comedy. He and Tamela did a song together and then Tamela did the rest of the show sing her hits and showing off her phenomenal vocal abilities.
We still had another event to attend after the concert. We went to the 10:30 PM "Survey Says" (a.k.a - Family Feud) game show in the Stardust Theater. They weren't quite ready at 10:30, so we joined long line of people waiting to get in. This competition was between a team of passengers selected by a raffle and a team of celebrites. The celebrity team consisted of R&B/Jazz singer Lalah Hathaway, her mother, comedian Kletus Kassady, Mike Jackson of the Married to Real Estate reality TV show, and his father. Comedian Akintunde hosted the show. It was a lot of fun. It was made even funnier by the comedians.
"Survey Says" (Family Feud) - Passengers vs. Celebrities
Sea Day 2 of 2
We awoke Wednesday morning to the reality that this was already our final full day of the cruise. It was a sea day; therefore, just like the first sea day, Traci and I each attended events that interested us. But first, our day started with breakfast together in the main dining room. Traci then went off to participate in a yoga class. She later made the 150-person cut-off for the artist meet & greet. She had to arrive 30 minutes early to stand in line. She enjoyed the event. She was able to take a photo with Dave & Tamela Mann, Jonathan McReynolds, and Akintunde.
Meet & Greet: Dave & Tamela Mann, Jonathan McReynolds, and Akintunde
As for me, it was a pretty chill day. I only attended a few of the events offered that day. I kind of wandered around the ship. I attended a live recording of Willie Moore Jr's Love You Moore podcast for about 20 minutes. I played trivia again. I won this time with 13 our of 20 correct answers! This game had more questions about geography which is right up my alley for as much as I love to travel.
The highlight of my chill afternoon was spending an hour on the Pool Deck listening to Kirk Franklin's band do a sound check. Yes, I know I am a music geek. I followed this with lunch which was my only meal at the buffet on the cruise. The food was good.
Traci and I attended the Pool Deck concert of R&B duo Kindred the Family Soul. They sounded great!
Kindred the Family Soul
Before long, it was time to eat again. Traci and I got dressed in our theme night attire: White Night. We had a 6:15 PM complimentary dinner reservation at Cagney's Steakhouse. Once again, our specialty dining reservation conflicted with the Pool Deck concert. This time we missed most of Lalah Hathaway's concert. As for our dinner, it was fantastic! My ribeye was perfect. Traci, who does not eat much red meat, had the seafood dish which she raved about.
White Night
After dinner, we went back to our cabin to put on some extra layers for Kirk Franklin's concert. Now that the sun had set, the Pool Deck once again became a cold windy place. The concert was fire! Kirk Franklin always delivers.
Kirk Franklind ran over his one-hour allotment but no one complained. As a result, the 10 PM comedian show in the Stardust Theater got pushed back to 10:45 PM. It was hosted by radio personality Willie Moore Jr. and featured Akintunde and Kletus Kassady. It was a very funny show. It was a nice way to end the cruise.
It was after midnight when we returned to our cabin after the comedy show. The only thing left to do was to pack our suitcases in preparation for our morning debarkation in Tampa.
Debarkation
We had breakfast in the main dining room the next morning and then carried our own luggage off the ship. The debarkation process was smooth. We really enjoyed the Rise and Rhythm Cruise. I am sure we will sign-up again.
We had a Lyft driver take us from the cruise terminal to the Tampa Airport. We were not headed home yet. Our plan was to rent a car and finish off the week with a 3-day Florida road trip. You can read our road trip adventures here: Florida Road Trip...
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Capital Jazz SuperCruise | One Love Gospel Cruise | Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage Cruise
