The following day we sailed into Jamaica and the huge party at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville in Ochos Rios. To say the party was off the hook would be an understatement. I don't think I've ever seen so many biker people have so much fun. Let's just say you had to be there to experience the games, waterslide, pool, and general mayhem that ensued. I could have stayed in Jamaica forever; the beauty of the island combined with the ever-smiling Jamaican people and hospitality made me feel right at home. Lots of sun, Red Stripe beer, and reggae-ahh, heaven. Pirate Bingo and the One-Eyed Starin' Contest followed up dinner once back on the ship.
Sadly, Jamaica would be the last day of sunshine as a tropical storm was brewing. Upon arriving in George Town, Grand Cayman, the clouds began rolling in and it rained on and off throughout the day. That didn't deter Dean and Debbie's party at another of Jimmy Buffet's establishments. The day was filled with fun and laughter, contests, dancing, and more partying. I didn't get to see much of Grand Cayman due to the weather but it was another great day spent with rally-goers. After a few days together people were really getting comfortable and more outgoing, especially for HSR virgins like me. Many of the attendees were seasoned veterans of the HSR and different colored wristbands indicated to some degree how many times they'd been before.
On the sixth day of the cruise we landed on the shores of Cozumel, Mexico, and the two largest HSR parties held at Carlos'n Charlie's and, yep you guessed it, another Margaritaville. The weather was on and off rain again, but it was warm and made for a great day of wandering around the old shops in Cozumel. Cozumel was the least resorty of any of the stops and was the perfect place to explore. The city has an old feel with shops of every variety to peruse. The scene at the parties was crazy with bikes riding through the bar and lots of dancing and partying. I almost missed the boat and got stranded in Mexico, but did manage to make it back to the ship thanks to a led-footed taxicab driver.
As the week went on it was easy to tell from the empty seats at dinner that the hectic party schedule was catching up to people. But, that didn't stop many of the revelers that boogied into the night at one of the three major clubs on board the ship. DJs spun the tunes while HSR attendees and the regular ship-goers hung out together. By the end of the week there was quite a bit of intermingling and lots of jealousy. At first I think many of the non-HSR guests were questioning our-less-than-traditional group of cruise passengers. But as the days went by, the non-riders learned what many of us did a long time ago: just how cool and non-threatening us biking types are.