We decided to try the sit down restaurant for breakfast. It was a nice atmosphere and the service was great, but the food...not so much. The kids had mickey shaped waffles and pancakes. They had the same rubbery taste as the pancakes and waffles on the buffet. Thomas and I found our food pretty unappetizing as well.
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| Outside the restaurant. The girls opted to wear their Minnie dresses. |
From there, we decided to do a craft together. It was "Create an Ornament". They gave us some plastic balls, confetti, and stickers. We put the confetti inside the balls and strategically placed the stickers, it was fun.
After that, we took the kids to the kids club, so they could do the "Marshmallow Olympics (learn all about this white sugary treat and everything it can do! Build a tower, go flying and test your agility..."). I was reluctant to take them to the kids club so early, it was only about 9:45, because Thomas and I had our special, adults' only brunch reservation at noon and I knew they would be stuck there for a while. However, they were anxious to go and the marshmallow activity did sound fun. We admonished Jack to give it a try; every day when he went to the kids' club, he ignored all the activities around him and played on the computer. We were getting pretty frustrated with him, he kept saying he would try something new and then we would pick him up and he would have some excuse as to why he didn't. He is a very social kid, we knew he would really enjoy participating.
From there, I decided to play Bingo. Thomas went to a Fantasy Baseball draft. Bingo was fun, they kept it lively and entertaining. For example, every time the number B11 came up, the announcers and cast would dance to Beyonce (because 11 in Spanish is once, so B-once). But, it was expensive. I played the cheapest option that gave me some cool electronic device and it was $45 for 4 games (maybe it was 5 games?). Regardless, I didn't win anything, or even come close. Fortunately, Thomas did win at his game, which was free. His prize was a water bottle.
We met up after our respective activities for the special Palo brunch. However, just as we were getting to walk out the door, our pagers went off letting us know Anna was requesting to be picked up. Thomas went up to make sure we didn't miss our reservation and I checked on Anna. Fortunately, she mostly wanted to tattle on Jack--he had again failed to participate and had sat on the computer the whole time. I promised I would come get her immediately after our special lunch.
Palo is an adults only restaurant that serves brunch and dinner. It costs $25/person, but the food was phenomenal! It was really amazing. We had a gorgonzola and grape pizza that I really wish I could order on a regular basis. There were lots of appetizer foods: fancy international cheeses and crackers, shrimp cocktails, crab legs, specialty breads, prosciutto and other meats, etc. We sampled lots of appetizers, then we had the pizza. After that, I was feeling pretty full and the dessert area was looming in front of me. Thomas ordered chicken parmesan. I told our server I would just have a bite of Thomas', but he brought me my own plate. Then, he suggested I try some watermelon soup, which tasted like a fruit smoothie. I was trying to save room, but getting so very full! After all that food, we sat for a bit, hoping our stomachs would allow us some space for dessert. Thomas was going to skip it entirely, I chose a couple of modest selections. Then, our server brought out some warm cinnamon type bread. It was soooo good. Then, there was another dessert he insisted we try. We finally rolled out of there around, fuller then any human should ever be, yet, I would definitely go back.
From there, we went and got the kids. They had not liked the kid's lunch (sandwiches, I'm not sure why they didn't like them), so we took them to get some food. Actually, it was just the girls who didn't like them. Guess who couldn't be drawn away from electronics to even bother to try?!?!?
We went back to our rooms for a bit and started to pack. We had hoped to visit the pools, but it was just too stormy. The water was sloshing around the pools like mad. At 4:15, they had prep for "Friendship Rocks," which is a show the kids put on for their parents. They all said they wanted to do it. So, at 4:15 we took them back to the club area. At 5, Thomas and I went to see the show. The kids got on stage and danced around for bit, then they showed a montage of pictures taken during the course of the cruise. It was cute enough and they got a free t-shirt out of it. Well, the girls did. Guess where Jack was?
Dinner was back at Lumiere's and we had no desire to go. We decided to give room service a try. It was fast and good. We even had them bring us some cereal for the morning. I finished up the packing and the kids wanted to go back to the clubs for "Marvels Avengers Academy." Jack promised he would participate. Thomas and I were pretty fed up with him (and obviously, our kids don't understand the concept of "promise"). But, we decided to let him try. At the last minute, Anna decided to stay with us. We ended up walking around on the upper decks. I insisted that Anna hold both our hands, I was worried she would somehow blow overboard (not really, but maybe just a little).
Around 8:15, we got Kara and Jack, who actually did participate--and loved it! Then, it was bed time.
Our plan was to walk off the ship and self-disembark, so we had to get up early on Wednesday morning. I was wide-awake around 4am, so I went up and watched as the ship pulled into port. I was so happy to see Miami! It had been a rough night, our closet door kept sliding open as the ship rocked and I did not sleep well. It was fun to check Facebook and read the e-mails that accumulated. I have to say, I did not miss television, e-mail or Facebook at all. (We did occasionally turn on the television in our rooms, but the stations were very limited, it was not like you could watch your regular prime-time shows).
The disembarkation process went smoothly and we were off in plenty of time to meet our shuttle at 8. We hadn't bought anything at either port, so customs was pretty easy. We made it back to Fort Lauderdale and got Jamba Juices in the airport. We had plenty of time before our 12:30 flight, so we wandered a bit and then sat down and played Old Maid and Uno Junior. Fortunately, our flight was on time and it went smoothly.
Once we landed in DC, Thomas and Jack went for the car and the girls and I waited for baggage. I was so, so happy to be home!
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| My little helpers |
Overall, the cruise was nice. I would probably try again, especially because I want to try Castaway Cay. However, I prefer a land-based vacation. If given the choice of going on a cruise, or renting a house somewhere fun and interesting for a week--I would get the house. I asked the kids and Thomas if they would rather rent a house at Disney World or go on another cruise and they unanimously chose cruise. I was the one who was the most enthusiastic and I enjoyed it the least; I felt boxed in, a lot of the food was mediocre, and I hated when the seas were rough (but, maybe being pregnant didn't help there?).
And that, my friends, concludes my postings on the cruise.
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