Carolyn Always Earley

8-day cruise to Honduras and Mexico – October 2025

We were invited to join a group of friends on a Carnival cruise to celebrate two of their 50th birthdays. Since we’ll soon be moving across the country, we wanted to take advantage of this great opportunity to have a last hoorah with a bunch of friends. We didn’t choose the destinations or cruise line, but we were excited to see Honduras and new locations in Mexico we haven’t visited before.

Days 1-2 (Travel Days):

The cruise departed from Galveston, TX, so we flew into Houston the day before. Hobby is the closer airport but I didn’t like the prices or timing of the options through Southwest, so we flew into Bush (IAH) instead. Unlike most of the group, who booked super early flights and then had to wake up at 3 AM, we arrived at Phoenix Sky Harbor a couple hours early for a 10:45 AM flight and arrived in Houston around 1:30 PM. We then took a Lyft to our hotel in Galveston, which took another hour and a half. We stayed at the Hilton Galveston Island Resort, approximately 15 minutes from the port. It was recommended to us by one of the guys planning the trip and reasonably priced – plus I was able to book it for free using AmEx points.

We had dinner at Doc Holliday’s Roadhouse, which is a casual restaurant on Seawall Blvd that serves burgers, sandwiches, etc. We sat outside and could see the beach from across the main road. I had the Cajun Chicken Alfredo (sans mushrooms and tomatoes) and it was delicious! The sauce was super flavorful without being too spicy to enjoy.

In the morning, we all arrived at the port for our scheduled embarkation times, which were generally 10:30-11 for our group. The process to check in and drop your bags was very similar to the cruise we went on with Royal Caribbean. However, something unique about this particular port is that if you purchased the Cheers! (alcoholic beverage) package, it doesn’t kick in until day 2. The cruise line permits you to bring on a 12-pack of non-alcoholic beverages plus one bottle of wine per person (no beer or liquor) for consumption on the first day. Interestingly, they take the wine bottle and swirl it upside down to check for bubbles, since apparently many people swap their wine out for liquor and try to sneak it in. (We did no such thing, and we also didn’t try to sneak on anything like cannabis, but I think the people in front of us did because the dog that sniffed everyone after security barked at them and they got pulled to the side.)

Once you got on the ship, the bars were open and many people gravitated to Red Frog, which was a popular bar in the middle of the ship on deck 16 by a pool. Carnival is known as the “party” cruise line, so they do a big celebration at departure, which isn’t until 3:30 PM. We had plenty of time to both hang out by the pool (which, sadly, was being filled – I literally wore my swimsuit so I could get into a pool ASAP) and explore the upper decks. Decks 16-18 are generally where the outdoor activities take place, and the main indoor activities take place on decks 6-8. When we took off, we had found our way to the adult only area called “Serenity” at the front of the ship and had a great view as we left the port.

For dinner, you choose in advance whether you’d like “early dining” at 5:30 PM or another time. Since we were part of a large group, we all selected early dining and they had several large tables booked for us each evening. While we went to the group dinner the first night, it was actually the only time throughout the duration of the cruise that we joined everyone for dinner. (One of the things I liked about Carnival as compared to Royal Caribbean is that they had many more free dining options.) The food was good, although it took a bit to arrive, likely due to the large size of our party.

Days 3-4 (At Sea):

Our first destination in Honduras was the furthest, so we spent the first 2 full days on the ship at sea (Sunday and Monday). On Sunday, we decided to try brunch at the Pacific Restaurant at the back of the ship. I had the chicken and waffles and it was pretty good! My favorite part, though, was the view from our table. Since we were almost dead center of the ship, we could just watch the water streaming out behind us the whole time.

We spent some time at the Serenity pool and then we had to get ready for formal night. Typically, cruises will have one or two “formal nights”, where you’re supposed to dress up for dinner. Some people don’t like this tradition, but we think it’s fun! We had also booked Bonsai Teppanyaki for dinner, along with most others from our group, and we decided to use this event as an early anniversary celebration (our wedding anniversary is on October 20, but we certainly won’t be going on any other vacations between now and then).

The food was incredible! You were able to choose two meats (if you wanted two, but it was the same price regardless) and each meal came with multiple appetizers, a bowl of egg fried rice, plus a dessert bento box (pictured below). I tried teriyaki salmon and filet mignon, which the chef cut up into bite-sized chunks that melted in your mouth. I always enjoy teppanyaki because the whole meal is an experience – the chefs are skilled and entertaining and we were seated at a table of 10, six of which were part of our group and the other four were not, but we chatted with everyone. I would definitely do it again!

The following day it rained so we checked out some of the indoor activities. There were many different options: shows, bingo, karaoke, trivia, bars, restaurants, casino. Some of our group registered to play as teams in Family Feud. You first filled out a team form, then took team pictures, and waited to hear if you were selected by the production team. Each of the captains from the selected teams went up against each other to determine the finalists who would actually play on Wednesday night.

We decided to grab a late lunch at Guy’s Burger Joint. Zach got the “Plain Jane” and I tried the one with cheddar cheese, barbecue sauce and a crispy onion ring. The burger itself was pretty good, but I was surprised to find that the onion ring was actually spicy. The fries were also good, though a bit over seasoned. We then grabbed dinner at Cucina del Capitano (“the Captain’s Kitchen”), an Italian restaurant that’s free to try the first time and $8 per guest thereafter. Even though we waited until 8 PM to grab dinner, we were all still pretty full from the burgers. I had arancini for my appetizer and my entree was chicken parmesan with a side of spaghetti. Both were delicious (and I wish I could have eaten more of my plate)!

Day 5:

We arrived at Roatan, Honduras, early on Tuesday. Most of our group booked the Jolly Roger Catamaran excursion, a half-day activity that included snorkeling and lunch in Mahogany Bay. I had never snorkeled before (or even used goggles, actually) so I was super anxious about participating, but my husband walked me through it and helped me acclimate once I was in the water. It took a few tries but once I got a breathing routine down and was able to see the cool things underwater, I loved it! We spent almost an hour out there just swimming around with our face in the water, looking at the coral and fishes. Pro tip: I definitely suggest bringing or taking motion sickness medication for this activity – the trip to the snorkeling location took almost an hour and it was super bumpy. I had taken meclizine but ended up adding a patch also since that wasn’t doing enough for me.

On the way back, the crew fed us chicken with rice and beans and they had local rum, punch and soft drinks available. They also gave everyone a Honduran dollar as a souvenir, which was pretty cool. We got to see more of the bay as we returned (picture below), and then we went into the market to purchase more souvenirs. There was a good selection of items for purchase, like magnets, Christmas ornaments, clothing, and canvas bags, and there were also different foods you could sample, including rum cake and chocolate.

For dinner, we went to Chibang, a Mexican and Chinese fusion restaurant (it was also free the first time and $8 per guest thereafter). I had the beef and broccoli with rice – it was so good! I also liked that they had a “show” with a Chinese dragon walking around and interacting with guests. I tried the crema catalana for dessert (essentially a Spanish cousin of crème brûlée, which is missing the vanilla and has an added citrus flavor) and although it had a good flavor, I definitely prefer the French version.

The Family Feud show that Zach was in was late in the evening and 18+, which I think made it more fun. We weren’t allowed to record or take pictures of the show while it was happening, but it was a lot of fun and I think the Carnival team did a great job hosting it and making it realistic.

Day 6:

We booked a VIP tour of Chacchoben for our excursion in Costa Maya, Mexico. We chose this option because it limited the group to only 11 people in an air conditioned van instead of a huge group in a bus, and it included sodas and waters. While we were disappointed that there was no option to visit Chichén Itzá from this cruise, this was the next best thing.

It was humid and cloudy all day, but thankfully didn’t rain until we were leaving. Our tour guide, Jesus, was very informative and you could tell he really enjoyed his job, which made it more fun for us, too. We learned a ton about Mayan people, their culture and the ruins.

Before we left the site, we grabbed lunch at a small stand that was serving tacos and quesadillas. We each ordered chicken quesadillas, which came with crema, pico de gallo and guacamole. They were delicious! We also each got a sterling silver medallion with our initials in Mayan.

Once we were back on the ship, we headed to the Serenity pool again. This turned out to be our favorite area because it was childfree and had tons of lounge chairs near the pool and bar. Later, we had dinner at Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse. This was another free option, and you could try multiple meats plus two sides. After dinner, the guys wanted to join the stein hoisting competition at one of the bars. Basically, the bar gave you a stein filled with two beers that you had to hold straight out from your body for as long as possible. Each daily winner was then a finalist for the final competition on Friday. (They didn’t win, but one of our friends had the night before.)

We also played along with Deal or No Deal – the primary contestant was on the stage (they were randomly selected) and we played along on our app to see how many matches we got. With enough matches (meaning your briefcase had the same dollar amount as the contestant), you could also win cash.

Day 7:

We arrived in Puerta Maya, Cozumel, Mexico. We took a taxi over to the downtown area and had lunch at Wet Wendy’s. Zach got chicken tacos and the rest of us shared nachos with blackened chicken and mango chipotle sauce. It was so good! We also had rum drinks with pineapple juice, made with Havana Club 7 Años. It has to be the smoothest rum I’ve had in my life. (I definitely recommend trying it if you find yourself in Mexico because you can’t buy it in the U.S.) After lunch, we visited a nearby cigar shop called Havana Bob’s so Zach could buy some cigars to smoke on the ship.

We had planned to spend the day at Paradise Beach Club with the rest of our friends, so we headed over there next. It wasn’t cheap to visit, but I liked that it was all-inclusive and there were tons of activities you could do. We walked down the beach to the ocean and swam out to one of the floating rafts (picture below). The guys jumped off a huge inflatable slide and some of our friends went kayaking. We also checked out the pool, which was just as warm as the ocean, before heading back to the ship.

For dinner, we went to Cucina del Capitano again. A couple of our friends hadn’t tried it before and we loved it, so we paid the $8 charge to visit again. This time, I had the meatballs for my appetizer and spaghetti carbonara plus tiramisu. It was all delicious! Then we decided to check out the piano bar, since previously it had been too packed for us to sit, and hung out there for a bit before going upstairs for the “white hot night party“. This was also the second formal night.

Day 8:

This was another full day at sea as we headed back to Galveston. We decided to grab brunch again at the Pacific Restaurant. We didn’t have a view this time, but my omelet and sides were great! After all of the walking and socializing of the week, we decided to relax in our room for a while and start packing while we drank the bottle of wine that we’d brought for day one and never opened.

In the evening, we watched the stein hosting finals and, once our friend lost, we headed to the buffet at Lido Marketplace for dinner. The buffet food was OK – there wasn’t a huge selection and everything tasted fine, but it wasn’t anything incredible. Afterwards, we grabbed some soft serve ice cream at Swirls (I’d been meaning to try it all week) and that was pretty good!