Catch Up

I did not think it would be so difficult to sit down daily and write about our trip.
However, with the day spent chasing after 3 kids and late night bedtimes, the truth is, we are EXHAUSTED when everything settles down.

So, here it goes...

Friday, March 25- boarded the Royal Caribbean Majesty of the seas.  The weather was sunny and 80 degrees.  The kids loved the big boat.  While in port we could see Kennedy Space Center.  The building that is recognizable is the one with the American Flag on it.  The flag is the largest US flag with each stripe being 8 feet wide and each of the 50 stars measuring 6 feet from point to point.

Once on board we got our rooms situated - 2 adjoining rooms (one kid's room and one adult room) and headed to the pool.  This is not our first cruise, nor the kids first cruise, however it is so fun to see their reaction to everything that seems new to them.  We spent the afternoon swimming, eating, hanging out at the muster station and dinner.  Jack and Lucy hit the kids club that night.  They LOVE the programs Royal Caribbean puts on.  They are all included with the cruise fee and the kids can stay there until 2am!  Yes, we still had Ellse, however, there is a bit of freedom with one having 1 child who cannot talk and walk. I did receive confirmation from the staff that on the newer ships, they are offering nursery care for those children 6mths (minimum age to cruise) to 3 years.  There is also a partnership with Huggies where you can pre-order your diapers and baby food and have them delivered to your stateroom prior to boarding!

Saturday, March 26 - we arrived in Nassau and took a 2 hour tour around the island.  We saw everything from the courthouse where the Anna Nicole Smith custody trial was held to the Ghetto and the mega hotel Atlantas before ending at the beach. It was warm in van,  however the kids did fairly well in the car where it allowed each one a quick nap.

We boarded the ship around 5pm when we quickly cleaned up for dinner.  The kids enjoyed being able to order anything the wished and found comfort in a nightly meal of soup, salad and grilled cheese / mac and cheese.  Boy did everyone eat well!  After dinner, the kids begged to go back to kids club where they met their friends for a night cap.  We picked them up around 11pm and headed to the pool deck for the "Midnight Buffet" and dance party.  Jack tends to tucker out earlier than both girls - but as they say, "Girls just wanna have fun!"

Sunday, March 27 - we arrived at Coco Cay, the private island that Royal Caribbean owns. The sun was high, the air was warm and the water was blue!  A perfect place to play on the beach all day.  It is at this place, that the kids found a new love and appreciation for swimming in the ocean / sea.  We perched in a protected cove and set up camp.  The kids loved the crystal waters and white sand.  We did bring their life jackets along as well as Ellse's floatie so she even got in on the action.  Jack enjoyed going down the 40 foot inflatable slide and Lucy enjoyed getting part of her hair braided.  She told me, "mom, I love my cornrows and want to keep them for a long time, like until I am 19!"  She just might be a trend setter.

We stayed until the second to the last tender took off for the ship, which was around 4pm.  Both girls fell asleep on the way home, but we were able to carry them in and lay them down for a quick nap before dinner.  There is a great program that Royal Caribbean offers where the kids come to dinner with their parents and after they have eaten a kids club representative comes to pick them up from the dinning room.  Pirate night is always the last night of the cruise for the kids.  They spent 2 hours decorating their faces and learning a little skit.  Around 9pm the overtook the theater stage and performed for the crowd.   Ellse befriended Christian, a gentleman from South Africa, who happens to be the director of security for the ship.  It was fun listening to his stories of life on the sea.

Sunday, March 28, departure day - we woke up earlier and headed up for one last breakfast.  We decided to carry our bags off ourselves and headed back downstairs to start the debarking process.  There was a bit of complaining from the kids, however each one carried their own life jacket, suitcase and life jacket.  They are learning to travel like pros! The weather was rainy and over cast, a good day to leave the ship.

The night before our cruise we stayed at the Country Inn and Suites where they offered a Stay and Cruise package that included parking and transportation to the pier.  This worked out great.  When we arrived back at port, we had to wait about 5 min. for the shuttle to pick us up and bring us back to the car.  We got everything packed up and headed to the Patrick Air Force base to take a look around.  My dad was in the Air Force reserves and one of the retirement perks is they are allowed to use and stay at the facilities around the world.  We toured the grounds a bit before grabbing a quick lunch and seeing dolphins in the Banana River.

Off to Boca Raton...about a 3 hour drive

Made it to the Embassy Suites in time for their nightly happy hour.  We spent some time unwinding and unpacking and stayed in for the night, picking up Wendy's for supper.

Tuesday, March 29 - Jack's Birthday!!!  Woke up and celebrated the big man's birthday.  It is so hard to believe our little guy is 7 already :)  We drove into West Palm Beach and took a Diva Duck boat tour.  It was pretty cheesy but allowed us an opportunity to look around the area.  We were able to view some of the spectacular homes on the ocean as well as the large yachts parked in the marina.  After the tour we grabbed lunch outside at Panera and then headed to Sloan's for dessert.  The had to make a pit stop in their bath room as it was rated one of the top 10 in the US with windows to the restaurant that would frost over for privacy once the doors were locked.

Headed back to the hotel for a dip in the pool, happy hour and a birthday dinner in Delray.  After dinner, around 9pm we stopped at the city park to let the kids get their wiggles out.  What a charming city.  My brother is living down here and Joel and I agreed the we could easily move here.  The weather is warm, the sea is calming and the town is similar to a classier version of uptown.  If we are every missing, you know where to find us!

Wednesday, March 30 - Happy Birthday Joan!! - After breakfast we headed straight to the Delray public beach.  Rented a cabana for shade as the sun was high and hot...the wind was super gusty and we ended up with sand EVERYWHERE! Spend the majority of the day at the beach before heading back to the hotel where Betty Mama and Bryan watched the kids while my folks and Joel and I went on a Segway tour.  It was a nice break from the little ones and fun to see the city in a whole new light.

We made it back in time for happy hour and then hit dinner at Boston's on the ocean.  We got back to the hotel in time for the the kids to fall asleep watching cartoons and a quick game of Yahtzee.

It is hard to believe we have been gone for over a week.  One of the longest vacations we have taken as a family.  It has had a few stressful moments, but been worth every minute.  It is nice to take a break, reconnect and just "be".  We extended our stay in Delray one night and will be leaving tomorrow.  It will be sad to get back on the road again, leave "Uncle Bryan" and head north to the cold weather.  However the family memories will last a lifetime! And now we have a great place to visit.