{"id":2029,"date":"2012-03-20T22:01:50","date_gmt":"2012-03-21T04:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?p=2029"},"modified":"2012-03-20T22:08:11","modified_gmt":"2012-03-21T04:08:11","slug":"norwegian-spirit-cruise-activity-costa-maya-ruins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldwanderlusting.com\/?p=2029","title":{"rendered":"Norwegian Spirit Cruise Activity: Costa Maya Ruins"},"content":{"rendered":"

By this time next week, we’ll be aboard the Norwegian Spirit – visiting a variety of exciting port locations.\u00a0 Our itinerary has us on the following schedule:<\/p>\n

Sun: New Orleans, LA Depart 5:00pm
\nMon: At Sea
\nTue: Cozumel, Mexico 8:00am to 5:00pm
\nWed: Belize City, Belize 8:00am to 6:00pm
\nThu: Roatan, Honduras 8:00am to 5:00pm
\nFri: Costa Maya, Mexico 8:00am to 4:00pm
\nSat: At Sea
\nSun: New Orleans, LA Arrive 8:00am<\/p>\n

We ponied up big on points to get a hotel right near the French Quarter and the Cruise Port. We’re staying at the Marriott Convention Center<\/a> for 25k Marriott points – half of the 50k from the Marriott Rewards\u00ae Premier Credit Card<\/a>. It’s more than we wanted to spend, but if you figure that the hotel would have cost us $349 for a similar hotel on this Spring Break weekend, it means our 50k points are worth more than $800 to us (counting the extra free night).\u00a0 You can’t complain when you get them for free just for signing up for the card.\u00a0 Bourbon Street, here we come!<\/p>\n

I already gave you a preview on what we’ll be doing in Belize, visiting the Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave<\/a> where we’ll hike, wade and swim into an a jungle cave system that played host to human sacrifice and other Mayan Rituals with www.pacztours.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy of LocoGringo.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Now I’ll give you a taste of what’s on the platter for Costa Maya, Mexico.\u00a0 Some of the people in our group have yet to visit any of the temple ruins in Central America, so we opted for a ruin-focused excursion.\u00a0 There are three closely accessible ruins from the cruise stop, but we’re focusing on Dzibanche and Kohunlich<\/a>.\u00a0 I’ve never been disappointed in any of these kinds of historical sites, and I don’t expect these will be any different. I find that these places are a lot like reading books – what makes them really good is your imagination.\u00a0 You can almost feel the kind of bustling civilization that it would have taken to create and maintain these ancient cities… you can’t help but marvel at the thought of the once-great Mayan empire.\u00a0 It’s the closest we’ll get to time-travel.\u00a0 Take, for example these “masks” or “stelae,” which recorded the history of kings and their rule. Pondering these wonders is exactly why I have such a desire for travel. I enjoy relaxation as much as the next guy, but you wouldn’t catch me trapped inside an all-inclusive with stuff like this nearby.<\/p>\n

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Photo from delange.org<\/p><\/div>\n

Do you have any ideas for us on our other stops?\u00a0 We’ve got a plan, but we’re always welcoming ideas from fellow wanderlusters who may have tread these paths before!
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