The Elvis Cruise Day 3 - Aloha Cozumel

Today is Saturday, and we’re in Cozumel, Mexicom a delightful place I have been many times. I love the little town of San Miguel, with its’ colorful shops and friendly (if persuasive) entrepreneurs, selling everything from $1.00 beers, to serapes and rugs, to fine jewelry. Alas, the Carnival Inspiration (docked across from the Carnival Destiny with passengers on a cruise with Rick Springfield), didn’t dock in San Miguel, it docked 4 miles out of town (that's my husband John in the photo). We discovered this fact only after we'd walked about 2 1/2 miles in the hot sun and didn't find the town, as anticipated. We paid the $7.00 for a cab ride into the town, and soon found ourselves happily ensconced in our favorite little restaurant right on the town square.

Today, I just wanted to go into San Miguel and eat guacamole, kick back, and enjoy the scenery. But there were plenty of shore excursions to consider, especially if you haven't been to Cozumel before. Favorite activities include catamaran sailing, snorkeling, or tours of Mayan temples, or maybe just siting on a beach on the other side of the island. On one such beach, a Sixthman crew member found a genuine message in the bottle! She brought it back to the Sixthman office on board, and said the note appeared to be in German. I never did find out what it said, but it just provies that you never know what you'll find on a beach!

Many tourists miss the opportunity to shop or enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine and bargaining fun, in exchange for a more American experience. As you can see from the man in this photo, having fun at “Fat Tuesdays” right next to the cruise ship dock, this is what happens when friends let friends drink….waaaay too much! But they were having a wild time, and no one seemed to mind!

Kevin Mills sings on the Lido Deck of the Carnival Inspiration

Back on the Lido Deck, we listened to Kevin Mills singing with the band, The Dempseys. Tonight’s show on the Main Stage is a tribute to Elvis’ Hollywood years. Although I have heard more Elvis tunes done so many ways this cruise, I actually missed all the music when I went on shore today and heard more modern (and I have to say, uninspired) pop stars

Tomorrow is the last day of the Elvis Cruise. If you have been reading this blog you know that I have had all sorts of challenges trying to bring the sights and sounds of the cruise to you. That's still going on, but I will fix up the posts when I return home.

Sixthman Enterprises has done a great job of managing the Elvis Cruise, I have heard absolutely no complaints, and a lot of compliments. I haven't been to every single activity, but the bingo, autograph sessions, panel discussions, shopping opportunities, and the shows, and more, have gotten lots of praise from the passengers. Everyone is having the time of their lives. If there are glitches, no one seems to notice, or care. Anyway, things appear to be running smoothly. I am sure most of the passengers have no idea what it takes to put together a cruise like this. When I see Andy Levine, President and Founder of Sixthman, I will congratulate him on a job very, very well done. I think he probably already knows how great the cruise is, and how much the passengers are enjoying it, but he’ll be getting my input, too.

On another note, it still boggles my mind how many people view Elvis worship as a “lifestyle,” indulging in fan clubs and learning virtually every little bit of trivia they can about Elvis and his life and career. True, it’s a hobby, but one that only Americans could invent.

I met a woman at the “Elvis Store” onboard, and while she was waiting to pay (for an expensive copy of a ring Elvis gave to some girl in some movie) she told me that she was from a small town of 300 people in Arkansas, and that her claim to Elvis fame was that every square inch of her car was decorated with Elvis memorability, incliuding an Elvis that swivedled his his when her car, moved Most people would call this over the top, but for this lady, it was something she enjoyed every single day!

You don’t have to be that over the top to enjoy the music, or to appreciate that Elvis had a three octave range, or that he was actually, a credible movie actor. Throughout this cruise so far, there have been film clips of Elvis singing, interspersed with the really talented musicians singing his songs, today. The current performers are very talented, and many do seem to have the Elvis personna well rehersed. But Elvis fans have been idolizing Elvis for decades now. His allure has endured long after his passing. I wonder, and I honestly doubt, that any of our current pop stars will ever have the kind of talent, or durability.

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