Hawaii - we are here!

April 26, 2009

Hilo, Hawaii

Woke up this am eagerly anticipating a tropical shore experience. The boat was to dock at 8am, so I elected to forgo my workout until returning to the ship tonight. We were only going to be in Hilo 8 hours so wanted to maximize our time there.Went up to the Lido deck for breakfast prior to disembarking. Sat out by the Lido pool to eat - I wanted to enjoy the scenery as we were approaching Hawaii. This is funny….Ok, I had entertained the idea of going to the Singles and Solos Group on day 2 just to “check it out,” but thankfully other activities on the boat kept us busy and I never made it there. Because as I was sitting eating my breakfast, I overheard a gentleman sitting at the next table talking on his cell phone. He was telling whoever was on the other line that he went to the Singles and Solos Group and he was the youngest one there. Chuckle. Chuckle. He was about 65. Oh, looking back - how glad was I that I was diverted to other things on day 2.

There are so many shore excursions that they encourage you to sign up for. They are quite costly. I wanted to do something fun with the kids, but wasn’t sure what. So, we got off the boat and started walking down the street scoping out all the tour operators there looking for a deal. We came across a haulie couple (sp? that is what the Hawaiians call Caucasians) who were transplants from Washington State. We elected to go on their personal tour in a private car for $80.00pp. We started at 9am and went until 315p. It was well worth it! I did not really want to spend the day in a car, but the weather was cloudy - though warm, and it worked out all right because we got to see so many things.

First stop was the volcano. I, personally, had wanted to see them prior to leaving home, but knew the kids would be rather bored. I also thought it would be a good educational experience for them to see this active volcano comparative to our Mt. Redoubt at home. After all, they are missing a couple weeks of school and traveling is such an amazing learning experience. So, we drove through the jungle to get there, which has beautiful greenery. The trees are so diverse and pretty.

 

We stood next to some steam plumes.

Though one of the more amazing parts of the volcano experience was after we returned to the boat and set sail for Honolulu. It was now night time and dark. There were two volcanoes with active lava flowing out into the ocean emitting this amazingly beautiful orange glow. I was unable to photograph it due to our distance from it and it being such a dark night, but it really was amazing!

We then stopped somewhere in the middle of a jungle and walked through a lava tube. It was quite like a cave. Water dripped on us as we walked through. The jungle was amazing! I loved the foliage and I didn’t even see one bug!

We then went to an orchid farm. We each got an orchid for our hair upon arrival. Place it in your left ear if your married or taken, right ear if you are available (which is where we placed ours) and both ears if you are married or taken and available - really, that is what the sign said. I snapped a few pics of the gorgeous flowers here. There was a very rare orchid worth $20,000 in this farm - one flower, which was a brownish color - and to me really probably the ugliest flower there. It’s value is due to its rarity and perfect symmetry. I would have photographed it, but it was on a display that was taller than me - out of reach for tourists.

The to the Macadamia Nut Factory. The kids were getting pretty hungry since it had been a whole 3 hours since they ate anything. So, we sampled some nuts and then purchased some to eat. Bubby’s favorite was the Teriyaki Waasabi - and they were probably my fave too. They did have a Maui Onion and Garlic which was decent, but not enough garlic for my taste. The girl like the Chocolate Coconut Covered ones…and those were delicious too! Needless to say, I spent over $50.00 on nuts.Though the BEST part of the Macadamia Nut Factory was……there is a jewelry counter by Maui Divers set up there. They have a pick your own oyster for $14.95. One coupon per family and wouldn’t you know, I picked a 40% off coupon so it was just a mere $8.97. I let the luck of the little one choose the oyster and to my surprise and the surprise of all the staff, she not only picked a shell that contained twin pearls, but they were HUGE and a beautiful black color with an iridescent purple. How exciting! Of course, now I was thinking that this was a real treat and we should have them set. I could do it when I get home, but really when and where would I find such a variety of settings. They would have made beautiful earrings, but I knew they would get much more use as a necklace. So I decided to get us matching pendants for our souvenir from HI. Ching Ching. Ok, I did not purchase the chain though, because I have a couple at home and can always get those later. Well, because I purchased two settings, the jeweler let me pick another oyster as a “gift”. Well, I decided to let Bubby try his luck this time and lo and behold….he also picked a set of twins - this time they were a golden color and slightly smaller in size. It was a good day at the Macadamia Nut Factory!

Then it was off to Rainbow Falls. This was a gorgeous waterfall! In the early morning, regardless of the presence of rain, a rainbow is usually visible through the falls - hence the name. However we were here later in the day and there was no rainbow to be seen. The beauty was still breathtaking.

Just a short hike behind the falls was an enormous Banyan tree. Givin some time, that sure would have been fun to climb in and around. Though, the little one saw her first spider in there.

Lastly we went to a black sand beach. Despite the cloudiness, the beach was busy. The sand was black (which is caused from the molten lava from the volcanoes) and there is very fine peridot throughout the sand. So, it looks like there is a green tinge to it. Our tour guide collects the big pieces she finds in hopes of making a fine piece of jewelry someday. The peridot is made in the lava rock - very pretty. The little one wanted to swim in the ocean, so she was in faster than I could say go. And she went out pretty far too, letting the waves carry her. Then, surprise - about 10 feet to her right was a sea turtle. The head was about as big as my upper arm and the body was the size of the table my sister gave me with the fold down sides. After we all spotted the first one, then we notice a buddy next to him. So, now the little girl can say she swam with the sea turtles. I tried to snap a picture of them, but they poke their heads up so fast and flip over so fast, my shutter couldn’t get it.

It was now 3pm and we needed to get back to the boat before 4pm. So, our guides brought us back. Because we will be on Hawaii again (though the Kona side) in three days, they offered to take us to three different beaches snorkeling. So, I just think we might take them up on that. It was such a great day.

Once I got back to the boat, I was compelled to go to the gym. So I went to the 4pm Total Body Conditioning class. It was an a** kicker for sure. And I really wanted to skip out on it, but talked myself into keeping with my promise….ugh! The little girl went with me and did most of the work also.

For dinner tonight, we decided to eat at the Lido (which is the same food served in the dining room). Bub says he likes to eat here because we don’t have to wait for our food. I had pasta with ham and asparagus and a cream sauce. Bubby had the same without the cream sauce. And the little girl had Macadamia Nut Crusted Cod with duh, mashed potatoes. Guess what she ate all of? For dessert I had Coconut Rum Cake that was to die for! And the kids had ice cream again. Did I mention that Bubby had 5 (five) servings of ice cream throughout the day yesterday?

The little one was pretty tuckered out from our excitement today, so she elected to hang out in the dorm and hit the pillow early tonight. It was another comedy show in the Theatre, so I was looking forward to hearing my son laugh and that he did. The act was a black man ventriloquist - last name Richardson. Hilarious!!! And very good. This was Bubby’s first time seeing a ventriloquist and I had wished the little one was up to enjoy it. Though there was some adult humor that it probably was good she didn’t hear. It was our favorite comedy act of the trip thus far!!

Continuing the voyage across the sea...

April 25, 2009 

Up early for my morning coffee at 6am via room service. Enjoyed a banana also. Acid + Alkaline = bad, I know. But that’s what I had. Then off to Aerobics and Stretch Class. The aerobics instructor got a  few chuckles from watching my lack of coordination. She is this cute little blond thing from Serbia with a lovely accent. I was the youngest in the class (well, besides her) and therefore it was a rather “mild” aerobics class - I didn’t even break a sweat. But my clothes stunk so bad from my workout on the treadmill two days ago and the heavy sweat I broke then, all I could think about was getting out of those clothes - especially when we were doing the 30 minutes of stretches that she insisted we “breathe deeply in through our nose and out through our mouth.” Since I didn’t really feel like I gained anything from that hour (the no pain, no gain theory) I stayed after class to lift weights. And then Steven showed up, so I made sure he saw that I was lifting weights like he told me. He showed me a couple exercises I can do without weights that are just as good or better. That was nice…

The Nutrition class that I was looking so forward to wasn’t as good as I had hoped. Pretty much all that I learned in the Personal Metabolic Assessment was discussed again at this seminar. I mean, I learned a couple new things, but I am hungry for more. So, after the class, I had a pistachio ice cream cone - mmmm good!

We got more of a glimpse of the sun today. It was still quite cloudy, but there were plenty of shadows to be seen. It was warm, yet breezy. The kids played in the pool on the back deck this afternoon and now have their first tan lines. We slathered sunscreen on a couple times today and I am thankful because they would have burned if not. 

The little one and I made it to watercolor class this afternoon and I painted my favorite piece of the trip so far. And wine was not a precursor to this masterpiece…

I have used my observational skills to note that the menu served in the Rotterdam Dining room is also the same foods offered in the buffet line (which I don’t believe the kids have caught on to yet). So, I thought that maybe today we should just bag dinner in the dining room and go through the buffet. It is a formal night and I just was feeling lazy about getting dressed up and such. Well, after the watercolor class,  the little one and I head back to the room and Bubby was all showered and dressed in his best ready for dinner. Therefore I took the opportunity to clean myself up too and dine with my children. Of course, the informer mentioned to him that “Mom wanted to eat at the buffet tonight.” After a little hesitation and a short 60 minutes or so we were all in the dining room seated and ready to enjoy the cuisine of the night. I told the kids that they would be ordering from the adult menu tonight and there wasn’t much a fuss about it. Bub had New York Steak, the little one had Filet Mignon (I ate that) and Jumbo Prawns, and I had Penne Roasted Garlic and Vegetables (which didn’t have any garlic in it). Dessert was worth it all though - Bub had the usual Triple Chocolate Ice Cream, I had a Chocolate Chip and Hazelnut Cream Soufflé - the kind of dessert you eat alone in a quiet place…..

Party all night!

April 24, 2009

We gained another hour last night as we entered into a new time zone. Therefore I made it up in time for the Abdominal Workout and Stretch Class. I am feeling a little abdominal fatigue from the last class so was anticipating this one to be a real doozie on me. There were two other return suckers like myself that came back for more. Steven was a bit more challenging on us today and I felt I handle it a bit better than the last time. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow. 

I then went for the Personal Metabolism Assessment. I think I had worked myself up for the worst. Basically what I learned was that I need to do a detox  that cleans my liver of the toxins that are stored there which are withholding that essential organ from cleansing my body -  which will take approximately 3 months - which Steven says isn’t really that long because he sees people that need 9-12 months detox. I have about 3 liters of water in my abdominal area protecting my fat cells like a cushion. And the most surprising thing I learned today is that cellulite IS NOT fat cells, but rather an accumulation of water and something else (I forgot, I’ll ask Steven tomorrow) cushioning my fat cells. And the one thing that I learned that I didn’t really like to hear is that coffee is a pesticide and in its natural form it repels insects (which are living organisms) and therefore since I ingest it, it is also toxic to me. So, as an alternative, Steven says I should drink green tea with honey. I think I will start that regimen AFTER the cruise when I start my 3 month detox. I previously promised myself to workout everyday on this vacation and now I committed to Steven to do the same. I really like him (as a personal trainer) and wish I had someone like him at home to help me. Right now, at my current body composition, my daily caloric intake needed for maintenance is 1424 kcals - which to me, is way low. He says as I gain muscle my caloric intake will go up. So, I guess I will start pumping some iron because I love food too much and want to have more than a measly 1424 kcal limit on my everyday life! The other interesting thing I learned (which I will find out more about when attend the Nutrition Seminar) is that it is important to combine the proper foods at a meal. For instance, don’t eat and apple and a banana at the same time - even though they are both healthy food choices. A banana is alkaline and an apple is acidic and they accumulate together in the gut and neutralize - therefore digest at a slower rate. So, you should eat acids with acids, etc for maximum metabolic digestion….oh, so much to learn!!! Maybe my third career will be in Nutrition/Personal Training/Life Coaching???

Kids were at the pool today for 6 hours!!!! 10am - 4pm approximately. They were having so much fun that I choose not to interrupt them to go to watercolor class. It is so nice to see them play together and actually enjoy each others company. In a way, maybe it’s good that there aren’t too many other kids on this boat. The weather was overcast, but comfortably warm. Still looking forward to that tropical sunshine we have yet to experience. Playing on the ipod today = Rock N Roll Jesus - Kid Rock….great tunes!

It was another casual night for dinner and Bub was dressed and ready to go without delay. Probably because he was wearing his jeans. They were both tired from playing in the pool all day and I think we were all looking forward to calling it an early night…..until the little one heard the overhead announcement that after the show tonight there would be a line dance party in the Crow’s Nest. Miraculously she became wide awake.

The kids ordered dinner from the childs menu again. Ugh! I had a lemon herb grilled salmon, which was just ok. Because we wanted to get to the early show (7pm) we opted to skip dessert. The show tonight was another comedy show and I just LOVE to hear my kids laugh. It was good, but we all liked the first comedy show better. 

Bub went back to the dorm with a movie and Missy and I headed up to stake our spot for the best view of the line dancers. I had a slight upset stomach, a little nausea. I was hoping it wasn’t from any food or germs that I picked up on this germ-magnet. I think it might have been from the handful of vitamins I took before dinner. Anyways, I had water and the girl had a strawberry-banana smoothie. We were one of the first people there and slowly others started to arrive. My little girl was up on the dance floor for the first song and didn’t stop until the last song of the night - literally, when the music stopped and the lights came on. Hmmm….wonder where that comes from. Yes, she was the life of the party in her pretty polka-dotted party dress movin’ her fancy feet all over that dance floor. In fact, she topped the night off with a little contribution of her own. She ran down to our room, grabbed the ipod, and sweet talked DJ Lee into letting her show everyone how to do the Hoedown Throwdown by Miley Cyrus. She was a little nervous on the microphone, but walked a few brave participants through the moves before the song started. The Party Planner, Laura, asked little Missy if she could teach her the moves more clearer before Country Night and then gave her an invitation to Country Night to replay this line dance. Again, I enjoyed watching my baby have such a great time! 

When we got back to the dorm, Bubby was fast asleep with the remnants of chocolate chip cookies and milk that he had ordered from room service at his bedside.

Somewhere in the Pacific

April 23, 2209

Overslept today and missed the Aerobics and Stretch classes. So, had to pain myself through 30 minutes on the treadmill. Of which after, personal trainer Steven,  counseled me on how I should have lifted weights for 30 minutes instead to maximize my fat burning. There are no fans in this gym and I was dripping sweat from head to toe so I know I burned something, but he says it’s not what you burn during the workout, it is what you burn after. And when you lift weights, you burn more calories after your workout replenishing your strained muscles than you do doing strictly cardio. I set up an appointment with him tomorrow for a Personal Metabolic Assessment - only $35.00 - we’ll see what that does for me.

I’d call it a partly sunny day today. Thick fluffy clouds with the sun shining around and through them. The best weather yet - on the boat. That afternoon in San Diego has beat all days so far. 

I’m convinced the kids are part fish. They can’t seem to get enough of the pool and can literally stay in there for hours regardless of how shriveled up they become. They have yet to spend time in the outdoor pool aft of the ship due to it being too chilly out there. 

ipod today = Sacred - Los Lonely Boys 

I love these guys! 

The little one went to her first cooking class in the Culinary Theatre today. They made Apple Pizza. There were only 3 kids there and she was the oldest. I think she like the final product, but wasn’t really too impressed with the “cooking class” as neither was I. I haven’t been to one yet, but am thinking I might on the way back to the mainland.

I opted to go to the wine tasting while she was at the cooking class. I love to drink red wine, but don’t know really much about it - other than most of them taste pretty good and they are a beautiful color. I must say - I learned a ton in that short hour. Sampled two whites, two reds, and one sparkling white wine. I didn’t really care much for the whites or the sparkling. They are just too sweet and taste more like juice to me. I had been to a wine tasting before and knew the basics on how to swirl, smell, taste, and swoosh. But I learned a lot more at this one such as: the process of wine making, the different kinds of straining of the grapes, the need for the perfect conditions like soil, processing equipment, etc. While it all is very interesting to me, I don’t think I’m the type to become one of those fancy wine snobs. I just want to enjoy the taste and relax…

Then we went to the mid afternoon watercolor class. Maybe it was the wine, but I wasn’t too pleased with my masterpiece today. Hopefully tomorrow I can redeem myself.

Time to get all dressed up for the first formal dinner of the cruise and then the Captain’s Toast. Of course, Bubby hasn’t hung any of his clothing since we got here so I had to find the washroom on board and iron his clothes. He cleans up pretty nice, but was a little bit irritated that I wanted to photograph him. Not that he should be surprised, as I have snapped photos of him his entire life. It probably was just the fact that he was “dressed” up - hey, he should be glad I didn’t rent him a tux…

Since we have open seating dinner, we get to sit with different people every night, which is the good thing about open seating. The bad being that we don’t get the same wait staff. Well tonight at dinner, we had a lady who is a remake of that crotchety old lady from The Titanic. She was traveling alone - no surprise there. She had plenty of enormous rocks on her fingers - which I am still trying to decide if they were fake or real. The black sequin baseball hat that she wore to dinner makes me want to believe they were fake. But then her mannerisms and self absorption make me want to believe that they were real. Anyways, she was a real trip. She gave off the impression that she was one of those people that are never really happy or satisfied. She interrupted the waiter while he was trying to take the other orders making her statement that it really was all about her. She complained about not getting her iced tea fast enough and then about how her lamb was cooked. Our table was discussing the different food/food services aboard the ship and she responded by saying “I don’t like the buffets. I prefer to come to the dining room because I like to be waited on.” Please, pray for her contentment. It wasn’t my children causing the ruckus at the dinner table tonight. Oh, I almost forgot…what did we eat for dinner? Well, I dined on an absolutely delicious dish - baked Mahi-Mahi stuffed with a shrimp stuffing and crab legs on the side. A formal dinner and for the first night aboard, the waiter offered my children a child’s menu….aahhhh! Now my plans for expanding their palate and cuisine likings are ruined! So, Bubby had a grilled PB&J with French Fries. The girl had Shrimp (large jumbo ones) Cocktail and Chicken Soup for the Soul which she said was delicious. Dessert tonight was Fudge Tracks Ice Cream for Bubby, Hot Fudge Sundae for the girl, and Strawberry Cheesecake for myself - which was probably the best cheesecake I have ever eaten in my life! 

We had about an hour and 15 minutes until show time and the Captain’s Toast. Although he had a great time at the comedy show last night, Bubby wanted to rent a movie and go back to the dorm (as the little one calls it). So, he rented Click and called it a night. The little one challenged me to a game of Scrabble to kill time. So, we sat in the library all dressed up playing Scrabble while there was a little old (well, they are all old on this boat) couple next to us playing cribbage - so sweet. I don’t have to document who the winner of our Scrabble game was, but regardless of the point spread that little girl wanted to make sure she got that last point recorded for playing her last letter “A”.

To the theatre…free glass of wine as we enter. Hey, whatever I can get for free on this boat, I’ll take it. The Captain introduced the lineup of important people aboard this ship: Second Officer, Engineer, Navigator, etc. My little one’s question was: “Who is driving the boat right now, Mom?” Ah, good question. The Captain gave a toast and welcomed everyone on board. He then mentioned to us that the ship had to make a slight turn earlier today to avoid running into a school of whales. It sure would have been nice if he could have made that announcement at the time so we could have seen them. Then a Broadway type production began - Love Songs. It opened with a really powerful female singer and some incredible male dancers. The girl said “Wow, that was good.” But after about four songs, she was ready to go. I think those hours in the pool early in the day make for a very early evening - for both kids. We haven’t even made it to the karaoke bar yet…

When we got back to the dorm room, Bubby had just finished his movie which he said was really good and even made him get tears in his eyes. He is quite a sensitive guy, but I wasn’t sure if the tears were from a sad part or from laughing so hard because he restarted the movie for us and there were a few things that made me chuckle out loud before I fell into a trance on that luxurious down pillow…

At Sea

April 22, 2009

It’s a rockin and rollin…..a little “dizzy” reported by Bub…no nausea and/or vomiting yet…

Woke up this am after a great nights sleep to, get this, Bubby doing his homework. Slap. Slap. Am I dreaming, or what?  Baby Girl, the child who never sleeps, was the last up today. 

In keeping with my promise to myself, I was at the gym at 7am for the Abdominal Workout and Stretch Class. In doing our ship tour last night, I was interested in hiring the personal trainer until I found out it was $410.00 for 6 sessions (which I guess isn’t so bad for a personal trainer), but I think if I am going to spend the money I’d rather have a couple full body massages and facials. So, I guess I’ll keep to the workout classes or my self motivation - which I hope doesn’t deteriorate. 

Eggs Benedict with crab for breakfast today - yum yum!

Bubby challenged me to a game of chess. Well, I needed a slight reminder of the way the pieces of the game move. And then I caught him trying to ah, um, cheat. I made my move “checkmate” and then a nice guy had to remind my young man just exactly how the game works. He then spent some time tutoring us on the game. And alas, another child was spotted! An 11 year boy - yeah, a friend for my son! I turned over the chess game to the two of them.

First day at sea = no sun. Though I spotted the first speedo of the trip while the kids were swimming at the Lido pool  - eeeewwww, yuck!  The kids spent over three hours playing in the pool while I napped, read, and napped some more while listening to my favorite instrumental  CD of Prince’s - N.E.W.S. on my ipod…how relaxing…

After drying off, the little one and I decided to try our hand at the watercolor class. We created these masterpiece postcards….I wonder who will be the lucky ones to receive them?

Bingo anyone? My baby finally got to play bingo with the big guns. It was very unfortunate that she didn’t get to yell BINGO, because she DIDN’T get a bingo - but neither did I. Though, surprise surprise - we were both on. She is already asking if we can play again tomorrow (do you think it is in her blood?), but given that it costs $20.00 each to play, I don’t know exactly how much more will be doing it on this voyage.

Time to clean up and dress for dinner. It was another “casual elegance” dining experience. Bubby tried to wear jeans and I told him that he must wear his dress slacks and a button up shirt for dinner and I blamed it on “ship rules”. Reluctantly, (again, he was the last to be ready) he obliged.

After we got to the dining room, I asked the host exactly what “casual elegance” meant and if my son was allowed to wear jeans. With a pleasant smile and a “why, yes he may maam“ response from the host, my son proudly said those words that we all hate to hear - “I told you so.“ 

I was salivating at the thought of what I might be dining on for dinner tonight and was a tad bit disappointed at the selections for the evening. In hindsight, I wish I had ordered the French onion soup and the salmon entrée, but instead I had (another surprise) Pasta with chicken, tomato and poblano pepper sauce. Not too exciting and tasted the same. While the Chocolate Raspberry Cake looked delicious, it was rather dry. Good thing I ordered two deserts because the Key Lime Pie was far better. We sat with a couple ladies from Kansas who entertained us with their worldly travel experiences. Then the kids learned a few Indonesian words from our waiter. That little one can sure roll her R’s good…

Since we missed the show last night, I really wanted the kids to experience showtime tonight. It was a comedy show that was interactive with the audience and kept us all laughing. The comedian was a violinist and he incorporated his music into his act. It was a really good show. Bubby has such a contagious laugh and it brings so much joy to me to see and hear him have a good time. 

Sailing away...

April 21, 2009

Sailing aboard on the Zaandam…..

It was an uneventful trip to San Diego (thankfully). Surprising, Bubby broke out the homework before the plane even taxied away from the gate in Anchorage. With my pressure and his determination (I hope) he left AK with straight B’s and lets hope he can stabilize those after missing nearly three weeks of school. 

Despite my encouraging words about Portland (we had a connecting flight there), the kids loved San Diego and are now vocalizing to me their desire to live there rather than Oregon. I just don’t know if I can handle the heat there, as it IS in southern Cali. Oregon was so beautifully green and clean and continues to draw my interest. We had a couple hours to kill in San Diego before boarding the boat, so we walked to downtown San Diego from the port and went shopping at the mall. The diversity of the people we saw were slightly surprising to the kids - great people watching!!! The weather was HOT!!! About 90 degrees. So, needless to say, we just HAD to purchase cooler clothes to wear since our luggage was checked in for the boat and we were wearing rather warm Alaskan attire.  Little Missy says “I am sweating and I haven’t even been running.” - though she is always hot!

Finally boarded the boat about 300pm. I checked with guest services in hopes of getting a room upgrade, but was told that the boat is sailing at full capacity - so no luck. Oh well. Found our inside cabin, which was roomy enough and got settled. Then participated in the mandatory safety drill…

The kids were dying to get in the pool and were quite disappointed to hear that neither of them (two pools on board) would be open until tomorrow. The lack of sleep, coupled with not being able to swim, broke out the whininess of you know who. There was a live band on the back deck that rocked out in the gorgeous and warm sun as we departed San Diego.

We then checked out Club HAL - the kids club. To all of our disappointment, we were told that there were only four 8-12 year olds on this boat (and two of them are mine). I guess this means they get more attention. I must say, there are definitely more geriatric people on this cruise than my last one and haven’t seen any eye candy yet either…

Then to the room to get ready for dinner. There is food everywhere on this boat and the kids weren’t understanding WHY we had to get dressed for dinner and eat in a dining room. I explained to them that I wanted to eat dinner together as a family and this is what we were going to do. We have open dining, which means we can go to the dining room anytime between 5-9pm for seating.  As usual, the girls were ready before Bubby - patiently waiting - snapping a few photos of ourselves…

Dinner was good. I had Red Snapper with an amazing coconut custard for dessert. Bub had Prime Rib (a huge slab of meat!) and baby girl had Pork Chops. The only reason she ordered that was because it came with mashed potatoes and of course, she was disappointed in the portion size (of the potatoes). She didn’t eat the pork chop because she didn’t like the mango sauce it was drizzled with. Both kids had, surprise, Triple Chocolate Ice Cream for dessert. After dinner, I decided we should call it a night and skip the show and nip the sleepless, whininess in the bud….off to zzzzzzz land……