Sometime last semester, a few of my friends got together and decided to do a senior spring break. We made a secret facebook group and had circular discussions about how best to celebrate our final semester. It had to be something tropical and we finally decided on a cruise.
Royal Caribbean’s five-day Western Caribbean cruise jumped out as an immediate favorite.
It had just the right mix of relaxation and adventure, two days at sea and two days of on-shore excursions in Cozumel, Mexico and Belize City, Belize. Some time in early February, through two hour meetings and intense debates, we finally brought together a group of seven seniors, three juniors, one sophomore, two freshmen, and one Rollins alum to book the rooms.
As spring break approached, I began to get nervous about the trip. I realized that I was one of only two guys with 12 girls on the trip. Would I be subjected to endless hours of conversations about cute boys by the pool? With the recent U.S. State Department warnings about travel to Mexico, I was also concerned about how many kidnappers and drug lords I would have to fight off to keep them safe.
The first night on ship helped to assuage some of these fears. Beyond their protestations of personal responsibility, the girls showed through two bars and an on-deck dance party that they could have fun but still be in control, which is more than I can say for some of the other spring breakers.
When we arrived in Cozumel, Mexico on the morning of March 11th, I was eager for my shore excursion. A friend and I had signed up to swim with dolphins in the afternoon, but in the interval we decided to explore some local Mayan ruins. On our return, we made a new aquatic friend named Titan. We danced with him, gave him a hug, and clung to his flippers as he gave each of us a ride across his enclosure.
The next morning, we were greeted by a beautiful sunrise over the waters off of Belize. Five of us disembarked early to catch a bus to the ruins of Xunantunich on the Guatemalan border. On the long ride there and back we saw wide swaths of Belizean countryside and I learned a lot about the Central American nation’s culture and history. When we finally arrived, we were confronted by the imposing pyramid towing thirteen stories above the encircling jungle.
Something I picked up on after two weeks in Greece is that one of the best parts about visiting ruins is all the great photo opportunities. From the pinnacle, the over one hundred foot drop is intimidating, which is probably why one of my favorite pictures from the trip is of our group jumping off the pyramid. Luckily, we descended to a safe height of three feet before doing so. After some shopping at a local market and a traditional lunch with a live Marimba band, I settled in for a nap on the way back to the ship, secure in the knowledge that I had found both adventure and culture that day.
Our time on ship was just as eventful. The staff and crew put on a welcome and farewell parade, we tackled a 30-foot outdoor rock wall, and played midnight mini golf. My favorite activity, however, was the ice skating. The motion of the ship made keeping my balance even more challenging. There were also plenty of nighttime activities, from a piano bar to dance parties to even karaoke.
Our last evening, after a long day of lounging on deck, we all assembled one final time for dinner. A member of the group insisted that we all go around the table and recount our favorite memories from the trip and we heartily agreed. Many people referenced the day excursions and the on-board night life, but one comment stuck out. “I’m so proud that my friends are so secure in themselves that people know us for having fun wherever we go. We don’t need to be drunk to have a good time and we include anyone who wants to have a good time too. I love you guys!” I love them too.
Daniel has been involved with a wide range of activities over his first three years at Rollins. He has worked for Residential Life, the Office of Student Involvement and Leadership, the Dean of the Faculty, the Admissions Department and the Office of Public Relations & Communications.
Daniel has also taken advantage of the many opportunities for co-curricular education. He traveled to New Orleans with Rollins Relief and to Australia for a semester abroad. Daniel describes involvement at Rollins by saying, “Rollins has so many amazing opportunities for personal growth. I hope that my entries will help new students find everything they’re looking for.”
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