We went on a cruise with Mark's family the last week of April. Aren't we totally spoiled??!! It was on Royal Caribbean's latest mega ship, Harmony of the Seas. We flew into Lauderdale a day early to ensure we didn't miss our cruise. It was a pleasure having assigned seats and avoiding that adrenaline rush waiting at the gate praying we get on. Ellie kept saying "Chew bubble gum on air pane?" every time we talked about the cruise. She did get to chew her bubble gum on the airplane and she was pretty happy about that.
We left on a Friday and the Wednesday before we left, I was in bed sick all day. It was a combination of chronic debilitating, labor-like stomach pains and a sinus infection. A winning concoction of misery. I rarely even get a nap, so laying in bed all day was very frustrating especially when I still had 1/3 of the packing to do. Thankfully, the laundry was washed and I already had piles waiting to go into suitcases. Mark was really worried so he called in my mom for reinforcements. My stomach was better on Thursday, but my head was still a mess for the first half of the cruise.
On that same day (Thursday), March 23rd, my great nephew was born in the late afternoon!! His name is Blake Michael. I was too out of sorts to go to the hospital and take pictures of him as I had hoped and also there was the packing that still had to be done. It was probably for the best because germs and newborns are a bad idea.
We stayed at the Embassy Suites in Ft. Lauderdale which has a great location, an awesome pool and a tasty breakfast buffet. We got on the ship around lunch time.
This picture looks fake, but I kid you not this ship is enormous! The fact that it floats seems to defy logic and science. We sailed with about 6,000 "friends".
Of course, Royal Caribbean is always trying to out do itself so imagine our surprise and delight when we discovered the robot bar! We didn't order any drinks, but it was fun watching it shake and stir drinks for those that did.
One thing that was done particularly well is that they had a fun splash zone just for kids and then a separate one for littler tikes.
We got on the ship with bathing suits in our carry on and headed straight for the pool after lunch. Ellie Cat and I sat on the sidelines because I try to avoid pools at all costs. #oldlady She was ready for a nap and I was not ready to chase her around the pool deck so she got stuck in the stroller. I did paint her toenails (after I took this picture) while we waited for our rooms to be ready.
Also, at this jumping off point of our vacation, I managed to crack my "go to" wide camera lens. I think had I been feeling better (hello, I temporarily lost my hearing on the decent thanks to snot problems) I would have been more upset, but such is life. It happens! I had a few other lens that worked, but then towards the end of the trip realized that if sand got in my lens, it didn't matter because it was already broken so I just used it anyway.
We are spoiled balcony dwellers.
The bed Brooke is laying on split into twin beds and the couch over by the door had a trundle underneath. That means we had Princess in our room.
Waiting to depart...
Mark took pictures of some of the homes of the rich and famous.
Down on deck 6 is the carousel, rock wall, a few restaurants, the diving show "stadium", this kiddie climbing thing, and the exit for the crazy rug slide, the Abyss.
The Abyss
First stop was Labadee, Haiti. We stopped here last time and so a second time was one too many. Not a huge fan. Most of Mark's family took an excursion to a private island, but it was like $80/person. No thanks.
We ended up taking a tram to the beach which was way too crowded for our taste. It seemed like 2,000 of the 6K were with us. I guess all the other people too cheap for the private island. 😎
When we got there the kids started digging and playing and then suddenly...
It was a kayak invasion!! So annoying. See the boys in the middle left of the picture? Not cool at all.
In the background you can see the aqua park Mark and the older kids went to in December. Should have swam at that beach instead.
Little Sister is a beach babe. Loves the sand like no toddler I've ever known.
And then they were off after the next cruisers took their places...
Stella did a great job on the boogie board!
After our last cruise, Brooke got pretty good at stand up "flowriding". She says she's not, but a lot of people can hardly stay on their feet for more than 2 seconds. The tricky thing is that she needs an adult to be present to get her turn and the line tends to be long. My parents sat in the bleachers last cruise, but there was no such luxury this time.
I didn't take many pictures since I wasn't feeling well for the first part of our trip and you know, my broken camera lens, so lots of these are from Mark's iPhone.
After the crowded kayak beach and lunch, Ellie and I headed back to the ship and Mark and the other kids went on a snorkeling excursion. He said it was good for the kids, but difficult for him because everyone needed him for something and being only one adult, he didn't get to see much.
Uncle Dougie or Uncle Poodle or Steve with Nash and Stella. We had 3 tables next to each other in the dining room, so people were always up and about visiting with each other.
Our next stop was Jamaica. Neither of us had been here before, but from our last cruise, our waitress was from there and told us to go to Dr. Caves Beach...so we did. We took a bus for $20 per person and the driver kept telling us weird facts about colors of license plates. I felt like Mark was driving us. 😁
It was comical because the driver is trying to communicate that all the people on this bus were going to get picked up at the same time and he wanted us to come to an agreement. Most were non English speakers so Mark got to choose the pick up time and then try to explain the plan with his high school Spanish to the other people. There may have been hand gestures involved.
It was a lovely beach even if the local "vendors" were smoking pot at the lifeguard station.
We rented two chairs and an umbrella and then a little while later, Mark's parents, Steve and our nephew, Joe show up next to us.
Let the party begin! 😊 Mark was asked if he needed any "herbal supplements" when he stepped off the bus and was waiting for the rest of us to get out.
There was a runway close by so the planes came over the beach off to the right. Mark was disappointed that I missed the Delta plane.
If I had to pick a theme for Dr. Caves Beach it would be "Sun's Out, Buns Out". Not only was Ellie (unintentionally) sporting a wedgie, so were this entire group of Latin tourists... WARNING!!! Graphic Photo!!
Oh, my gosh. Look at her butt. It wasn't just the women, the men were wearing Speedos and there was no competition pool in sight! Brooke saw this picture and asked if this was pornography. Not quite, but equally disturbing.😵
A main attraction was this water trampoline...
You can see all the "kids" enjoyed it!
I thought the woman with the fruit on her head was a made up logo for Tropicana, but it's a real thing!
On the way back to the ship we were spared the license plate lecture and got to watch a DVD of a Bob Marley concert. I wonder if that's just a tourist thing or if Jamaicans really like him?
The Abyss (the slide) looked tame from the other pictures, but look how tall it is!! Everyone said it was slow, but I was happy to stay with Ellie anyway.
Walking back to the ship.
One of the formal nights...
Minutes before this lovely, harmonious family picture was taken there may have been some pouting...
I'm just sayin'.
The food was excellent and the gluten free rolls were amazing. Because of our gluten situation, we pre-ordered the meals for the next day at the end of dinner. No wait, no fuss, just yummy bread to pass the time until our food arrived. We all loved not cooking or cleaning up.
The room we shared with Ellie was cozy with a Pack N' Play. Ellie went to bed great the first two nights and then after that she was in and out of bed and all kinds of crazy. Toddlers!!!
Our final stop was Cozumel, Mexico. Mark and I travelled to Cozumel back when we were newlyweds and had no money. We knew the good beaches were far from where the cruise ship docked so we decided to go a different route that turned out better than we expected.
Enter
Playa Mia Grand Beach and Water Park. Now if you are questioning the quality and cleanliness of a Mexican water park, you are not alone. I had my doubts as well, but it turned out to be very clean and not sketchy at all!
We walked up to the water slide looking for a height requirement and the lifeguard simply asked if Nash could swim. Well, he does, but he has yet to pass the swim test at our local YMCA and in Mexico, that is irrelevant apparently. Nash was thrilled to be allowed on this kind of big kid slide! Mark may have had our Sea Pass cards in his pocket and had to borrow glasses to fish them out at the end of the slide. That's hypothetical, of course.
The kiddie area was even appealing to Nash, Stella and Luke.
I think part of what was so appealing is that we got a break from the crowds on the cruise ship.
The other fun thing was that kayaks and paddle boats were included with admission.
When we were finished paddling, I felt really sea sick. It also had something to do with the gusty wind that day too.
Mark and the other kids swam out to the inflatables (also included!) and by some miracle, Ellie was so interested in the sand she didn't try to wander off. I might have read a few pages of my book. 😉
I love how her hair curls when it gets wet. Her bio mom has naturally curly hair, but straightens it.
This stop was by far the most relaxing and enjoyable stop. We stayed long past lunch we were having so much fun. I packed a few snacks to hold us over until we could get back to the ship for our "free" lunch. It's expensive to feed 7 people and the fact that food in Mexico can be considered a gamble was reason enough to wait.
Walking back to the ship we got another good view comparing the Harmony's size to another Royal Caribbean ship. It is fun to have lots of amenities, but Mark and I both agreed we liked smaller ships with less people.
Stella's had braces since the beginning of February and I keep forgetting to mention that. I guess when you're the third one, it's a little less novel. Just ask our bank account...😩
There are times in my life when I wish Mark were an introvert, like when we leave the house. He can't help himself apparently and we end up waiting for him to finish long winded conversations with other cruisers about the pros and cons of the Royal Caribbean fleet. I think RC should give him a commision. I say that in jest, of course, but still it's REALLY annoying to have to wait for him everywhere we go.
We totally staged this picture!! Ellie is in the room screaming to be let out and the other kids I believe might have been arguing which is why Mark constantly says our life looks like a lot more fun in pictures than in reality. That is true in so many ways!!
Watching some cartoons in the afternoon to relax before dinner.
Our last two days were at sea and Nash and I were the only ones who wanted to see the ice show. Afterwards, we went to redeem our buy one, get one free milk shakes at Johnny Rockets. He was pretty excited and wanted pictures to prove it.
His photography skills need some work, but his enthusiasm for life is right on par.
Ellie adored the carousel!! Every night after dinner, they went for a spin.
A picture of one of the diving shows from Mark's phone.
One of the downfalls of cruising is the logistics of getting all your stuff off the ship and to the airport. You have to put your suitcases out in the hallway by 10 PM the night before you're due back at the port. The workers lug them all to the cruise terminal or get them directly to the airport. We try to have just one small suitcase and our carry on bags left to drag off the ship. This is tricky with so many people and it made for a late bedtime for Ellie while Mark and I tried to get all our stuff back into suitcases and into the hall.
In the morning, EVERYONE is trying to get breakfast at the same time which left even fewer seats in the already packed Windjammer Cafe which hardly seems possible. This is one of the other pitfalls of cruising with so many people and having a larger than average size family. We ate our farewell breakfast on the deck above the pool and hurried to claim our bags and get on the bus back to the airport.
This time we managed to keep track of our bags, but Mark can't say the same for our car keys. He realized after the bags were checked that the car keys were in one of the suitcases. There was nothing to do about it and we figured we'd just get them out when we got our bags. That was a fine plan except the keys weren't exactly where Mark thought they'd be and we ended up in a fruitless search at the baggage claim carousel back in the Cincinnati airport.
Due to some miscommunication and other issues, we found ourselves with 5 kids, 6 suitcases and no car keys long after Mark's family left the airport for home. Mark took the employee shuttle to the parking lot to see if we left them in the car while I waited with the bags and kids, but they did not turn up there.
In situations like this I usually pray to my Guardian Angel and the lost item is recovered shortly. This was not the case so Mark was making a game plan which involved one of us using Uber to go home to get the spare keys and the other waiting at the airport at dinner time with the kids. We were all so exhausted and hungry that everything seemed awful at this point. As it turns out, Mark texted me from the bus to look in this one particular bag and thankfully, the keys were there!! Nothing like going out with some excitement...
The cruise was fun overall, but different because everyone pretty much did their own thing. That means we were by ourselves most of the time which was fine, but tiring with no extra adults to help navigate the varying interests and abilities of our age range of kiddos. Mark is so crazy for cruises that at Christmas time he talked my family into going on a cruise in January of 2018. I guess we will have to suffer through more chewing of bubble gum on an airplane. It's a luxurious "problem" to have!
