Home Sweet Home

 On December 29th, my little brother's 47th birthday, they forced us to disembark.  Apparently when you only pay for a 10 day cruise, they don't let you stay on an additional 10 days.  I think it's very inconsiderate of them, personally.  A funny story...Throughout the ship there are these interactive boards.  You can use your Medallion to access your personal account on these boards, figure out where you are and where your shipmates are, look at the activities occurring on the ship.  For the first 9 days, we noticed that it often turned into this big "Happy Birthday, Renee F!" sign when we were near it.  We assumed, since Renee's birthday is in April, that there must be another Renee F. on this ship who is celebrating a birthday.  Finally, we realized that when they customized their journey to include Chris' birthday, they must have accidentally indicated that they were celebrating Renee's instead.  Poor Chris never did get a large acknowledgment though there was a birthday cake next to his name outside his stateroom door on his actual birthday (of course, Renee got that symbol too).

The board doesn't show Danica's birthday but it does show that this Sault Y Dolphin was on the Dolphin Deck for the voyage.

We were scheduled to disembark at 8:40 am so got up bright and early to go to the Dining Room for breakfast on our last day.  Who knows when someone will make me Eggs Benedict for me again?

Once we were done breakfast, we returned to our staterooms one last time, to discover them made up again in spite of the fact that we would be leaving this morning and poor Jon would have to clean and make up the entire room again.  We grabbed the rest of our belongings and headed to the Vista Lounge which was our meeting place.  Upon arriving there, we discovered that the disembarkation was ahead of schedule and we were able to head to the gangway whenever we were ready to do so.

Once off the ship, we had to gather our luggage and make our way outside to get a couple of Ubers to the hotel my mom had booked for the day since our flight wasn't until that evening.  We shopped a bit around the hotel, had a swim in the pool and walked for a late lunch/early supper for Chris' birthday before taking the shuttle to the airport.

At the airport, we checked our bags and got through customs/immigration without difficulty only to discover at the TSA security checkpoint that Danica had about 3 mouthfuls of water left in a water bottle she'd forgotten was in the bottom on her backpack.  The security agent was actually going to send Danica back out of the secure area by herself to empty the bottle and then return through the entire process again.  Once I said I wouldn't let her go alone, she then said that I could do it.  I grabbed my passport and boarding pass, the gentleman that was required to accompany me out of the secure area picked up the water bottle (it was a Contigo one or we would have just allowed them to throw it out).  Once he handed it to me, I gulped the water and returned to the Customs/Immigration line which was now super long and moving much more slowly as the drug sniffing dog and his handler were there so people had to walk 2 at a time through the line as if we were boarding the Ark.  The TSA security line was much longer now too so the whole process took much longer than it had originally.

Finally, we were through and headed towards our gate.  A few things Chris learned about the Fort Lauderdale airport:  1)  Duty Free will not sell to Canadians right now because the flights are too late so they can't bring them to the gate.  They close at 8 p.m.  (good thing we got our duty free on the ship!).  2)  The exact same store in 2 different locations has very different prices.  I paid $6.49 for M&M's at the store I went in to.  Chris paid $3.00 at the same store further away.

Our flight was delayed an hour, which in the grand scheme of things isn't horrible but by this point, we just wanted to get back to Canada.  The flight itself was uneventful; we were sitting behind Chris and Renee this time so no one yelled at Danica for her knees touching their reclined seat.  Also, the kids were so tired that they slept the entire way so there was no bickering or fighting either.  We finally arrived to Toronto at 1:30 a.m.  In going through our Customs/Immigration, I was asked if I was the legal guardian of the kids and when I said yes, she asked me if their other parent knew I was traveling with them.  It was the first time I have ever been asked this and thought it strange to be asked as we were returning home and now when I was leaving the country with them.  (Of course, we also thought it was strange that to reboard the ship in Barbados, Danica was the only one who didn't have to show ID yet you would think with all the human trafficking signs about, a 13 year old girl might be the one they'd be most worried about).

It felt very good to put our heads on the pillows at our hotel, even if it was 3 a.m. before we got back there and they didn't get to stay there for long.  By 8:30 a.m., we were up and getting ready to head for breakfast so that we could be on the road (remember, our flight to Toronto was canceled so we had to drive, meaning we also had to drive back home) reasonably early.  We weren't away quite as early as my Mom had hoped but we were saying our goodbyes to Chris and Renee and on the road by 11 a.m.

The drive initially was pretty rainy but by Parry Sound, the weather cleared except for weird patches of fog.  The traffic was reasonably light and we made fairly good time getting home.  Apparently when you don't stop to browse in stores and eat, the drive is pretty quick!

We have to mention that everyone home should maybe thank us as we noticed there wasn't as much snow any more as we'd been warned about and the temperatures were pretty mild.  I think we brought back some of the Caribbean heat for all of you.

Hershey was happy to see us when we got home although she looked like she was treated pretty well by our dog-sitters while we were away.  Who am I kidding?  So were we as a plate of cake pop and peanut butter ball fails were left on the counter for us.  It might be worth noticing that Kaila's baking fails are nicer than many of my successes!  

Hopefully everyone had a very Happy New Year!  Wishing everyone health and happiness for 2023!

Packing it All In

We were up and at 'em bright and early this morning, at least the adults were, so that we could have breakfast in the dining room before bidding adieu to our floating home away from home. We also had to be sure to head to the International Cafe to pick up some of their yummy Almond croissants to take as snacks for tomorrow. We also indulged in some Gelato this afternoon and they actually made our waffle cones as we watched!

Chris, Renee, Danica and I attended two dance classes today - line dancing this morning and salsa this afternoon. Admittedly, I have a few left feet and am not particularly coordinated. I am good at laughing though!

This is Jayson, the Assistant Cruise Director from South Africa.  He was our Salsa dance instructor.  He had the funniest stories and some of them reminded me of ones my dear friend, Tanya has told me in the past.  Baboons are apparently vicious and not cute.  Niche Waiter is a thing and he's done it (for those who don't know, much like we didn't last week, this would be serving food in the buff, or in his case, in an apron).  In spite of his claiming to have been Knighted by the King of Lesotho, this has never occurred.

Danica and I also went to a couple of trivia events today, including one with the whole group and one with Duncan. We still haven't won any of them so no coasters or cheap ship champagne (say that 3 times fast) for us. We have been noticing, however, that the group that seems to consistently win always has 1 less than a perfect score and tonight we actually watched one of them using her phone to, we assume based on behaviour, Google the answers.  

We thought Duncan was going to be a magician's assistant during a farewell show in the Piazza this afternoon but apparently they ran out of time. It was rather disappointing .   

For the last dinner, they had the Baked Alaska parade though it isn't quite as exciting with fake candles instead of real flaming meringues. The kids have been looking forward to trying baked Alaska this whole cruise though so they were excited to order it.

Speaking of dessert, we decided that upon returning home, a quick way to lose 5 lbs and stop feeling crapulent (it's a very apt word that we learned at one of our game shows) will be to stop eating 2 desserts per meal, late night pizza and midnight room service (I didn't partake in this but Danica definitely had some late night room service chocolate cake over the past 10 days). Of course, we will also be returning to the meals put on the table each night, prepared most often by yours truly. No more ordering whatever you feel like trying from a menu. Duncan thinks I need to step up my presentation game.  

Note that these weren't all from tonight, but are examples of what Duncan thinks is superior presentation to my "help yourself from the pot on the stove" game.

We will also not have Jon, our ninja room steward who sneaks in and out, tidying behind us. Chris has said that they have gotten to the elevator, realized they forgot something, gone back to the room and it's already been cleaned with fresh towels in the bathroom. Our experience has not been quite the same but I think it's harder for him to catch all 3 of us out of the room at the same time.

The worst thing about leaving though will be saying goodbye to sun, sand and sea...I don't want to see the snow we've missed...I do feel bad about our house and dog sitter having to deal with the weather...We do miss Hershey though.

Christmas at Sea

Somehow, we have reached the last 2 sea days of our vacation. The time has flown by and we have to return to real life soon...I am not sure how I feel about that.

The day started as most have with breakfast at the buffet since I wasn't up early enough for the dining room. Although today's was more because my brother messaged that they were going but then didn't reply to my responses so I wasn't sure whether I missed them or not.

After breakfast, we decided to explore areas of the ship we haven't seen yet, finding the adults only pool and the mini golf course. I feel like whoever designed the course had some difficulty with basic math skills though as the 9 hole course was actually only 8 holes; it appeared as though hole 6 was missing (may have been hole 5 as holes 1-4 and 7-9 had number flags and one hole was flag/number-less). I am not sure who won but I managed to get a hole in one!

My mom braved the Sea Walk.

We then hung out in the pool for a while as it was a hot, sunny day. After lunch, I headed back to the room to do a load of laundry as one of my kids had run out of unmentionables.

Mid-afternoon, we met in my parents' room to celebrate Christmas. We had agreed on stocking stuffers only as this trip and the associated excursions and expenses were the big gifts. Even so, we all ended up spoiled with some pretty special gifts. Danica had made us Memory Bears out of clothes my Grandmother and Aunt Lorraine wore. Duncan picked out a pair of earrings for me at the market we visited in Fort Lauderdale. Chris and Renee gave me a beautiful toque from Ireland. My 

parents had a fantastic photo of the kids and I engraved onto a Christmas ornament. Plus there were other pieces of jewelry, chocolates, and the like.

Dinner was yummy as usual. After dinner, we stopped to purchase our duty free on our way to the Princess LIVE for the Generation Frustration Game Show. After that, we headed to the theatre for the Spotlight Bar show.

Somewhere in our travels we lost my Dad, so after the show we had to find him. We then just went to the Piazza for a few minutes to listen to music and dance before heading to bed.

Shopping in St Kitts

The kids decided they were beached out so wanted to explore Basseterre while the others headed to Cockleshell Beach. I am not sure they're going to be happy with their decision once they return to the cold and snow next weekend as they may relish finding sand in places they didn't know they had again.

The weather today was a little bit odd. It started off cooler, overcast and windy as we headed off the ship. It soon started to rain a bit but then turned super hot and sunny.  

After exploring the shops and craft market, we began heading into the historic part of the city but did not venture far. Apparently after so many years of cancelations due to COVID, their Carnivale was being celebrated today. The streets were jam-packed with partying, drinking, singing, dancing and celebrating revelers and getting caught in the melee was a rather frightening prospect for the kids. Truth be told, I couldn't figure out how to get ourselves through the crowd without getting separated. Instead, we elected to head back to the ship for lunch and a short nap before Danica and I headed to Trivia (which we didn't win, again).

Now, I forgot to mention earlier that on our way off the ship, we had planned to stop by guest services to change our money into smaller bills. One of us insisted on holding our $100 US in our hands. When we realized we took the elevator to the dead end floor and quickly turned to go back up, we dropped our bill and it slid down the elevator shaft. Miraculously, we didn't cry. We continued our quest to guest services as intended but after changing some of our money, we explained the story to the attendant. He said he'd file a report but we weren't overly optimistic that it would be returned. Just as we were preparing to leave for dinner, there was a knock at the door. I opened it wide, assuming it was my brother (I guess that's what peepholes are for). Standing at my door are 2 serious looking men in ship officers uniforms. My first thoughts are that they have the wrong room but then they ask for Ms Pamela and I think I am in trouble for something and can't, for the life of me, figure out what I have done wrong. Then they hold out a crisp $100 bill with a line on it, just like the one that someone lost down the elevator shaft. They were the ones sent on the retrieval mission and they were successful. Someone was very, very happy. She tried to tip them but they wouldn't accept money so she took a photo with them instead.

On our way to dinner, we passed by a photo backdrop that was clearly set up for the photographers, however, since no one was around, Renee and I decided that we couldn't pass up the perfect opportunity to strike a pose in our Gold attire for the White and Gold Gala Night.

Our servers in the dining room have gotten to know us fairly well. When we were waiting for Duncan to arrive, they both said they could order for him. Then when he did sit down but didn't order an appetizer, our server asked him if he would like salmon for an appetizer and another order for his main, a proposition he readily accepted with a gigantic smile on his face.

The show tonight was a mind reader. It was a little freaky. Actually, it was a lot freaky. I am really glad none of us got selected or I am not sure I would be able to sleep.

We played a couple more game shows and trivia games tonight which were good for laughs but we didn't win.  We actually learned the word to describe the feeling we have had for most of the evenings since we boarded the ship.  

Apparently Chris won a game a couple of nights ago after I went to bed. They had a rematch of the game last night but we attended the white and gold party instead before heading to bed.

Turtle Time in Barbados

Merry Christmas, one and all! I am not going to lie; although I know it is Christmas Day, it doesn't feel very Christmassy. I don't know if it's the blue sky and turquoise waters and 30 Celsius temperatures or the lack of festivities pre-vacation. I am definitely not complaining though, particularly when I see the photos and videos of Snowmageddon.  

Today, we arrived in Bridgetown, Barbados and taxid to Harbor Lights Resort to snorkel with turtles. We arrived quite early and practically had the beach to ourselves. The water was calm, clear and Caribbean blue. The sand was fine and white; it felt like we were walking on icing sugar.  

Our tour was scheduled to go out at 1030. Apparently so was everyone else's. Our group was full. Before even leaving shore, I saw a turtle swim past the glass bottom of our boat so was very optimistic about the rest of the tour. After a short ride, we arrived at a shipwreck. It was very cool with so much vegetation and coral growing out of it and around it. There were plenty of beautiful fish to see. Unfortunately, between our large group of 50 people and the other boatloads from other companies, there were also lots of feet and butts in the way.

The next stop was where we could see sea turtles. Our guides gave us lots of instructions about being quiet and playing dead, allowing the turtles to come to us. I am not sure whether people weren't listening or if other groups in the area didn't get the same instructions. It was mass chaos. I saw one turtle swimming by and one moving along the bottom. There was also an enormous stingray. I think the kids and Chris and Renee saw more but they got separated from me in the fray. We realized though that 

we paid money for a tour when we could see our beach chairs a very short way down the beach so likely could have walked it.

Once back on the ship, we got ourselves all dressed up for a formal night. Chris, Duncan and I had lobster thermidor for Christmas dinner while Danica and Renee chose ham. Chris, Renee and I also shared a turkey dinner so that we could say we had turkey. After trying the lobster, Duncan 

ordered some salmon too.  

Our servers, Dejan from Serbia and Juliana from Brazil wanted to take their photo with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

After dinner, we went to the holiday show and played a Christmas Lyrics Trivia game. 

Before I headed to bed, the kids said they had a surprise for me.  What could it be?  Gifts?  Treats?  

Nope.  Scary face masks.  Apparently they had this planned before we even boarded the ship.  Oh, and notice that we were able to find some matching Christmas PJ's for Danica.  

One more port day and then a couple of sea days before we head home.