2025 Western Caribbean Cruise + Wekiwa Springs State Park Adventure

We recently returned from a 7 night western Caribbean cruise aboard the beloved Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas, combined with spending time exploring Wekiwa Springs State Park in Apopka, Florida. Before diving into the information about our 2025 Western Caribbean cruise, we must first discuss our adventure exploring Wekiwa Springs State Park. 

Wekiwa Springs State Park is one of many state parks in Florida possessing spring water that remains a constant 72 degrees year-round. The spring provides approximately 42 million gallons of water to the Wekiva River each day. The swimming area, which is made to look like a pool, varies in depth from under a foot to five feet, and a small 15 to 20-foot-deep cavern at the source of the spring. For us, the area was far too crowded to be able to enjoy. 

Entry to the park requires a reservation, and you are also able to reserve kayaks, canoes and standup paddleboards. The launch site for the watercraft is located behind the main pavilion/food area. We had reserved a tandem kayak and were very disappointed in the quality of the seats in it. They were extremely uncomfortable for a long-distance paddle like we had intended. And, the paddles were much heavier than the carbon paddles we have, which also added to our discomfort. 

After launching, we headed down the Wekiva River and delved into a land appearing to have been lost in time. Despite people around us blasting loud music, we enjoyed being immersed in this landscape. We saw an abundance of wildlife: herons, turtles, osprey, ducks, fish, and yes, alligators. After paddling 3.4 miles up river, we reversed course and paddled against the current to get back to our launching point. We completed a total of 6.98 miles. We had wanted to paddle further, but we were just too uncomfortable in the kayak. After leaving the park, we walked along Cocoa Beach before heading to dinner.

WEKIWA SPRINGS STATE PARK FINAL THOUGHTS:

Beautiful place to visit with a variety of recreational options: hiking, biking, paddling, swimming, and relaxing. We recommend arriving early, especially if visiting on the weekend. Keep a lookout for many bird species, turtles, and alligators. Larry was elated at having seen three alligators on our paddling adventure, which were a little too close to our kayak for my comfort. 

2025 Western Caribbean Cruise on Royal Caribbean Wonder of the Seas

NOTE: The purpose and intent of this post is NOT aimed at providing a review of the cruise ship.

The four ports of call the Wonder of the Seas visited during our western Caribbean cruise were: 1) Nassau, Bahamas 2) Costa Maya, Mexico 3) Roatan, Honduras 4) Cozumel, Mexico 

Sunday – Sunday (5/4/2025 – 5/11/2025): This was my third cruise and Larry’s fourth. Our first cruise together was on this same ship two years ago, which was the largest ship in the world – at that point in time. It has now been surpassed with other floating monsters. We had another great experience on this cruise and had beautiful weather. Our favorite activity to do on a cruise ship continues to be walking on the outdoor track each morning/afternoon. With walking on the track combined with walking around ship, we averaged 10 miles each day. It felt great to be active all day, every day, and we wish that we were retired so that we could pursue this degree of active lifestyle.

Similar to the post for our 2024 cruise, we will discuss some of our thoughts about the excursions because we feel there are some important things to share with you. Please see below to read about our thoughts and experiences associated with each of these excursions. (These are the specific excursion names on Royal Caribbean’s website).

1) Nassau, Bahamas ~ Pearl Island Beach Escape & Snorkel:

Our first visit to the Bahamas had been to Royal Caribbean’s private island, Coco Cay, so we were excited to go somewhere else this time. The excursion boat took us to Pearl Island, where we snorkeled, received lunch, and then had time on the beach. The snorkeling here was exceptional! The water was crystal clear and we saw an abundance of sea life, partly because the excursion guide threw bread into the water, causing the fish to swarm around us. We wished that the snorkeling time had been much longer. Afterward, we had time to spend on the beach and/or on kayaks and stand up paddleboards.

NASSAU, BAHAMAS FINAL THOUGHTS:

We had chosen this excursion because we liked the idea of going out on the water with a kayak or paddleboard after snorkeling. However, this was not a great option for three reasons: 1) The water was too choppy 2) The area of water was roped off so you could only paddle in a small circle 3) The watercraft was of very poor quality. We are not beach loungers; we want to be actively engaged during excursions, so this was a bit disappointing. In the future, we would choose a snorkeling excursion that does not have beach time included.

2) Costa Maya, Mexico ~ excursion canceled due to poor snorkeling conditions

In the morning, when we met for the excursion, we were informed that the snorkeling portion was canceled due to poor conditions (i.e. water visibility due to the waves). We were given the option to spend the day on the island or cancel; we opted to cancel because we were not interested in sitting around on a beach for four hours. Instead, we got off the ship and walked around the port. This proved to be a harrowing experience due to the plethora of people (three ships in port, including ours) and the fact that it was very hot. We are not shoppers, so we did a quick walk around and spent the rest of the day doing things on the ship.

COSTA MAYA, MEXICO FINAL THOUGHTS:

This would have been an awesome place to have snorkeled! Maybe we will snorkel here some other time. Be aware, the port is crazy busy, and watch out for a lot of people riding around on mobility scooters.

3) Roatan, Honduras ~ 2 Sites Snorkel & Beach Club

After getting off the ship, our excursion group made its way to the vans that transported us through the town to the boat dock. This experience was a little awkward (for me) because the van was short by one ‘regular’ van seat. I had to sit in the very front row seat of the van, squished in between the driver and Larry. It is difficult to describe the seating situation, but it was not the way it should have been. And once we were all crammed onto the boat, it appeared that the excursion was grossly overbooked. This is the first time that we had experienced this type of situation, and it made snorkeling difficult because you constantly had to worry about getting kicked in the face by someone’s fins.

Aside from the overbooked excursion, we had a blast! We went to two different reefs and had crystal clear visibility, plus seeing plenty of sea life. However, the waves at the first location, Starfish & Coral Reef Barrier, were challenging, and it was the first time that I (Stella) had snorkeled in rough water. The water at the second location, Shipwreck & Coral Banks, was much calmer, fortunately. And they broke the snorkelers up into two groups, which made a significant difference from a safety perspective. After snorkeling, the boat took passengers back to the beach (the starting point), where we had time to lounge on the beach and/or go out on the water with a kayak before heading back to the ship.

ROATAN, HONDURAS FINAL THOUGHTS:

Like the Bahamas, we had chosen this excursion because we liked the idea of going out on the water with a kayak after snorkeling. However, the kayak was of poor quality and it was very windy, so I opted to snorkel from the beach, with Larry dragging me around in the water by the back of my vest since I (apparently) was not paying close enough attention. Again, next time we would choose a snorkeling excursion that does not have beach time included.

4) Cozumel, Mexico ~ 3 Reef Snorkel by Boat

After getting off the cruise ship, we walked a short distance to a different dock and boarded the excursion boat. It was not packed like the one in Roatan, so we had a much more comfortable and pleasant experience, both on the boat and in the water. The three reefs we visited were located not far from the dock, so instead of wasting time on a long boat ride, we had ample time to snorkel at each location. The water was crystal clear and we saw a large bounty of sea life, including an Eagle Ray. After the excursion, we had some time to walk around the cruise port before getting back onto the ship.

COZUMEL, MEXICO FINAL THOUGHTS:

This was, by far, our favorite excursion of the three. We initially had booked a different excursion, which included beach time with the snorkeling. However, we were soured with the beach portion from our prior excursions, so we booked this one last minute. What a great decision! There are a few resorts in Cozumel that offer exceptional snorkeling right from shore, so we have our eye on this for a future trip.

FINAL CRUISE THOUGHTS:

This was another fantastic cruise! Sadly, however, Wonder of the Seas is being allocated for shorter cruise durations and will no longer offer 7 night cruises. For the excursions, they were very carefully picked, and we ended up changing two of them, which we were glad about. When we venture on cruises, our focus is 100% on outdoor activities, especially water sports (i.e. kayaking, snorkeling).

For next year, we have three ideas swirling around in our heads: 1) 10 night cruise on Celebrity Apex 2) one week at Turneffe Resort in Belize 3) a week at Cozumel Palace in Cozumel. Each year, we change our minds about going to a resort and end up on a cruise. But since we both got sick, again, after this cruise, we might do something different next year. I am leaning toward Cozumel Palace, and Larry is gung-ho about Turneffe Resort. We will make a decision and subsequent reservations around October or November.

If you have never cruised before and do not know where to begin, we recommend subscribing to some cruise vlogs on YouTube. Some vlogs are specific to different cruise lines, while others discuss all of them. The information they provide is invaluable. Also, here are the links to our two prior cruises: the 2023 Eastern Caribbean Cruise and the 2024 Southern Caribbean + Miami Adventure.

WHERE IS PADDLE & TRAILS HEADED NEXT?

• May 23-26: Polson, Montana
• May 30-June 1: Priest Lake, Idaho
• June 13-15: Lake Wenatchee, Washington
• July 3-6: Kalispell/Seeley Lake, Montana
• July 25-27: Libby, Montana
• August 29-September 1: McCall and Cascade, Idaho
• October 10-13: Port Angeles, Washington