It only took me an hour on the phone, but the rep from Carnival was very nice.  We got our cruise booked!  YEAH!  August can’t come soon enough for me.

Going to leave from New Orleans this time, and we are all looking forward to seeing the city, even if only for a few days… can’t wait!

maminess replied to your post: I Play With My Friends…

I was planning on going on a cruise next year with my boys and husbands…wondering what cruise did u go one and why did u choose that one opposed to the other ones?

Maminess asked why we chose the cruise we did.  And it’s actually pretty simple, we didn’t! 

My in-laws wanted the entire family to go on a family cruise.  Them, us and my sister in law and her family.  Roy and I didn’t know much about cruising.  He went once when he was younger, I had never been, so we deferred to them.

What we were told is that Port Canaveral, near Orlando, is one of the bigger ports, therefore it has the bigger ships.  The idea was a bigger ship would have more to do - more people to meet, bigger shows, etc.

That made sense to us so we went for it.  Our cruise went to Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten.  Of the three I liked St. Maarten the best, the beach was beautiful!

I think it depends on what you want out of the cruise.  I have heard some of the smaller ships are more intimate, though obviously there are less passengers and (I have heard) some of the shows don’t measure up to the larger ships.  We wanted to make sure the kids had PLENTY to do so that we could have some ‘alone time’ as it was our vacation too.  On the other hand, we wanted to make sure there were things we could do as a family that all the kids would enjoy - not always easy when you have a 17 year old and a three year old and everything in between.

Honestly, we had the best time… best vacation I’ve ever taken.  As you can see, I am lobbying to become an ambassador for Carnival.  Any more questions, feel free to ask…

This is what our little guy said when I asked him what he wanted to do on “the big boat” (aka, cruise).

We had the most amazing time on our cruise, and we are trying to plan another one for next year.  I was actually surprised when I asked the younger boys if they wanted to go to Disney World or on a cruise again.  ALL five of them said: “A Cruise, Mom!”

So, I’m just trying to figure out the month.  If we go in August, we can save about 2k, seems worth it to me!  On the other hand, I know everyone is anxious to go again.

So, this morning I asked Dean if he wanted to go on the big boat.

“Yes, Mama.  Big Boat!”

“Yeah, ” I smiled at him and nuzzled his neck, “What do you want to do on the big boat?”

“Umm… play with my friends.” He looked serious about this answer, “Oh! And eat ice cream and pizza.”

“Yep, you liked the ice cream.”

“Yeah, and burgers too!”

Guess I know Dean’s favorite part of the cruise.

Our time at sea was coming to an end.  This was the first vacation that I was honestly sorry to see end.  Usually about this time in the vacation, no matter where we are, I start itching to get home.  Back to my own bed, my own kitchen, etc.  But this time… I didn’t want Friday to end.

We woke up earlier this day because Corey had a special treat.  Our maitre’ d, Ruwan, arranged for Corey and Roy to tour the galley.  I figured I would use that time to get a few things done, so we had breakfast, and at 10:30 I bid my husband goodbye.  He went off to meet Corey, and I went downstairs to handle the gratuities.

On the ship, if you choose, you can either prepay gratuitues when you book your cruise, or you can opt to pay them on board.  If you don’t say anything by the day before leaving, it is $10 per person/per day.  I thought that was fair for Roy and I, but for Dean we weren’t so sure.  We talked to my in laws, since they had more experience in this arena than we did, and they actually said they wouldn’t pay anything for Dean.  He is young, and we did most of his cleaning up, etc.  But he did stay in our room, and our steward was wonderful… so Roy and I settled for cutting his tip in half for Dean’s portion.  I took care of that, with no problem, at guest services.  

I also wanted to get our picture from Nassau.  It turned out really great, in my opinion, and the last good picture Roy and I have is probably from about 8 years ago - time for an update!  I did all that, and realized it was only 11!  So, I took $40 from our roulette winning and decided to try my hand at the table during the day - shame on me! Or not!  It was a good day for me, I walked away with $160!

Roy and I met up for lunch, and that’s when something hit me…  I don’t know if it was my head (I get migraines occasionally and they make me very very sick), but I felt horrible.  Headache, nausea - gross!  Roy hurried Hayden and Dean along and then we went to our room.  I took some medication and passed out for about an hour.

“Honey, if we’re going to the auction, we need to leave!”  Roy gently shook me awake.

“What? Ok, I’m coming.”

He gave me a kiss and said he would take the boys to camp, and then he would meet me at the gallery.  I stumbled to the bathroom to rinse my face, and put on some blush - I looked deathly pale, but I felt human again.  I put on my shoes and set out for the gallery.  Roy was waiting for me with his parents, and we walked in.  I just wanted to sit down, but Roy decided to look around again.  When he came to find me, I was sitting in the back on a couch.  As soon as he sat down, I, thankfully, dropped my head on his shoulder.

“I still think we should get that picture.”  He told me as he kissed my head.

I shrugged. Truth be told, I wasn’t interested in a whole lot.  My father in law came over and gave me a hug and asked if I was ok.  I nodded and said it was just a headache, but I took some medicine and should be fine.  

The auction started, and before I knew it, the assistants were trying to offer me a deal on the artwork by Coleman. But I decided against it as I just wasn’t dying to have it. I wanted to do more research - which is hard to do on the ship.

Roy had to leave with Hayden to get him to his breakdance show, so he took Hayden and Dean, and I stuck around to wrap up the auction with my in laws.

Once the auction was over, we made an appointment to come back to pay for our prior winnings and shipping.  On the way out, I saw Betty on her Harley and asked about it.  $165, but I knew if I walked away they would come down a little bit.

Then it was on to watch Hayden breakdance.

They did a group dance, and then they had all the kids lined up on stage, and each one went forward to do a little something.  I was hoping Hayden would come forward, and not be shy.  And he didn’t disappoint!  He came up and did this little wiggle, then dropped down to try a backspin!  He even had some swagger!  We all hooted and hollered, clapping and stomping our feet - well, ok I did that.  It was so cute!  

Sara, our niece, gave it her best shot with the teens, and got a laugh from all of us.  

“Mommy, did you see me?” Hayden came over to me and squeezed in between Joe and I.

“I did!  You were so good!” And I kissed his forehead.

“I’m a breakdancer!” He informed me and ran off to watch the true breakdancers perform one last time for everyone.

After the performance, I stood in line to buy little “Freddie” (Carnival’s mascot whom I think it is smokestack) t-shirts for the little boys, while Roy stood in line to get pictures of Hayden with the Fun Force Crew.  Hayden put on his shirt, and he posed with all four guys in their matching shirts - great picture!

“You’re doing well today, go win me some money!” Roy tickled me and gave me a nudge.

“OK, give me some cash!”  You didn’t need to ask me twice… I was totally digging roulette!

Again, I did well….put in $40, walked away with $170.

The boys wanted to swim, so Roy got them dressed and went and lounged around by the pool.  I joined them once I was done winning.

Roy took some more silly pictures of the two of us - and once again, I am thrilled to say, I don’t look like a complete dork!  We ate dinner by the pool, and I was sad to think that by this time the next day, we would be heading home.

After dinner, we wandered over to the shops. I was looking for some silly little trinket. Roy found a beautiful butterfly pendant with multicolored sapphires.

“Try it on.” He urged me, and the saleslady was more than happy to help me out.

I put it on and looked in the mirror.  I liked the weight of it. It felt substantial, and I loved the way it looked.  I could dress it up, but it looked just as lovely with my shorts and t-shirt.  I handed it back and said I wanted to look around some more. Everything Roy pointed out to me I compared to the butterfly, and it was a great price!  After about 10 more minutes of looking around, Roy went up to the saleslady that was helping us and said he wanted to get the butterfly.

I am so happy I didn’t get the painting!  I see it as fate.  Something told me not to buy the painting, and Roy found this butterfly.  I love it!  I guess Roy just knew when he saw it, but it is so me! I love butterflies so much that I have tattoos of them.

Our first cruise ended on a high note, we had some pizza and ice cream by the pool and looked out at the water.  The little boys loved sitting there with us, but they were getting tired.  I was enjoying the breeze and the yummy pizza!

“I had so much fun this week.” I told Roy.

“I’m glad!  Better than Disney World?” He teased me.

“OH, YES!  When are you gonna take me on another cruise?” I asked him. He thinks I was joking… I wasn’t.

“Whenever you want, baby. Whenever you want.” And he leaned across the table and asked for a kiss.

A perfect last night for our vacation.

One thing Roy and I both loved about the cruise was that it didn’t seem like the week flew by.  Granted, while I would have LOVED to stay on the boat for another week, or 20, we felt that we were able to enjoy the week… to actually plan things and have time to experience some of these things.

Well, the late nights finally caught up with us.

“Can we wake up now?” Hayden’s voice cut through the absolute darkness. (Yes, the two younger boys ended up sleeping in our room a few nights.)

“What?” I whispered, “What time is it?”

We had an interior room, and the thing about them is… they are DARK!  Not dark like your bedroom late at night, but pitch black.  No dim glow from a clock, unless you bring your own. No sunlight being filtered in by blinds.  So, we had no clue what time it was.  I struggled up, pushing baby feet off my cheek and shoulder, and groped around in the dark for Roy’s phone.

12:04 PM.

WOW!  I don’t know if I have EVER slept that late… like ever in my whole life!  Oh well, we are on vacation!

“Mommy, I’m really hungry.  Can we have breakfast?” The whine was starting to creep into Hayden’s voice.

“Ok, Ok!  I’m up, I’m up!” I tried to work up some enthusiasm, so that I could get Roy and Dean up and moving.  

“Honey?” I leaned over to whisper into Roy’s ear, “Time to get up!”

“What time is it?” He asked, sleep making his voice husky.

Hmm… can I just throw some clothes on and take the little boys up to camp?  No, they aren’t serving lunch today.  Got to get up!

“It’s noon. We missed breakfast.”

“Really?” He was more awake now, and I heard him turn over, probably looking for the little bedside lamp.

Light flooded the room, and the three of us groaned.  Dean was still snoring soundly.  I bounded up and hit the shower for a few minutes.  I came out three minutes later and Roy was getting Dean dressed.  I got dressed and then ran next door as Roy cleaned up to see what the older boys were up too.  Three empty beds.  I hope they ate something!

20 minutes later, we were in line at the burrito bar.  My burrito was yummy - steak, black beans, lettuce, tomatoes, hot peppers, green sauce, and guacamole.  Hayden seemed to enjoy the inner workings of his burrito, and Dean picked out all the chicken in his. The breakfast of champions!

Roy’s parents tracked us down, and asked if we wanted to go to the 60 in 60 with them.  60 works of art auctioned off in 60 minutes.  I was curious to see what it was all about, so we decided to give it a shot.  We took the younger boys up to camp, Hayden had breakdance rehearsal, so he didn’t want to miss that, and then Roy and I headed over to the art gallery.

I wasn’t sure what to expect.  The auction was actually held in the night club, and there were tons of pictures to see.  In the back of the gallery, we found three lovely pictures by James Coleman.  He actually won an Oscar for his work on Beauty and the Beast - my favorite Disney movie along with Sleeping Beauty.  Roy and I both loved a picture of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.  

“I think you should get it.” Roy whispered in my ear.

“Hmm… I don’t know.  Do they have any Tinkerbell?”  I looked around.

Tink and the female Disney villians are my favorite characters.

“I don’t think so.”  Roy answered.

We stood there for a bit longer, and then decided to just check out the auction and play things by ear.

The auction was crazy!  I was confused for the first ten minutes, and pictures came up and were gone before I even knew what happened.  But it was fun.  Roy had gotten us our ‘free’ champage, and I sipped it.

And then, Betty came up.  It was a picture of Betty Boop with Elvis.  I loved it, I bid on it, and won!  Roy laughed and said I was silly, but I know he thinks it is cute, and he likes to make me happy.  (I truly have one of the sweetest husbands I know!)  I was excited and giggled at my win.

A few minutes later, Scooby popped up.  It’s a picture of the Scooby gang in the Mystery Mobile with monsters coming at them. 

“The kids would love that one.” Roy leaned over to tell me.

“I know!  I like it too!”  We bid on it and won that one too!

Roy and I are at an age where we can look into investing in some pieces we like.  And truth be told, the Disney piece wasn’t that bad - a little over $700 for a matted and framed piece.  But the fact that I was still ‘deciding’ told me maybe I wasn’t that into the picture.  I have so many fond memories of watching cartoons with the boys (or my dad), taking them to see the movies, playing games with them.  I even dressed up like Betty Boop one Halloween!  Those are my kinds of pictures, and you are supposed to buy what makes you happy, right?

We made an appointment to come back later that night to settle up with the art gallery (though at our appointment we decided to hold off on paying for everything until the final grand auction, just in case there was something else we wanted).  Oh, we also won a piece of art, and we picked out something that will look very nice in Roy’s office. I know Roy was happy that I was happy, but he was still hunting for something special for me.

The auction was over about 4, and we wandered around the ship for a little while.  Roy took some pictures, and then we decided to go get the younger boys and get ready for dinner.  It was another formal night, and we told the older boys they didn’t have to come with us if they didn’t want too.  The younger boys were going to eat lunch with their friends in Camp, and then have “Movie and Popcorn Night,” so, to be fair, we told the older boys they could do their own thing as well.

Well, they chose that option, so it was just Roy and I for dinner.  We got dressed, dropped the younger boys off, and joined my in laws for dinner.  

I love good food. Who doesn’t, right?  And I love it even more when I don’t have to cook it, but nothing was speaking to me that night.

“Nothings really catching my attention.” Roy whispered to me, echoing exactly what I was thinking.

“Me neither.”  But I settled on some escargot and Tiger Prawns in Romesco sauce.  Both were amazing, though I just wasn’t that hungry.  I think Roy had the steak again, which he enjoyed, but didn’t finish that night either.

After dinner and our gallery appointment, I dragged Roy back to the room to change.  We played some more roulette, we lost some money playing roulette, and wound up at the night club.

The club played some great music that night - even played one of my favorite old school jams, “Return of the Mack” by Mark Morrison.  We danced, we laughed, and just had a great time.

We left about 2 and ran into Corey and a friend.  We chatted with them for a bit and then headed out.

“Want an ice cream?” Roy asked me.

“You know it!” I hugged him and pushed 10 on the elevator panel. 

I am not a big drinker.  In fact, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I seem to have a bit of an allergy to tequila.  I am half Vietnamese, and yes, I often get that tell tale “Asian Glow” when I do drink.

However, on the cruise, I decided to indulge a little bit.  My sister in law knows I am a light drinker and told me about a drink that she tried that she enjoyed.  It’s called a “Kiss on the Lips.” (recipe below)

SO GOOD!  I tried this our first night on the boat and had at least one a day (Hey. Don’t judge. I was on vacation.).  It’s cool, and fruity, and so very tasty!

We both liked them so much that when we got home, Roy took me to the store to buy the necessary ingredients.

I am also a big fan of mojitos.  Mango mojitos and pineapple mojitos are my favorites.  But I was playing roulette on the ship, and I was doing good!  So, I decided to treat myself to one… WOW!  I am pretty sure I got tipsy off that one drink alone. Yes, I even woke up with a headache.

So I’ll stick to the “Kiss on the Lips.” Plus it sounds sexy!

Kiss on the Lips (1 serving)
1.5 fl oz Peach Schnapps
4 fl oz Mango Juice (this is tough to find, but most stores have a Master of Mixes Mango Daiquiri/Margarita mixer that works just fine)
1 tbsp Grenadine
1 cup Crushed Ice

Blend the Schnapps, Mango Juice, and Ice until smooth. Coat the bottom of a glass with the Grenadine. Pour blended mixture into glass. Garnish as you like. Kiss the one you love and enjoy!

St. Maarten!

I had heard beautiful things about this island and couldn’t wait to get off the boat here.  This time Roy and I decided it would be a “whoever wanted to come” kind of thing, so Corey and Addi opted to stay on the boat (a decision Corey later regretted because all his friends got off!). Their cousins, Tyler and Sara, stayed on too.  My only rule for them was to eat lunch together. Really so I could make sure Addi ate something.

So, getting off the boat it was Roy, Joe, Dean, Hayden, and I.  My sister in law, Tanya, and her husband, Shawn, along with their daughter, and my mother and father in law rounded out our party.

I wanted to walk to the beach, sure that there would be something to see along the way.  Little shops, something.  I was wrong… we walked from the harbor along a busy street for about ten minutes, but then we got to the beach, and little shops and bars were everywhere.  About this time I started feeling horribly sick.  Not sure if it was just because I was dehydrated, and it was very hot or what was going on, but Roy knew something was wrong and slowed down to walk with me.

We got to the beach and found that we could rent two lounge chairs and an umbrella for 8 dollars. Unfortunately, we passed up that deal and ended up paying twelve dollars, but I felt too ill to haggle to the death.  Roy and the kids hit the beach, and I sat under the umbrella waiting to feel better. Not 10 seconds after Roy plunged into the water, he came charging out fussing under his breath. He had accidentally left his “old” iPhone (it is a 3G, which Roy replaced with a 4) in his pocket. While it is no longer an active phone, Dean uses this iPhone to play games. Oops! Roy dried it off and mentioned that he wanted to grab some dry rice to try to revive it - a trick that has worked with other wet electronics in our household. Once I felt a little better, I wandered up to the bar nearest us and got some bottled water. Once I drank most of one, I felt better. Problem solved! So I then set out to find some dry rice from a local restaurant - they were very generous and gave us a cup full. Roy immediate plunged the wet iphone into the rice to begin his venture to save the phone. We set the phone aside and resumed our fun.

Dean wanted me to swim with him, so I ran into the water and bobbed in the shallow water with my little boy.  Dean decided that I needed to help him find seashells, so we sat on the beach and dug in the sand to see what we could find. And let me say, this beach was full of shells - unlike St. Thomas.  

Roy decided to get a ‘bucket of beer’ and asked if we wanted to walk with him to the bar.  Hayden, Dean, Joey, and I soon regretted our decision to walk around barefoot… boy was it hot!  I was ok, but the little boys felt it and opted to walk in the sand.  Roy got his bucket of beers, and the boys all got sodas.  I decided to stick to my water.

We ran back to our lounge chairs, and I got back in the water.  We played around for another hour or so, but everyone got hungry, and we all decided to wrap things up and look for some place to eat.

Right down the road was the Hard Rock Cafe, and my mother in law wanted to treat us all to a snack.  We decided not to eat a big lunch as it was later than we realized.  

The wait wasn’t unusually long - I think we stood there for about 15 minutes.  We were finally shown our table, which was out on the patio. Great view of the beach.  And that was the beginning of the worst service of my adult life at any restaurant.  I will say that we have been to a number of Hard Rock Cafes and we have NEVER had good service at any of them, but this one took the cake.  It took us about 15 minutes to place our drink order.  Roy and I stuck with soda. Joe and our niece, Crystal, ordered milkshakes. Dean wanted chocolate milk, but soon changed his mind to a milkshake too. And everyone else got mixed drinks or beer.  For some reason our waitress only brought out one drink at a time… ok, whatever, but it took about 20 minutes for my inlaws to get their drinks, and then about 10 more minutes for the kids to get theirs.  Ok, maybe the bar was packed. (I looked, and I don’t think that was the problem.)  But what really confused me was why it took longer than that for Roy and I to get a couple of Sprites!? We got our food before we got the sodas!  And when we finally got them, I am pretty sure mine was not Sprite.  Not sure what it was, but it wasn’t Sprite.  To make matters worse, there was some strange film floating on top of mine.

Roy knows I get migraines in the heat, so he offered me his and our niece ran into the bar and asked for another one, so we didn’t need to wait another hour. She came back out with a fresh one 20 seconds later. Hmm!

The nachos were tasty, though I suspect that was because by that time, we were all starving.  Bottom line, I think I am done with Hard Rock Cafes.  They are over priced, and though the food is serviceable, the service is not.

HOWEVER, we did get a picture of Roy and I at the Cafe that I really like!  So that is an upside.

We all decided to walk back to the boat, and then Dean fell asleep.  Roy ended up carrying him most of the way.  35 pounds is rough when it is dead weight like that!  His back hurt for the rest of the night.

When we finally got on the boat, we decided to rest for a bit before we got cleaned up for dinner.  I bought a sundress on St. Maarten and decided to wear it to dinner.  It showed off the lovely tan lines on my back (a huge “X”).

After dinner we hung out with the little boys for a bit, and then Joe decided he was tired and offered to watch the little boys for us, so we could go have some fun.  

That night it was ‘color’ night on the boat.  We were separated into teams based on what deck our cabin was on.  Our entire group was ‘blue,’ so all the adults decided to ‘lounge hop’ and try to earn some points for our team.  

In the first lounge, we did karaoke.  Let’s see… the ladies sang, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor.  The men did some Bon Jovi song that I can not remember, and we all sang “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas.  (Now, I wanted to go to Target.) Lots of fun, and then it was off to the next stop.

We ended up learning some silly dance routine, but again, lots of fun. And then on to some more dancing (My father in law won the contest!) and some more singing.  We sang “Summer Nights” from Grease - one of my favorite movies ever, and easily my favorite musical.  

So, I knew the words.  In fact I was one of the only people that knew the words on the ladies’ side.  And then I was called out to come sing along with one of the only guys to know the song… and I forgot the words. And so did the guy.  But it was all in good fun, we scored some points for our team and had a lot of laughs.

The party ended up on the Lido deck with a laser show, more singing and dancing and of course pictures plastered on the HUGE movie screen.  There were a few pictures of us looking goofy, but I don’t remember ever doing something like that before without being embarrassed. I had a blast, and it was all in good fun!  Right there on the Lido deck as I attempted to get Dean to do the Cuban Shuffle with us (a much cooler version of the electric slide… ok, maybe it isn’t any cooler), I decided that I would stop being embarrassed and just have fun - not just on the boat, but in my life.

We ended the night with some pizza and ice cream, some more laughs and some aloe rubbed onto our backs. Got to love the sunburn!

Still working on some photos.  We have some good ones too!

Day 6 of our “best vacation EVER” was St. Thomas, USVI, and also happened to be Corey’s birthday (17, really?).  We read that one of the most beautiful beaches (apparently National Geographic decided this) was on the island, so we decided EVERYONE would get off.  My inlaws were going snorkeling, but we opted out because a few of our boys either weren’t comfortable or not old enough, and we wanted something everyone could do.

(Stupidly) I booked a shore excursion that would take us to the beach, drop us off and then bring us back to the boat.  Cost us over $200 (not horrible). Roy preferred we just get a taxi to take us, but I wanted to keep it simple. So, we get off the boat about 10 AM, and since our excursion wasn’t until 1:30, we did some shopping.  Jewelry again was the thing to buy, and I did find a beautiful rose quartz ring.  Very unusual, and quite lovely.  It wasn’t nearly as much as the beautiful ring from Nassau, but aside from my wedding rings, I prefer nothing on my hands, so I passed.  I was actually looking for some earrings, but again saw nothing that jumped out at me.

Corey on the other hand found a very nice, simple Titanium band that he really liked.  I pointed out the men’s bracelets, and while I was looking at earrings, the gentleman that owned the store made him a deal too good to pass up on the band and the bracelet.  Since it was his birthday, we bought him the bracelet. And he bought the ring.

We browsed around some more, and then decided to get a drink before we got on the bus.  We stopped at this cute little stand, and I had a very delicious pineapple mojito.  Roy had a daiquiri (edit: strawberry colada) I think, and the kids all had something to drink (virgin liquids only).  Because everyone was hungry, we ordered some nachos.  It was getting to be about that time, so I grabbed the bill and paid.  Unfortunately, I think we got ripped off, and I didn’t realize it until we had already left.  Lesson learned!

We boarded the open air bus and settled in for the VERY bumpy, twisty, and fast ride to the beach.  It was only about 20 minutes away, but it took us up winding roads that rose higher and higher.  We got some beautiful views of the ship and the water, and before you know it, we were at the beach.

Now, the water was beautiful, yes.  Clear and it was this amazing shade of turquoise.  The bottom was soft sand, and frankly, it put Virginia Beach to shame. HOWEVER, it was a pretty Caribbean beach.  I can’t say I was overly impressed with it. But it was nice and the water felt great.  The boys wanted to rent a float or snorkel gear, but before you know it, we had about 45 minutes left!  Where did our two hours go?  Another lesson learned - if you just want to hang out at the beach, take a taxi or walk there because two hours flies, by and it just isn’t enough time.  So, I have to say… 200+ dollars wasted.  Should have listened to Roy (he gets to say “I told you so” on this one).

On the way back to the boat, the bus driver stopped at an overlook of the beach. This is where ‘beautiful’ comes to mind. The water and beach is gorgeous. But again, up close and walking along the beach is not so grand.

Once we got back on the ship, we decided to clean up for dinner. Sand was everywhere, so it was a process to get the little guys cleaned up and ready. But we did, and headed for grub.  And this was truly a great dinner.

The night before, my sister in law and her husband along with my mother and father in law went to what is called the “chef’s table.”  Basically you eat dinner in the galley at a special table, and you get to see what really goes on in the kitchen.  It is overseen by the Head Chef.  THE Head Chef, the one in charge of ALL things food related on the boat.  He had a very interesting story to tell, and it turns out he is the youngest head chef in the fleet.  Well, when they told us a bit about him, Roy and I immediately wanted to see if we could do something for Corey.  I just wanted him to come say Hi during dinner. Maybe take a picture. Maybe say some inspiring to an aspiring chef, Corey.

We had ordered a cake, and everyone was eating together for Corey’s birthday.  I don’t remember my entree, but my appetizer was the yummiest beef satay with rice noodles… SO GOOD!  So, we are all eating, everyone is talking about their day, and out comes the Chef.  And honestly, this made Corey’s day! He really was giddy with glee. The chef spent time talking to Corey, told him all about his road to becoming a chef, and encouraged Corey to really just go for it if that is what he wants to do.  He then gave Corey his personal email address and told him to keep in touch, and even offered to share some of his secret techniques and recipes. All we had to do was provide a flash drive.  Of course, we were all over that. We borrowed one from our niece and on it he included some recipes and all kinds of information that should help Corey out tremendously in culinary class.

Roy knows me so well, but that whole meeting brought tears to my eyes.  My baby is 17, granted he is my oldest, but I sat there and couldn’t believe it.  17!  I looked over at him and he looked so excited and well…shocked that the chef came out to talk to him.

Roy took pictures, and I sat there trying to keep my mascara from running down my face. But wait, there was more… The head Maitre’d then came over and offered to let Corey and one of us on a tour of the galley.  He said it is originally only offered to Platinum members (I think that is people that have cruised a specific number of times with Carnival), but because Corey is interested in the culinary arts, and it was his birthday, he let him come along.  Corey and Roy did that one together on Friday, so more on that later.

Corey and the other kids wanted to hang with friends that night, so he came over and gave us all hugs, kisses, and thanks, and off the older boys went.

The rest of the night is a blur, though I have no doubt we played some more roulette. I think Roy played that night, and he did really well!  And we probably went to the nightclub for a cocktail and maybe some dancing.

St. Thomas was beautiful, and the kids all loved it.  But Corey’s dinner probably sealed Carnival a loyal cruiser for life - in at least 3 of us.

I think Roy is working on getting some pictures up.  We had a little issue with our camera yesterday (it died, so we had to charge it) but today, hopefully it’s up and running.  I am excited about these pictures because I think we finally have a few of us that look pretty good.  I am always embarrassed to have my picture taken, so Roy ends up looking good, and I look like a dork, that’s IF my eyes are open. If they aren’t, I look drunk.  But on this cruise I don’t know… maybe I was just enjoying each and every moment, maybe I was more relaxed, or maybe I was reminded of how good our lives really are. No matter what it was I finally have some decent pictures of my wonderful husband and myself!  YEAH!

Anyways, our fifth day of “The Best Vacation Ever” was a day at sea.  We hung out on the boat and just ‘chilled’ as Roy would say.  No clue what time we got up, but we headed out for breakfast and then took the younger boys to their “Party” (kid club for those not following).  After we dropped off the boys, Roy and I took some time to explore the ship.  Ok, really I dragged him around the gift shops, where he continued on his quest to find me something special.  

Now, I said it yesterday, and I’ll say it again… I can be a cheapskate, and when it comes to jewelry, I have (or rather HAD, but that’s a story for Day 8) three pieces that I really love and cherish - my wedding rings (and the only really expensive piece I own is my engagement ring) and a beautiful David Yurman pendant that Roy bought me for Valentine’s Day a few years ago.  So, when we were looking in the gift shops, Roy knew that some things wouldn’t even spark my interest.  I prefer silver to gold, and I like unusual pieces that I can wear with shorts or a cocktail dress.  

He found a lovely bauble - a blown glass pendant that was actually quite heavy.  It was very reasonably priced too, but it still didn’t grab me.  So, we looked around a bit more, and Roy happened upon the most gorgeous watch (for him, not me)!  Lamborghini no less - we can’t afford to buy him the car, but we could afford a watch.  It was pricey, and at this point, I was completely bummed.  Roy doesn’t ask for much, and he was so taken with this watch. I wish we could have just bought it right then and there.  My problem was, I didn’t think we would find stuff like this that we would want.  I thought a few t-shirts, some liquor… BOOM done… but here we are, and my husband is in love with this watch.  We decided to think on it some more.  (In the end, someone else bought it, so I am hunting it down online.)

After we finished drooling over those amazing watches and other knick knacks, I dragged Roy to play Trivia.  It was the Fourth of July, so it was American History, and for ‘old folks,’ I thought we did pretty good.  About, 14 out of 20 questions.  The winners had 16.  

We decided to grab the little boys for lunch, but they wanted to swim - so we put on our suits, and grabbed some pizza by the pool deck while Hayden, Dean, and Addi swam around.  

Let me tell you, I am not a pizza person, but the pizza on the ship was GOOD!  So good!  My sister in law and her husband, came out to hang with us, and then my mother and father in law followed shortly there after.  It was nice - all the adults hanging by the pool.  We ordered cocktails, splashed around with the kids for a bit, and before we knew it, it was time to get Hayden ready for his breakdancing class.

On the ship, there was a group of four young men - they were breakers, poppers, lockers… you name it, they did it.  And Hayden LOVED IT.  Roy and I tease him that he just likes the shoes and clothes, but Hayden insists that he wants to learn to breakdance, so he was looking forward to the class.  We were looking forward to Friday evening when they would perform in front of the parents and the rest of the ship.  So back up to camp Dean and Hayden went, and Roy and I hit another Trivia game.

I will say, this one was weak… they called 11 people up to stage (we didn’t get there in time to even have a chance), asked a few questions, and that was it.  But we stuck around for the disco dancing class and had a few laughs there.  We learned a few moves to an Abba song (the exact song is now escaping me), and we laughed and gave it our best shot.  

This was also the day that I got my introduction to… GAMBLING!  We tried the slots, and I just didn’t get them.  No longer the old fashioned pull lever, these are computerized with bells, fruit, cows, and spaceships.  I didn’t even know when I had won!  I knew Roy was interested in Roulette, so we wondered over there. 

“Here’s $20, why don’t you play?”  Roy held out a twenty to me, and urged me to sit down.

“No, I don’t know what to do.  You play, I’ll watch.”  I tried to push him forward.

“No, sit down. Play.”  He talked me into it, and I sat down. (This may have been a mistake - or maybe not.)

I had NO clue what to do, but the other people sitting at the table were more than happy to answer our questions, and the dealer was very nice.  That first day, I started with twenty, and I walked away with $96!  I was hooked, and Roy and I had a blast. Always good to win, right?!

The boat had an exclusive dining room, “The Chef Art Steakhouse.”  You make reservations, and there is a $30 sur charge per person.  I thought it would be an experience, and boy was it!  We have been to Ruth’s Chris Restaurant before, and I think we spent almost $200 for the two of us. Granted we had to pay to come on the ship (but the room and the food being included already made it a bargain for us), but an extra $60 for a five star meal - we were game.

The food and the service were top notch!  I had escargot, and Roy had a crab cake for appetizers - this was after we were sent a ‘little gift’ from the chef.  From my Food Network addiction, I know this was an amuse bouche - just a tiny little one or two bite appetizer to sort of whet our palates.  It was amazing. I had a chilled tomato soup, and Roy had some sort of salmon with cream. I am pretty sure he would have licked the plate had we been at home. But it was different for us.  Roy had the surf and turf for his entree, but it was my Rib Eye that stole the show.  I have NEVER had a steak that was so good - the spice rub used on it and the cut of meat were amazing.  It was BIG, too big for me to finish, but believe me, I gave it my best shot - diet be damned!  My dessert, a chocolate sampler, was beautiful, and I know Roy got pictures of that (He needs to post them; it was that pretty), but it was also delicious.

Day 5 was the perfect day for me!  I don’t remember the last time I was so relaxed, or the last time I laughed so much.  I think this day alone made the entire cruise worthwhile for me.