KTLO/KCTT cruise | ktlo.com

Cruise

Many thanks to our KTLO Cruisers and Mountain Home Charter and Tours for making our 2013 cruise the best one yet! Our cruise is now just a wonderful Caribbean memory of turquoise water, gorgeous beaches, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, island music and dance and lots and lots of shipboard fun aboard Royal Caribbean’s fabulous Mariner of the Seas.

Scott and Betty Lumbert arranged it all and accompanied 90 of us from the Twin Lakes area, along with friends and family from Missouri, Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa, Texas, and even one from Hawaii who flew in to join a friend for a fun-filled seven days. They took care of everything for us; luggage, transportation, hotel, porters, embark and debark. We traveled by motor coach to the Port of Galveston and sailed to Roatan, Honduras; Belize City, Belize; and Cozumel, Mexico where we shared all kinds of adventures from snorkeling and diving along the second longest reef in the world, to cave tubing, rides in dune buggies, submarines and glass-bottom boats, horseback riding along the beach, tours of tequila and cameo factories, swimming with dolphins and manatees, visits to island cultural centers and much more, including lots and lots of shopping!

While aboard the ship we relaxed by the pools in the warm sunshine, soaked in hot tubs, played shuffleboard or mini golf and trivia and word games. Some jogged or worked out in the fitness center while others participated in or watched and laughed at the hairy chest and Miss Biceps contests. One of our cruisers was named shipboard champion of ping-pong (congratulations, Yoko!) and another (congratulations, Craig!) placed second in the belly-flop contest. There were volleyball and ring toss competitions, ice skating, scrapbooking workshops, dance classes, art auctions and lectures and seminars. Some played Bingo and others participated in poker, slot or blackjack tournaments. The spa offered relaxing massages and facials and there were hairstyles, manicures and pedicures to be had in the salon. And there was food! Food was everywhere, around the clock; elegant dining in the beautiful main dining room, coffee and snacks at the Café Promenade, sushi at Jade, the Windjammer buffet, prime steaks at Chops, home-style Italian at Giovanni’s Table, brats and hot dogs at Boardwalk Dog House and burgers, fries and malts Johnny Rocket’s. Room service was always available, as were pizza, ice cream, snacks and specialty coffees and teas.

In the evenings we saw full-scale original production shows with sweeping lights, glittery costumes and a great live orchestra, guest performers, comedy shows, the fabulous ice-skating show, or hilarious audience-participation shows such as Quest or the Love and Marriage Show. There were movies under the stars, theme nights, and 15 bars and lounges that featured karaoke, Salsa, country music, classical strings, island music and piano sing-alongs. There were colorful, energetic parades along the Royal Promenade, as well as a variety of brand-name, duty-free shops featuring clothing, jewelry and more.

In short, it was a collection of experiences designed to give everyone the vacation they were looking for and everyone had a great time. We’ll be doing it again in February, 2014 and we hope you’ll join us on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas as we cruise to Key West and the Bahamas.

Many of this year’s cruisers had so much fun they’ve already made reservations for our 2014 cruise. If you’d like to join us, click here for more information. To view our 2013 cruise album scroll down.

Cruise