STOP READING!

Unless you want to be bombarded with details of our vacation! I didn't realize until today that it has been one month since my last post! The middle of June was packed with swimming lessons, and vacation preparations. I'm actually a bit relieved that June is over! Where to begin about our trip? First I'll start by filling some of you in on how this whole thing got started. On Christmas Day 2005, Patrick's sister, Dawn, got engaged to her long time boyfriend Mark. He literally got down on one knee, and proposed in front of the family at the end of the gift opening. I still get tears in my eyes when I think about it. It was a very merry holiday for everyone! From there the wedding plans and ideas started snowballing. For a short time the couple considered having the wedding on a ship. They quickly realized this was quite a burden on those they really wanted in attendance, and they felt badly about excluding other friends and family at home. SO, the next grand idea was for the family's to accompany them on a Honeymoon cruise. The nuptials took place back in March 2007, followed by a few romantic days alone in Galena, IL. Then ... the honeymoon! A cruise to the Western Caribbean. There were not as many family members on the trip as they originally hoped, but it was a nice sized group of 9. Any more, and I think it would have been utter chaos! The final list included Mark, Dawn, Patrick, Myself, Pat & Wayne (my in-laws), Brandon & Justin (Dawn's sons), and Cami (Brandon's girlfriend). We all arrived in Floriday on Saturday (6/23), and stayed at a hotel that night. We enjoyed a nice dinner (all nine of us!) at a Red Lobster. The restaurant worked hard to fit our large party in. They ended up putting us outside on their patio. We were the only ones out there, so it was peaceful and relaxing. The perfect beginning to our vacation! I'm going to warn you people now ... this could get really long!!! It's hard to leave out details, and it's really fun to relive it for you. I'll try not to bore you, but HEY! It's my blog, so I'll write what I want!! LOL!! The next day we loaded up and caught a shuttle from the hotel to the pier to board the ship. Princess Cruise Lines now has an online system where you can complete and print out your boarding passes and other documents in advance. I must say, the whole thing was SLICK! I was pretty impressed, considering I have heard some horror stories about standing in long lines, in blazing heat, being herded in like cattle. It was nothing like that! Patrick is still gloating that he was the first one on the ship. Figures since he was skipping, and practically running, ahead of all of us on the gangway!! Our cabin was ready for us right away, so went there first to drop of our carry on bags. Then we set off to start exploring the ship, and figure out where everything was! This is one of the largest ships sailing the oceans today. Click the link on the upper right of this page to see all the details. At 5pm, we headed up to the Lido deck to find a balcony and watch the ship set sail. What a glorious experience! Those of you that have done it know what I'm talking about, and those of you who haven't need to start planning your cruise! It's indescribable! As the Florida coast started fading, we wandered some more and found what would be our favorite spot to lounge. A deck at the back end of the ship with a couple somewhat private balcony levels, and close to a bar and a pool! If you have browsed the pictures already, this is where we took the pictures of the feet. :) Day two took us to Princess Cays, Bahamas. This is a private island with a private beach owned by the cruise line. Let me say here that the weather was perfect all week. Warm & sunny weather everywhere we went. Hot enough to really enjoy being in the water at the beaches, but not so hot that you worried about heat stroke! We went with the family (Mom-in-law excluded) and found a group of lounge chairs together in a bit of shade. We rented snorkel equipment, and floats (rafts), and spent much of the day in the water. The snorkeling was not exceptional, but it was really fun. Something I have done in the past, and would like to do more of if we take a trip like this again. We enjoyed a Beach BBQ served by the ship's staff with more food than you can imagine! After enough fun in the sun, we went back in for our daily afternoon nap! This was hard to give up after coming home!!! Later we headed to the dining room for dinner. With the exception of the two formal nights, Patrick and I went to dinner alone. However once you get to the dining room, most of the tables seat 6-8 people, so they pair you up with others that are not in a large group. We had the opportunity to meet some wonderful people from across the globe. All had their own interesting stories and adventures to share, and we really had a lot of fun. Even my not-so-social husband! Day three was "At Sea", as we sailed from the Bahamas to Jamaica. We spent that day doing more wandering of the ship, and participating in some of the on ship activities. We played some trivia, attended a seminar on shopping in the Caribbean, wandered the ship, napped, and ate every two hours. I just realized that I haven't even touched on that subject yet! There is more food than you can even imagine on this ship! There is a 24 hour buffet, a burger counter, a pizza counter, an ice cream shoppe, and more! It is insane! The average person gains 7-10 pounds on a cruise, and I can tell you ... it's really easy to do!! Day three was also the first of two formal nights on the ship. Everyone gets all dressed up in their fanciest duds for dinner. However as soon as dinner was done, this couple went and changed in to comfier digs for the rest of the evening. I would say at least half of the people I saw did the same thing. After dinner there are still lots of things to do, and activities to attend. We saw a hypnotist show one night, and comediens on two different nights. There are also concerts, and this ship has an outdoor movie screen. Grab a deck chair, kick back, and watch a flick. It was really neat. We did this a couple times. Day four took us to Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Our first stop there was the Green Grotto Caves. Patrick was a little disappointed. I think he was hoping for a little more exploration, and less of a guided tour. It was very interesting though. Our guide there was extremely knowledgable, and had a good sense of humor. I'm not sure I would do it again, but I'm glad we went once. Next stop was Dunn's River Falls. If you have ever been to Jamaica, I'm sure you have at least heard of this very popular tourist attraction. Our tour included actually climbing the falls. What an amazing experience! We had a lot of fun, and this is one that I would definitely do again! We were exhausted after that, so we opted to head back to the ship to relax instead of head downtown to shop. Glad we did, as the only rain of the week, hit shortly after we got back on board. I heard people saying they were hit with a downpour at the falls around that time, however back on ship we just got a light sprinkle. Day five was our favorite destination. I have already been looking into returning here for a longer stay! Grand Cayman is quite possibly heaven on earth! The first stop on our excursion was to the Butterfly Farm. Here they raise over 50 breeds of butterflies from around the world, some of them quite exotic. Again, a stop that I would recommend if you ever have the chance. Nice and relaxing after our more active day in Jamaica. Following the Butterfly Farm was a stop at 7 Mile Beach. This is one of the most famous, and beautiful beaches in the world. Pristine white sands & crystal clear water as far as the eye can see. My only complaint is that we had to leave so soon to return to the ship! By this time, my tan was coming along quite nicely! Those of you that know me well, know how challenged I am in this area!! I'm doing my best to maintain it!! Day six was spent in Cozumel, Mexico. I spent the late morning & early afternoon shopping with Dawn, while Patrick had the chance to go bottom fishing with Wayne & Mark. It was fun exploring all the little shops. Especially with Dawn. The locals really get going with the haggling when they find someone who speaks their language! It was quite entertaining, and although I didn't buy much myself, I still had a really good time. Our last day was once again spent at sea, as we headed back to Ft. Lauderdale. We did a lot of lounging, and I spent my last day working on that Caribbean tan. We spent most of the day savoring everything. Trying to memorize all the little details that will be forgotten all too soon. Thank goodness for the pictures & the souvenirs!! If I left anything out, please let me know!! I'm sure you won't have to twist my arm very hard to get me to start talking about it again!! Bye for now, and thanks for reading!!!