Woke up this morning and went up top to get sunrise pictures. There was not a sun to be seen because it was cloudy, and all that was visible was another cruise ship following us. I told you they were everywhere.
Here is the ship's directory, just so you would not get lost.
We are approaching our next parking spot at the International docks at Cozumel. The seas look rather calm (4-6 foot swells) but that will quickly change as a storm approaches.
Since the Norwegian Epic got there first, they got the better parking spot. We had a good captain who flipped the boat around and backed in. He got straight A's on his driver's test.
While all this was going on we had breakfast at the Topsider Buffet.
The crew was constantly maintaining the ship and doing spot painting and varnishing, mopping and scrubbing, keeping everything spotless and in order. Goofy had the job of painting the ship's name on the aft of the boat.
Here is our Disney Magic dwarfed by the Norwegian Epic. Earlier on the trip we were told that Disney got special permission to paint the lifeboats yellow because lifeboats are supposed to be orange. But take a look at the color of the Epic's life boats - Red and White.
Judy and I left Kirstin, Jeff and the boys in Cozumel and we again boarded an ocean going jet boat and headed to the mainland of Mexico and this was a 40 minute roller-coaster ride. The storm hit full force about ten minutes out with strong winds and rain. We climbed 16 foot swells and then slammed down the other side. And besides that we were rolling when we would cross a wave diagonally. I thought it was great fun, but a lot of other people didn't think so. 12 minutes into the 30, now 40 minute ride, the crew passed out BARF BAGS (I didn't need one). Lots of people did use them and the sounds and smells were not pleasant. We safely arrived in Playa Del Carmen. Cancun is 50 miles to the right and the Tulum Mayan ruins are 50 miles to the left. Video at the end will show the horizon rising and falling through the window.
The first business we was there was Senor Frogs.
We needed to walk through the town, maybe a half mile or so, to the buses that would take us to Tulum.
On the bus to Tulum. Jose talked to us the whole way there.
Say Cheese! 
Tulum Mayan Ruins.
It is right on the beach - walled on three sides.
Still raining.
The beach below the ruins.
The rain finally marred my lens.
I sure was glad that I brought along emergency ponchos because it sure was wet out there.
The Exit gate through the wall.
Palms.
We are finally leaving this spot.
These are Mayan pole dancers, a lot different from the other kind.
Pole master making music.
Did you make sure that the pickup was locked?
Stormy seas for the trip back to the boat. The seas were so rough that we couldn't dock at the spot from which we left. We docked at the north pier that was a bit sheltered and a safer spot, and then walked a mile back to the boat.
The wind took a toll on the ponchos.
Both boats. Ours actually looks like a boat but the other one looks like a floating rectangle.
It was time to get ready for the pirate party. Well lookie there. It's Capt Jack Sparrow.
A couple pirate apprentices. They mean business.
A pirate wannabe.
I got my mean face on.
And so do I.
Capt Hook and Mr Smee.
All of us pirates with Capt Mickey.
Capt's Mickey and Jack.
Pirate Menu.
After dinner.
And off to the Pirate Party we go.
And what a party it was.
Everyone was there. But the boat was really rolling in the stormy weather and we all appeared to be drunken sailors. We still had 14-16 foot swells and a 35 mph head wind. No other cruise line would have done this, but we had a party to attend that included fireworks. Under these conditions we could not shoot them off. So the Captain went as fast as he could go (so it might have been rougher than usual - lots of drunken sailors). The effective head wind was 65 MPH. Then he turned around and went as fast as he could go in the opposite direction, just so we could have the party with relatively little wind. The effective head wind was reduced to 10-15 MPH, just perfect for the party. After the party, he turned around again and corrected his course. You didn't even know he was turning.
The results were spectacular.
Our fifth towel animal. This was our ocean going jet boat we took to the mainland of Mexico. It was about 60 feet long. You will notice that it is bobbing up and down four feet while we were boarding.
If you will also notice through the opposite four foot high cabin window, the horizon is going up and down a lot, really a lot. By my estimate, if you could see below and above the window, the horizon went four feet below the window to four feet above the window. Get your barf bags ready. BARF NOW!
The is looking out the window on our side. Not as dramatic becasue we had a wider view of the horizon, but you can see the rain blasting us.
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