October 16, 2010

On the Seas

Oh how I love cruising. Ever since I was first introduced; I've been hooked. So when the chance came for us to take a cruise with some dear friends, we couldn't get there fast enough. This time around we ventured to Port Everglades, FL for a 5 night cruise in the Caribbean waters. And what a delightful trip it was.

I couldn't possibly write about the entire trip here - but I'll mention a few highlights:
Fort Lauderdale: after arriving at 6am - we were certainly hoping our hotel would have an open room for us to at least shower and rest up a bit. Sadly, this was not the case and we found ourselves living our of our rental van. (which should have been a Swagger Wagon - but wasn't; you can imagine my disappointment). And it must be said we make four really attractive people who haven't slept for 2 days.
  • Sir, how many bags do you have? Is he trying to get us to change cars? Nope, we really did forget our bag.
  • 84 Thai Food vs McDonald's. Is there a competition? If you only knew.
  • Swimming in the ocean. Perhaps a bad idea when there is no shower to clean up.
  • How many gas stations do we have to visit to get the right snack? Three.
  • Sawgrass Recreation Park. Those are real crocodiles. And Real Close! Then we got to hold one...I think my hesitation is justified.
  • Third time to the hotel - yet the lady didn't recognize Mark. Weird.
We make pretty good "Homeless" tourists if you ask me. With naps on the beach and fast food restaurants to wash up in, how could you go wrong?
Key West: First stop on the boat. We walked, and walked, and walked all around this southern most part of the US. Theron challenged the landmark to find something a little more "south". And the ladies found all the free jewelry our friend Ben told us about the day before. The Butterfly garden was incredible and it turns out all our men are "lucky" since the butterflies landed on them. Not real effective as none of us won the emerald and diamond necklace raffle just a few hours later. Boo.
  • "Twenty!" , "Twenty?" "Fifty!" , "FIFTY?"
  • Ugly shirt contest? I don't want to spend the money!
The vibrant and diversity of the butterflies here was so intense. It was such a sight to see such unique and fragile animals.
If this picture had a sound - it would be a deep sigh straight from the gut. Cuz that is the sound each of us made as our seats found this comfortable break from our day long walk.
Cozumel: Second Stop found us in the depths of tourist country. We didn't waste any time finding a large grocery store where we could stock up on some cheap snacks before our ATV tour began. (because we could NOT stop eating) And I must say - kudos to the HUGE Walmart-like store that tickled my fancy. Very nice. We then met up with our tour guide - and were surprised to be the only ones on the tour! Fancy! An adventure in ATV's around the Mexican jungle, followed by a snorkel trip on the beaches of Cozumel resulted in a very tiring day.
  • Fertility Rock anyone?
  • Huge Mud Puddles!
  • Rrrrroberto - 5 R's
  • Pee your pants fun


Day at Sea: Agenda - rest, eat, rest, eat, rest, play games, climb rock wall, eat. Done and done.
  • Andi - bless his heart. and Jose, and George Albert. Yes 5 stars to George Albert.
  • Strawberry Bisque = Dessert to start. Just how I like it.
  • I'll have one of everything.
  • Is the ice cream open yet?
  • Sexy leg competition
  • Karaoke till dawn.

Cococay: We decided last minute to forgo the Aquapark and spent the entire day snorkeling. To our delight, we came across three huge stingray, jellyfish, a sunken airplane, and mighty sunburns. Perfect. All too soon, the captain called for an Evacuation of the island; which sounds a bit too dramatic. As the wall of rain came in, it didn't take but a moment to have us all soaked to the bone. The ride on the top of the ferry back to the boat was a memorable adventure I wouldn't have missed. Nothing beats a hot shower after a rain like that.
An absolutely perfect trip with absolutely perfect company. We are already talking about our next trip together. I was a little nervous having never met Mark's friends before, but we all got along splendidly. Is it too soon to already start counting down until our next one? I. think. not.

6 comments:

Sarah McKean said...

Sounds like you had a blast! How fun you were able to go on another cruise and with some great people. Matt and I went on one for our honeymoon. It was so stinkin fun! I can't wait till we can go again :)

Tabitha said...

What are the odds that we both would be in Florida at the same time? I know it's a big state and all, but since I've never been to Florida before, I find it very funny that we both have held an alligator in the past week!

When these kids get big enough to spend a week at Grandma's, I think I'll have to try out this cruising thing. Cheers to taking trips in October!

The Ross Family said...

Your next one is already being planned...and it is with me!!! Glad you had a blast. Looks like loads of fun. And funny you should mention the walmart like store. In Puerto Vallarta the first thing you see when you look out at port is a huge Walmart. no joke. It was great!!!

The Kammeyers said...

Awesome post, girl! I loved all the little tid-bits. It was like I was right there cruising along with you! :)

So, when are you guys gonna vacay with YOUR friends?? (You know, friends like Lauren & Aaron?) ;) Hehe. No worries. I know things get busy. Enjoy the rest of your week!

katie said...

i. think. not!

Aaron & Sara Warren said...

Ok, so I'm bummed your site is under construction and you somehow managed to erase the most recent post. Hopefully you'll still get this comment even though I'm tacking it on to an older post. Anyway, check out my most recent post, I posted something with you specifically in mind. Miss you girl!

PS - Abby said again that K is for Kaylinn. We all miss you! Oh, and I broke out your ABC's document. You're helping me be a better Mom.