Miami and then home

 

It was now our day to get off the ship.  We were leaving our home of 15 days.  We got up early to go and have breakfast and then waited in our lounge for our number to be called so we could leave.  We disembarked a little late as they had troubles with all our luggage but we were off the ship by 9:45am or so.  We waited for our car rental shuttle to pick us up but had to fight for space with some Americans, and even though we were first in line, they figured they had preference on getting on, so I nicely shouted to my dad (who as arguing with the driver)… “don’t worry Dad, we can be the Canadians and wait until the next shuttle” … we got the next shuttle and waited patiently.  We got to the car rental company and then got upgraded to a Yukon… it still didn’t fit 6 adults and all our luggage properly… oh well… we managed.

We got to our hotel (Marriot Villas at Doral) around 12:30 and got our room.  I got a travel agent rate here and couldn’t believe how beautiful this property was.  We just about didn’t want to leave here.  We got unpacked and right away ate a free lunch that they had set up for the guests and then had 2 for 1 smoothies after.  For dinner I went to the grocery store and bought some salad, a loaf of bread and a chicken.  I also bought ingredients for breaky the next morning.  The rest of our day was just relaxing by the pool and not working hard at all.

Our last day in Miami consisted of me making breakfast for everyone… bacon, eggs, toast and hashbrowns.  I also tried to deep fry my finger, but managed to get it cooled down before it blistered.  After breakfast we drove about 20 minutes for our Coopertown Airboat ride.  I had done my research ahead of time and this company was close and got good reviews.  Everyone seemed to enjoy this trip and we even got to see some Alligators.  After the ride we went to their restaurant and had Alligator meat.

We went back to the hotel to relax for the afternoon and did some swimming and Doug even did some fishing.  For the evening we had done our research and found a Cuban restaurant in Little Havana that we wanted to check out.  We ate way to much here and couldn’t finish all our food.  After dinner Doug went and bought a few cuban cigars and then it was back into the Yukon to explore South Beach a bit.  I loved seeing all the buildings and the yachts.  I think we saw some houses that have been featured in CSI: Miami.  It was exciting to see it all.  We saw the tail end of the sunset on South Beach.

We got back to the hotel around 8pm and packed a bit and then watched a movie.  We all enjoyed The Blind Side.  We should have gotten to bed earlier, but we didn’t.  We were all having too much fun. 

On flight day we got up at 5am and were out of the hotel by 6am.  We made it through security at the airport without any issues (i got the full body scan) and had a great 6 hour flight home.  Even though it was long, we all managed pretty good.  There was a bit of space to spread out and we had books to read or music to listen too.  I think this was one of our better flights even though it was so long. 

We managed to get home around 4ish after a short stop at Costco and a late lunch at Old Country Buffet.  The evening consisted of us unpacking a bit, sorting some laundry and watching some recorded TV.  We were in bed by 9:30pm.

What a great vacation this was.  We had 3 weeks of lots of excitement, relaxing and eating.  Even though Doug was limited a bit, I think it was still one of our better vacations together.  We didn’t get into any major fights and the GPS didn’t cause us too many quarrels.  We had a blast vacationing with my parents.  It is always nice to go on vacation with someone else.  My friends Conny & Eleanor where a lot of fun to vacation with too.  We spent every dinner on the cruise together and we all had some great dinner conversations.   All our tours went really well and I think we all had a great time.  There are always a few stressful times when it comes to embarkation and disembarkation, but all in all, we did well. 

I hope everyone enjoyed the blog posts.  This will help me remember all the fun we had on this first time ever to South America through the Panama Canal.  Here is to many more vacations with my parents.

Ship Life

 

According to our paper work, we have had a total of 7 days at sea on this cruise.   Our ports have included Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Vallarata, Gutemala , Costa Rica, Panama Canal Transit, Colon, Columbia and ending in Miami.  It has been a perfect amount of ports and days at sea.  The days at sea have been a lot of fun and tend to be a lot of the same kind of things. 

 

 

We get up in the morning (usually me first) and I find a place to sit near the back of the ship (quieter there) and slowly the rest of the clan come wandering in.  I start with a danish and coffee and once the rest of the peeps come in I have my egg’s benny and hash (why don’t we have that in Canada) and probably more coffee.  We usually land up staying back there for awhile and then we wander around from there.

 

Usually a lot of our day is spent on deck near the pool.  Some of us go swimming, some just sit on the deck chair and read, and some sleep the day away LOL.  If you don’t get a lounge chair early, you probably won’t get one, unless it is pouring rain and then you can easily get a deck chair outside HA HA HA.

 

 

Lunch is usually at the grill where the hamburgers and hot dogs are good along with some really good salads and fruit.  Afternoon is the same as the morning, with a few fun things in between.  Doug has been going to the talks by a stand up comedian, and I have been going to the scrapbooking sessions to work on my picture pages or do the blog.  The movie selection hasn’t been that great, but I think Doug has gone to a couple of them.  I went to one call the Conspirator but didn’t really like it.

We have made it to all the dinners… and boy have they been good.  Our wait staff has been incredible and our maitre d’ (Dal) has been even better.  Mom has been treated really well with her gluten free requirements.  Early on in the trip we asked about a word on the menu (Succotash) and now everytime he sees us, he says that to us.  We even asked about boxes of plantains that were put on the ship and he told us it was only being used as garnish.  When we showed disappointment in that, he brought us a plate of them for us to have one night.  We all love Plantains and need to learn how to cook them.  By the way, anyone who knows me, knows that I do NOT like banana’s, but Dal said I should try the banana’s foster, and so I did.

Since we are sailing during the rainy season of this area, we have had some amazing rain storms.  As you can see from this picture it can rain here and this day we got a great thunder and lightning storm too.  We were all cheering when the lightning struck and right away there was a huge thunder noise… what a great show this was.

 

 

Evenings usually consist of us going to the show around 9pm (early to get a good seat).  They have had a lot of good comedians which has been nice.  The deaf interpreters have been amazing (early post has a pic of them) and yesterday they got flowers from the ship staff and a very large applause from the audience.  They have been more fun then most of the acts because it is so entertaining to watch them translate the words into hand signs.   Once the comedians figured out what they were doing, then the fun began.   They would say words just to see what the hand sign was for that word.  Turns out “cheeky monkey” was everyone's favourite on board.  These two people have become famous and everyone wants to talk to them.   I gave them my name and hopefully they will request a facebook friend. 

Depending on what is going on after the show, we either do a little something else, or go to bed.  Sometimes we have to get up early the next day, so we have been going to bed early at times.  Tonight will be early again as tomorrow we have to get up early to get off the ship and pick up our rental car. 

We have loved the Millenium and look forward to sailing on Celebrity again.  They have a great quality product and it has been so much more relaxing than Carnival.  I love Carnival though, but it just isn’t as relaxing and low key.   The Captain’s club perks have been great and because we were CruiseCritic memebers, we got a great party and a bridge tour. 

Columbia

 

We were so grateful to have a little later start for this port.  Our ship didn’t arrive until 9am but we had to be off the ship ASAP.  I think we were the first 10 off the ship… yes we are efficient.  Our tour guide company Leeland Miles (Mr. Emerald) was there to meet us and all 20 of us boarded a nicely air conditioned van and headed off on our tour by about 9:15am.

Our first stop was La Popa Monastery (I have the itinerary beside me as there is no way I would remember this on my own).  We toured the Monastery a bit, but I think the highlight of this stop was the view of the city.  As we got off the bus the merchants surrounded us to sell us their stuff.  Our tour guide Anna had a colourful umbrella so we could always see her on the tour.  Doug did a lot of just sitting around since all the walking was a bit tough on him.  After this stop, we drove to the San Felipe Fortress for a picture stop.  We didn’t go in but walked around a bit to take some pictures.  Again the merchants where at the bus ready to sell us their stuff. 

This group was the same group (for the most part) as the other two groups.  It was nice that we all knew each other already and we all got along great.  We had people from South Africa, Australia, Texas, Arkansas and of course us from Canada.  We had great conversations and even a few of the people got into the healthcare debate between the US system and the Canadian system… I personally like the Canadian system that allows it to be free. 

 

So after the Fortress, we were off the Plana Bolivar (Old Town).  Here we drove through a narrow road and got dropped off at the side of the road to do some walking.  Thankfully our guide was with us the whole time though.  We walked quite a bit here and Doug was pooped by the end of it.  We saw the Gold Museum, the Palace of the Inquisition and then we did a stop at the Church of San Pedro Claver.  None of this really interested me much, but I knew this was a great way to see the city and get some culture.  A person needs culture every so often… I think I am good now for awhile HEE  HEE HEE.

For some reason I thought it would be cooler here… I was wrong.  For the third day I sweat so much that I would drink water and not have to go pee right away.  I have never been so soggy in my life, but I didn’t care… I was in South America for my very first time.  I found this to be my favourite port as it was clean, and actually felt really safe. 

Now we were off to the Pierino Gallo Plaza (aka New City).  Here is where you could do your major shopping if you wanted to.  I was going to buy Emerald earrings here but the ones that were affordable didn’t fit into my ear as the post was too big.  Thankfully I thought to try them on in the bus before we left and so I went back to the place and returned them for a full refund.  This is the bonus to buying from reputable business’s… the ability to return the item.  I did buy some Columbian coffee and some Columbian Rum.  I got to taste the rum before I bought it and it is very good.  Hopefully we can share it with friends when we get back.

We were back on board by 1:30 and of course after dropping off our stuff, we were having lunch on the Lido deck.  I had a cheese/bacon burger and Doug had a hot dot.  They have really good burger’s here on board and where the grill is, there are some wonderful salads.  The rest of the afternoon was relaxing on the pool deck and virtually doing nothing.

We are now on the ship for 2 days at sea before we get to Miami on Tuesday.  Once we are in Miami we pick up our rental vehicle, go to our hotel and maybe book an everglades tour for that day. 

Panama Canal Transit & Colon

 

According to our schedule, we were picking up our pilot on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal at 6am and going under the Bridge of Americas at 6:45am.  I set my alarm for 5:30am and gave everyone a wake up call.  I was out on deck 11 about 15 minutes later and got myself a prime spot with lounges and everything.  Because Doug can’t walk too far, I stuck with midship location which worked out very nice.  I got some nice city pictures of Panama City as the sun was coming out.  There are some really cool high rises in Panama City. 

We were scheduled to get to the Miraflores locks at 8am (the first set of locks) and they did not disappoint.  We had some great seats for this.  They did open up the helipad if you wanted to go up front to see it, but it was very busy there and so we stuck to our spot and enjoyed the view from there.  It got really hot, but we slathered ourselves with lotion and wore hats.  What an amazing experience to see the Panama Canal locks.  This history of it is equally as amazing and we heard it a few times from various places.  The night before we watched a documentary about it and then during our transit there was a Panama Canal Narration by an official guide.

The Miraflores locks consists of two locks and then soon after is another one called the Pedro Miguel Locks.  By 11am we were done with the first set of locks and went down to deck 10 and got some breakfast and a few other snacks.  We found a good spot to sit near a window and had a nice view of the Cut (I forgot the official name of that) and Gatun Lake.  We did a bit of walking around to see various views of things.

In between the locks, the spa decided to put their staff on the pool deck and give out neck and foot massages (free)… yes I got a foot massage and it was very nice.

Early afternoon got us to the Gatun Locks(Atlantic Side) and here I decided to go down to deck 4 to see the canal a little closer… now that was an experience… you could touch the side of the Canal if you wanted (we were told not to).  In fact some excitement was when the ship scraped the side of the Canal and then you could see the smoky concrete dust come up (yes I took pictures).  After watching one of the locks like this, I went up to the front and watched it a bit more from there.  I still didn’t go to the helipad area, but I could see it from where I was sitting. 

None of us got burnt, which is a pretty amazing feat if you ask me.  We all got some great pictures of this one of a kind experience.  The weather had been nice the whole time and we got some great views of the Panama Canal.

By 5pm we were through all the locks and were out to the Atlantic Ocean.   We got passed by the Carnival Freedom which had been in the port of Colon that day.  We didn’t go to Colon until the next day because we had to go out 12 miles into the ocean to flush the ships toilet… yes, you read that right… they had to dump our waste and so we spent the evening going very slowly out into the ocean.  They also had a deck party that night because we were going so slowly and not moving much.  They did a fruit buffet and dancing on deck.  We stayed for a bit, but then grabbed a few snacks, visited a bit with Conny and went to bed by 11pm.  We had to get up at 6:15am the next day so we didn’t get much sleep.

Colon – we had to be off the ship by 7:15am so we could meet our tour guide at 7:40am.  All 19 of us were on time and we all piled into our tour bus and our tour guide Rey kept us entertained for the next 6 1/2 hours.   We were very very tired by the end of this tour.

We started out by going to the Gatun Locks and checked out the viewing area.  Along the way we stopped on the side of the road and took some pics of a sloth in a tree.  We were actually on one of the locks for this viewing area.  There was a long set of steps to the area, so Doug and our friend Dennis stayed at the lower area.  It was nice for Doug to have someone staying with him every so often.  After the locks, we crossed over the Canal (via a tiny one way bridge) and went to the Fort San Lorenzo.   This was a long drive through the Rain Forest and we stopped to see some monkeys and also a short hike to see some plants, etc.  the picture is all of us on the side of the road taking pictures of the howler monkey’s in the tree.  For the hike to see the plants, etc,  Doug only walked a ways before stopping and headed back to the air conditioned bus.  My mom went back too as she was getting too hot.  I have never sweat so much in my life.  There was sweat pouring out of every pour in my body.

The fort was interesting… very small but rustic.  There was some good views from there and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  Doug walked out for a bit, but eventually went back to the bus to enjoy the air conditioning.  It was a long tour but that was mostly because of the long drive.  The tour also included water, pop and beer.  Yes, Doug had a beer at 9am in the morning…. and he wasn’t the only one in the bus who did that.

We got back to the port at a decent hour to spend a bit of time shopping.  Doug and I looked around for a few minutes but went back to the ship and rested.  With these long excursions, Doug has to come back to our cabin and put ice on his back to relax it.   By this time we were tired, but still had to go for dinner.   The dinner was great and mom’s veal shank was HUGE… yes we took a picture.  We did go see the juggler comedian but we didn’t manage through the whole show as we both couldn’t keep our eyes open.  We were asleep by 10:15 and the alarm was set for 7:30am the next morning.

The next day would be our first time in South America…. we were excited to go out in Columbia and see the sites…. more blogs to come.

Costa Rica and our day at sea

 

Between Guatemala and Costa Rica, we had a day at sea.  It allows us to get a breather between ports and relax a bit. 

This day at sea we got to tour the bridge.  This was a special event for Cruise Critic members and it doesn’t always happen, but this time they allowed it.  We had to show up at a certain time, get signed in and screened using the wand.  We got to see some of the equipment they use and were told how it gets used.  We were allowed to take pictures but not use the flash on the equipment.  It also has the best view from up there. 

After the bridge tour there was a Captains Club party and for 1 1/2 hours the booze was flowing (for free).  They also had a great food spread (as if we needed more).  We got a lot of personalized entertainment too.  Sure beats what Carnival gives their past passengers.

I went to bed early as I had a tour to organize the next day.  Doug got in late as he went to a movie at 10pm. 

We got up at 6:30 and I was off the ship by 7:15 to make sure I was outside to meet my group.  Some where out there already and the rest trickled out until about 8am.  The start of the tour was a little rocky, but once we were all settled, we had a great 7 hour tour. 

We started the tour with a stop to see the monkeys.  They gave us food to feed the monkeys and those monkeys enjoyed helping themselves to it.  They were very cute and we got some great pictures.  Doug also got a little video of them that we will post on facebook at some point.  Then the next stop was a sugar plantation where they showed us how they squeeze the liquid out of the sugar cane.  They let us drink some of it (mixed with ginger and lime) and boy was it good.  Doug and I only had a little bit as we figured it would spike our sugar levels a little too high.  We also got to taste a few other things like cashews and another fruit wine they made.

Our next stop was for our zipline.  There were 8 of us who did the zipline and 8 did the skywalk tour and Doug and my mom stayed at the hotel and enjoyed the surroundings.  I did the zipline along with Dad.  There were 6 zips all together and they were a blast.  It was a bit of a walk to get there and then we did 3 zips… then there was a bit more of a hike and we did the last 3 zips.  I managed to not make it to the end of 3 zips and had to pull myself to the end of them.  Good thing I had been getting upper body strength with all the pushing of Doug on the wheelchair.   I really enjoyed the zipline and would do it again.  I am not a huge fan of heights, but this was easy to deal with as you were not too high up.  By the way, Mickey Mouse did not join me on the zipline.  I figured that would be too hard for me to figure out.  I did manage to get a video of one of my zips… I will post that at some point too.

For anyone who says they can’t zipline, here is a pic of my dad doing it.  He is 70 years old… I think if he can do it, anyone can.  Doug was really sad to have missed it though as this was his idea in the first place.  I guess we will have to do something like this again so he can do the ziplining.

 

 

After this we were all pretty tired, but we managed to see about 10 parrots in some trees along the way to lunch.  The bus driver stopped and we got some really good pictures of Macaw’s in their natural habitat… how cool was that :) 

We had a great lunch (included in the tour) at a restaurant and it included some great authentic Costa Rican food.  We were all pretty full after that.  Then there was a stop at the beach to take a few pictures.  We also stopped at a supermarket for some coffee, but found the same coffee was sold on the ship for cheaper, so we didn’t buy anything.  By this time everyone was pretty tired and wanted to get back on board.  We could have stopped to see some crocodiles, but we wanted to get back.  Once we got back to the ship, Doug and I went straight to our cabin and slept for an hour before getting ready for dinner.  Mom, Dad, Conny & Eleanor went back out to the port and did a bit of shopping yet.  I just couldn’t manage doing that yet as I was so tired.

Tomorrow (Thursday) we are going through the Panama Canal.  I plan on getting up at 5:30 to find myself a good spot on the deck to watch it.   I guess it is early to bed tonight so I can stay awake for the whole Panama Canal experience.

2 days at Sea and Guatemala

 

We had 2 days at sea between Puerto Vallarta and Guatemala.  During that time we dodged a category 4 hurricane.  Hurricane Hillary was heading straight for Acapulco and our ship was heading right for it, so our captain decided he would go around it and he landed up going around it by 200 miles.  The seas were a little rough but not really too bad.  We did get some thunder and lightening, but who doesn’t love a good storm? 

Most of our time on days at sea is spent relaxing on the pool deck.  We try to find some shade and then just plant ourselves there for the day.  We found that the grill has some great salads and some even better fruit, so we land up eating there for lunch most of the time.  The AquaSpa Cafe has some great healthy alternatives for lunch too.   They have some great poached fruit and some low sugar items.  Breakfast still usually consists of eggs benedict and waffles… life is good and the food selection is awesome.

Our dinner is at 6, so we usually go to our cabin around 5ish and get ourselves ready.  Dinner is usually until 8 and then we go back to the cabin and get a few things and head up to the theatre to watch the entertainment which starts at 9pm.  We get there early so we can get a good wheel chair seat for Doug.  After the show we either go to bed and relax a bit, or stay up a little later for some late night entertainment.  For example right now I am typing this in the dance lounge waiting for the Newly Wed, Not so Newlywed show to start at 10:45pm.  Tomorrow is a sea day so I can sleep in until 8am. 

The picture is us all dressed for formal night.  I usually push him in the wheel chair to the dining room.  Thankfully Dad  helps me with that every so often because the carpet in the hallways makes it hard to push.

We have gone to most of the shows in the evening and during these shows have been 2 amazing interpreters.  There is a group of deaf people on board and they hire them to come with them to interpret for the show.  I did not know you could interpret musicals and comedians, but you can and they do it with finesse.  I figured Mickey needed to have a picture with them and I also told them how amazing they were.

 

Today was our port stop in Guatemala.  I decided to book a shore excursion with the cruiseship with Conny.  We went to see Lake Atitlan which was a 2 1/2 hour trip drive each way.  It was beautiful scenery though and we also had a great authentic lunch.  This port had the worst case of people wanting to sell you stuff.  They followed us around everywhere and even started touching me wanting to buy their stuff.  I had Mickey with me and they kept asking if the Mickey was for them… i said NO!!  I didn’t buy anything though.  Doug didn’t go on the tour though.  It was too expensive for both of us to go and i don’t think he could have managed such a long drive and all the bumps on the road.  Turns out the walk to the pier for the boat ride around the lake was steep.  We did a lookout point, a 45 minute boat ride on the lake, a lunch at a hotel and a bit of walking around the hotel area which had lots of flowers and other scenery.  Yes, I took some pictures of flowers for Doug as he loves that kind of things.  I preferred pictures of houses and cool buildings.

Doug stayed at the port along with Eleanor and my parents.  They went out into the port for awhile and bought a few souvenirs (including coffee).  They got to enjoy the very quiet ship while everyone else was out doing some type of tour.  Here is a port that it might be a good idea to stick with a tour through the ship. 

We have a sea day again and then off to Costco Rica on Tuesday… we can’t wait.  I am doing zipline and maybe my dad is going too. 

Cabo San Lucas & Puerto Vallarta

 

These two ports of call are ones we have been to before.  This will be our 5th time in Cabo and my 3rd time in Puerto Vallarta.  We actually we not supposed to go to PV but when we boarded the ship we got notified that we were not going to go to Acapulco because of all the violence.

Cabo San Lucas – this is a tender port and so that meant it was going to be a little difficult for Doug to get off the ship.  The swells were high and so you had to jump a bit to get onto the tender boat.  Doug managed though, so off we went for our adventure in Cabo.  We had decided to take a taxi to Costco.  We had learned from an earlier trip that they had the best view property of the bay.  They also had cheap churros and pina colada’s (non alcoholic).  I don’t think any of us planned to buy anything.  We were just doing this to say we did something in Cabo.  After our exciting trip to Costco, we went to a coffee shop and used their wireless internet so Doug could check his email.  We got back onboard and relaxed by the pool

Puerto Vallarta – here we walked to the main port and did a bit of shopping and found an internet cafe ($1/hour) and checked our email and updated our facebook.  After that we wandered over to Walmart and picked up some Tequila and some pop.  Doug didn’t manage to well on the sidewalks, so he want back to the ship while Dad and I finished up shopping.  We got back on board at a decent time and took a quick dip in the pool.

The weather got hot once we hit Cabo.  Walking outside for a bit and your clothes where soaked in sweat.  I was expecting this though as I have heard that the Panama Canal is hot this time of year, so I guess it will only get worse. 

I have been getting up around 7am and sitting outside and reading.  I pick up a couple croisonts and enjoy the quiet of the ship.  Then I phone Doug around 8 and wake him up.  By 9am Doug, Mom and Dad are out of the cabin and we are eating breakfast together.   So far this routine has worked out well.  Today we skipped lunch though as we were pretty full.  The dinner’s have been fantastic.  We all have been eating lots of fruit too.

I am currently sitting in our cabin typing this while eating a sugar free pastry and a glass of milk… all ordered from room service.  Yes, this is the life.

Now we have 2 days at sea.  Who know what we will do.  Probably lots of relaxing and hopefully a little learning. 

Mickey Mouse has been very well received on board.  Most everyone loves it that we are walking around with him.  The entertainment staff is getting a kick out of it and the Cruise Director calls me Disney.  Here is a picture of Hazel and Mickey Mouse.  Hazel is from San Diego and this is her first contract on Celebrity.  Every time she sees us she asks where Mickey is.  I figured she need to be in a picture with Mickey Mouse.  I also get lots of comments about my red hair.  I think Doug and myself are the two most unique looking people on board.  We are just about the youngest, that is for sure.

Embarkation Day & Sea Day

 

On our day to embark the ship, I got up at 6:15 again.  Not sure why I keep getting up so early, but that is what keeps happening.  I went online and did some facebook stuff and then went outside to the breakfast area and read a book on my tablet and had breakfast #1.  Eventually Eleanor and Conny showed up and joined me.  I told them it would be awhile before everyone else showed up, but they surprised me.  We were all sitting together for breakfast just a little after 8.  Who knew everyone could get up so early.  I think we were all ready to get onboard by 10:30 for our taxi’s to show up.  Between the 6 of us we got two cabs.

We couldn’t believe the day was finally here… boarding a ship for 15 days.  Turns out Doug and myself are not a well oiled machine when it comes to boarding a ship AND dealing with a wheelchair and walker.  We got rid of our luggage and went to board.  I had Doug’s walker and we found a wheelchair for Doug to use.  We took turns pushing Doug, but still we had issues with my carry on bag falling off the walker and pushing Doug into walls.  We did get to go through a special line for wheelchairs, and then they put us in a small corner to wait to board.  We were told we would have priority boarding, but put us on the other side of the building to where we board the ship.  So when the announcement came to board, we didn’t hear it and when we did, they told us to go to a different area and then changed there mind.  As if it isn’t hard enough to deal with a wheelchair, we had to deal with people not telling us where to go.  After a bit of fuss though, we got onboard around noon, found a spot to sit and started to enjoy our trip.

We (Doug & I) didn’t feel like dealing with the lunch buffet lines, so I got Doug a hotdog from the grill and they had at least 6 salads plus fresh fruit.  My favourite part of a cruise is all the fresh fruit.  Mom and Dad did the lunch buffet line though and enjoyed it too.  We were finally onboard the ship and we could relax and enjoy our Panama Cruise for the next 15 days.  Doug and Conny enjoyed sitting in the sun for awhile on the pool deck.  By about 1:30 our rooms where ready and we went down to check them out.  We got midship cabins and very close to everything.  Our luggage came soon after and I unpacked.

The afternoon was spent sitting on the pool deck and listening to the live band.  That is one thing Celebrity does well in… all the live music.  We were suppossed to leave the port at 4, but landed up leaving around 5:30 instead.  I think it had something to do with all the luggage and inspecting every bag.  Dinner was at 6, and we had a table for just the six of us.  We have a really nice wait staff and I think I am really going to enjoy them.  We haven’t had much luck in this department for the last few cruises (all have been nice, but usually slow) and so it will be nice to have an efficient wait staff.  After dinner we went back to the cabin so Doug could rest a bit and then we were off to the Welcome Aboard show at 9.  Our time changed an hour ahead that night, so we went to bed after the show.

It is now our first day at sea.  I was up at 7am to check out the ship.  Currently I am sitting in the adult only section of the ship (so far I have only seen 2 kids) and had a light breakfast at the AquaSpa with a yummy cup of coffee.  I have to wake Doug up at 8:30 and we are meeting for breakfast with everyone at 9.  Turns out Celebrity will make mom gluten free waffles… that is the first for us. 

My sleep wasn’t that good.  Not sure what to do, but if it isn’t that good tonight I will ask for a different mattress as mine is not very good.  Even Doug went on it and said he noticed the difference between mine and his.   Talking about Doug, so far he is managing ok.  He just has to take it easy and get lots of rest.  I am still getting used to the wheelchair, but I am hoping soon he can navigate with it on his own a little better.  He will use the walker if there won’t be lots of walking to do though.  Our cabin is fairly full though… a wheel chair and a walker takes up a lot of room. 

I am getting a lot of comments about my hair and then people see my tattoo.  I think I have the most colour in my hair from everyone here.  I don’t think we are the youngest adults on board, though, but there aren’t a lot of us.  Lots and lots of older people, which is expected on a longer cruise.  I am also wandering around with the Mouse, and I am getting a few comments about that too.

Well, time to close this up.  Gotta wake up the hubby soon.

Back from a day of fun and adventure on the ship.  The family finally showed up for breaky and we had a nice sit down breakfast.  Mom got her gluten free waffles and Doug & I had made to order eggs Benedict.  It was very tasty.  The rest of the day was doing some activities, eating lunch, getting all dressed up for formal night and eating a yummy dinner.  Now we are waiting for an acapella group to start singing.   They started… they are very good.

 

Doug tried to do a watercolour class .  He couldn’t concentrate well on the instructions, so he didn’t do well… but there will be more classes so maybe he will try again and take less drugs.

 

Then later we did a galley tour.  Wow is the kitchen ever big.

 

Tomorrow is Cabo San Lucas and we all plan to take a taxi to Costco… yup, we live the exciting life HA HA HA

San Diego – Day 3 - SeaWorld

Hey there! Mickey the Mouse here, from SeaWorld!

Today my peeps took me to the other theme park, down in San Diego. The weather was fantastic, bit of a breeze to keep you cool, and enough sun to work on your tan. We even met our friend Gail there ...she is always a lot of fun to be with, and she is one of my biggest fans. 

 

 

 

We saw my good friend Shamu, and the rest of the Shamu family. They have always been great hosts, entertaining all of their guests with great tricks, and the show they do is number one! 

 

 

 

We also saw the sea turtles, but Crush and Little Dude couldn't make it, as they were doing some shows at my Florida park. It is nice to see that SeaWorld is working so hard to keep the turtle population growing so that Crush and his family can get to the Great Barrier Reef every year for their vacation.

 

Oh, the dolphins were a lot of fun, but I thought they were the highlight of that show, not the birds or the people. I loved it when they sipping jumped and splashed the people. I love seeing them smile ...the dolphins, that is ;-)

The penguins were a lot of fun. Doug didn't get to see them this time, as he was laying down on the job (at 1st aid) ...again!
We went on an arctic expedition. That was exciting, and a little scary! We saw Beluga whales, and Doug thanked them for making good caviar (yuck!). Saw a Polar Bear playing in the water. Doug suddenly had craving for a Coke. Weird.

Stefani, Vic, Gail, and Connie went on a wild ride. Looked wet. I stayed dry with Doug and Chris, but it looked like the rest of them had fun. 

 

 

 

 

After that the day started coming to an end. We did some shopping, and grabbed a Dippin’ Dots ice cream . Those are my favourite. Stefani treated Doug to a Starbucks coffee … he really liked that! Gail had to say goodbye, until the next time we could see her, and we were all getting tired. It was almost time to meet our shuttle, and away we went, back to our hotel.

Dinner was sandwiches and Jack in the Box tacos (we got some free coupons from the baseball game yesterday!), and we spent a relaxed evening packing and getting ready for our cruise tomorrow! That’s gonna be a lot of fun! So excited!

Here is one more picture of everyone having lunch at Calypso Reef… we all ate well… actually the humans ate well… I was stuffed ;)

San Diego – Day 2

I started my day bright and early… nobody was up in our group.  I couldn’t sleep past 7am, so I checked email and then went to the lobby for breakfast #1.  I sat outside and just people watched for awhile.  My dad showed up a little after 8ish and Doug finally came out of his hole around 8:30 (complaining about how early it was).    All 6 of us landed up having breakfast together (my breakfast #2).  We came up with a game plan for the day and then we went our separate ways.  Connie and Eleanor went to Balboa Park and the 4 of us wandered over to Old Town via the Trolley. 

The trolley here works very well.  You buy a $5/day pass and can use it all day long.  We of course took pictures of Doug getting hauled up by the lift.  This is all new to us, so it has to be documented.

We got to Old Town around 10:30 and saw that they were doing some celebrations for Mexican Independence Day.  How lucky can one get (I planned it all of course).  Doug and my dad went to the cigar shop and me and my mom browsed a few Mexican shops.  I think it is kinda funny that we are browsing Mexican shops when we will be in Mexico on a few days.  I just bought a San Diego shot glass (made in mexico).   Then we went to our favourite Mexican Restaurant in San Diego called Casa de Reyes and watched some live music for the celebrations.  We had a lovely lunch and then walked back to the hotel to get a bit of rest before our next stop.  Now when I say we went for a rest, I am talking about Doug and my parents… I don’t rest on a vacation HA HA HA

The next part of our day was doing a harbor cruise on the Hornblower.  We did this the last time we were here, but figured it would be fun to go with my group.  We managed to see a very unique sighting on the water… the hovercraft from Camp Pendleton.  Turns out it is Fleet Week here in San Diego this week and there is a lot of military activity going on.

After the harbor cruise we came back to the hotel and rested (sigh… this seems to be a theme in my blogs).  We didn’t go out for dinner as we were still full from our lunch, but we did eat the things we bought at the deli from yesterday.  YUMMY!  Also Jack in the Box had $1 pop, so we had to buy some of that too. 

Our day pass for the Trolley came in handy as we were off to the game.   I bought tickets to the San Diego Padre’s game because I heard that MercyMe was going to be playing a concert after the game.  The tickets were $13 and we got some great seats.  This was our first ever baseball game and it was fun.  We didn’t go for the beginning of it though.  We got there around the 6th inning (I think that is what it is called).  We got to see the Padre’s win the game, which apparently was cheering worthy to the crowd HEE HEE HEE!!  MercyMe started around 8:45 and it was great.  Sure our seats for such a concert wasn’t very good, but it was fine by us.  We could have moved closer, but we were comfy.  They are a great band and I really enjoyed the concert.  I love listening to God music.  No matter how hard life is, listening to worship music makes things seem a little better. 

It is now 10pm (wow, everyone made it without falling asleep) and Doug and I are going to have a glass of homogenized milk and a bear claw.  

Mickey Mouse had a great day exploring with us and especially enjoyed his first ever baseball game too. 

Tomorrow is SeaWorld… exciting.

San Diego – Day 1

Our day started out at 4:00am.  The alarm was set for 4:15, but I was too excited to sleep, so that is when I landed up waking up.  We did pretty good with packing.  1 check-in bag and 2 carry on bags (plus back packs).  The border went quickly and we were in Seattle by 7:15am and having breakfast by around 7:30 at Denny’s .  We love to start our vacation at Denny’s for some reason.  We have started it as our tradition now. 

 

The airport went really well considering Doug was being carted around in a wheel chair.  We got to be first in the security line and then we were just about first on the airplane.  Granted along with these perks came the work of my parents and myself carting around an extra luggage that Doug couldn’t pull.  I landed up rolling two suitcases over my toe and hurt it quite bad.    The flight went well though and even though it was full, I still didn’t find it too stressful.  Once we got to San Diego we found someone to wheel Doug down to the baggage claim and away we went.  I think our taxi cab made it to our hotel in record time.  I gave him a $5 tip for that.  Once we got to the hotel, I remembered that I had ordered a scooter for Doug to use for the 3 days we were here.  He is really enjoying it.

We spent a few hours at the hotel just relaxing and getting our stuff in order.  I did some research and found some great reviews about a restaurant/deli called Mona Lisa .  They offered gluten free pasta for my mom, so that was a bonus.  When our food came, we couldn’t believe how good it looked.  So I took pictures of all the amazing food we ate.  Good thing we walked to the restaurant because we sure needed the exercise after that meal.  Afterwards we went to the deli and bought some sandwich fixins for meals tomorrow.  It was all good looking authentic Italian food.  Oh, did I mention that we went to Little Italy for this restaurant?  Very cute.

below is some food porn pictures of our meal. 

 

 

Well  , it is only 8pm and I refuse to go to sleep this early, but I think we are staying in now.  It has been a long day and it is time to relax.  Tomorrow is Old Town, Harbor Cruise, Padre’s game and a Mercy Me Concert. 

I hope to post a number of updates on this blog during our trip.  Keep watch and enjoy our travels.  We are going to have 20 days of fun, sun and relaxing.

Stefani (and my 2 sidekicks… Doug & Mickey)