Towards the end of 2023, we had emerged from the Covid craziness ready to try out our first ever cruise! None of us had ever been on one, and honestly, we wondered whether or not we would enjoy this type of travel. On September 2, I e-mailed a travel agent friend to explore the possibility. Originally, Lucas and I were thinking we would go just the two of us. But when we realized that adding our four oldest boys didn't actually add that much expense, we decided to bring them all along. One-year-old Chance would stay with grandparents in Florida. We kept it a secret until Christmas. I had hinted at a "big gift", and we had some smaller gifts for them to open (like some ducks to hide and a bilingual Spanish book since we'd be going to Mexico). Having never been on a cruise, though, they were disappointed that this was their "big gift." Now they get the allure of cruising!
Soon after Christmas in January 2024, we drove down to Florida to drop off Chance with Mamaw and Papaw. Then we headed to Port Canaveral to catch our ship. Our cruise ship used to be one of the largest when it was built but is now considered a "smaller" ship without all the bells and whistles of the massive ones. What I loved about the cruise, though, was how it was like a "create your own adventure" opportunity. We all found things we liked to do. I got swept up in a scavenger hunt trying to find all the countries represented by the staff. Lucas enjoyed relaxing. Carter liked eating a bunch (he'd go from the Windjammer buffet to the formal dining room to the late-night pizza) and playing video games. Calvin, Cooper, and Colson enjoyed the kids club and just hanging out. And even though it wasn't a "couples" trip, Lucas and I had a lot of time just the two of us. We had two connecting rooms, so the four boys were in the room next to us. Every night, we'd check the boys into Kids Club and go to the nightly show (magician, comedian, singers, etc.). And after experiencing Mexico one day, the boys preferred to stay on board at the next Mexico port. So, we checked them into Kids Club and walked around Cozumel by ourselves!
After our cruise, we met up with Mamaw and Papaw to get Chance and to have a beach day. It was a bit too cold to swim, but the boys enjoyed the waves of the ocean since they hadn't really been to ocean beaches much. Then we headed straight north to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania! On the way, we celebrated my 40th birthday with peach ice cream and boiled peanuts in Georgia! In Pittsburgh, Lucas took Carter to their first-ever GDQ (a video game charity event). Meanwhile, I took the younger 4 boys to some museums and a friend's house in Pittsburgh. Then we drove home!
Day 1 - drive to Georgia (stayed at a Drury Inn!)
Day 2 - drive to Florida to see where Mamaw and Papaw spend the winter and to drop off Chance
Day 3 - drive Port Canaveral and hop aboard our first cruise!
Days 4&5 - enjoy the cruise ship (Royal Caribbean's Mariner of the Seas)
Day 6 - Puerta Costa Maya
Day 7 - Cozumel
Day 8 - sea day
Day 9 - meet Mamaw and Papaw in Vero Beach to pick up Chance, drive to Georgia
Day 10 (my 40th birthday!) - drive to South Carolina to see Aunt Phyllis
Day 11 - drive to North Carolina
Day 12 - drive to Pittsburgh
Day 13 - GDQ, Pittsburgh
Day 14 - GDQ, Pittsburgh
Day 15? - drive home
Whew! Kentucky to Florida to Mexico to Pittsburgh and back to Kentucky in the middle of January. What an adventure!
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