Sunday, March 19, 2017
Day 6! Belize- River Cruise, Science Projects and so Much More!
I am still working on this post...
The kids had a BLAST! When we picked them up, they came out with so many goodies!
It was Science Night in the theme of Outer Space- so they designed rockets and launched them with helium. They also made flying saucers and through them through a "Black Hole" (Hula Hoop).
They drew planets and more. Sariah even won a medal for her rocket design and Maletch won a prize (camp ocean pencil case) for getting his flying saucer in the black hole. They also both got Stingray twisty straws. So much fun!
Look at that water- so gorgeous!
We took the Scenic River Cruise Excursion down the Belize River.
This is our Captain, Anthony- he's rad!
We drove what felt like 1,000 miles an hour through the Caribbean Sea . He said he was "turning the air conditioning on" haha! So much wind and so much wake- we were flying!
We slowed way down once we got near the Belize River, because that is where Manatees live. We saw several. We have so much video footage from this excursion- I need to edit it all!
We saw so many animals! Crocodiles, Iguanas, many types of Birds, Turtles, Manatees, Bats, Howler Monkeys and more!
Look in the trees, there are Howler Monkeys (a whole troop of them) crossing through the branches, playing and jumping!
On our Balcony waving goodbye to Belize! We love Belize and will definitely be going back!
After dropping the kids off at kids club, we saw THIS as we walked by!!
Our photo was chosen for the Wall of Fame again! WOOT! We got that 8x10 FREE! That was a fun surprise!
It was Science Night in the theme of Outer Space- so they designed rockets and launched them with helium. They also made flying saucers and through them through a "Black Hole" (Hula Hoop).
They drew planets and more. Sariah even won a medal for her rocket design and Maletch won a prize (camp ocean pencil case) for getting his flying saucer in the black hole. They also both got Stingray twisty straws. So much fun!
We came back to find a friendly Dinosaur chilling on our bed!
Day 7! Isla Roatan Honduras- Monkeys, Parade, Show, Game Show and More
This was the best day EVER!!
First we took a shore excursion called Pirates, Parrots and Monkeys.... and they weren't kidding!
We got to play with parrots and monkeys and we learned a lot of history of the island. It was very interesting! There have been a lot of sunken pirate ships found off their coast- they have recovered lots of weapons and treasure!! We got to see some of it and learn about the settlers on the island and LOTS more! But our favorite part was those monkeys- I have some great videos I will be uploading soon! The funniest thing happened- a monkey came down from the trees Geronimo style and landed on John's head- he wanted to check out his Go Pro!
Our tour started by shuttle bus and took us to the beautiful Gumbalimba Park. We got to explore the Coxen Cave which is HUGE and had so many different pathways- we got lost (it was funny). We got to visit the Insectarium where we saw some really crazy bugs. Then to get to the jungle area where the parrots and monkeys are running free in the Jungle- we had to cross the longest suspension bridge (we called it the shake shake bridge)! It seemed to go on forever- it always seemed like the "end" kept getting further away- haha- it was really cool!
This would have been a pretty full day- but we were just getting started! We saw they had a Magical
Click on the link to watch Maletch on the Hasbro Game Show!
https://youtu.be/hFhmIUVkXKc
First we took a shore excursion called Pirates, Parrots and Monkeys.... and they weren't kidding!
We got to play with parrots and monkeys and we learned a lot of history of the island. It was very interesting! There have been a lot of sunken pirate ships found off their coast- they have recovered lots of weapons and treasure!! We got to see some of it and learn about the settlers on the island and LOTS more! But our favorite part was those monkeys- I have some great videos I will be uploading soon! The funniest thing happened- a monkey came down from the trees Geronimo style and landed on John's head- he wanted to check out his Go Pro!
Our tour started by shuttle bus and took us to the beautiful Gumbalimba Park. We got to explore the Coxen Cave which is HUGE and had so many different pathways- we got lost (it was funny). We got to visit the Insectarium where we saw some really crazy bugs. Then to get to the jungle area where the parrots and monkeys are running free in the Jungle- we had to cross the longest suspension bridge (we called it the shake shake bridge)! It seemed to go on forever- it always seemed like the "end" kept getting further away- haha- it was really cool!
This would have been a pretty full day- but we were just getting started! We saw they had a Magical
Click on the link to watch Maletch on the Hasbro Game Show!
https://youtu.be/hFhmIUVkXKc
Day 8! Grand Cayman Dolphin Rides, Turtles, Fancy Night and More!
Here are a few sneak peek pics.... so much more to come!!!!
Day 9! Fun Day at Sea! Dr. Seuss Breakfast, Water Slides, Arcade
One might think that after you've spent a few days at sea on a ship that you might run out of things to do... NOPE! There is so much to do on sea days- we never do the same things!
This day we went to the Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast where they serve actual green eggs! The Cat in the Hat, Sam I am, and Thing One and Thing Two were there to take pictures and sign autographs
After breakfast, we let the kids take a quick swim before heading up to play on the Waterslides in Carnival Waterworks.
We went to the gift shop to pick up some more souvenirs. We grabbed some "Dr. Seuss at Sea" and "Cherry on Top" water bottles, Tortuga Rum Cakes, Christmas ornament of the ship, and much more.
On one of the formal nights a really sweet crew member gave both kids Gift Cards to the Arcade, she said she loved how they were dressed. So after dinner, we took the kids to the Arcade to use them.
The kids went to kids club where they painted t-shirts, and made bracelets. We went to a comedy show, while they were in Kids Club.
Cute story: Sariah saw a few ship's officers in dress whites sitting having cocktails, and she asked me if one was the captain. I told her they were officers. She heard the word "officer" and thought "police officer," so she walked up to one of them and asked, "Are you the police?" They erupted in giggles and thought it was so cute. They invited us to join them, they were all so nice!
This day we went to the Dr. Seuss Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast where they serve actual green eggs! The Cat in the Hat, Sam I am, and Thing One and Thing Two were there to take pictures and sign autographs
After breakfast, we let the kids take a quick swim before heading up to play on the Waterslides in Carnival Waterworks.
We went to the gift shop to pick up some more souvenirs. We grabbed some "Dr. Seuss at Sea" and "Cherry on Top" water bottles, Tortuga Rum Cakes, Christmas ornament of the ship, and much more.
On one of the formal nights a really sweet crew member gave both kids Gift Cards to the Arcade, she said she loved how they were dressed. So after dinner, we took the kids to the Arcade to use them.
The kids went to kids club where they painted t-shirts, and made bracelets. We went to a comedy show, while they were in Kids Club.
Cute story: Sariah saw a few ship's officers in dress whites sitting having cocktails, and she asked me if one was the captain. I told her they were officers. She heard the word "officer" and thought "police officer," so she walked up to one of them and asked, "Are you the police?" They erupted in giggles and thought it was so cute. They invited us to join them, they were all so nice!
Monday, March 7, 2016
Our 8 Day Caribbean Cruise!
Woot! We had such a BLAST on our 9 day jam packed vacation! Our cruise was out of Galveston, TX, so we flew to Houston the day before and stayed in a hotel.
We visited Cozumel (an island off of Mexico), Grand Cayman, and Montego Bay, Jamaica and every port was seriously incredible! We already knew the excursions we wanted to do in each port- so we wasted no time getting our tickets!
Little backstory: 11 years ago while we were on our honeymoon, our cruise director was talking (then) about all the exciting things to do in the ports we were going to (on that cruise)- but she ALSO mentioned like a million times so many awesome things about a place called Cozumel (a place we were NOT going on that trip) ... she spoke of it so much, I told John that I was making a mental note about Cozumel and that I hoped one day we could go there since it sounded so amazing! Well over the years we'd heard even more about Cozumel and felt even more compelled to go there some day.
We've heard that it is the number one place on the globe to swim with dolphins and the only place in the world that offers an "extreme dolphin adventure" and so much more... so when we were booking a cruise in the Caribbean- you KNOW that Cozumel was one of the first ports we'd choose!
We also chose Grand Cayman based on similar reasons: hearing about the Stingrays on the Sandbar- Yep, that had our name all over it! And Montego, Jamaica- well that was another easy choice! With that itinerary locked in- we knew we had nothing but fun adventures ahead!!
We always approach our vacations with a few simple "rules"... Wait? Rules for vacations? Aren't there no rules? Of course we have no real rules, more like our philosophy, but saying rules makes it sound official...
Pollard Rules for Vacations:
1. Have fun, like crazy fun!
2. Do something we've never done before. (be adventurous and try new activities, even if a little scary)
3. Do something exclusive to where we are. (activities not offered anyplace else)
4. Try new foods. (eat something exclusive to location, or just new)
5. See number 1 again
Having this philosophy or mindset has really helped us create so many unforgettable memories that would never have been possible if we just did normal everyday things on vacation- plus our vacations would all seem the same in distant memories. Instead each vacation is distinct, vivid, and extremely memorable!
Itinerary, check!
Mindset for new adventures, check!
Do you want to see everything we did?
Since there is so much to share, I will do it like last time and post each day separately (it's easier to read in sections, and its easier to edit, add pics and videos, and keep things organized too).
We visited Cozumel (an island off of Mexico), Grand Cayman, and Montego Bay, Jamaica and every port was seriously incredible! We already knew the excursions we wanted to do in each port- so we wasted no time getting our tickets!
Little backstory: 11 years ago while we were on our honeymoon, our cruise director was talking (then) about all the exciting things to do in the ports we were going to (on that cruise)- but she ALSO mentioned like a million times so many awesome things about a place called Cozumel (a place we were NOT going on that trip) ... she spoke of it so much, I told John that I was making a mental note about Cozumel and that I hoped one day we could go there since it sounded so amazing! Well over the years we'd heard even more about Cozumel and felt even more compelled to go there some day.
We've heard that it is the number one place on the globe to swim with dolphins and the only place in the world that offers an "extreme dolphin adventure" and so much more... so when we were booking a cruise in the Caribbean- you KNOW that Cozumel was one of the first ports we'd choose!
We also chose Grand Cayman based on similar reasons: hearing about the Stingrays on the Sandbar- Yep, that had our name all over it! And Montego, Jamaica- well that was another easy choice! With that itinerary locked in- we knew we had nothing but fun adventures ahead!!
We always approach our vacations with a few simple "rules"... Wait? Rules for vacations? Aren't there no rules? Of course we have no real rules, more like our philosophy, but saying rules makes it sound official...
Pollard Rules for Vacations:
1. Have fun, like crazy fun!
2. Do something we've never done before. (be adventurous and try new activities, even if a little scary)
3. Do something exclusive to where we are. (activities not offered anyplace else)
4. Try new foods. (eat something exclusive to location, or just new)
5. See number 1 again
Having this philosophy or mindset has really helped us create so many unforgettable memories that would never have been possible if we just did normal everyday things on vacation- plus our vacations would all seem the same in distant memories. Instead each vacation is distinct, vivid, and extremely memorable!
Itinerary, check!
Mindset for new adventures, check!
Do you want to see everything we did?
Since there is so much to share, I will do it like last time and post each day separately (it's easier to read in sections, and its easier to edit, add pics and videos, and keep things organized too).
Day 1! Bon Voyage!
Friday:
The actual first day was just a full travel day- catching our flight and getting our hotel. The kids loved the flight and the crew heard how excited the
kids were (especially Sariah who told everyone it was her first flight and
Maletch’s second time). The crew gave the kids plenty of special attention, and
even gave them some ”wings.” I didn’t think airlines still did that anymore, so
that was a fun surprise for them. We caught a shuttle to our hotel Country Inn
& Suites. We stayed just the one night. The kids looked so cute pushing
their own luggage through the airport (we all loved our new gear).
Saturday:
After taking 2 shuttles, going through all the checkpoints,
boarding, attending safety meetings and getting unpacked, we managed to have a lot of fun!
We
all wore matching Hawaiian outfits, and received lots of compliments! We got to
tour around "Camp Ocean" (Kids Club) and peek at Seuss at Sea (more on that later). The Kids Club facilities were recently remodeled and were stunning filled with state-of-the-art technology! I liked the Kids Club facilities on the Miracle a lot, but these facilities had me super impressed! For safety reasons, parents are only allowed inside during scheduled "Family Play" times (which is not very often during the whole cruise)- so the kids really love sharing with us everything during orientation day.
The kids are grouped by their ages: Sariah was in the group called the "Penguins" (for ages 2-5) and
Maletch was in the "Stingrays" (ages 6-8). Each group has their own rooms and their own daily itineraries. The activities are so fun and so jam-packed its really mind-blowing!
Here is a look at Sariah's Penguin room:
Maletch wanted to play in the igloos too!
Here's a look at Maletch's Stingray room:
Check out the super cool video game systems- and other high tech stuff- so cool!
We went to Beary Cuddly Workshop
(Build-a-Bear) where the kids picked out new stuffed animals. Sariah picked a
Polar Bear she named Princess Polar Bear and Maletch chose a Puppy he named
Stuffy. They got to stuff their bears and pick out outfits (Sariah chose
bikini, Maletch rock star).
Our kids just love these Build-a-Bears, and I love that the cruise gives all the proceeds to St. Jude! We were super hungry, so we decided to grab our bears and run! We'll stuff and dress them later in the room- let's go eat! Well, we had to check out Dr. Seuss Bookville on our way out!
That crazy couch and the floor full of bean bags- would make any kid want to get comfy for story time!
We went to the “Fancy Restaurant” where we enjoyed a walk-around magician during dinner. The magician seemed to enjoy the loud and enthusiastic reaction he got from our table, so he stuck around us and we enjoyed a long private show! The photographers came around bringing even more fun and energy (and sombreros)- we love dining in the Fancy Restaurant!
When we get home, we miss coming in to a towel animal every evening!! Someone really needs to leave these on our beds- so fun!
We remembered to bring door decorations! We put up battery-operated lights (shaped like starfish of course) and ceiling swirlys, netting, starfish, leaves- lots of fun stuff! It sure made our door easy to find and was a big hit with our neighbors!
We have TONS of video footage of everything from exploring the ship and throughout our entire vacation.. I will put together a really fun video soon! Meanwhile, I'll just post a few pics now and I'll add slideshows and video soon!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
