Can You Belize It?

The answer is, "fun and great poker action." The question, a la Jeopardy style, is, "What do you have when there are 450 poker players on a Card Player Cruises poker vacation?"

Poker cruises are definitely growing in popularity, as evidenced by the fact that our last three trips have been sold out, with large waiting lists. We recently returned from a seven-day cruise aboard Carnival's Elation to the ports of Progreso/Merida, Cozumel, and Belize. There were 18 poker tables that were full most of the time when we were not in port, with games ranging in limits from $1-$2 hold'em to $40-$80 mixed games.

Three poker tournaments were scheduled for the sea days, and each had more than 100 entrants. Congratulations to tournament winners Stacey Pendergrass, Peter Primiano, and Scott Ward.

The Elation earns its nickname as one of the "fun ships," and it has lots of poolside activities and nightly Vegas-style entertainment. The Jekyll and Hyde disco and the karaoke parties were very popular with the players, as were the trivia games and the midnight buffets. Service on the Elation has always been extraordinary, and this trip was no exception.

Many shore excursions were available at our port destinations. The most popular in Progreso/Merida were deep-sea fishing, kayaking, visiting the Chichen-Itza Mayan ruins, going to the Mexican rodeo, and just relaxing at the beach.

Cozumel offered lots of activities, including snorkeling, catamaran rides, bike adventures, scuba diving, dolphin discovery, horseback riding, and great shopping. I opted to take an all-terrain vehicle trip, which was full of thrills due to the fact that the recent rain had left lots of huge mud puddles for us to drive through on the back roads. I can't remember ever getting so muddy and having so much fun doing so. It got to be very competitive, as many of the riders vied to see who could splash each other the most.

Belize City was a bit disappointing to me, because my cave-tubing and rain forest excursion was cancelled due to the fact that the rains had made the water level in the caves dangerously high. The weather was perfect on the day we visited, so many of our cruisers went shopping or took advantage of the snorkeling in the beautiful, clear water. One of the most popular trips gave snorkelers the chance to swim with the stingrays and nurse sharks at Shark/Ray Alley. Scuba divers were treated to fabulous underwater sights on the world's second-largest barrier reef.

Card Player Cruises has six poker cruises planned for 2004. In February, we will be sailing to Rio de Janeiro for its annual Carnival fiesta. This cruise will be on the new Queen Mary 2, the biggest, most expensive ship built to date.

The March PartyPoker.com Million III is sold out to players who want to buy in, but you can still win this cruise by going to www.cardplayercruises.com, clicking on play online poker, and taking a shot at a freeroll into a satellite.

The beautiful state of Alaska will be featured June 12-19 on Holland America's fabulous Oosterdam. This ship will be less than a year old in June, and is perfect for poker and sightseeing from its many balcony cabins that are available. Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka, and Victoria, British Columbia, will be visited during this seven-day trip that will sail roundtrip from Seattle.

A new poker cruise has just been scheduled on the Zuiderdam, sister ship of the Oosterdam, to the Western Caribbean next Sept. 4-11. This cruise will stop at Key West, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, and Half Moon Cay. Prices start at just $599, cruise only.

Carnival's Spirit will take us to Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama Nov. 7-15. We are limited to only 300 players on this cruise, and with prices starting at just $499, I recommend that you sign up early so that you don't get shut out.

The last cruise of the year is slated for Dec. 4-11 to Loreto, Pichilingue/La Paz, and Cabo San Lucas aboard Holland America's Ryndam. The weather at this time of the year is spectacular and a real treat for those from cold-weather climates. To learn more about this or any other poker cruise, visit our website at www.cardplayercruises.com or call the office at (888) 999-4880. Don't forget, a poker cruise makes the perfect holiday gift.

Now, let's play poker!

Editor's note: Linda is available for poker seminars or to host special poker events. You can contact her at [email protected] or through mail addressed to her at the Card Player office.