2024 Jan 13-21 Seven-Day Cruise on NCL Breakaway to Caribbean Islands

 On Jan 13, we traveled to Slidell, LA, and stayed at the Hampton Inn by Hilton, room 214, for one night. 

The next day, we traveled to New Orleans and boarded the Norwegian Breakaway Cruise Ship from Jan 14-21. So we missed all the bad weather.

We stopped at Shady Acres Village Seminary, MS, for lunch, where we ordered ribs, black-eyed peas, and creamed potatoes.

Ribs, black-eyed peas, creamed potatoes

Shady Acres Village Seminary, MS

The first day was a sea day, during which we enjoyed checking out the ship, watching shows, and eating.
In Cozumel, we visited the Chankanaab National Park. 

Cozumel 

In Rotan Bay Islands, Honduras, we went on an excursion to Gumbalimba Preserve Animal Sanctuary, where we interacted with white-face monkeys and Macaw birds. 

Red McCaws 

White Face Monkeys Rotan 

 The Monkey River Eco Boat Tour was in Harvest Caye, Belize. We rode a boat through the jungle. 

We walked through the jungle, where we saw spiders, termite mounds, boa snakes in the trees, and several white face monkeys in the tree. We also saw a couple of iguanas. Harvest Caye had some beautiful beaches. 

Wooden Iquana 
behind the Iquana is the Wildlife Experience, where we saw a butterfly house, a boa, and the McCaws. 

Wildlife Experience 

Our last stop was Costa Maya, my favorite stop. We took the Mayan Reality Tour, where we visited some Maya ruins. We continued our journey on the bus to a Maya family home, where they cooked chicken (in a pot) in the ground. We were served chicken tacos with sauce and had a tequila tasting. After the tour, we rode the bus back to Costa Maya, where we watched the dolphins swim. 

Flamingos 

Dolphins playing basketball 

I did the Amorino Gelato Al Naturel bird tour. I climbed up several steps to birdcages spaced out along several swing bridges. You can watch the dolphins swim and see the beaches and swimming pools there. A perfect view of the island. Our last day was a sea day. We watched people play Pictionary, deal or no deal, and several trivia games. The closer we got to New Orleans, the stronger the wind and the cooler it was. We docked and exited the ship on Sunday and began our trip home. 

Roads in Russellville, Al

The further north we went, the colder it got. We began to see snow and ice along the roadways, beginning in and around Russellville. The roads were clear enough for us to get home. We were sure glad we missed all the bad weather, but we were glad to be home.

2024 Jan 7, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge

 What a beautiful day for traveling. We rode to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur, where we saw many Sandhill Cranes and various ducks at the Visitor's overlook buildings.

The newly remodeled Museum was opened. We saw Sandhills and whooping Cranes, Belted kingfishers, Snakes, Alligators, Geese, ducks, hawks, butterflies, otters, northern flickers, and many other animals.

Several empty displays are waiting to be added. We saw several friendly people. They were happy to be outside after this last cold spell. 

Sandhill & Whooping Cranes at the Museum 

Belted Kingfisher at the Museum

We stopped at Logan's Roadhouse for lunch. Hubby ordered a salad, steak, and baked potato. I ordered a chicken salad with Roadhouse dressing.

Steak and baked potato at Logans Roadhouse 

On our way home, we saw a Bald Eagle on a Paul Bunyan Power Line near the demolished Paper Mill in Town Creek. 

The eagle made a squawking sound when it saw me. It was letting me know to leave. 

We saw several terns perched on the light poles as we crossed Wheeler Dam. 

Our last stop was Wheeler Dam, where we saw a few White Pelicans, terns, and many cormorants.