Our goal on this cruise was simply to relax
and unwind after a busy year (end of my teaching career, lots of softball,
personal matters, etc.), so we passed on the Cozumel excursions (many of which
are “no charge” when you sail Regent; we don’t snorkel or scuba, which are the primary attractions) and stayed on
board, save for a fast dash through the tourist shops gauntlet after you
leave the pier. One of the vendors even noted, “Small ship, small dollars.”
Apparently these places make their living off the mega ships with thousands of
people streaming by.
It would be an understatement to say that I don’t enjoy bartering and
if that expectation is the basis of their pricing then I’d just as soon leave
empty handed, and I did. I don’t want to be a sucker, nor do I want to just
throw dollars around buying things I neither need nor want. Being verbally
accosted by shop-keepers selling essentially the same, uh, stuff, does not make
for a pleasant experience. One jewelry store owner used a low-key approach that
at least got us in his doors and looking at merchandise, but the proffered 50% discount
for cash – which we didn’t bring enough of – gave us sufficient pause that we
walked away to discuss a possible purchase but didn’t return.
The weather was finally nice, though, and
the sun shone brightly on the pool deck and our cabin’s balcony. That is our “yacht to the right.” We are looking forward to our first visit to Key West tomorrow and will try to be more touristy.
No comments:
Post a Comment