Category: December

When we woke up Christmas morning, Santa had left a few favorite treats-skittles and peanut butter Christmas trees. We also found our tickets to see the dolphins. Sometime during the night we had docked at Nassau. We went out on the balcony to see the view of the Island. There were three other cruise ships parked by us.

After breakfast we put our suits on and lathered on the sunscreen. Then we got of the boat and explored the market area for a bit before it was time to go to the dolphins. A lady talked Emilee into letting her braid her hair. I can’t tell Emilee I am going to brush her hair without her squealing that it hurts. This lady was not being gentle. I could tell Emilee was uncomfortable but she never said a word. She really liked the braids when she was done though. It is almost a month later and she still has them in.

When the hair braiding was done we found the place to go on our dolphin excursion. We had to take a tender (small transport boat) around to the other side of the island. We had some beautiful sights to see on the way. Atlantis of course. The kids thought it was cool to see a place they had seen on TV before. There were some big yachts by us and famous peoples homes that we passed. I only remember Oprah’s and my kids don’t know who she is so they weren’t overly excited about that. The water and views are just gorgeous so just watching the view around the island was relaxing. They dropped us off in a little cove area where we could play on the beach and swim until it was time to see the dolphins. There was some blow up water toys that the kids played on for several hours. Ryan and I played for a little bit with the kids in the sand and water, then we found some comfy beach chairs to take a nap and relax in. After we ate lunch I also found a souvenir shop that had a delicious pint of cookies and cream Ben and Jerry’s ice cream that I enjoyed while basking in the sun on the beach. The water was clear and pretty. A little chilly but not bad. When we got there the place was way overcrowded and I was a little grumpy that they basically marooned us in the cove with a million other people for four hours until it was time to go to the dolphins. After about an hour though several of the ships were leaving so most of the people left and it was almost like having the beach to ourselves. We were the last group to see the dolphins so we were pretty much the only people in the cove when we walked back to the tender. It was easy to forget it was Christmas Day being on the beach. The weather was gorgeous-it was the best weather of our trip. There was always Christmas music playing but we all mentioned that it wasn’t the typical Christmas atmosphere and feeling.

The dolphin excursion we went on was AMAZING. I think it was everyone’s favorite part of the entire vacation. You get to sit in the dock area and have fun watching the dolphins up close while you wait. Then when it is actually your turn you get into the water and the dolphin is swimming right there with you. Our dolphins name was Salvador, and he went by Sal. He let us rub his back and belly, and even feel his teeth. He did a little dance with us and he gave each of us a hug and kiss and took pictures with us at the end. When he gave Allison a kiss he came back for three more and then whistled really loud and did a little spin. She told everyone how the dolphin had a crush on her. It was a lot of fun. They took lots of pictures for us and even a video.

Our tender boat was cutting across the back of the cruise ships on our way back to dock. One of the ships was leaving and even though we were cruising pretty fast and could have easily made it, they laid on the horn and the police boat came out and was not happy. The boat leaving was a Carnival boat, the week before a different Carnival boat had crashed into another one of its own boats. I can only imagine how the steering crew were freaking out when they saw a boat in front of them after their company had already had a crash less than a week ago. I was never concerned about getting hit. It took us a lot longer to stop and back up then it would have to finish going across and we still had plenty of time. It was a little funny since it was obvious no one was going to get hurt.

Once we got back to the ship we showered and cleaned up then went to have Christmas dinner. They had a kids menu in addition the regular menu, Emilee was ecstatic she didn’t have to eat boring yucky food. The girls went to kid place for a few hours after dinner. Matthew went to the arcade for a bit again and then he went to play basketball so Ryan and I went to the variety show and watched a juggler and some singers and dancers put on a pretty decent show. We grabbed some hot chocolate from the suite lounge again and all met back in our room. We were all ready to turn in a little earlier than usual. We had a great time making memories with each other.

Monday was get on the boat day. It was really fun to see the kids excitement when we drove up and saw the boat for the first time. They were amazed at how big it was. The name of our boat was Mariner of the Seas. Once we went through security we went and ate lunch in the dining room. Emilee was not thrilled with the choices and I could tell she was a little worried about what she was going to eat all week. Everyone else thought it was fun to have some new choices. Matthew got his fill of shrimp while we were on the boat.

We walked around and explored the ship and saw what there was to do. There was swimming pools, hot tubs, a flow rider, water slides, mini golf, basketball, ice skating, unlimited ice cream and pizza, a virtual reality trampoline, rock climbing wall, an arcade, spas, lounges, kid play areas, shows, dancing, tons! I am sure I am forgetting something. It was about time to report to our muster station and have the required evacuation drill after we checked everything out. Once that was done our room was ready and we went and found out where we were going to live for the week.

We had a suite so all five of us could stay in the same room. It had a double balcony so you could lounge in the sun chairs or sit at the table. We told the kids our bathroom would be tiny but it was actually really big. Double sinks and even a bathtub. Ryan and I had a room area we could close of with a curtain and the kids had a couch that turned into a bed and a roll away bed that they brought in for Matthew. We met our room attendant. He was from the Philippines and his name was Daryl. I don’t think that is his real name but I think they can use a more American name that is easy for people to say. He was very nice and the kids loved him. We brought him a present from Kansas City for Christmas. We gave him a Royals baseball towel. The kids thought it was awesome that he made their beds in the morning and got them ready for them at night. They of course loved the towel animals he left for them to find each night. He called me Ms. Annie which with accent sounded like ‘Ann-knee’ which always made me smile.

We went to dinner that night once we were settled in our room. We decided to go to the Hibachi Grill restaurant. The kids absolutely loved it. I have never heard Allison giggle and laugh with such abandon before. The chef did a great job making the food in front of us while entertaining us. When he threw food at the kids to catch in their mouth he insisted the girls keep trying until they caught it. He was throwing pieces of eggs and it took Allison about seven tries before she caught it. Everyone thought it was hilarious. It was a really fun dinner and ended up being one of the highlights for the kids while we were on the boat. After dinner Ryan went to have a massage and the kids and I went to the Ice Show-which was awesome and very well done. We had front row seats and could have touched the ice if we wanted to. Some of the skaters came and interacted with us during the show. There was fun music and silly acts and some cool tricks. After that we went to the ‘family’ comedy show, that we should have known would not be very family friendly comedy. That is one part of cruises that is lacking…they seem to have a hard time finding an actual funny comedian.

Day 2 on the boat was our day at sea. It was also Christmas Eve. It was a little windy which made it kind of chilly sometimes but overall it was still a nice day. We took the kids to breakfast at the Windjammer Cafe. We continued the nick name ‘Facejammer’ Kenny came up with on our cruise the year before. Endless pancakes, french toast and waffles do not disappoint.

While we were at the VRBO Matthew found out that he had made the school basketball team. He was pretty excited. Ryan and I must have said something about how people usually put on a few pounds on a cruise because there is so much food so when he woke up after the first night on the ship he had Ryan go work out with him so he didn’t lose his muscles or get soft while we were on vacation. He was caught doing push-ups and lunges at random times throughout the cruise.

After breakfast we tried out some of the activities. Matthew and Emilee did the arcade for a little bit. Ryan took the kids rock climbing while I checked out the Promenade to see what they had for shopping on the boat. Emilee did the water slides. We tried to convince Matthew to try out some of the teen activities but he wasn’t to interested. We settled at the pool deck for a bit. Ryan and I lounged, read books, took naps and visited while the kids switched back and fourth between swimming in the pool and soaking in the hot tub. The ice cream machine is right by the pool so they frequented it for an ice cream fill several times throughout the day too. Emilee found a friend she met at dinner the night before so she was running around with her having a blast. There was a belly flop competition that we watched and laughed at.

When we were done swimming we went back to the room to get ready for dinner. It was Christmas Eve and their fancy night at dinner. We all dressed up except for Matthew who wore shorts and a t-shirt. We ate in the dining hall. They were serving spaghetti so the girls were in heaven. Emilee was thrilled to have ‘normal’ food. After dinner we changed our clothes and went to the ice skating rink for a while. They had twenty minute skating sessions which we thought would be short but ended up being more than enough time. None of us are that graceful of skaters. Ryan and I can stay up and go forward or stop. That is about it. Matthew looks like a fish trying to walk on land. As athletic as he is, it was no help to him for ice skating. Allison stayed pretty close to the side. Emilee was very excited to go, after about five minutes on the ice and falling several times she said she was done and ice skating was not fun because it hurts to much. After finishing ice skating with luckily only a few bruises and not broken bones or missing fingers we stopped at the private suite lounge and found some hot chocolate. We took it back to our room and watched the water from the balcony for awhile. When we walked in our room we saw that Bubbit had joined us on our trip and was sitting in the little Charlie Brown Christmas Tree we brought with us. The girls were amazed that he had made it all the way there. We got in our matching Christmas pajamas and snuggled up and watched Angry Birds 2 together then went to bed.

Earlier this year Ryan and I were reminicing about the cruise we went on in December of 2018 and talking about when we wanted to go again. We ended up deciding to do a cruise for Christmas with the kids and make some memories together instead of buying gifts. Santa thought it was a great idea and he supported the cruise idea with us.

We waited until right after school started then told the kids the plan. We told them in lieu of lots of presents this year we would do a big family present and go on a cruise together. Matthew was immediately excited. Allison got excited once Matthew was excited. Emilee didn’t really understand what a cruise was. She was a little concerned about the no presents part though. We showed them all pictures of the boat and places we were going to go and talked about what we wanted to do. Emilee was excited but every few weeks would ask what her hands were going to do on Christmas if there wasn’t anything to open. We also decided that we should go a few days early and go to Universal Studios while we were in Florida. None of us have ever been, and Ryan, Matthew and I were pumped to see Harry Potter World. Allison decided to read the books before we went so she would know what we were talking about.

After a few months of excitement and anticipation building up, the day to leave on our trip finally arrived. We left after school on a Wednesday. The kids missed the last few days before Christmas break officially started. Ryan asked Ross to drop us off at the airport so we got dropped off at the curb which was awesome. We checked everything we could except for entertainment on the plane and headed to security. This is the first time I have flown with the kids that they have all been old enough to carry their own stuff, and keep up with things through security. It was awesome. As we worked our way up through the line several people told us that kids under 12 don’t have to take their shoes off. Matthew was a little put out that everyone thought he was under 12 so he decided to insist he was 13 and take his shoes off. This meant he had to go through the body scanner too, where it flagged something in his pockets (a couple candy canes he didn’t take out) so he had the pleasure of his first pat down. On the way home he let them assume his age instead of stating it. Once we got through security we boarded the plane and called dibs on the window seats. I like flying at night. It is more peaceful I think, and the lights from the city are pretty to look at when you take off and land. Once we arrived we stayed in a hotel close to the airport for our first night. Emilee’s favorite part of going on vacations is staying in hotels. If we just went to a hotel room and stayed for a day or two and did nothing else she would love it.

The next morning we grabbed some breakfast and headed to Universal Studios. We spent the day riding roller coasters, attending Grinchmas, trying Harry Potter butter beer, Emilee picked out a wand, we found Bertie and Botts candy store and got a chocolate frog, every flavor beans, and Fizzbees chocolate. We also explored Hogwarts castle and did a couple Harry Potter rides. Everyone went on the Harry Potter ride that includes, playing quiditch, flying through the forest andbeing chased by a dragon the blows fire at you. It was pretty awesome but poor Emilee as you will see in the picture thought it was a little to realistic. After that she took her dad who got motion sickness and the two of them found some fun rides and things to explore in Dr Seuss town. The rest of us decided that Hogwarts castle was pretty amazing and it was fun to see the sorting hat, the fat lady and other things from the movie. The Hulk roller coaster was our favorite roller coaster. It shoots you out of a cannon and loops all over the place all while you listen to your own sound track of music that makes you feel even more pumped up. I felt like Iron Man flying through the sky.

After a busy day at the park we checked into our VRBO. The French Family came up to spend the evening with us. We went out to dinner then played games and ate lots of junk food.

The next day we returned to Universal and finished exploring everything we hadn’t done the day before. Mostly more Harry Potter stuff. We found platform 9 3/4 and rode the train to Diagon Alley. Dad and Emilee explored the shops and found some ice cream. The rest of us went inside Gringotts Bank and went on the ride through it. It is pretty cool how they have it set up. It looks like you are walking into a little shop and all of the sudden it opens up into a huge wizard town complete with a dragon on top of the bank that blows real fire every 20 minutes. It feels like you are walking around in the actual places from the books. We saw the night bus the secret hideout and lots of other things I can’t even remember now.

After we had seen all we wanted to see we headed back to our house. The French’s came back and stayed this time, and my parents came to stay too. My dad only stayed one night because he had to go back and work but my mom stayed the whole time.

The next few days were spent relaxing and enjoying each others company. The house had a little pool that the kids spent hours swimming in. When we came home from Universal, Santa had left a snorkeling mask for each of the kids because he thought it would be helpful for them to have on the trip. When they took a break from swimming at the house pool, we went to the neighborhood community pool and they swam for a few hours in that one. We saw the new Star Wars movie, played games, did puzzles, took naps. We went to church on Sunday so we could enjoy the Christmas sacrament meeting with lots of extra music and read the Christmas story. It was a great weekend. The goal of relaxing and having fun family time was achieved.

Sometime during our Universal Adventures Ryan found some crickets for sale to eat. Not chocolate crickets, or even chocolate covered crickets. Plain, regular, real, dead, crickets. He told Allison and Matthew that if they split the box and ate them he would give them $20. Allison would not be bought. Matthew was all for it. I couldn’t believe he agreed to it. I would have guessed maybe one cricket…MAYBE…but even that, I would have negotiated more than $20. Matthew said he would do it, and when Ryan said he had to eat the whole box instead of half since Allison wasn’t doing it, he was stillwilling to do it for the original $20. So to stop myself from gagging all over again I will just say he did it. I will include the nasty video for you to watch yourself. It was so gross. I was dry heaving the whole time. I still can’t believe he did it. Sometimes I just look at him and say, “I can’t believe you ate crickets.” So GROSS!!

Monday we packed up and headed for the next part of our vacation. A cruise to the Bahama’s!