melmar02

Sorry for the delay in posting - we got back and life started right back up again!
Day 4, Roatan 
This morning's sunrise was accompanied by a bit of land on the port side of the ship. We decided to go to Chops for breakfast this morning instead of the Windjammer, a suite benefit we had yet to try out. I think DH was afraid of missing out on the buffet selection, but we all found plenty to eat. DS and I shared an order of french toast on top of our eggs, and it was delicious.

Today we were taking the only excursion we booked through Royal. The Cruise Planner offered one time for the excursion which was 8:50; however, when we boarded and looked at our actual tickets the start time was 10:00am. We made sure to pick up a couple boxes of cereal from the suite lounge for the kids because we initially thought we would be back on board in time for a late lunch. Since we stuffed ourselves at Chops, no one was hungry until we made it back to the ship anyway so it all worked out.
Our group met on the dock right in front of the ship. We were early, so we had time to get our pictures made and listen to the musicians.

As we were waiting in line, we kept thinking more and more people would show up, but there were only 17 of us on the tour including 5 kids. My son was the smallest and was handed the sign to lead us all to the bus. My husband had this job for the America's Cup excursion in St. Maarten on our first cruise... he got the job because he's 6'4" and hard to miss though. 

 
We took a short ride (20 minutes) through town to catch a boat next to Daniel Johnson's. We sailed over to Big French Key (took 5 minutes, maybe) and after walking past a rescue tiger enclosure, we were outfitted with our snorkel gear which was all in good repair. They had a giant locker for our whole group to use while snorkeling. We then went back to the dock to head out to Lobster City which was just a minute or two away... we didn't see a single lobster. There were several coral heads with mostly small fish and a small drop off. Our guide found a conch and brought it up for everyone to get a better look. The snorkeling was OK, not spectacular, but the kids really enjoyed their first open water experience. Once the snorkeling was over, we sailed back to BFK and had about an hour and a half at their beach. The beach was protected and very calm, and they had a restaurant if you wanted to purchase food or drinks. We didn't but others in our group said the quesadillas were ok but the nachos were not good at all. 


We then got back on the bus and headed to Iguana Hideaway where we were surrounded by iguanas. You could go into an enclosure with the young iguanas, and the kids got to hold one. Then the guides gave us all branches to feed the big iguanas, and our group was rushed - they knew when it was feeding time! At the back of the Iguana Hideaway, there was a small dock that was enclosed and full of tarpon which we got to feed as well.

We got back on the bus and headed back to the ship. Our guide had the driver stop by a fruit stand and bought a bag of rambutans for us all to try. By the time we got back on the ship, it was close to 3pm, so we headed to Sorrentos and Cafe Promenade to pick up a couple things for lunch and ate on our balcony. Oddly, this was our only visit to either of these spots the whole week!
Dinner tonight was the goat cheese and tomato tart (which needed more goat cheese on it), the lamb shank (so good!), and the pavlova. We went to 90's name that tune in the Schooner Bar after dinner, and I found my new favorite drink - the Habanero Grapefruit Daiquiri! The kids were silly tired by then, so we called it a night.

We had moved the towel animals to cabinet in the living room and added post it notes with their names dubbing the collection The Allen Zoo. The elephant was beheaded in the process, and we fixed it the best we could. Wilbort fixed him up properly and left us three more towel animals - one waiting for us when we got in from port, and two after dinner. Here's Caramel the gorilla, Fido the dog, and "The Zookeeper". 
 
  

Ugh! I double checked everything yesterday and our excursion and drink packages were higher than what we paid originally. Our excursion is even higher with today's sale. I'm waiting for Black Friday to book our drinks and excursions on our February cruise. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Day 5, Costa Maya
We woke up and decided we wanted to take advantage of the suite breakfast in Chops for the rest of the cruise. DS still wanted the buffet, so after DH, DD, and I ordered, I took him out to fix a plate and brought it back to our quiet corner in Chops.  We decided not to get off the ship at all today, and after breakfast we had a shuffleboard tournament at our son's request - DD won by a mile. After shuffleboard, we went to the room to plan the rest of our day. We purchased internet for the day, and let the kids out of their electronic detox for a little bit then headed up to play mini golf. Parts of the course were 'squishy'. You would step up to putt and the turf would sink a little beneath you, but otherwise it seemed in good repair. There was absolutely no breeze though, and it was really humid/hot up there. While fun, we were all done by the 9th hole; we probably would have been much more comfortable out there on a sea day. Next up was the Windjammer for lunch, and judging by how busy it was, it seems like a lot of people didn't get off the ship today.

After lunch, DH took a nap, DD played on the tablet (she was going through some serious video game withdrawal!), and DS and I went up to Splashaway Bay for the afternoon. Then it was back to the room to get ready for dinner. I had the garlic soup, the roasted beef strip loin (I think... maybe it was the pork loin. Good but not memorable), and the grand marnier souffle.

Tonight was date night, and we dropped the kids off at Adventure Ocean... but we couldn't really decide what to do. The casino wasn't calling us, and we didn't care about seeing Saturday Night Fever. We went to Vintages to try the Oberon Cab Sav, and it was very good. We then went to Olive or Twist for ballroom dancing which was a bust. The few people that were up there were playing cards. There was one other couple that was there for dancing, and we both left in the middle of the first song - the atmosphere was just off with recorded music and the lights all the way up. Off to the Schooner Bar for what was listed as "Piano Bar Sing-A-Long" in the Cruise Compass. Alas, there was no singing-a-long. There were four single women sitting in front of the piano, two other couples,  and a few people coming and going at the bar. We were thinking we would hear Piano Man, Sweet Caroline, and the like. Instead we were treated to a good rendition of Santana's Smooth and a couple of ballads... nothing you would really sing along to. It was disappointing as far as what we thought would be an upbeat fun time, but it good people watching though. By this time, it was getting late for the kids. We decided to just pick them up and get them to bed because tomorrow was their big beach day. Poor DD was asleep on the couch in Adventure Ocean when I picked her up. ?
Tonight we met Flap the bird and Opal the opossum. At least we think it was an opossum? 

 
Our menagerie was starting to take over.

 

Is it just me, or does it look like "The Zookeper" got kicked somewhere unpleasant by one of the other animals? ?

Day 5, Costa Maya
We woke up and decided we wanted to take advantage of the suite breakfast in Chops for the rest of the cruise. DS still wanted the buffet, so after DH, DD, and I ordered, I took him out to fix a plate and brought it back to our quiet corner in Chops.  We decided not to get off the ship at all today, and after breakfast we had a shuffleboard tournament at our son's request - DD won by a mile. After shuffleboard, we went to the room to plan the rest of our day. We purchased internet for the day, and let the kids out of their electronic detox for a little bit then headed up to play mini golf. Parts of the course were 'squishy'. You would step up to putt and the turf would sink a little beneath you, but otherwise it seemed in good repair. There was absolutely no breeze though, and it was really humid/hot up there. While fun, we were all done by the 9th hole; we probably would have been much more comfortable out there on a sea day. Next up was the Windjammer for lunch, and judging by how busy it was, it seems like a lot of people didn't get off the ship today.

After lunch, DH took a nap, DD played on the tablet (she was going through some serious video game withdrawal!), and DS and I went up to Splashaway Bay for the afternoon. Then it was back to the room to get ready for dinner. I had the garlic soup, the roasted beef strip loin (I think... maybe it was the pork loin. Good but not memorable), and the grand marnier souffle.

Tonight was date night, and we dropped the kids off at Adventure Ocean... but we couldn't really decide what to do. The casino wasn't calling us, and we didn't care about seeing Saturday Night Fever. We went to Vintages to try the Oberon Cab Sav, and it was very good. We then went to Olive or Twist for ballroom dancing which was a bust. The few people that were up there were playing cards. There was one other couple that was there for dancing, and we both left in the middle of the first song - the atmosphere was just off with recorded music and the lights all the way up. Off to the Schooner Bar for what was listed as "Piano Bar Sing-A-Long" in the Cruise Compass. Alas, there was no singing-a-long. There were four single women sitting in front of the piano, two other couples,  and a few people coming and going at the bar. We were thinking we would hear Piano Man, Sweet Caroline, and the like. Instead we were treated to a good rendition of Santana's Smooth and a couple of ballads... nothing you would really sing along to. It was disappointing as far as what we thought would be an upbeat fun time, but it good people watching though. By this time, it was getting late for the kids. We decided to just pick them up and get them to bed because tomorrow was their big beach day. Poor DD was asleep on the couch in Adventure Ocean when I picked her up. ?
Tonight we met Flap the bird and Opal the opossum. At least we think it was an opossum? 

 
Our menagerie was starting to take over.

 

An added benefit to this sailing is embarkation day will be our 11th wedding anniversary! This means we are firmly in the "middle couple" spot of the Love and Marriage game show! 

We have not made any plans yet to celebrate, but know we will enjoy a meal at a specialty restaurant.  My wife refuses to spend our anniversary in the MDR ?
Our plan is to take advantage of the Diamond Plus BOGO specialty restaurant offer and likely end up at Jamie's.

Let's try this again!
This weekend I'm taking the family on Mariner of the Seas for a 3-night cruise to the Bahamas and I'll be live blogging it! In fact, I'm starting this live blog just two days before we set sail, unlike @Lovetocruise2002 ancient Greek epic live blogs that begin in the months leading up to the dawn of time.

Actual footage of @Lovetocruise2002 retelling her cruise highlights
When last I left you all in my live blog, I was booked on Mariner of the Seas to enjoy a 3-night cruise, but then Hurricane Dorian forced my hand and I had to cancel. 

This is a 3-night sailing on the fabulous Mariner of the Seas and it will take us to Freeport Bahamas....

Just kidding. We're going to Perfect Day at CocoCay only. We were scheduled to go to Freeport, but the damage caused by Hurricane Dorian resulted in the port being skipped and instead, we will have a sea day.
I am bringing the family with me on this sailing, and we are staying in a category 1K Ultra Spacious Ocean View Stateroom.  This room is at the front of the ship and offers 328 square feet of space, complete with bunk beds, which my daughters think is the coolest darn room ever.  
The other interesting aspect to this cruise is the fact we will be attending a wedding onboard.  Friend of the blog, Michael "Babyface" Poole will be tying the knot on Perfect Day at CocoCay!
This will be my second wedding that I've attended at CocoCay, but first since the island's makeover. In addition to a lot of sweating during the ceremony, we are looking forward to seeing what an island wedding is all about.
That's it for now. I'll be working Friday morning and then promptly pick my kids up from school the moment a half day counts, and then drive over to Port Canaveral to board Mariner of the Seas. If all goes to plan, should be there right around 1pm on Friday.
 
Can't wait to get onboard....for real this time!

Day 5, Costa Maya
We woke up and decided we wanted to take advantage of the suite breakfast in Chops for the rest of the cruise. DS still wanted the buffet, so after DH, DD, and I ordered, I took him out to fix a plate and brought it back to our quiet corner in Chops.  We decided not to get off the ship at all today, and after breakfast we had a shuffleboard tournament at our son's request - DD won by a mile. After shuffleboard, we went to the room to plan the rest of our day. We purchased internet for the day, and let the kids out of their electronic detox for a little bit then headed up to play mini golf. Parts of the course were 'squishy'. You would step up to putt and the turf would sink a little beneath you, but otherwise it seemed in good repair. There was absolutely no breeze though, and it was really humid/hot up there. While fun, we were all done by the 9th hole; we probably would have been much more comfortable out there on a sea day. Next up was the Windjammer for lunch, and judging by how busy it was, it seems like a lot of people didn't get off the ship today.

After lunch, DH took a nap, DD played on the tablet (she was going through some serious video game withdrawal!), and DS and I went up to Splashaway Bay for the afternoon. Then it was back to the room to get ready for dinner. I had the garlic soup, the roasted beef strip loin (I think... maybe it was the pork loin. Good but not memorable), and the grand marnier souffle.

Tonight was date night, and we dropped the kids off at Adventure Ocean... but we couldn't really decide what to do. The casino wasn't calling us, and we didn't care about seeing Saturday Night Fever. We went to Vintages to try the Oberon Cab Sav, and it was very good. We then went to Olive or Twist for ballroom dancing which was a bust. The few people that were up there were playing cards. There was one other couple that was there for dancing, and we both left in the middle of the first song - the atmosphere was just off with recorded music and the lights all the way up. Off to the Schooner Bar for what was listed as "Piano Bar Sing-A-Long" in the Cruise Compass. Alas, there was no singing-a-long. There were four single women sitting in front of the piano, two other couples,  and a few people coming and going at the bar. We were thinking we would hear Piano Man, Sweet Caroline, and the like. Instead we were treated to a good rendition of Santana's Smooth and a couple of ballads... nothing you would really sing along to. It was disappointing as far as what we thought would be an upbeat fun time, but it good people watching though. By this time, it was getting late for the kids. We decided to just pick them up and get them to bed because tomorrow was their big beach day. Poor DD was asleep on the couch in Adventure Ocean when I picked her up. ?
Tonight we met Flap the bird and Opal the opossum. At least we think it was an opossum? 

 
Our menagerie was starting to take over.

 

Where is that intern from July when we need him?

Sorry for the delay in posting - we got back and life started right back up again!
Day 4, Roatan 
This morning's sunrise was accompanied by a bit of land on the port side of the ship. We decided to go to Chops for breakfast this morning instead of the Windjammer, a suite benefit we had yet to try out. I think DH was afraid of missing out on the buffet selection, but we all found plenty to eat. DS and I shared an order of french toast on top of our eggs, and it was delicious.

Today we were taking the only excursion we booked through Royal. The Cruise Planner offered one time for the excursion which was 8:50; however, when we boarded and looked at our actual tickets the start time was 10:00am. We made sure to pick up a couple boxes of cereal from the suite lounge for the kids because we initially thought we would be back on board in time for a late lunch. Since we stuffed ourselves at Chops, no one was hungry until we made it back to the ship anyway so it all worked out.
Our group met on the dock right in front of the ship. We were early, so we had time to get our pictures made and listen to the musicians.

As we were waiting in line, we kept thinking more and more people would show up, but there were only 17 of us on the tour including 5 kids. My son was the smallest and was handed the sign to lead us all to the bus. My husband had this job for the America's Cup excursion in St. Maarten on our first cruise... he got the job because he's 6'4" and hard to miss though. 

 
We took a short ride (20 minutes) through town to catch a boat next to Daniel Johnson's. We sailed over to Big French Key (took 5 minutes, maybe) and after walking past a rescue tiger enclosure, we were outfitted with our snorkel gear which was all in good repair. They had a giant locker for our whole group to use while snorkeling. We then went back to the dock to head out to Lobster City which was just a minute or two away... we didn't see a single lobster. There were several coral heads with mostly small fish and a small drop off. Our guide found a conch and brought it up for everyone to get a better look. The snorkeling was OK, not spectacular, but the kids really enjoyed their first open water experience. Once the snorkeling was over, we sailed back to BFK and had about an hour and a half at their beach. The beach was protected and very calm, and they had a restaurant if you wanted to purchase food or drinks. We didn't but others in our group said the quesadillas were ok but the nachos were not good at all. 


We then got back on the bus and headed to Iguana Hideaway where we were surrounded by iguanas. You could go into an enclosure with the young iguanas, and the kids got to hold one. Then the guides gave us all branches to feed the big iguanas, and our group was rushed - they knew when it was feeding time! At the back of the Iguana Hideaway, there was a small dock that was enclosed and full of tarpon which we got to feed as well.

We got back on the bus and headed back to the ship. Our guide had the driver stop by a fruit stand and bought a bag of rambutans for us all to try. By the time we got back on the ship, it was close to 3pm, so we headed to Sorrentos and Cafe Promenade to pick up a couple things for lunch and ate on our balcony. Oddly, this was our only visit to either of these spots the whole week!
Dinner tonight was the goat cheese and tomato tart (which needed more goat cheese on it), the lamb shank (so good!), and the pavlova. We went to 90's name that tune in the Schooner Bar after dinner, and I found my new favorite drink - the Habanero Grapefruit Daiquiri! The kids were silly tired by then, so we called it a night.

We had moved the towel animals to cabinet in the living room and added post it notes with their names dubbing the collection The Allen Zoo. The elephant was beheaded in the process, and we fixed it the best we could. Wilbort fixed him up properly and left us three more towel animals - one waiting for us when we got in from port, and two after dinner. Here's Caramel the gorilla, Fido the dog, and "The Zookeeper". 
 
  

I was on Liberty a couple of weeks ago, and unfortunately we never made it out to the pools at night, and bar times aren't listed in the Cruise Compass. If the pool bar isn't open, you might try Squeeze, Sky Bar, or the Solarium Bar. If none of those are open, the next closest bar is the Plaza Bar in the Windjammer.

Sorry for the delay in posting - we got back and life started right back up again!
Day 4, Roatan 
This morning's sunrise was accompanied by a bit of land on the port side of the ship. We decided to go to Chops for breakfast this morning instead of the Windjammer, a suite benefit we had yet to try out. I think DH was afraid of missing out on the buffet selection, but we all found plenty to eat. DS and I shared an order of french toast on top of our eggs, and it was delicious.

Today we were taking the only excursion we booked through Royal. The Cruise Planner offered one time for the excursion which was 8:50; however, when we boarded and looked at our actual tickets the start time was 10:00am. We made sure to pick up a couple boxes of cereal from the suite lounge for the kids because we initially thought we would be back on board in time for a late lunch. Since we stuffed ourselves at Chops, no one was hungry until we made it back to the ship anyway so it all worked out.
Our group met on the dock right in front of the ship. We were early, so we had time to get our pictures made and listen to the musicians.

As we were waiting in line, we kept thinking more and more people would show up, but there were only 17 of us on the tour including 5 kids. My son was the smallest and was handed the sign to lead us all to the bus. My husband had this job for the America's Cup excursion in St. Maarten on our first cruise... he got the job because he's 6'4" and hard to miss though. 

 
We took a short ride (20 minutes) through town to catch a boat next to Daniel Johnson's. We sailed over to Big French Key (took 5 minutes, maybe) and after walking past a rescue tiger enclosure, we were outfitted with our snorkel gear which was all in good repair. They had a giant locker for our whole group to use while snorkeling. We then went back to the dock to head out to Lobster City which was just a minute or two away... we didn't see a single lobster. There were several coral heads with mostly small fish and a small drop off. Our guide found a conch and brought it up for everyone to get a better look. The snorkeling was OK, not spectacular, but the kids really enjoyed their first open water experience. Once the snorkeling was over, we sailed back to BFK and had about an hour and a half at their beach. The beach was protected and very calm, and they had a restaurant if you wanted to purchase food or drinks. We didn't but others in our group said the quesadillas were ok but the nachos were not good at all. 


We then got back on the bus and headed to Iguana Hideaway where we were surrounded by iguanas. You could go into an enclosure with the young iguanas, and the kids got to hold one. Then the guides gave us all branches to feed the big iguanas, and our group was rushed - they knew when it was feeding time! At the back of the Iguana Hideaway, there was a small dock that was enclosed and full of tarpon which we got to feed as well.

We got back on the bus and headed back to the ship. Our guide had the driver stop by a fruit stand and bought a bag of rambutans for us all to try. By the time we got back on the ship, it was close to 3pm, so we headed to Sorrentos and Cafe Promenade to pick up a couple things for lunch and ate on our balcony. Oddly, this was our only visit to either of these spots the whole week!
Dinner tonight was the goat cheese and tomato tart (which needed more goat cheese on it), the lamb shank (so good!), and the pavlova. We went to 90's name that tune in the Schooner Bar after dinner, and I found my new favorite drink - the Habanero Grapefruit Daiquiri! The kids were silly tired by then, so we called it a night.

We had moved the towel animals to cabinet in the living room and added post it notes with their names dubbing the collection The Allen Zoo. The elephant was beheaded in the process, and we fixed it the best we could. Wilbort fixed him up properly and left us three more towel animals - one waiting for us when we got in from port, and two after dinner. Here's Caramel the gorilla, Fido the dog, and "The Zookeeper". 
 
  

Sorry for the delay in posting - we got back and life started right back up again!
Day 4, Roatan 
This morning's sunrise was accompanied by a bit of land on the port side of the ship. We decided to go to Chops for breakfast this morning instead of the Windjammer, a suite benefit we had yet to try out. I think DH was afraid of missing out on the buffet selection, but we all found plenty to eat. DS and I shared an order of french toast on top of our eggs, and it was delicious.

Today we were taking the only excursion we booked through Royal. The Cruise Planner offered one time for the excursion which was 8:50; however, when we boarded and looked at our actual tickets the start time was 10:00am. We made sure to pick up a couple boxes of cereal from the suite lounge for the kids because we initially thought we would be back on board in time for a late lunch. Since we stuffed ourselves at Chops, no one was hungry until we made it back to the ship anyway so it all worked out.
Our group met on the dock right in front of the ship. We were early, so we had time to get our pictures made and listen to the musicians.

As we were waiting in line, we kept thinking more and more people would show up, but there were only 17 of us on the tour including 5 kids. My son was the smallest and was handed the sign to lead us all to the bus. My husband had this job for the America's Cup excursion in St. Maarten on our first cruise... he got the job because he's 6'4" and hard to miss though. 

 
We took a short ride (20 minutes) through town to catch a boat next to Daniel Johnson's. We sailed over to Big French Key (took 5 minutes, maybe) and after walking past a rescue tiger enclosure, we were outfitted with our snorkel gear which was all in good repair. They had a giant locker for our whole group to use while snorkeling. We then went back to the dock to head out to Lobster City which was just a minute or two away... we didn't see a single lobster. There were several coral heads with mostly small fish and a small drop off. Our guide found a conch and brought it up for everyone to get a better look. The snorkeling was OK, not spectacular, but the kids really enjoyed their first open water experience. Once the snorkeling was over, we sailed back to BFK and had about an hour and a half at their beach. The beach was protected and very calm, and they had a restaurant if you wanted to purchase food or drinks. We didn't but others in our group said the quesadillas were ok but the nachos were not good at all. 


We then got back on the bus and headed to Iguana Hideaway where we were surrounded by iguanas. You could go into an enclosure with the young iguanas, and the kids got to hold one. Then the guides gave us all branches to feed the big iguanas, and our group was rushed - they knew when it was feeding time! At the back of the Iguana Hideaway, there was a small dock that was enclosed and full of tarpon which we got to feed as well.

We got back on the bus and headed back to the ship. Our guide had the driver stop by a fruit stand and bought a bag of rambutans for us all to try. By the time we got back on the ship, it was close to 3pm, so we headed to Sorrentos and Cafe Promenade to pick up a couple things for lunch and ate on our balcony. Oddly, this was our only visit to either of these spots the whole week!
Dinner tonight was the goat cheese and tomato tart (which needed more goat cheese on it), the lamb shank (so good!), and the pavlova. We went to 90's name that tune in the Schooner Bar after dinner, and I found my new favorite drink - the Habanero Grapefruit Daiquiri! The kids were silly tired by then, so we called it a night.

We had moved the towel animals to cabinet in the living room and added post it notes with their names dubbing the collection The Allen Zoo. The elephant was beheaded in the process, and we fixed it the best we could. Wilbort fixed him up properly and left us three more towel animals - one waiting for us when we got in from port, and two after dinner. Here's Caramel the gorilla, Fido the dog, and "The Zookeeper". 
 
  

Sorry for the delay in posting - we got back and life started right back up again!
Day 4, Roatan 
This morning's sunrise was accompanied by a bit of land on the port side of the ship. We decided to go to Chops for breakfast this morning instead of the Windjammer, a suite benefit we had yet to try out. I think DH was afraid of missing out on the buffet selection, but we all found plenty to eat. DS and I shared an order of french toast on top of our eggs, and it was delicious.

Today we were taking the only excursion we booked through Royal. The Cruise Planner offered one time for the excursion which was 8:50; however, when we boarded and looked at our actual tickets the start time was 10:00am. We made sure to pick up a couple boxes of cereal from the suite lounge for the kids because we initially thought we would be back on board in time for a late lunch. Since we stuffed ourselves at Chops, no one was hungry until we made it back to the ship anyway so it all worked out.
Our group met on the dock right in front of the ship. We were early, so we had time to get our pictures made and listen to the musicians.

As we were waiting in line, we kept thinking more and more people would show up, but there were only 17 of us on the tour including 5 kids. My son was the smallest and was handed the sign to lead us all to the bus. My husband had this job for the America's Cup excursion in St. Maarten on our first cruise... he got the job because he's 6'4" and hard to miss though. 

 
We took a short ride (20 minutes) through town to catch a boat next to Daniel Johnson's. We sailed over to Big French Key (took 5 minutes, maybe) and after walking past a rescue tiger enclosure, we were outfitted with our snorkel gear which was all in good repair. They had a giant locker for our whole group to use while snorkeling. We then went back to the dock to head out to Lobster City which was just a minute or two away... we didn't see a single lobster. There were several coral heads with mostly small fish and a small drop off. Our guide found a conch and brought it up for everyone to get a better look. The snorkeling was OK, not spectacular, but the kids really enjoyed their first open water experience. Once the snorkeling was over, we sailed back to BFK and had about an hour and a half at their beach. The beach was protected and very calm, and they had a restaurant if you wanted to purchase food or drinks. We didn't but others in our group said the quesadillas were ok but the nachos were not good at all. 


We then got back on the bus and headed to Iguana Hideaway where we were surrounded by iguanas. You could go into an enclosure with the young iguanas, and the kids got to hold one. Then the guides gave us all branches to feed the big iguanas, and our group was rushed - they knew when it was feeding time! At the back of the Iguana Hideaway, there was a small dock that was enclosed and full of tarpon which we got to feed as well.

We got back on the bus and headed back to the ship. Our guide had the driver stop by a fruit stand and bought a bag of rambutans for us all to try. By the time we got back on the ship, it was close to 3pm, so we headed to Sorrentos and Cafe Promenade to pick up a couple things for lunch and ate on our balcony. Oddly, this was our only visit to either of these spots the whole week!
Dinner tonight was the goat cheese and tomato tart (which needed more goat cheese on it), the lamb shank (so good!), and the pavlova. We went to 90's name that tune in the Schooner Bar after dinner, and I found my new favorite drink - the Habanero Grapefruit Daiquiri! The kids were silly tired by then, so we called it a night.

We had moved the towel animals to cabinet in the living room and added post it notes with their names dubbing the collection The Allen Zoo. The elephant was beheaded in the process, and we fixed it the best we could. Wilbort fixed him up properly and left us three more towel animals - one waiting for us when we got in from port, and two after dinner. Here's Caramel the gorilla, Fido the dog, and "The Zookeeper". 
 
  

Day 3, at Sea - We woke up to a much prettier sunrise today!

 
We decided to check out the Suite Lounge, and the kids were very happy to find chocolate glazed donuts. DH was happy to find the espresso machine. Then we headed to the Windjammer for our real breakfast. 

 
We explored a little more before dropping the kids off at Adventure Ocean. From the helipad, seas were pretty calm.

We tried our luck in the casino and found we didn't really have any this trip, so we picked up the kids and went to lunch at Johnny Rockets. Milk shakes were included with the beverage package, but floats were not. They were $3.50 or $3.75 I think. DD spilled her float when she was about 3/4 of the way through drinking it. They replaced the float for free and took off one of our meals too which I thought was above and beyond. It's not like the ship was rocking and it slid off the table or anything, the glass slipped out of her hand. As a side note - hand sanitizer gets really slippery on your hands when they get wet, like from condensation on a glass. Thankfully we brought travel size detergent and washed her outfit in the sink. 
When we got back to the room after lunch, a plate of treats was waiting for us.

 
We only stayed in the room a little while because we wanted to see the ice show. We got there about 30 minutes ahead of time and were able to get a seat, but it filled up pretty fast once we sat down. Overall the show was good, there were a few falls and an entire routine where the female skater looked nervous before every single lift - maybe she just learned the routine? At the end of that number she was so excited! The kids thoroughly enjoyed the show, and a routine at the end was very funny. After the ice show we went back to the pool for a little bit then got ready for dinner. Here's the dinner menu for day 3, but we decided to eat in the Windjammer because no one was really hungry after the burgers at lunch. 

 
After dinner, we introduced the kids to shuffleboard. Tonight was a comedic juggler, and he was really good. A couple of jokes were just a little too old for the kids, but he was very funny and interacted with the audience a lot. We came back to the room for the evening and met Shelly.

20190903_090438.mp4

Totally off topic, but we love Frog's Leap! We visited their winery on our honeymoon. 

Pop up hampers. We planned on taking 1 for the kids and just a mesh laundry bag for me and DH. Amazon was selling a 2 pack, so we went ahead and brought the second one. It's a little thing, but we loved being able to just toss dirty clothes in instead of having to mess with finding the opening on a shapeless bag. 

Do you have one that you would recommend? Strong enough for a towel? (if not the bathroom door hooks would be fine). 

Day 3, at Sea - We woke up to a much prettier sunrise today!

 
We decided to check out the Suite Lounge, and the kids were very happy to find chocolate glazed donuts. DH was happy to find the espresso machine. Then we headed to the Windjammer for our real breakfast. 

 
We explored a little more before dropping the kids off at Adventure Ocean. From the helipad, seas were pretty calm.

We tried our luck in the casino and found we didn't really have any this trip, so we picked up the kids and went to lunch at Johnny Rockets. Milk shakes were included with the beverage package, but floats were not. They were $3.50 or $3.75 I think. DD spilled her float when she was about 3/4 of the way through drinking it. They replaced the float for free and took off one of our meals too which I thought was above and beyond. It's not like the ship was rocking and it slid off the table or anything, the glass slipped out of her hand. As a side note - hand sanitizer gets really slippery on your hands when they get wet, like from condensation on a glass. Thankfully we brought travel size detergent and washed her outfit in the sink. 
When we got back to the room after lunch, a plate of treats was waiting for us.

 
We only stayed in the room a little while because we wanted to see the ice show. We got there about 30 minutes ahead of time and were able to get a seat, but it filled up pretty fast once we sat down. Overall the show was good, there were a few falls and an entire routine where the female skater looked nervous before every single lift - maybe she just learned the routine? At the end of that number she was so excited! The kids thoroughly enjoyed the show, and a routine at the end was very funny. After the ice show we went back to the pool for a little bit then got ready for dinner. Here's the dinner menu for day 3, but we decided to eat in the Windjammer because no one was really hungry after the burgers at lunch. 

 
After dinner, we introduced the kids to shuffleboard. Tonight was a comedic juggler, and he was really good. A couple of jokes were just a little too old for the kids, but he was very funny and interacted with the audience a lot. We came back to the room for the evening and met Shelly.

20190903_090438.mp4

Day 2, at sea - We woke up around 3am to the sounds of banging hangers in the closet. We were in a storm, and the ship was really rocking. I take a 1/2 a dramamine every morning on a cruise, but this morning I took a whole. DH and the kids wound up taking some before breakfast as well. Everyone felt fine then, so we headed to the Windjammer for breakfast then dropped the kids off at Adventure Ocean. The rain stopped mid-morning.

 
DH and I took a much needed nap until the Suite Reception which was held in Olive or Twist. We both got bloody marys which were "loaded" with bacon and shrimp. They began bringing out food, and I started to take pictures but got too hungry to capture more than the first bite. In addition to these little salmon and cream cheese sandwiches there was beef wellington, sushi, beef wrapped asparagus, bacon wrapped jalapeno chicken, mini fruit kabobs, chocolate covered strawberries, and assorted one bite mini dessert items (I'm sure I left out an item or two as well). The sushi was just ok, but everything else was wonderful. After the reception we picked up the kids and headed to the Windjammer for lunch... DH and I didn't eat much after the spread we just had.

 
They had one of the big cakes in the Windjammer at lunch, and the kids each wanted a slice. DD got hers and went back to the table while I helped my son. The slice they gave him was huge and had one of the meringues and a piece of white chocolate on it. We got back to the table and saw that my daughter's slice was even bigger than his and had a whole brownie on it - we could have split her piece among the four of us! None of it went to waste (ok, maybe it went to my waist)! ?

 
We spent the afternoon at Splashaway Bay burning off the sugar from the cake. I may have added some back into my system with a lava flow or two though. 

 
We went back to the room and got ready for our first formal night dinner. Last night I had the wild mushroom soup, the prime rib, and the hazelnut chocolate cake. Tonight was the carpaccio, duck and creme brulee. It was all really good!

 
We came back to the room to change and met Trumpet and Hops... the beginnings of our towel animal zoo. We tried to get in to see In the Air tonight, and arrived about 20 minutes before the show started. The entire theater was already packed including the gold card section. There was another show at 10:15, but that was just going to be too late for the kids. DD was NOT happy. ? We decided to call it a night.

Wilbort, our stateroom attendant was amazing. He was like a ninja sneaking in to tidy the room while we were at breakfast each morning, and in total we had 12 towel animals. I'm not sure if this is because we were in a room with 2 bedrooms, or if he just played it up for the kids, but it was awesome!

Day 3, at Sea - We woke up to a much prettier sunrise today!

 
We decided to check out the Suite Lounge, and the kids were very happy to find chocolate glazed donuts. DH was happy to find the espresso machine. Then we headed to the Windjammer for our real breakfast. 

 
We explored a little more before dropping the kids off at Adventure Ocean. From the helipad, seas were pretty calm.

We tried our luck in the casino and found we didn't really have any this trip, so we picked up the kids and went to lunch at Johnny Rockets. Milk shakes were included with the beverage package, but floats were not. They were $3.50 or $3.75 I think. DD spilled her float when she was about 3/4 of the way through drinking it. They replaced the float for free and took off one of our meals too which I thought was above and beyond. It's not like the ship was rocking and it slid off the table or anything, the glass slipped out of her hand. As a side note - hand sanitizer gets really slippery on your hands when they get wet, like from condensation on a glass. Thankfully we brought travel size detergent and washed her outfit in the sink. 
When we got back to the room after lunch, a plate of treats was waiting for us.

 
We only stayed in the room a little while because we wanted to see the ice show. We got there about 30 minutes ahead of time and were able to get a seat, but it filled up pretty fast once we sat down. Overall the show was good, there were a few falls and an entire routine where the female skater looked nervous before every single lift - maybe she just learned the routine? At the end of that number she was so excited! The kids thoroughly enjoyed the show, and a routine at the end was very funny. After the ice show we went back to the pool for a little bit then got ready for dinner. Here's the dinner menu for day 3, but we decided to eat in the Windjammer because no one was really hungry after the burgers at lunch. 

 
After dinner, we introduced the kids to shuffleboard. Tonight was a comedic juggler, and he was really good. A couple of jokes were just a little too old for the kids, but he was very funny and interacted with the audience a lot. We came back to the room for the evening and met Shelly.

20190903_090438.mp4

Day 2, at sea - We woke up around 3am to the sounds of banging hangers in the closet. We were in a storm, and the ship was really rocking. I take a 1/2 a dramamine every morning on a cruise, but this morning I took a whole. DH and the kids wound up taking some before breakfast as well. Everyone felt fine then, so we headed to the Windjammer for breakfast then dropped the kids off at Adventure Ocean. The rain stopped mid-morning.

 
DH and I took a much needed nap until the Suite Reception which was held in Olive or Twist. We both got bloody marys which were "loaded" with bacon and shrimp. They began bringing out food, and I started to take pictures but got too hungry to capture more than the first bite. In addition to these little salmon and cream cheese sandwiches there was beef wellington, sushi, beef wrapped asparagus, bacon wrapped jalapeno chicken, mini fruit kabobs, chocolate covered strawberries, and assorted one bite mini dessert items (I'm sure I left out an item or two as well). The sushi was just ok, but everything else was wonderful. After the reception we picked up the kids and headed to the Windjammer for lunch... DH and I didn't eat much after the spread we just had.

 
They had one of the big cakes in the Windjammer at lunch, and the kids each wanted a slice. DD got hers and went back to the table while I helped my son. The slice they gave him was huge and had one of the meringues and a piece of white chocolate on it. We got back to the table and saw that my daughter's slice was even bigger than his and had a whole brownie on it - we could have split her piece among the four of us! None of it went to waste (ok, maybe it went to my waist)! ?

 
We spent the afternoon at Splashaway Bay burning off the sugar from the cake. I may have added some back into my system with a lava flow or two though. 

 
We went back to the room and got ready for our first formal night dinner. Last night I had the wild mushroom soup, the prime rib, and the hazelnut chocolate cake. Tonight was the carpaccio, duck and creme brulee. It was all really good!

 
We came back to the room to change and met Trumpet and Hops... the beginnings of our towel animal zoo. We tried to get in to see In the Air tonight, and arrived about 20 minutes before the show started. The entire theater was already packed including the gold card section. There was another show at 10:15, but that was just going to be too late for the kids. DD was NOT happy. ? We decided to call it a night.

Day 6 Disembarkation dAY ?
 
We’re back baby!!  Our 20 month old/Alarm clock got us up before 7AM as usual and even though we put our luggage out the night before we still had four tote sized carry-ons and his stroller. Good thing he’s heavy enough that we just drape all of them on the handles and hope for the best.  Off to the WJ for one last stuffing!!  Petar was ‘Johnny on the spot’ with Z’s banana. Best crew member experience ever!!
 
We have never disembarked this early so I/we have never had to follow the number system to get off.  Typically our number has already been called for sometime and we just leave when we are ready. TODAY was different. Galveston ships disembark later for some reason, CCL too.  We were luggage tag 5 at a time of 9:10 am.  1 started at 8:30am I’m pretty sure. After breakfast, we ended up in the theater until Zander was out of control…so when they called 3 we just left.  No questions asked we disembarked, found out luggage, and got in line with others in this weird system of lines. You line up in number rows (line 1 being for porters) we picked line 3.  Then your were shuffled to the other side of a wall into another set of lines. We were now in line 6 ….IDK Whatever…lol  Custom was one question “ and food’ with you…and off we went. THEN as we approached the exit a group of custom agents asked if we had purchased any alcohol or tobacco. TEXAS’s TABC want their Tax money!! The only alcohol we had was the two bottles of wine we brought on….and brought back off unopened.  We said nope and kept walking.  Oh… and my R Bar Texas Tea purchase was taxed in port on day one.
 
Backing up,  Not sure if I mentioned this in Day 1’s blog. After security check point the agent asked.  “is that two bottles of wine in your carry on”….yes, it was. They asked us to bring it “over there” to that table….I’m not 100% sure why ,but I shook my head and walked with the rest of the crowd right past them.  Pfft, I ain’t got no time for that!!  Texas is very weird about their alcohol tax and I thought they were going to look for their tax stamp (my wine was bought at a winery in Clermont Fl). My loving wife said they probably wanted to make sure it was sealed?  Either way It was odd to me.  Maybe they wanted the corking fee?? 
 
OK, ship to sidewalk to shuttle to car and back to terminal to pick up wife and Z 45 minutes.  Car (2013 Mustang GT California Special Convertible) was perfect, as I left it. Hotel Galvez free parking  Worth it $$. Harbor House Hotel night before is a must. The Strand for dinner and a stroll is a must also   The port is real good. People have complained about it but the only thing is it needs updating…The exit is a long trek down a  almost dirt roads though a warehouse areas (think Journey’s Separate Ways video from 1984ish). Not the best signage either to fine Interstate 45 (the only way out) toward Houston.  A stop at Buc-eez and lunch at What-A-Burger and we were home before 2pm in San Antonio.
 
Thank everyone for following along. Feel free to ask any questions about Enchantment, Traveling with a toddler, a very pregnant wife (24 Weeks) and the Port of Galveston.

Yes, this it the 2 pack we bought.