The next morning, we got up at about 6:30, opened our stockings & little surprises from Santa, then the kids opened the gifts they bought for each other. For the past few years, we've been taking our kids to the dollar store so they can buy gifts for each other, using their own money. They LOVE picking things out just from them, especially for each of their siblings (and mom & dad). And they are always so grateful & appreciative of everything they get.
After that, we went around in a circle, each taking turns opening our gifts. We didn't buy a lot for the kids this year, since our big family gift was a cruise to the Bahamas. But everyone was excited & happy with what they got. PJ & Tessa each got an ipod dock that is an alarm clock/radio/speaker/ipod charger. Jonah got a Beyblade Destroyer Dome with 2 new Beyblades, and Clay got a Skylander Giants carrying case with 2 new characters. Then they each got a couple new outfits, a gift card to a bookstore, and some treats & knick-knacks. And then they had a few things from their grandparents & Uncle Spencer (a few Wii games and some money to use for souvenirs on our cruise).
Neil & I didn't buy a lot for each other either...partly because of our cruise, and party because I bought Neil 2 new suit coats & a couple new shirts for work a month earlier, when they were on sale, and then he bought me a couple new pair of jeans & shirts as well. But he also spoiled me with a Silhouette Cameo (one of those machines that cuts out vinyl lettering & makes cards, etc.) I was excited & have been having fun figuring out all the fun things it can do.
After we opened up all of our presents, the kids started playing with their new treasures, and Neil & I started making our traditional Christmas breakfast. We always have pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, and fresh fruit. The rest of the day was filled with games, new toys, naps, more food, and fun! We put out a veggie tray & cheese ball with crackers & just munch on it throughout the day, along with our treats from Santa. Then we have a big Christmas dinner of Ham & cheesy potatoes, rolls, veggies, & jello fluff. It was a great day! And here in Canada, we get to have one more holiday after Christmas...Boxing Day! :) It's so nice to have an extra day with Neil at home!
Neil went back to work for one day (I was busy packing for our trip, finishing up the last of the laundry & cleaning, and putting away all of our Christmas decorations). The night before, it dumped a LOT of snow--heavy, wet, yucky snow, so we also spent several hours shoveling (I was glad to be leaving all that behind, but the kids had fun playing in it for the day).
Friday morning, we got up & headed out on our trip at about 7:30 a.m. We reached the U.S. Border by about 8:30 (and waited in line there for about a half hour), made our way through New York, Pennsylvania, and then to Maryland. We made it to Baltimore around 4:30 p.m., checked into our hotel, had dinner, and then went to bed.
Our cruise left the next day, but we couldn't board until noon, so we took our time getting ready, enjoyed a long breakfast, and relaxed in our room until 11:00. The drive to the port was only about 6 minutes, which was good because by then it was snowing. We checked our bags, went through customs, got our on-board sea passes, and headed onto the ship. They already had the buffet ready so everyone could enjoy a nice lunch while we were waiting to depart. After our lunch, we headed to our rooms, wandered around the ship to figure out where everything was, and looked at the schedule of activities that were available throughout the week. The ship was great. It was a Royal Caribbean, 11 floors, 3 pools, 6 hot tubs, 4 restaurants/cafes, a couple bars, 1 casino, a huge 2-story theater for shows, performances, & movies, a beautiful atrium, and a full 10-story open lobby, with lots of windows, couches, & seats all around the outside area, a bunch of shops onboard, a "kids club" for kids ages 3-12, and a "teen club" for 13-18 year olds, an arcade, a gym, an outdoor track, shuffleboard, and much more!
The first 2 days we were at sea, so we did lots of things onboard the ship. We went on the bungee trampolines (the kids LOVED this & did it every day), rock climbing, played shuffleboard, chess, watched some shows & entertainment, went swimming, had fun at the family disco & family karaoke, etc. And Jonah & Clay also had fun in the "Kids Club" and PJ & Tessa spent some time in the teen club and just wandering around the ship.
Our first port was in Port Canaveral, Florida. We spent the day on an excursion called "The Ultimate Wildlife Experience" that took us on an air boat ride through the Florida Everglades. We saw alligators, lots of birds, and then afterwards there was a demonstration with snakes, an oppossum, a monkey, and you could hold & touch a baby alligator. They also had samples of fried alligator meat and alligator jerky that you could try (it tastes like chicken). :) After that we went on a pontoon boat & saw dolphins, a manatee, and a lot more birds. It was a lot of fun & educational too. Jonah & Clay even bought alligator heads for their souvenirs. After that, we headed back to the ship in time for dinner, more shows, and more fun. It was New Year's Eve, so there was LOTS going on! After dinner & the comedy juggling show, The kids went swimming until about 9:30 p.m., then we headed to one of the clubs for another night of family disco & family karaoke. So funny! As it got close to midnight, we headed to the main lobby, where there were going to have a huge balloon drop, from the 10th floor. It was packed & everyone was having a great time. (I was glad that it was a family-oriented cruise though, so we didn't have anything too crazy or out of control). After the final count-down to 2013, with cheers, noise-makers, and sparkling cider, we all headed back down to our room & went to bed. And the kids slept in too...clear until 7:15! :)
Each evening when we would return to our room, our awesome room attendant left these cute little towel animals. :)
The next day, our 2nd excursion was in Nassau, Bahamas. It was the "Atlantis Beach Day". We took a tour bus to the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, where they had a huge aquarium that was amazing & was decorated like ruins from ancient Atlantis. They also had a couple restaurants & a beach lagoon with paddle boats, kayaks, snorkeling, etc. We enjoyed every minute of it (especially relaxing on the warm, sunny, sandy beaches!!!--definitely beats the cold, snowy weather we left behind!!!) And of course, we had to finish off the day with some ice cream before heading back to our ship. Again, we arrived in time for dinner, another show, and more fun.
Some of the shows we saw while on board were a magic show that was AMAZING, A juggling comedy show that was also great, a couple different musical shows, some dancing, a "Love & Marriage" game show, and a movie. And throughout the day there were also various demonstrations, competitions (belly-flop challenge, cake decorating between the head chef and the captain of the ship, dancing, kids talent show, family karaoke, & family disco, etc.) There was always lots to do & see!
The following day we arrived in CocoCay, Bahamas. This is a private island that is owned by Royal Caribbean. We chose the "At Your Leisure Snorkeling" excursion. We took the little tender boat from our cruise ship to the island, then made our way to the snorkel shack to get all our gear. We found a nice spot on the beach, dumped our stuff off, and headed into the water. The snorkeling was AWESOME! They had a sunken ship, part of a sunken airplane, some old mines, and an old cannon. There were so many different fish--we saw a bunch of bright, colorful fish, a barracuda, a stingray, several starfish, crabs, etc. And they had a couple of wooden platforms out in the water if you wanted to get out for a bit. There were a couple workers on a dock that were feeding the fish occasionally, which was fun, but kind of crazy when you had a feeding frenzy of flopping fish all around you! :) All the kids (and Neil & I) loved it! This was definitely our favorite day. After snorkeling for a couple of hours, we relaxed on the beach, the kids played in the sand, made sandcastles, & looked for seashells. Royal Caribbean also provided a huge barbecue buffet, so we made our way over to the food & enjoyed hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken, lemonade, and lots of fresh fruits & veggies, salads, rolls, muffins, cookies, & desserts. After lunch, we headed back out to do some more snorkeling for a while and then wandered through the little shops/market to look for souvenirs before heading back to our ship around dinner time. What a GREAT day!
The last two days of our cruise we were at sea again, heading back up to Baltimore. The first day was still warm & sunny. There were lots of activities outside, and of course the kids did plenty of swimming, did the bungee a few more times, ate LOTS of ice cream, and just soaked up the fun! The last day at sea it got a lot cooler, so we did more indoor activities, went to some shows, etc.
We arrived back in Baltimore on Saturday morning, around 7 a.m. We went to the breakfast buffet, enjoyed one last delicious meal on the ship, got our bags and then headed home. The week went by so fast, and we had SO much fun! We will definitely do another cruise sometime! :)
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