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.