Tropical twists: Carnival's short sailings from Tampa offer a Western Caribbean alternative - Carnival Cruise Lines

Cruise Travel, Sept-Oct, 2002 by Debbie Meyers

Many first-timers looking for a tried-and-true cruise experience test the waters between Florida's Atlantic Coast and islands of the Eastern Caribbean, the most frequented sea lanes in the world, at least in terms of cruise-ship traffic. The standard one-week circuit from Miami or Fort Lauderdale continues to dominate Caribbean cruising. Even the short-cruise market is centered on the state's east coast, with three- and four-day hops from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas a long-established phenomenon.

For a tropical voyage with a twist, switch sides and set sail for the Western Caribbean from west-central Florida, specifically Tampa, the fastest-growing cruise port in North America. Since 1991, the number of passengers traveling through this city on the Gulf of Mexico has skyrocketed 450 percent. Passenger counts have shot from 200,000 in 1998 to nearly 700,000 last year as more and bigger ships have offered Western Caribbean itineraries from Tampa. Since Carnival Cruise Lines started service from Tampa in 1994, the city has emerged as the fourth busiest port for the "Fun Ships."

Currently, Carnival's 2,052-passenger Sensation offers four- and five-day Western Caribbean swings that mix two days at sea with visits to Cozumel, Mexico, and either Grand Cayman island or Key West, Florida. Both cruises, ideal for those short on time and money, can be easily combined with hotel stays in Tampa or Orlando (less than two hours away) for a neatly wrapped land/sea vacation.

Cozumel, a sun-kissed isle basking off the Yucatan peninsula, provides a great introduction to the Mexican Caribbean. The town of San Miguel is a shopper's paradise, and the coral reefs attract scuba divers from all over the world. Many daytrippers, though, are perfectly content to just relax on the white-sand beaches.

Some would argue Cozumel's chief draw is its proximity to the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza and Tulum. Carnival's day-long shore excursion to the walled city of Tulum, the single most visited Mayan ruin, involves a 40-minute ferry ride to Playa del Carmen on the mainland, then a one-hour, air-conditioned bus ride. Tulum was the only Mayan city built on the coast and the only one inhabited when the Spanish conquistadors arrived in the 1500s. The most prominent of its 60 structures is a pyramid topped with a temple to the god Kulkukan. Visitors also marvel at the Temple of the Frescoes, Temple of the

Descending Gods, and House of Columns, but most memories center on dramatic panoramas of the turquoise sea from the towering cliffs.

Another all-day adventure is Carnival's "Tropical Jeep Safari Tour." Traveling in a convoy on Cozumel's bumpy roads through lush mangrove jungles, guests watch for iguanas, tropical birds, and other wildlife. Highlights include a cave tour and secluded beach picnic. Guests (four to a Jeep) share driving responsibilities.

A variety of ship-arranged snorkel and scuba-diving excursions showcases Cozumel's crystal-clear waters and marine life of the world's second largest

barrier reef system. Palancar Reef, about a mile offshore, is the most famous dive site, with its elephant-ear sponges, black and red coral, and caves, canyons, and tunnels. Visibility ranges from 150 to 200 feet. Other active outings feature horseback riding, golf, and mountain biking. The popular "Catamaran Sail & Snorkel" tour gives guests a chance to snorkel over some of the reefs, followed by a beach party with opportunities for volleyball, sea kayaking, and just snoozing in a hammock.

Shopping is the main focus of many cruise passengers in San Miguel, and most of the activity takes place along the waterfront. Favorite souvenirs include colorful bark paintings and papier-mache figures, straw placemats and hats, hammocks, silver and copper plates, black coral jewelry, and leather sandals and handbags. Exquisite silver jewelry is big business, but don't expect big bargains.

Like Cozumel, Grand Cayman has become one of the world's top dive destinations, with a system of underwater marine parks offering shipwrecks and dazzling coral reefs. Carnival offers dive tours for beginners and certified divers. Its "Shore Snorkel Experience" goes to Treasure Island Resort on Grand Cayman's famous Seven Mile Beach, where brilliant blue water meets sparkling white sand. The shimmering strand, actually less than six miles long, is regularly rated one of the Caribbean's top beaches.

Those who do not scuba-dive or snorkel can still enjoy the treasures of the deep, either on a glass-bottom boat cruise or a sightseeing submarine. In air-conditioned comfort, passengers on the Atlantis XI submarine explore to depths of up to 100 feet, passing in front of huge barrel sponges, star corals, grouper, snapper, turtles, and stingrays.

On a shallow Grand Cayman sandbar is Stingray City, where everyone--even non-swimmers--can feed and pet the groups of tame stingrays while standing in three to five feet of water. The area, once used by fishermen to clean their catch, has long attracted the gentle creatures, some with "wing" spans exceeding six feet. Besides feeding squid to the seemingly alien rays, tour participants can snorkel with them.