Fri Mar 13
We met at Mark’s parents around 9 pm to catch our red eye flight to Florida. The flight went well with only a little sleep for any of us.
Sat Mar 14
We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale and took the shuttle to the ship. Checking in was easy and we were on the ship by 12:15. We checked out our rooms and grabbed some lunch. We explored the ship, went for a swim and took a little nap. The water was very nice this day in port. We ran into Mike and Andrea as we were headed to check out the kids club. Dinner was casual and done at the buffet. The food was ok, not great. The boys enjoyed the French fries and desserts. We had so much fun leaving port waving at all the people on shore.
Sun Mar 15 Day at Sea
We had a relaxing day around the ship. The boys went to kids club and really enjoyed themselves. We had another swim, but found the water had turned cold. The boys still had fun but the adults preferred the hot tubs! We enjoyed fish and chips in the Wheelhouse bar for lunch. It was really good. It was a formal night and we had to get really early reservations to accommodate all 8 of us. The boys did not stay clean during dinner but they were very cute before hand. We celebrated Carsten’s birthday and he got presents from Andrea and Mike and a special cake after dinner. We shuttle the kids off to kids club but we were too late for the show. We hit the casino instead. Our luck was good since it was the only non-smoking night. Mark’s luck continued on the penny slots and he won over $30!
Mon Mar 16 Ocho Rios, Jamaica
This was our 7th wedding anniversary. As a family we went on a trimaran to Dunn’s River Falls and then to a private beach. This was a great excursion. The water was beautiful, as was the island. We did the dry walk up the waterfall. This was perfect for our family and we were still able to get in and out of the falls. After the 600-foot walk up the falls we returned to the boat and rode to a private beach. There we ate lunch and played in the sand and water. We took the boat back and then went on the shuttle bus to the ship. We were gone all day and it was fabulous! Dinner was casual that night and the boys went to kids club again.
Tues Mar 17 Grand Cayman Islands
We signed the boys up for kids club while we went snorkeling. The boys did great and we had a wonderful time in Grand Cayman. We ate lunch at Senor Frogs and had $20 nachos, which were pretty tasty. We did a little shopping and then headed out snorkeling. Our first stop was a reef and there we saw several fish including a Tarpin (large fish that looks similar to a shark). Our next stop was a shipwreck site. The ship didn’t really wreck but was run ashore and then blown up to make room for a new pier. We got back to the ship just before it left. We caught on eof the last tenders back to the ship. The boys were picked up by Mark’s parents and had fun hanging out with them. We saw an impressionist and the boys watched part of it before going to kids club.
Wed Mar 18 Cozumel, Mexico
Our excursion was early and we got off the ship right away. When we got off we saw another ship sharing our same port. It is amazing to see the two ships so big and right next to each other. We looked around the international shopping area and then went on our Semi-sub adventure. This was a great way for the boys to see the fish and experience underwater life without getting wet. They really enjoyed it. We saw a barracuda while we were there and also a large school of thousands of small fish. Towards the end, Camden got a little woozy so we went up on deck. Carsten fell asleep on the way back to the dock. We walked around and did a little shopping. We got back on the ship and had lunch. The boys went to kids club for a little bit and then hung out by the pool. Carsten and I went and napped while Mark and Camden explored the ship. It was a little windy and stormy that day. Our afternoon was very relaxing with nothing too exciting going on. That night we enjoyed a casual dinner and then went to another show with a singer. The kids did not go to the show but had fun at kids club again.
Thur Mar 19 Day at Sea
First thing in the morning I met with several others to do a 5k walk called On Deck for a Cure to benefit Susan G Komen. It was a nice walk, but a little windy. The boys went to kids club in the morning and then we went to lunch at the Wheelhouse Bar again. Our afternoon was very relaxing. We played bingo with Mark’s parents, but we did not win. It was another formal night and instead of having the boys eat with us we took them to the buffet early and then took them to kids club. The dinner served on this night was the best! We enjoyed escargot, lobster and shrimp. It was simply fabulous! I wish all of the meals were as good as this meal. After dinner we saw the Broadway Ballroom show which was very good.
Fri Mar 20 Princess Cays, Bahamas
All eight of us took the tender over to Princess Cays island. The island was a nice size so it did not seem too crowded. We all rented clamshell shade structures and played in the water and hung out. Mark and I took the boys over to the kids club they had on the island and let them play for a while. They really enjoyed that. Then we let them swim in the little pool that was there. Carsten loved that he was able to walk across the length of the pool. The ship provided a great BBQ lunch while on the island. The shops were all over priced and we did not purchase anything while there. That night we took the boys to an early dinner so they could go to the last night at kids club. Unfortunately, Camden and Andrea were not feeling well. The ship was unsteady and they both got seasick. Carsten went to kids club but Camden stayed with us. After dinner we went and looked at pictures and picked out what we wanted. We grabbed Carsten and then went to bed.
Sat Mar 21
We got up early to get off the ship. We had such a GREAT vacation! We spent several hours in the Miami airport waiting for our flight home. The flight was good and the boys did great!
