A Gulf of Mexico Cruise

Breakfast was a leisurely event the next morning, then it was time to board the ship, Carnival Cruise Line's Celebration, where we were guided to our stateroom-a spacious room with an outside window. One reason for choosing Carnival is that their staterooms are actually wider and have more storage space, a feature that really comes in handy when you're trying to hang up all of your multiple changes.

We had twin beds (could have been a queen), adequate closet and drawer space, a desk/dresser, an easy chair and a coffee table on which stood a starkly attractive bon voyage flower arrangement of tropical orchids from my partner on this website and co-author of our diabetic cookbook, Bonnie Polin, and her husband Gerry.

There was also a beautiful fruit basket from the director of hotel services who recognized our name on the passenger list as the author of our Gourmet cookbook. I was pleased to see the in-cabin safe so that I could stash our credit cards, traveler's checks, and jewelry with confidence. No charge for use of the safe-just a fee if you lose the key.

Lunch was being served in the Wheelhouse Bar & Grill on Lido Deck aft at 12:30 p.m., so that was the next order of the day until the mandatory Lifeboat Drill at 3:30. Since we were sailing soon, we returned our life jackets to our cabin, and happily saw that all of our luggage had been brought aboard and delivered to our cabin. We went out on deck to watch the boat ease away from the dock, waved to those on shore, toasted a smooth sail with a glass of iced tea, and listened to the great jazz from a live group as we sailed out of Galveston Bay into the Gulf of Mexico. We always choose late seating (usually 8:15) p.m.), so there was plenty of time to go below to unpack and settle in. The Casino opened at 7:30 p.m. and there was Adult Fun Karaoke to watch in the Endless Summer Lounge until dinnertime.

Another reason to choose Carnival is their food-it's delicious and for those of us with diet restrictions, they offer a Nautica Spa Selection at each meal that is lower in calories, sodium, cholesterol, and fat. The calorie count and grams of fat are listed on the menu so it's easy to stick to your diet and still enjoy.

Dinner that night consisted of Tropical Fruits Marinated with Lime Juice, Gazpacho Andalouse, Hearts of Romaine Lettuce with Cherry Tomatoes and Low-Calorie Dressing, and the Catch of the Day with a Dijon mustard crust and served with potatoes and roasted baby vegetables. That was my choice and the whole meal was only 553 calories and 17.3 grams of fat. 28% calories from fat. Had I wanted dessert, there was a yummy sponge cake made with sugar substitute and filled with low-calorie orange cream. Quite a meal-beautifully presented, and best of all within my meal plan, so when I woke up the next morning, my blood sugars were well within normal range.

A welcome aboard show with live entertainment followed dinner and there was dancing, country dancing, and other entertainment around the ship. Your daily Carnival Capers is your guide to nonstop fun.

The breakfast menu was always the same, but with so many choices, you could have a different type breakfast every morning. First, there were choices of fresh fruits of the season, cold cereals, and flavored yogurt. If you wanted eggs, they offered egg substitute, prepared scrambled or in an omelet. One morning I opted for Lox 'n' Bagels - as good as at any Jewish restaurant in the country. There were any number of specialty egg dishes for those not on a diet - as well as a variety of breakfast meats, grits and hash browns, French Toast, and pancakes. Along with a variety of fresh fruits, freshly squeezed juices, coffee, tea, espresso, cappuccino, and hot chocolate, what else could one ask for? Unless you want room service, and that was available, too. With a more expensive cabin, you could be served out on your balcony, watching the foamy sea scudding by.

The next day was a fun-tastic day at sea through the calm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Motion sickness has never been a problem with us - we love it on the water. But patches work well for those who don't-ask your doctor for advice.

For the golfers onboard, there were lessons from a pro available, and you could have your swing analyzed by computer. A putting contest took place on Lido Deck Poolside at noon. The onboard gym opens at 6:30 a.m. and the Casino at 8 a.m. At 9, there a cruisercise class in the Astoria Lounge, followed by a Cellulite Reduction seminar in the Red Hot Piano Bar at 10:15. Bingo at 10:30, followed by an Island Adventure Talk at 11. Plenty for everyone with a separate program for little ones and teens.

Lunch that day offered these spa dishes: Caribbean Pepper Pot Soup, Medley of Garden and Field Greens, Pan-Fried Fillet of King Clip (a delicious mild fish found only in that part of the world), and Strawberry Mousse, for a total of 656 calories, a little high for me for lunch so I ate half of everything and still had plenty.

The waterslide into the pool opened at noon and was always tremendous fun for the kids. Be sure to pack plenty of sunscreen - you don't want to spoil your vacation with a bad burn and, since it's winter and the air is crystal clear, there is a lot of reflection off the ocean, making for easy sunburn. For Park West at Sea, a fine art auction with original works by Erte, Goya, Chagali, Dali, Miro, Rembrandt, and Picasso among others, there was a viewing & registration at 2, with the auction beginning at 2:30. Since we were sailing from Texas, there was a lesson in Country Line Dancing at 3, and a high tea was served at 4. That night was the Captain's Cocktail Party and Formal Dinner. Tuxes or dark business suits for the men, a pretty party dress, gown, or evening pantsuit for the women. Your picture was taken with the Captain, available from the ship's photographer as an appropriate memento of the evening.

Spa Dinner was a Fantasy of Fresh Topical Fruit and Berries with Mango Coulis, Minestrone Milanese, and whole Roasted Texas Quail with a Delicate Herb Stuffing and Grilled Vegetables - a total of 560 calories and 15 grams of fat (24% calories from fat). Who says low-fat food can't be delicious? Not me nor the hundreds of others dining on that same food. For those who refuse to dress up, there's casual dining - have no idea what they serve in the Wheelhouse Bar & Grill. But then, who wants a hamburger rather than a gourmet meal served in a beautiful setting. Not me.

Showtime at 10:30 was the Best of Broadway with the Celebration Dancers. The R-rated comedy show for adults followed at midnight with no one under 18 admitted. By that time, most are ready to drop into bed but there is other entertainment until 1 a.m.

We arrived at Cozumel at 9 a.m. and had to be back on board by 11:30 p.m.; the ship would sail at midnight with or without you. Optional Shore Tours included a Dolphin Encounter where you stand in waist-deep water on a special platform where you are able to pet, kiss and hug a gentle live dolphin. There's a great swimming beach, a scenic lagoon, snorkeling or the botanical gardens. Another tour offers a Fiesta Party Boat with Mexican music, dancing, and a visit to Playa Sol, the most popular beach club in Cozumel.

Are you ready to go a step beyond snorkeling, but not ready for scuba - you could try snuba, a combination of both that is fun, safe, and easy. Another tour offers a Mermaid Sub-Ocean View (a craft with seats below the water level) for seeing coral formations and hundreds of colorful fish. If you scuba, there was a diving tour which took you to visit lobsters, parrotfish and angelfish. All equipment and transportation provided, but you had to fill out a medical questionnaire and be deemed fit to dive.

A Gold Excursion for a unique par 72 course well bunkered with many tight holes and doglegs carved out of the lush Mayan jungle at the beautiful Playcar Club de Golf was another favorite. This is a first class resort course designed to demand accuracy, and challenge your shot making abilities.

Care to go on a submarine? After a short ferry ride, you can board a real U.S. Coastguard certified submarine as you cruise the ocean floor aboard the Atlantis. You will navigate through 30 foot coral heads and see the sea as never before from large windows in air-conditioned comfort. The dive itself is 40 minutes. Or, you could snorkel from a catamaran or the newest and most exciting snorkeling boat in Cozumel, the Island Reef. A horseback ride on the tropical savannah of Cozumel, and a Fiesta Sunset Party Board ride were also offered.

We chose the Passion Island Adventure which started with a bus ride through Cozumel at the shoreline, and then out into the country, with the tour guide providing inside comments continually. Finally, we came to water again. This was the high-tide separation between the Cozumel and Passion 'Island'. It looked like at least half a mile across, and we were glad to ride across in a launch, but everyone was offered 4-person rowboats, opted for by six boatloads, and one person even tried walking across, but the current was too much for him and he was picked up by the sweeper motorboat. It was a riot, watching the progress and lack thereof by the rowers, from the launch going very slowly. I'm sure they were all trying their best, but two of the boats went way off course, and had to be rescued and towed over by the sweeper boat. Finally, the current proved too much for one of the 4-somes, and they signaled to be taken in tow also.

Once at Passion Island, we were led across to the other, windward side, where there was surf good enough to support surfing on regular boards, little circular boards, and even just bodies. The island was not more than 150 yards across, although much longer, but it was ours for the day, and it had all the facilities of a tropical paradise: Small Tiki huts, for shelter from the sun if desired, one of which served as the no-limit open bar, where my husband learned the secret of a special rum punch, made with Passion Fruit naturally, which he could easily have had too much of, he said. A very large hut, also sand-floored, which served as the dining room. Hammocks everywhere, in the shade of beach coconut palm trees. Away from the beach, stately royal palm trees. And the ubiquitous volleyball courts. The game was played very energetically on them, and of course with falling being harmless, provided very entertaining viewing.

Around noon, the buffet lunch was served, with each native dish being more delectable than the one before. The grilled fish was sublime and the salads all fresh and light - one more delicious than the next. Washed down with iced tea or plain lemonade for a change of pace, the lunch was something you fervently but vainly wished you could get catered, back home. After that, we were so laid back, we lay out under the gentle winter sun for quite a while; with sunscreen, all afternoon was no problem. Too soon, the word was to pack up for the unwinding of our trip to this deserted island paradise. The adventurous tourists had played out, and everyone chose the launch to cross the waters back to Cozumel, and everyone but the guide was pretty quiet during the ride back.

Barely time for a quick shower and quick rest on retuning to the ship for dinner, which was again wonderful. Grilled Baby Vegetables with a Tangy Soy Vinaigrette, Cream of Sun-Ripened Tomato Soup with a Touch of Gin, and Black Tiger Shrimps and Sliced Heart of Leeks in a California Chardonnay Cream served in flaky puff pasty for a total of 702 calories (good thing it was a very active day) and 17.6 grams of fat (22% calories from fat). Spa dessert was a sponge cake with low-calorie coconut cream, which I declined in preference for a bowl of fresh raspberries (fresh berries were always available). A show from Cozumel, The Mexican Folkloric Show, followed at 10:30, after which it was time for a quick stroll on deck, and bed. At midnight the ship sailed for Calica/Cancun, which we watched from our stateroom window.

There we anchored off shore at 7 a.m., only to find the seas were now rough. We had visited the Mayan ruins at Tulum on another cruise so we opted to go ashore shopping. The drive to Tulum takes a 45-minute bus ride down the Yucatan Peninsula so that tour left the ship first-but there was difficulty in getting onto the tender. So much so, in fact, that after the tender left for that tour, the ship captain, with passenger safety foremost in his mind, decided that the seas were too rough to continue tendering into Cancun, so up goes the anchor and we sailed back to Cozumel where we again docked. Those already ashore at Cancun would have to cut their trip off early in order to be ferried back to Cozumel. All other Cancun shore tours were cancelled and fees refunded to your ship account - a shopping trip, a tropical jeep safari tour, an archeological park tour, a snorkel tour, a scuba diving tour, and a horseback riding adventure. Once back at Cozumel, we were able to go into town for shopping.

Our sailing time was delayed until 5 p.m. to allow the buses and ferries from Tulum time to return. We went on deck for the sail-away back to Galveston party and heard some great jazz, after that dressed in smart casual for our gala last night dinner, beginning with Freshly Grilled Portabella Mushroom and Hand-Picked Mesclun Salad. It was so good I asked the chef to share the recipe and it's featured in our newest cookbook, Great Chefs Cook Healthy, to be published by Simon & Schuster in October, 2002. After the appetizer, I had Chilled Zucchini Soup, Steamed Turbot in a Lobster and Lemon Grass Broth with Fennel Melon Pearls and Citrus on a bed of root vegetables julienne. A total of 509 calories and 16 grams of fat (24% calories from fat). Another grand meal. Dessert was Tropical Fruit Platter, but I had fresh blueberries. This was our anniversary dinner, for which we were serenaded by the wait staff and presented a lovely cake, which we shared with everyone around us. I had a taste and it was sublime - my favorite, hazelnut with chocolate panache. Not on my diet, but a taste wouldn't hurt.

Showtime featured a sizzling vocalist, a juggler, and the Celebration dancers. After that it was time to return to our stateroom, pack our suitcases (they had to be outside the cabin door by 2 a.m.), leaving only our clothes for the next day and a carry-on with medicines and essentials like that. After quick breakfast in the morning (we'd already docked in Galveston), we were let ashore to claim our bags, which we ourselves passed through customs. After retrieving our car, we did some shopping. Then, back to Landry's for a luscious lunch, since there's no comparable seafood restaurant, where we live. After that, we dreamily headed north, arriving about 4 1/2 hours later to face reality: a mountainous pile of mail and newspapers (our son and daughter-in-law had been collecting them daily).

Since September 11, security measures on all ships and in all ports have been tightened, and you can rest assured that passenger safety is foremost in the crew's mind. Access to the ship is by a special ship I.D., and you must carry and show photo ID that matches the name on your ship card. Packages to be delivered to your cabin are scanned. Presently, I am in the process of making cruise reservations for our son and a group of his friends. Carnival told me today, birth dates for all must also be provided and there will be a background check on all persons with reservations, including a match against the FBI's and other authorities' lists. There's always a possibility of something happening in today's world but, in reality, you're more likely safer on a cruise ship that on your local freeway. Cruise lines are now scanning all locked and carry-on luggage and small boats are not allowed near any cruise ship. My husband and I have decided that the tragic events of September 11 won't keep us from traveling, something that we love. We were in Europe on that tragic day, embarking on a another cruise, and later flew home on three different flights with no problems, even through Washington, D.C., with just extra time well spent on security.

Where are we going this year-we have yet to decide. I got last year's trip off a special last minute deal on the Internet and will be shopping around to see what's available in December or early January. Our favorite site for cruises is www.bestpricecruises.com. They represent all cruise lines and are actually used by a lot of travel agents.

FTG