BudgetTravel

"I like to buy things native to the area," says Wendy. "At some of the souvenir shops, there was stuff made in the U.S. Why would I want that?" Instead, she purchased a stone Mayan calendar and Mexican blanket at a market near the Chacchoben Ruins in Costa Maya, as well as an elephant figurine while in Belize. "The blanket is draped across our couch right now," she says.

Was the food delicious?

The group at Stingray City (Vanessa Rogers) FEBRUARY 2007 ISSUE • Table of Contents • Secret Hotels of the Riviera Maya • James Turrell: Sky High • Dubai: Just Add Money • Eat Like a Local: Melbourne • Five Hotels: What 99 Pounds Buys in London • Road Trip: Hawaii • 40 Best Vacations

"Food was available 24/7, and I loved absolutely every minute of it," says Karen. "The highlight was the Chocolate Buffet, when they set up an area with chocolate cakes, ice-cream sundaes, pudding, mousse, pie--you name it." Wendy couldn't agree more: "I'm kind of loud and kept on saying, 'Oh my God! Oh my God! Where do I start?' The crew was laughing at what a kick I was getting out of the whole setup."

How was your trip?

Hands down, Mayan Jungle Explorer was the women's favorite excursion. Wendy paid extra to get a video of the zip lining because she "didn't think people would believe" her otherwise. "The one problem we had was that if Carnival said the excursions would take four hours, it actually wound up being more like six once you added in travel time and waiting for other passengers," says Wendy. "As a result, we didn't have time for much shopping. I complained about it to Carnival." Because the other excursions ate up so much of their time, the group decided to skip any organized activities in Belize. "We wandered around and found some markets," says Wendy. "It felt good exploring on our own. The girls got their hair braided."

How did you like cruising?

"We had an absolute blast!" says Wendy. "The staff was wonderful. Whenever we came back to our room, everything was tidied up and towels were magically refolded. I grew so used to things that on the day we got home, I told Leticia that we should just call room service for dinner."

Would you do anything differently?

"It was a very busy week," says Karen. "I wouldn't have minded staying in a port for a few days to relax."

Did the girls have fun?

"There was so much to do on the ship that you never saw kids bored," says Wendy. "The girls loved that they had all that freedom, and I loved that there was no place they could get into trouble. They went to the dances, and days would pass by when we only saw each other during the meals."

Parting gift

As a memento, we sent the group Carnival's book showing how to fold towels into cute animals and shapes.