Photos from the Mexican leg of this trip, including the cities of Cozumel and Playa Del Carmen, and the Mayan ruins at Tulum are available in the International Photos forum.
Aerials
In October I went on a short cruise from Tampa to Cozumel, Mexico and back. First I had to fly from DC to Tampa. I got some good views.
Bethesda, MD
Greensboro, NC
Greensboro again, not zoomed in as much.
Tampa Bay
From the plane...
This one showing the Gandy Bridge
... And the City of Tampa, from the cruise ship while still in port.
I caught a few glimpses of Tampa's little streetcar. The sign atop the tram says "Urban waterfront living from the $140s". Clearly we are not in DC anymore.
As the ship left port we were treated to several nice views of Tampa.
Looking back at the port.
See the little light house at the bottom of that last picture? Here it is:
A man-made harbor on a little flat island a few miles south of town.
The suburban skyline of the area near Tampa Airport. Hillsboro maybe? Is that right?
Getting pretty far now.
Even farther. Now you can see both downtown Tampa and that suburban skyline in the same frame.
Ah! My first glimpses of downtown Saint Petersburg.
Zoomed in...
... And now with some details, with the sun finally behind me.
Coming up on the Sunshine Skyway, the world's longest cable-stayed bridge.
The cruise ship is designed with the Sunshine Skyway in mind. The tip of the mast passed just inches below the bottom of the bridge (which as you can see, my friend is holding up).
Under we go.
See St Petersburg way in the distance in the lower right corner.
Goodbye, Tampa Bay. Helloooo, Gulf of Mexico!
The Ship
We sailed on the
Carnival Inspiration across the Gulf, around the tip of the Yucatan, and into the Caribbean, before settling in Cozumel (see other thread).
Here is the ship, while in port at Cozumel.
Ships from Miami or elsewhere don't have to contend with the Sunshine Skyway, so they can be larger.
Downtown streets surrounded by skyscrapers are not the only places in the world with man-made canyon effects.
There are a lot of cruise ships in the world, it seems.
Out in the gulf, it really is this blue.
Ship equipment.
Looking out the bow of the ship.
Walking along the port side.
A little further on.
The deck at the stern has a water slide. A WATER SLIDE!
At the bow there's mini golf.
The Lido Deck:
The main atrium
Sunsets on the sea are just amazing.
Parting shot: The moon and Venus.
Be sure to visit the photos of Cozumel, Playa and Tulum, which are much more urban in nature, in the International Photos forum.
Linear Mode
