Christmas Cruise Conclusion

Day five we were at Labadee, Royal Caribbean's other private destination. We have been to Coco Cay several times, but never Ladadee, which is on Haiti. We were curious to see the differences. We took some photos and walked around the island. For our first activity, we did a mountain coaster, which had amazing views, but was pretty short. Then, we hung out on the beach for a while. We hadn't brought our snorkel gear, which we regretted. We had lunch, which was good, but not as good as Coco Cay, then went to an Aqua Park. It cost extra but was super fun. Thomas wasn't feeling great, so he sat out, but the rest of us had an amazing time.  After that, we did some souvenir shopping. The people were really aggressive. I found one thing I liked and the man told me $40. I talked him down to $25 and gave him the cash. He then made me follow him to a different shop area (he had my money, but was still holding what I purchased) and asked what else I liked. I said it was all nice and he started wrapping up another item similar to the one I had picked out, then tried to hand me both. He said, "just give me $20." I politely declined and said I just wanted the one, Then he said, "just give me "$15", then, it was $10.

Finally, he said "just give me $5" and I said okay.  I wasn't trying to bargain with him, I really just wanted the one, but for $5 it was fine. We had a similar experience at a shop with little paintings. The man said it was $40 for the two the girls picked out, I said no thanks and he asked how much I wanted to pay. I said $20, $10 for each (they are small) and he laughed. So, we started to walk away. He yelled after us, saying "fine, $20." So, I handed him $20, and he took the money and said I owed him another $10. We were both holding the $20, so I tried to take it back, and told the girls to put back the pictures. But, he wouldn't let go of the money. I told him I didn't want them for $30 and tried again to take my $20 (he had a tight grip, but so did I, it was almost comical) and the girls had already put the pictures back. But, he relented and said he would take the $20, while shaking his head as if I had just ripped him off. In my younger years, I probably wouldn't have been as confident and able to stand up for what I wanted, but I was glad I was able to withstand the tactics. After that Thomas, Kara and Jack headed back to the ship and I sat in the waves with Luke for a while. Anna had a snack and stayed with us. Luke and I got very sandy and were covered in small rocks. But, we went back to the ship and by then the other three had showered, so it worked out perfectly. We had dinner and I don't remember what else we did. 

I wanted the fish one to hang in our pool area to remind me of our fun cruise. The palm tree was the "just give me $5" addition :)

Day six-our final day was a sea day. We had breakfast at the Windjammer. Luke and I played ping-pong and miniature golf, and then he went to the kids club. They had seafood on the buffet at lunchtime, including lobster and shrimp and clams. As a result, the place was slammed. I have never seen it that crowded. I feel like everyone on the ship was in line to get Lobster. Although, I know they weren't because Anna and Kara went to the main dining room with Marta and Elizabeth. The boys and I braved the Windjammer because we wanted to see a 1 o’clock aqua show. Similar to Columbus, the show didn’t really follow the written description until the last few minutes. But, it was better than the other aqua show and I’m glad we saw it. That afternoon the girls and I went to a magic revealed show where a magician showed the audience how to do some tricks. It was another event that was packed. There was not enough room for everyone and some people came and stood right in front of us, we and others politely asked them to move, and it turned into a bit of a thing. But, ultimately we were able to see what was going on. Meanwhile, Luke was back at the kids club, and Jack and Thomas were reading on the balconies and watching the ocean go by. Oh, I forgot that we did see dolphins swimming too. 

Dinner was in the main dining room, where we had to say goodbye to our amazing servers. They really were phenomenal. They made it seem like they were actually truly happy to be there. Thomas had told our Indian waiter that he enjoyed some Indian food on the lunch buffet a few days prior, and after that our waiter would bring him an Indian dish to try each night with dinner. We were sad to say goodbye to them and our amazing nightly dinners. The last night was lobster and it was really good. Generally the lobster I have had on cruises has been a bit rubbery, but it was great on this one. After dinner, the girls and I looked in the shops, and I debated whether I should get a fancy ring (I didn't). Then we went and packed and we ended the night with another ice show.

We had too many bags to self-carry, but were able to get the first time off the ship with bag assistance. I was nervous because the ship was so big (there were over 6000 people on board). But, it went really smoothly. We got off the ship around 7:20. It ended up only taking us about 10 minutes to walk off the ship, get our bags, get through customs and be in our car. We had a smooth drive home and pulled into our driveway by 1045 (not as great as Port Canaveral, but not bad). It was a good trip, although there was a little bit more fighting than with the girls than I expected. When I asked everyone their favorite part of the trip, they said:

 Anna: Labadee
Jack: Grease
Kara: the food
Luke: Labadee
Kori: the day at Labadee
Thomas: Grease and the Abyss

One of our family photos

Enjoying a daquiri and pina colada

Christmas Cruisin' (Days 1-4)

We have wanted to give a Christmas cruise a try. But, the prices are generally really high. However, this year the stars aligned and we were able to find a reasonably priced cruise that returned Christmas Eve, as we still wanted to be home on Christmas Day.  The best part was that it was actually cheaper to get three rooms instead of our usual two. Here are my notes from the cruise on Harmony of the Seas:

Day one, we left the house around 7:30. We stopped once to gas up and use the restroom and were at the port in Fort Lauderdale by 11. Check-in was a breeze and we walked on the ship by 1115, did the muster and had lunch in the Windjammer. Then, Luke and I played miniature golf. Jack played a little bit of basketball and the girls went exploring. Thomas registered Luke for the kids club. We all met up and did the Abyss, which was really cool. It has lights and plays sounds as you descend 10 stories on the dry slide. After that, we had shakes at Johnny Rockets and explored the ship a bit. Thomas, Luke and I tried out the waterslides, but it was surprisingly cold so we did not last very long. Dinner time is early, it started at five, but it took about two hours. It was nice and relaxing to have a leisurely dinner with Marta, Frank, Elizabeth, Travis and Travis' grandparents. After dinner, we walked around for a few minutes and signed waivers so the kids can use the gym. Then we went to the aqua show. The people were amazingly talented with diving, acrobatics, synchronized swimming, tight rope walking, etc. However, the show was a bit frenetic and honestly just kind of weird. There were a couple of acts, mainly two amazing acrobats on a slack line that performed in sync, that I really enjoyed, but I don’t think I would see it again. Jack and Luke actually left partway through to go back to the room. Everyone is tired and it has been a long day. But, I think our vacation is off to a good start! Oh, it is also really really really nice to have three rooms instead of two. I wish it was affordable on every cruise!

The girls matched for dinner night 1.

Day two, we were in Nassau. We went off the ship and checked out the Queen’s Staircase and Fort Fincastle. We were back before lunch and Luke tried to do the water slides, but it was a little bit too cold and windy. We played superhero visual trivia and got 14 out of 15 clues correct, but supposedly someone got 15 out of 15. We are pretty sure they cheated. It was a dress your best night for dinner and we took a few pictures around the ship. We went to the ice-skating show, except Jack was too tired and called it an early night, and Luke opted to go to the kid’s club instead. The show received mediocre reviews from all of us. (talented cast, lousy material was a theme on the ship)

View from the top of Fort Fincastle. The construction is a new, huge U.S. Embassy.

600 slaves carved the stairs out of solid limestone in 1793-1794

The area was very lush and beautiful

Day three: It was a sea day. We had breakfast at Johnny Rockets with Marta, Elizabeth and Frank. We all enjoyed sitting outside on the Boardwalk. Later that morning, we did our white elephant gift exchange. The category was 'awkward and useless' and some people took it more to heart than others. Kara received arguably the worst gift, a can of air. Personally, I think Thomas received the best gift. But you can judge for yourself from the pictures. Luke got a cute little stuffed cat, and Anna got sea monkeys, which is what she brought and really wanted. We separated for lunch. Thomas and I went with the other adults to Chops for specialty dining. Anna and Kara ate by themselves in the main dining room, and Jack and Luke went to the Windjammer. Everyone was happy with their choices. The girls said their lunch was really good and they got a table by the window. 

That afternoon, we saw Grease, and it was so much better than it was on the Independence. Jack, Thomas and Kara actually saw it twice. They saw the 3 o’clock show while I stayed with Luke and they said it was so good that we should try and go to the 8 o’clock. So Anna and I did. They were right and it was amazing (we did feel like we had to have the obvious conversation about how flawed Danny and Sandy's actions/relationship was).  

Day Four: we had breakfast in the main dining room, which is so much more peaceful than the buffet. Afterward, we were going to go straight off the ship into Jamaica, but the line to disembark was insane. So we decided to wait it out a little bit in our cabins. After about an hour, things calmed down and we got off the ship and walked around the port area, reading the historical signs about Jamaica’s history and doing a little shopping. We were back on the ship for lunch and did not do much. I had a terrible headache, so I just laid in bed for a little while. Later that afternoon, we had a snack at mini bites and then did the abyss a couple of times. The kids got milkshakes at Johnny Rockets. The evening’s entertainment was the ship's headliner. The boys did not feel like going , but the girls and I went. It was a singer/dancer with the royal orchestra. I really enjoyed the show and think that Thomas and Jack would have loved it, so I am sorry they missed it, but they were worn out. It was different from our previous cruise entertainers who were primarily jugglers/comedians. This one sang songs, mostly from the 50s and 60s and the Harmony band played live along with him. He was a very engaging and well-seasoned performer.

The port in Falmouth was really nice. Next time, we will venture out and explore.

The Abyss was so fun, it had lights and sounds.

A Week in the LIfe--December Edition

Saturday--Luke was playing in a baseball tournament. His games were at 2 and 4, which was a nice change. The girls and I baked peppermint cupcakes in the morning. Thomas and Anna left around noon for the 2 o'clock game, which was about 45 minutes from our house (coach wants them there an hour early to warm up). Then, I took Jack to his basketball game, it was about 30 minutes away. Jack played good defense, but his team lost. By a lot. After his basketball game, we went to Luke's second baseball game. They also lost. But, they had won their first game. After the games, we had dinner at Wendy's. I am not sure what Kara did during her blissful afternoon home alone.

Sunday--more baseball. Thomas wasn't feeling well. His throat is covered in ulcers which make it impossible to eat. Or, at least very painful. Even drinking is hard. He finally went to the Minute Clinic, and they basically said there was nothing he can do except wait it out. They couldn't pinpoint the cause (actually they said it is probably from using a new toothbrush or toothpaste--neither of which he's using). After some Google research I think after 21 years together I finally infected him with my cold sore virus, which can manifest initially as throat ulcers. So, I took Luke to his games. They had to play the number one ranked team and they won! It was very exciting and moved them to the Championship game. Then, they completely fell apart. They were winning 5/4 until the 5th inning and then it was just error after error in the field. They ended up losing 19-5. It. was. brutal. Luke was the third batter in the final inning and I told the mom sitting next to me that I hoped they either scored at least 5 runs or the first three batters got out. One and two struck out. Then, it was Luke. I told her, I hope he makes a really good hit to the outfield, but they make a spectacular catch so this game will finally end. And guess what? That is exactly what happened! Who knew I was a soothsayer??? By now it was late and the kids were tired, but they did their team party. They had drawn names for Secret Santa and passed out gifts (Luke asked for Bad Guys books which is what he received) and had some treats. They took pictures with the second place trophy and everyone had fun.

Anna came with me. Jack went to a friend's birthday celebration. About 5 teenage boys met up at the movies and saw Black Panther. Then, they went to dinner at Red Robin. Thomas did the pick up and drop off for that. Jack had a lot of fun. Kara hung out at home. 

Our living room. I wanted more of the garland.

Monday--Everyone went to school and work. We had a Walmart grocery delivery, but there were a lot of items out of stock. Kara had to stay after for play auditions. She is the student director, so she was assisting in the process. Jack had to stay after for concert practice. Anna and I left to pick them up around 4:20 and went to Sam's Club. I needed to get Sun Chips for Luke's class party and wanted to get more garland. Sometimes, the drive to that area, which is less than 5 miles away, can take well over 30 minutes, but traffic was surprisingly light, so we also had time to go to Walmart and get bags for Anna's gifts to her friends and to look for the out of stock items (which were all in stock at this Walmart). Then, we still had some time, so we ran to the Publix next to the middle school and got pretzel rods for chocolate covered pretzels and cash for the pool guy. I was shocked at how much we accomplished in just an hour! We got Kara, then picked up Jack. Dinner was waiting for us when we got home. Then, some of us watched a Community Christmas episode. 

Tuesday--More work and school. Kara had to stay after again for more auditions. It was a concert night for Jack. Tickets for the concert (which is all performing arts groups at the high school) went on sale on a Monday night. I went to get tickets on Wednesday afternoon and they were almost all sold out. There were only a few single tickets available. So, we bought one for the Thursday night performance. I felt bad, but I had no idea what a hot commodity the tickets would be. Jack's band is only playing one song, so I don't think he cares too much. Anyway, after school Jack went to the gym, Anna and Luke did homework. Then, around 5:15, I left to drop off Jack for the concert, and picked up Kara at 6, I was back home around 6:20. Thomas made dinner. We had Hamburger Helper. We saw it at the dollar store and it brought back childhood memories. None of our kids had ever heard of it and it was okay, if we have it again, I would try a different flavor. Anyway, Anna had a Teen Leader's club meeting, so she was gone by the time the rest of us got home. Luke chatted with a friend on Messenger Kids. We walked Anna home from her meeting and then Thomas went and got Jack when the show ended around 8:45. Normally, Luke would have baseball practice, but they ended the season and will resume in mid-January.

Wednesday--Thomas and I had to go to the office. Thomas went in around 6 and I stayed home and made sure the kids got up and off to school. Then, I went in. We had our office Christmas lunch. I had some meetings (via Zoom) and then came home. Kara stayed after school again for auditions, Thomas picked her up at 5. She came home saying she didn't feel great. I took Anna to her figure skating. We got home around 730 and watched a Charlie Brown Christmas. Thomas had originally planned on taking Luke to Ice at Gaylord. He got a free ticket from school, but then Thomas saw that a ticket and parking for him would be over $60, so we told Luke he could have another movie and hot chocolate night instead. We weren't completely opposed to the $60, but we know from past experiences about all the upselling they do and just didn't feel up to it.

Thursday--Kara woke up still not feeling great, but had a science test, so she insisted on going to school. Pre-Covid, I wouldn't have thought much about it. But now I feel guilty for letting her go. I tried to convince her to stay home, but she doesn't like to miss school, especially when she has a test. And, I don't think she has Covid or flu or anything like that. I think it is more likely that it's just a hard week catching up to her (lots of tests and then staying after every day).  Anyway, she went, got an A on her test and said she felt fine. We had bad weather all afternoon and I was super nervous about dismissal. The older kids got held in some of their classes, but they ended up releasing on time. Luke had his Christmas Party. He said it was okay, but they played Kids Bop Christmas music and he did not like it. Thomas and I went and got haircuts. After school, Jack went to the gym. We had an early dinner and Thomas went to Jack's concert. I took the other kids out for ice cream. Luke got a coupon for a free cone when school started. It was only valid on Thursdays and normally he has baseball practice, so he was excited to finally be able to go. It was good. Thomas said the concert was amazing. He could see why it was sold out and said it felt like he was at a professional performance. 

Friday--Thomas and I were off from work. It seemed like all the kids were doing was watching movies at school. So, we asked if they wanted to go to Volcano Bay. Anna and Luke said yes, Jack and Kara wanted to enjoy a laid-back day at school. However, then we realized the high temperature was only 65--too cold for Volcano Bay. So, everyone went to school. It was pajama day for Luke so he didn't really mind, but Anna was a bit bitter.  Thomas and I went shopping. We came home and wrapped presents and did tons of laundry. We also got an e-mail from Luke's school librarian--he gets to do Battle of the Books! The team is comprised of only 6 kids from the whole school (5 regular and 1 alternate), so we were pleasantly surprised that he was selected as a 3rd grader. He starts practices in January and the competition is March 21st. He is very excited.

After school, Thomas' former coworker (Joe) stopped by for a few minutes on his way to his mother's house. Thomas and Jack played basketball. We had dinner and then Thomas, Jack, Anna and I went on a bike ride throughout the neighborhood to look at lights. Jack and Anna abandoned us halfway through, but Thomas and I enjoyed being out. We also watched a Christmas movie--'Again?' on Disney+. It was like a Groundhog Day and I liked it, Thomas did not. It was our only day all week without any scheduled activities and it was so nice. I like that all our kids have activities they enjoy and I don't mind all the driving. But, it is so nice when we have a night with no where to be.

Date Night and Other Happenings

Friday night Thomas and I had our second annual date night at the Orlando Informer Meetup. It was our anniversary (19 years!) but we hadn't spent much time together all week. I had to go into the office for 3 days in a row. And, of course, we had all the kids activities. Tuesday and Thursday were baseball nights. We also had Kara's theater showcase on Tuesday (she killed it!). Wednesday was Anna's ice skating. So, we didn't really see each other much. That made it especially nice to spend the evening together. The Meetup is a separately ticketed event at Universal. They rent out the park and all the food is included and the rides are almost all walk-ons. It is really fun. The event started when the park closed at 7, but we got there around 4. We didn't want to waste time during the event waiting for Hagrid's, so we did that first. The lines throughout the park were really short, so even though Hagrid's had a posted wait of 120 minutes, we thought that was probably over-inflated. And, as we entered the line, it was really short. We estimated 45 minutes. But, then there was a delay and they were taking trains off the track and we ended up waiting for about 2 hours. So, by the time we left the line, it was almost park closing. I had a bit of a headache, so I went to a food stand for a cup of water. Even though the park wasn't closed, the worker saw my bracelet and said they had started the free food for the evening. This was way more exciting then it should have been! I got a bottle of water, Thomas got a soda and we shared some chips. We sat until the park officially closed, then walked right on Kong. Then, we walked on Spiderman, then Doctor Doom. We played free games in the arcade and realized it was about 8, when the restaurants opened. 

And so the eating began! I had an amazing dinner at Terrace Falls. Thomas got some chili fries and rice and beans. We ate and then rode Velocicoaster and the Trolley in the Sky before walking over to the other park. There, we walked on Minions and Mummy, then got more food (buffalo chicken mac and cheese was especially delicious). Then, we rode Gringotts, followed by hot butterbeer and pumpkin juice, then MiB, Twirl n Hurl, and ET. By now, it was around 1130, so an hour until park closing. We decided to walk back to the other park and get some Cinnabon to give the kids in the morning and play in the arcade. The arcade was a little crowded, so we didn't last long. We left around midnight. We did everything we wanted to, except maybe the Hogwart's Express, that never quite worked out. And, we ate almost everything we wanted to. I was planning on trying the Taco Truck, but I was just way too full. It was amazing to walk around a pretty empty theme park and ride whatever we wanted with no wait. Hagrid's did have a wait all night around 45 minutes, but that was the only ride and since we had done it earlier, we didn't need to waste the time.

Gringotts was empty! Just us and the Goblins.

I was so full, but I had to get a hot butterbeer. And, while I was there I decided to try pumpkin juice (delicious!) This was my, "I really shouldn't be doing this" face.

Riding the Twirl and Hurl, our only ride picture.

The Christmas lights throughout the park were so pretty.

Saturday the Lakeland Tigers had their annual sale. The website said 30-50% off, so we weren't expecting too much. The last time we went, the entire store was 50% off. We got there and nothing was marked as on sale. We asked the guy at the counter who said that everything outside was $5 and everything inside was 30% off. We walked outside expecting to see a table of old t-shirts, but there was tons and tons of stuff. We got several hats, polo shirts, t-shirts, and visors. It was amazing! We ended up spending $120 dollars, but got so much stuff--22 items in all (there are 6 of us after all)!  We are definitely ready for Spring Training! My only regret is we didn't get even more :)

After that, we met my sister's family at Carols in the Park in Winter Haven. It was crowded and hard for our big group to walk around together, so we only stayed for about 45 minutes. Then, it was lunch at Popeye's (Jack's pick) and we headed home. Oh! I forgot to mention, we let Jack drive to Lakeland. He did a good job. I-4 is no joke, even at 8 on a Saturday morning! We got home, hung out for a bit, then went to Jack's basketball game. The other team was ahead the entire game and then our team tied it up in the 4th quarter. They ended up losing, but it was definitely exciting. We got takeout from Tijuana Flats and then watched Christmas Vacation. It was a busy, busy day. 

While most of us spent Saturday doing all of that, Kara was at the Thespians competition. Her monologue and ensemble both received superior ratings and both were chosen to advance to the state competition. She is very excited!