Deedeelynn

Not just first time cruisers. Up until Friday, hubby was telling everyone that we were flying to Florida. At the border into the US earlier the conversation with the customs officer went like this:
CO: Where are you headed?
Hubby: New Jersey
CO: How?
H: uh...by plane
CO: What airline?
H: uh...(looks at me)
Me: Delta
CO: When are you coming back? 
H: uh....
Me: on the 17th
Not sure at this point if he knows what ship we are on tomorrow. ?

I don't specifically do Keto, but I stay low carb all of the time, as @firebuck says, there should be plenty of protein available and I know the MDR has fresh vegetables to order with the protein, my wife and I were training for a body building competition in 2000 and were able to go on a cruise and come back with no ill affects. I think we ate cleaner on the cruise then we did at home.
Good luck.

Don't freak out when you get back and you've gained a couple of pounds even though you've stuck to the diet.  They use a ton of salt in the food, much more than most people do at home, so chances are you're just retaining water.  Water weighs over 8 pounds per gallon, so just a little bit will really "tilt the scale".  It will be gone in a couple of days when it's flushed out of your system.
Avoid the "bacon" appetizer at Chops Grille, it's covered in a sauce that contains a lot of sugar.
I did Atkins back in 2000 and lost over 70 lbs, and stuck with it until 2006.  The weight has crept back, but it's taken over a decade (and the addition of 2 kids).  I started Low Carb again at the beginning of the year and have dropped 15 so far.  Stick with it, it works!

Our first family cruise was also on Brilliance 5 night. The outdoor Windjammer seating is the one thing I miss on other ships. Have a great time!

Following! Can't wait to see this, you're on the same itinerary I'll be taking in 4 weeks!

Gonna definitely have to try the Sweet & Spicy Margarita at Sabor, and also that Grand Margarita if they offer it on Freedom!
Geez, first he convinces me to buy new lenses for my phone camera. Now he's getting me to drink more...

The stools should be on the opposite side of the tables, this way you can look out at the sea while sitting there. 

Look at the very bottom center of this pic -- Proof of non-botness!! He does exist! 

More pictures from around the ship:

Here is a video of us pulling away from the pier in Cozumel with a brief horn exchange with the Allure.
 

Thank you so much! I have handed this off to my husband! He will be in heaven! It is up to him to map this out and figure out where he wants to visit!!
 

That's how it looked in December when we were there.  My daughter loved that dolphin swim area that @twangster captured in one of the photos.  It was a pleasant surprise as we had zero expectations for CM.  We ended up there due to an itinerary change due to the damage to the Eastern Caribbean ports.  My sister and I just spent the afternoon wandering around that cruise port area.  There was more than enough there for the day.

Day 5 - Costa Maya
We arrived on time but going topside I felt like we were station keeping 1/2 mile from the pier.  Sure enough the Captain came on to announce a Costa ship was having difficulty getting tied up at the pier in the wind.  I hadn't even noticed the wind until I went outside. 
It was pretty windy.  Soon enough the pilot boat came our way and we began to approach.   One of the benefits of azipod drives is incredible maneuverability and I learned on the Indy bridge tour that the Freedom class ships are like sports cars in terms of power.  Captain James had no difficulty making the pier despite a significant wind blowing us directly from the side and in the direction of the pier.  I'm sure it wasn't as easy as he made it look.
My last visit here was four or five years ago and they have done a lot with the cruise port area.  It's really quite nice here.







There is a snorkel area as well as a dolphin area right at the port - walking distance from the ship (both for a charge).



The pool area has been expanded immensely.  My understanding is the pool is free although some seating is reserved for the bar & restaurant.


With three ships in port it didn't feel that busy.

Today I chose to walk to town.  It's a cheap taxi ride but I needed the exercise and I had plenty of time.  It wouldn't hurt to burn off some Windjammer anyways.

At this point this is a nice concrete boardwalk along the ocean with amazing views at every turn.  


At Blue Kay beach I walked along the shore for a while.  The Mahahual beach area is known for seaweed.  I'm not sure what it is about this shore but they were raking it up and using a bobcat to remove.


Much like the boardwalk in St. Maarten there are lots of bars and restaurants along this stretch.




Ready for a beverage I stopped at the Krazy Lobster.






I opted for the $3 per person taxi ride back to the ship.  My driver was from Mahahual and he spoke very good english.  He told me how he likes this area of Mexico so much better then "up  North" (Cancun) and other areas where drug cartels operate.  None of that here he told me, it's quite safe.  I asked him if he likes or dislikes cruise ship visits and he told me he loves them.  it means work and income which is hard to come by in Mexico.  
Back to the cruise port he dropped me off and I made my way back towards the ship.  $10 between beer and a taxi including tip makes for a pretty cheap excursion day.




Hot from my day in Costa Maya I opted for a slide on Liberty to cool me down.

Found a full profile picture.
 

Careful what you ask for...
 

Playa del Carmen has definitely had some bad press here lately.  Combined with the bizarre "tainted" alcohol, these incidents are giving PDC a bad rep.  It's a shame, really.  I always thought PDC was very quaint and I have come very close to booking a land cruise here in the recent past.  These incidents have kept me from doing it and now I will probably bypass it as an option altogether.

Hey cruise friends!!! The last couple of days have been absolutely jam packed so I will definitely need to follow up more extensively once I get back - but here’s some highlights: 
- Island History and Rum Tasting tour in St. Kitts is not worth the money through the cruise line, but Fairview house is gorgeous  and Dorine there is wonderful 
- Valley Church Beach in Antigua is so worth the visit. $16 round trip per person from the cruise port, and reasonably priced beers. Food is expensive. 
- Drink card showed up today for $75
- Shows are all great! Food in MDR is awesome! Am happy. 
- Stone IPA showed up yesterday 
- Today they sold out of Stone IPA
Photo dump to follow... now! 

"Donovan and Rebecca"  in the theater were pretty awesome.  Front row seats!  No photography allowed so no pictures.
I wasn't terribly hungry when I heard my name being called.  Like a lamb to the slaughter I followed the voice to... the Windjammer.
I heard people like food pictures, so here you go.  In no particular order.









Antipasta.  


Quesadilla Bar.  Pretty good selection.  I may skip MDR again and just do this tomorrow.  



Dry rub ribs.

The Brushetta was good.  Too good.

Garlic bread - perfect for solo cruisers.

Like anyone would have room for dessert...



Yes, this is chocolate.  White, dark, semi, more.  Plus ice cream.  

But wait, the other side has more food I missed...
Gluten Free options:


Open faced sandwiches for those who can't or won't eat closed faced sandwiches.

Something to wash down the food between gulps.

Unless I meet the girl of my dreams AND she is a Pinnacle, this is not going to happen anytime soon.

What?! That's the best part!  If I was there, it would be Creme Brulee, Royal Cheesecake, and Royal Chocolate Cake 

YIPPEE !!!  Another Twangster live blog.  YIPPEE, YIPPEE !!!

Day 2 - Sea Day
Up early I headed out to see the sunrise.  Pretty flat seas today.


Caught someone doing morning yoga.

The cruise port area in Costa Maya has a free pool.   Also, search for 'Krazy Lobster Mahahual'.  Cheap shuttle ride.  

No dining package.  MDR or WJ all the way...

Hi @twangster! Love your blogs! I'm going on the Freedom next month and we will be in Costa Maya as well! Never been to this port, wondering what to do?!? We have a group of seven and we don't want to pay for an excursion. Maybe a nice beach, drinks, some decent local food, safe! Thoughts!