Bonney's
Vacation Sagas

Cruise Group

The itinerary for this cruise will start in Galveston, Texas and continue to Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; and Cozumel, Mexico before returning to Galveston, Texas. for the flyer with prices. Prices are subject to change until deposit is made.

Here are the cruisers who have paid deposits and reserved a stateroom.

Once deposit is made, go to the following link to start inputting your document information.

You can also check out available Shore Tours. Some people in our group have asked about possibiities of joining others in our group for some shore tours. So, if you hav an idea of what you would like to do, PLEASE LET ME KNOW so I can add your's to the list. If you're undecided, send me your top 3 or 4.

The Cruisers

Red indicates Signed Up for Shore Tour.

		Name	Cabin	Docs Done	Bag Tags	Pre-Cruise Sat. Night	Roatan, Honduras Shore Tours	Belize City Shore Tours	Cozumel Mexico Shore Tours
		Gary Debra	7607	√	√				CZ79 - $99 - 9:30 AM - Dolphin Push, Pull and Swim, Manatee Interaction at Chankanaab CZ79 - $99 - 9:30 AM - Dolphin Push, Pull and Swim, Manatee Interaction at Chankanaab
		Jeff Janet	1664	√		No / Condo
		James Silvia	6611	√	√	No / Staying with Friend on Galveston
		Bonney Katie	1605	√	√	No / Pearland	RT34 - $69 - 9:00 AM - Roatan West Side Island & Culture RT34 - $69 - 9:00 AM - Roatan West Side Island & Culture	Visit Sister in Belize	CZ79 - $99 - 9:30 AM - Dolphin Push, Pull and Swim, Manatee Interaction at Chankanaab
		Bruce Page	1639	√	√	No / Houston	RT34 - $69 - 9:00 AM - Roatan West Side Island & Culture RT34 - $69 - 9:00 AM - Roatan West Side Island & Culture
		John Debbie	1620	√	√	No / Condo	No Shore Tours	No Shore Tours	No Shore Tours
		Mo Carol	1641	√		Sugarland
		Harry Tracy	1568	√		Houston
		Joe Dianne	1603	√	√	Houston
		Craig Dennise	6224	√
		David Jody	1630	√	√	Houston	No Shore Tours	No Shore Tours	No Shore Tours
		Steve Marti	1610	√	√		$75 - 1:00 PM - Sand Blasters Dune Buggy Tour $75 - 1:00 PM - Sand Blasters Dune Buggy Tour	BE97 - $59 - 1:30 PM - Belize By Carriage BE97 - $59 - 1:30 PM - Belize By Carriage	CZN8 $99 - 12:30 PM - Dolphin Swim and Ride CZN8 $99 - 12:30 PM - Dolphin Swim and Ride
		Don Priscilla	1628	√	√
		Steve Sherry	1588	√	√	Yes / Hampton Inn in Texas City	RT34 - $69 - 9:00 AM - Roatan West Side Island & Culture RT34 - $69 - 9:00 AM - Roatan West Side Island & Culture	BE62 - $109 - 8:30 AM - Lamanai & The New River Safari BE62 - $109 - 8:30 AM - Lamanai & The New River Safari	CZB7 - $59 - 8:00 AM - Cozumel Highlights & Shopping CZB7 - $59 - 8:00 AM - Cozumel Highlights & Shopping
		Rich Patsy	1536	√	√	Yes / Hampton Inn in Texas City	RT34 - $69 - 9:00 AM - Roatan West Side Island & Culture RT34 - $69 - 9:00 AM - Roatan West Side Island & Culture	BE97 - $59 - Belize By Carriage BE97 - $59 - Belize By Carriage	CZF4 - $ - Island Tour CZF4 - $ - Island Tour
		Robert Janet	1589	√	√				CZ79 - $99 - 9:30 AM - Dolphin Push, Pull and Swim, Manatee Interaction at Chankanaab CZ79 - $99 - 9:30 AM - Dolphin Push, Pull and Swim, Manatee Interaction at Chankanaab

So far I've managed to get us all on Deck 10, Deck 7, and Deck 6. Click to see a larger version

Today's weather. Click for more info.

Average February Temperatures. Click for a larger image.

Most of my friends know there is a lot of planning that goes into the events I organize. I try to make things fun, do things efficiently, and not forget things. No matter how many hours one plans, there is always something that needs a back up plan (Plan B).

My luggage was packed and clothes laid out for the drive with Katie Cobb, my roomie for this trip. She planned to arrive around 9:00 AM, as I recall, on February 9 for our drive to Galveston via Pearland. Feeling quite bloated from all the food I’d been earing (one must clean out the refrigerator before leaving for a week), I set my alarm for an early morning (as in 7:00 AM). This is normally the time I’ve only been asleep an hour or two, as many of you know. Having bathed the night before (actually around 4:00 AM), I was going to put on my clothes before I reclined my La-Z-Boy for my 2 hours of sleep.

As I donned my outfit, I could barely get it on. I felt like an encased sausage, so I had to search for something else to wear for our drive. Plan B was to wear a loose-fitting dress that would allow me to relax until my bloating settled down.

So on Saturday, February 10, 2013, we were making good time on the drive, hoping to arrive in Pearland, where we would spend the night, by 3:00 PM. We made a potty stop in Fairfield at a Dairy Queen (of course) and sampled their wares before returning to the road. Again making good time, we called Allen Hoffer to meet us for lunch at Margaritas in Huntsville (I think). Enjoying our visit, we really weren’t too concerned about the time. It seems it was an hour or more before we were on the road again.

My brother Bruce and wife Page were flying from Denver to Houston and staying at Page’s mom’s house for Saturday night. In order for them to get to Galveston, they were going to borrow one of brother John’s vehicles. Page’s mom, Louise lives only a mile or so off of I-45, so Katie and I planned to pick up Bruce and take him to John’s to get the car. Somehow, Katie and I missed the exit for U. of Houston and ended up almost to the Beltway 8 before I realized we’d gone too far. Yes, we were looking for that exit, but didn’t find the signs as we headed south. But, when we turned around and headed north, we eventually found the exit. I’ve only been there 10 or 15 times before. Duh. We said hello to Page and Louise and grabbed Bruce to take him to Pearland as dusk was setting in.

John and Debbie had already gone to their condo in Galveston and there were other relatives staying there with them. That is why Katie and I stayed at the house.

Oh, by the way, when Bruce arrived in Pearland, he was supposed to change out the battery in Debbie’s car. If that didn’t work, plan B was to take the other extra vehicle. We spent at leas 30 minutes searching for tools to extract the dead battery and finally stumbled on them in the last place we looked. But then we needed extensions on the ratchets to reach between the battery and the grille. Another 15 minutes and we found them. It was now dark outside and we needed a flashlight. Couldn’t find one. So we used flashlight mode on Bruce’s cell phone which I held while he removed the fasteners. We got the old battery out and the new one in, except for a minor problem seating the new battery. Bruce tightened it down as good as possible in the dark and was off to return to Page and her Mom.

I went back inside where Katie was almost asleep on the couch. But there was no lazing around now. We had to go meet Cindy at Olive Garden off of SH 288 where there was a 30-minute wait. Cindy had just returned from a cruise that same day that we arrived in Pearland.

We had a great visit and probably arrived back at John’s house by 10:00 PM. It had been a long day for us. I took my bath and went to my recliner. Katie was already sawing ZZZzzzs.

When we woke up the next morning I had forgotten we didn’t wrap the caramels I made for John and Debbie. They were made and poured in the pan when I left home. They just needed to be cut and wrapped. We managed to get out of the house at the planned time and were off to Galveston for our awaiting adventure.

I had been lusting for some Shipley’s donuts for several months, and really only get donuts when I go to Houston/Pearland/Galveston. How coincidental it was that we drove right by a Shipley’s donut shop on the way to the piers!

Katie and I parked in the EZ Cruise parking lot and boarded the Mariner of the Seas at 11:30 AM, a little later than we had planned, but still pretty much on time. I needed to check in early so I would have plenty of time to discuss some changes with the Dining Coordinator. Success!

Katie and I dropped our carry on bags in our room and headed to the Windjammer for lunch. We were surprised to find our door and room decorated for our Bon Voyage. Or, as I like to say, Bonney Voyage!

So far we had not seen any of the other cruisers in our group, but knew Patsy and Rich and Sherry and Steve were on their way.

John and Debbie had invited everyone to their suite for a Meet and Greet with crackers, cheese, and wine immediately following the Emergency practice drill. That was a lot of fun and gave everyone a chance to get acquainted.

Because our luggage had not been delivered to rooms before the Meet and Greet, Patsy, Rich, Sherry, and Dianne helped me stuff gift bags while Katie put stickers on doors where our group members were staying. I had intended to pass these bags out at the party, but plan B was to deliver them as we could catch people.

It turned out that during the middle of the party I also had an appointment with the onboard Group Coordinator, Luciana. She was a real gem in helping me arrange a few things.

When I returned to the party, some additional people had shown up. Thirty minutes later, people were migrating back to their rooms to check on their luggage and to get ready for dinner.

One of the neat things I worked hard on was to get most of our staterooms on Deck 10, port side. This made it so convenient to visit with people in our group. Several others were arranged near the mid-ship elevators just a deck or two down.

When we arrived for our Any Time Dining reservation for 6:15 PM, we had 4 tables reserved for our group. One of these day’s I’ll remember to try to get near windows. Another plan was to put fun little reminders at the dinner places.

Tonight’s was a personally wrapped mini-Hershey bar and a welcome Valentine.