Cruising 2019: The Road Home

They have updated offloading procedures from when I last cruised years and years ago. We were off before we knew it. For customs, we walked through a steadily moving line, had our picture taken, and walked through a door. That was it!

Soon we were in the car and we dropped by a Costco to gas up and figure out our next move.

The one downside to renting a kilt: You have to return it. Because the store was in NJ, Carrie had to drive more in the state than she wanted to! There were no left turn lights where we were so it was common practice for left turners to try and dart off the light and clear before oncoming traffic collided with them. We figured it out after the first time or two, but it left a sour taste in Carrie's mouth judging from the mutters!

I took a picture of "Prospect" to possibly show a few of my students who live in a neighborhood with the same name.

Unfortunately, the kilt shop didn't open until 10 AM. We found a Dunkin Donuts, so I could get coffee. Carrie dropped by a UPS store to see what it would cost to ship the kilt to the store and save us the trip, but we decided it wasn't worth the cost.

That meant we got on the road south a lot later than everyone else. We hit more than our fair share of traffic snags on the way down. There was a Domino's truck driving at 80 mph and passing on the left like it was a car that concerned Carrie to the point she made me call the "How am I driving?" line.

Carrie drove to help battle her motion sickness. She hadn't been bothered much on the ship, but now Terra Firma felt like a tossing ocean. We only got to stop for a moment at Jama's to see everyone before she needed to keep on moving.

We stopped once in Maryland for CFA and then again at Yoder's in Madison for a bathroom break and snack. Yoder's has gone solar!

We stayed long enough to take care of our business and take a peek at all the animals.

I believe we got home between 6 and 7 PM. Shane wished he was on a second cruise, but Carrie and I were glad to be home.

Cruising 2019: Last Day at Sea

Shane loves funny pictures. Things like bunny ears never grow old for his tastes.

Unless someone else sneaks them on him!

Shane and I ended up at breakfast with Nana and Pop only my gut was acting out. While I took another emergency pit stop, they hopped in line for bumper cars. I met up with them and we went for a morning spin.

Nana in the red car.

Shane and I in the green. He was the driver. I was the tactical adviser.

I love this set of pictures. Shane and I were all grins as we moved in for the hit.

We clocked Nana between 7 and 8 o'clock and spun her other end into the barrier for a physical and emotional jarring impact that changed my grin into a grimace.

I felt guilty, but Shane reveled in the glory of the massive collision! He skipped off the court when we were done.

Thankfully, Nana came out none the worse for wear.

Shane and I slid off to do our thing. He went to Adventure Ocean and I checked in on Carrie. Carrie and I finally got around to playing a board game I'd brought just for the trip called Fog of Love (It's supposed to simulate a TV romantic dramedy).

Nana and Pop hit the climbing wall. I've been impressed with them throughout the trip. Pop's always been capable, but when you're over 60 you get an extra nod.

Nana never would have done any of these things when I was a kid. When we went skiing, she sat in the lodge by the fire with a book and got to know anyone who sat in earshot.

I wanted to do the climbing wall myself, but it was either closed or had a tremendous line whenever we walked by.

I lifted a few photos from Nana's phone.

They took Shane swimming and to a magic show.

I wish I had A) seen the magic show and B) had pictures of it, but you can't have everything.  That helps you appreciate what you do get.

A common thought I have on any adventure is "What is life like for the people who live here?" A cruise ship seems like the height of luxury, but it's also a fascinating place where people from all over live and work together. The passengers are just passing through their world.

Our server in the main dining room, Dalas, was from India. He had just returned from shore leave with his family and hoped to work his way back up to a specialty dining room (Someone had moved up into his position while he was ashore). He said that he worked for 7 months straight and then got 10 weeks off. 

Our other server was from Mexico and a newlywed. She and her husband had managed to get on the same boat, but they didn't share a room. They were on a waiting list to get a couple's cabin, but really only had about an hour a day of free time to share! Yet, they were both happy being on the ship and the opportunity it presented. 

Our iFly instructor was from Trinidad and Tobago. He had "The Lion King" on his helmet, but the other instructors called him "Black Magic." He joked they were both his names, but it was hard to go back and forth! 

Our room attendant was named Jesika and I believe she was from Jamaica. She got a little annoyed that Carrie didn't want room service the first few days and eventually said something about it! I felt bad that she scrubbed our toilet daily while my guts were acting up.

The woman at the trapeze and North Star was from the UK and her name slips my mind (I am writing this 2 weeks later...). She talked about her time on NCL and how RC treated their employees much better. She had no regrets about switching lines. She also spoke highly of the captain and his history and how he had the ability to socialize with his employees and put them at ease. Apparently, he enjoyed the iFly in his time off and was known to work with the trainers so that he could do all sorts of aerial acrobatics.

We didn't meet the captain, but Grandma and Grandpa did. There was a meet and greet forum where the Captain and various members of the upper staff answered a wide variety of questions. 

Small bit of trivia: The 'highway' along the bottom spine of the ship is called "I-95." Grandma mentioned it to me first and then I confirmed it by spotting a street sign when we were offloading in CocoCay!

Cruising 2019: The Return Trip

Days at port are the best days for doing activities on the ship. There are no lines.

There were no more days at port left and we still wanted to do bumper cars, so we had to face the queue. Spirits were high and it was good patience training for Shane!

I passed my camera to Pop and joined in.

I figured I would be the target.

Carrie rode with Shane. She videotaped the whole thing.

My game was to get as close as I could without getting nailed.

Shane's a long way off from a license and it shows!

I got hit enough to keep the kid happy. It was congested enough there would be chaos no matter what.

There was a lot of food, Adventure Ocean, and laying about for most of the day. I had a vegetarian lunch to try and cleanse my system before Carrie and I had a date night out at the on-board sushi restaurant. Nana and Pop helped with the Shane care before sticking him in for another round of Adventure Ocean.

Two things happened that were remarkable that night:

1) A family ordered a ton of sushi and then got up and left without touching most of it. They had never tried Japanese food and decided it wasn't for them. It boggled my mind. It depressed Carrie. The waitress saw that and gave us one of the rolls they ordered and never touched (which made Carrie ecstatic).

2) My system went into full rebellion. I was had gas escaping both ends and my guts twisted into a knot trying to explode out everything in them. It was anything contagious, but I'm never eating a vegetarian meal with broccoli ever again. It was a rough night and next couple of days. I've always had a 'sensitive' GI tract, but this was the longest reaction I've ever had. I'm glad it happened at the end of the trip, but I would have been happier still to avoid it!

Cruising 2019: Nassau, Bahamas

Sunrises are pretty over the water. 

Nassau was a jaunt south and a little east from CocoCay. We arrived early and we woke up early for our tour.

Grandma, Grandpa, Carrie, Shane and I hopped on a ferry (with hundreds of other people) to Blue Lagoon Island. Nana and Pop chose to sleep in.

We had great seats with one downside: They were right next to the horns (That was a surprise!).

We spent half an hour floating past homes of the rich and famous as Carrie did her best to keep her breakfast down.

We arrived at the island and and Carrie and Shane immediately pulled a Carrie and Shane.

They greeted the resident cat.

We didn't dilly dally long, because we had an appointment to keep.

Shane, Carrie, and I were scheduled to meet a sea lion.

Grandma and Grandpa tagged along to watch and take pictures.

Only they weren't paying attention and missed all of our sea lion photo ops! There was some music playing up where they were and I didn't want really belt out and cause any sort of commotion.

For the low cost of $17 (Yikes! Though, Carrie thought it was priceless), there was one photo we bought to keep.

"Oh, come one! That's adorable!" Carrie said. "You know how hard it is to get our son to do a natural smile! Look at that!"

It was less personal than it looked, but it was still really impressive. The animals were impeccably trained.

We got in the water for a closer another encounter and demonstration (Which was 'brisk' to put it politely).

Our sea lion was a 7 year old female.

She dived and soared through the water in front of us. She put up her rear flippers, so we could touch and see her toenails. She opened her mouth in our faces and we saw she had black teeth.

There was a shoe with jokes and tricks to mix in with the educational piece. Interesting 101 stuff.

Meanwhile, Shane was thrilled to see there were tiny fish in the water. He would have left the platform to swim after them if I hadn't restrained him! He loved the sea lion, but whenever she left proximity his mind swam after the closer creatures.

There was a poster of the movie Andre up Shane was very curious about until we walked by the dolphins. There was a dolphin encounter where two dolphins would swim up and push you by the feet until you hydroplaned! Shane wanted to do that next!

Instead, we found a beach area with some inflatable obstacles. I was in the water, so I don't have any pictures. Carrie didn't take any, because we nearly gave her a panic attack bouncing down 15 foot slides into the water! Grandpa took some pictures of us, but he hasn't posted them for me to download.

The original plan had been to see the Sea Lions and then return to the ship for lunch. I wanted to walk around the city some with Shane afterward.

The plan was thwarted when we found out we were trapped on the island. The first ferry to leave didn't pull out until 2:30 PM. Our sea lion encounter had started at 9:30 AM.

Shane would have loved to stayed in the water longer, but my skin was at its limit and no one else volunteered. We had a more expensive, nacho lunch that we planned (but the tour group clearly had) and made sure to get on the first boat out!

It was neat seeing the cruise ships as we pulled up and past them. The North Star was extended, so we saw exactly how high we were when we did it. It would have been neat to look out over Nassau.

I would have liked to have toured the streets some, but Shane and I were clearly the only ones with that sort of energy (That's my boy!). I needed to re-up on sunscreen anyway, so I did my best to stick to shadows on the way back. I didn't want to be one of those people who gets stupid sunburned to the point they look like a miserable lobster. (Maybe that's why some of those people down so much alcohol shipside? To drown out the pain and go numb? Seems like a poor solution that can make the problem worse in new ways to me).

Shane went to play Minecraft and play in Adventure Ocean until dinner while Carrie and I spent some time on our own.

Shane went back to Adventure Ocean after the meal. Or maybe he went with Nana and Pop that day? I can't recall exactly. They tried to take him to a music show at one point and dropped him off at Adventure Ocean when he was not amused. 

Carrie's been working on the trip and I've spent more time farting around on a computer game than I thought I would (I beat the Grand Campaign as Bretonnia as a kill time more than a burning passion. With no internet, my options were limited).

We were tired after an active morning, so there's no harm in downtime. Shane's going to remember this cruise for a long, long time.

Cruising 2019: Coco Cay

Carrie and I woke up early. Instead of going back to sleep, she got up and went to the window. 

My computer has a new background as a result.

We have felt the waves ever since we left New Jersey. Being at the absolute front of the ship doesn't help. North Atlantic waters are choppier than in the Caribbean (or so I'm told. It felt true). It's not enough to bother me, but I would be lying if I said they weren't noticeable. Now that we're further south and going slower they are less evident. 

Carrie, Shane, and I were getting breakfast in the rear of the ship when we noticed we were backing in to the harbor! We were surprised at first, because it looked like most of the island was under construction. We started to turn away and then the island got closer.

Islands fascinate me. I like to think about living on them and the remoteness.....and then I'm glad I don't live on one, because I wouldn't like to be confined to so small an area.

But that makes them fun to visit.

Before we hopped off ship, though, we had a stop to make. Carrie signed us up for iFly before Nana and Pop heard of it! She scheduled us for this morning, because she figured most people would be off ship and it'd be quieter.

It's not very quiet in the wind tunnel! Shane got to go first and never stopped smiling.

"Black Magic" slung him around and made a memory that's sure to last a lifetime.

Carrie was so intense the whole time, I couldn't find a picture with her smiling. If iFly was a Top Gun simulator, she would have been Ice Woman! I need to find a pic she approves of before I can post one.

I smiled like a madman.

Between the helmet, goggles, flight suit, and my beard I almost didn't recognize myself in the pictures.

We only got to fly for a minute, but it was worth all the waiting. I would do it again!

As we left, we stumbled across a trapeze. There was no line, so Shane and I geared up!

Nana did it the day before and said it was a lot of fun.

Shane can be a wimp about some things, but he's fearless about others. Heights don't bother him.

He couldn't do much other than swing around. He was hesitant to drop at the end, but I'm not sure if that was because he was worried or because he didn't want his turn to end too soon!

I was up next. The g-forces made it harder to swing my legs up over the bar and swing upside down than I expected. To dismount, I tried a backflip.

The coach had told someone in line ahead of us, "It's so easy! Kick, kick and lean back!"

She was right. I hit it the first try.

I'd thought she'd meant to kick like with a swing to gain speed, but she really just meant "kick back and forth with vigor a few times and let go."

Carrie had disappeared to the room to work while the rest of us poked around the sports complex. Grandma and Grandpa played some ping-pong.

Shane drooled over Fortnite on the Xbox. I didn't want him to sit around and play, but he started a game so I let him finish.

I thought he would have died much sooner, but being totally clueless can offer some immunity. He wandered around where none of the action or items were and survived all the way to 33rd, if I recall correctly. First person to see him found him an easy mark.

Carrie opted to stay on board while Nana, Pop, Shane, and I hit the beaches.

We would have gone as a team, but Nana lost her ID card. Shane and I were already off the ship while she and Pop turned back.

Random observation: The Royal Caribbean logo looks like a "Royal Transformer" at the right angle. You have to be sufficiently nerdy to see it.

Shane and I were on our own.

I display certain ADHD and sensory seeking peculiarities from time to time. There was a rope barrier that I popped up onto my shoulder as I walked. I felt it slide over my shoulder and bounce an vibrate with my step as we walked the dock.

When I turned around, I noticed Shane was doing the exact same thing.

There are so many little things he does that tell me he's my son.

I like to look at everything and imagine how things work as we go. If I'm not scanning something specific in the area, I'm scanning the people in general.

Shane's eyes seem to be more attuned towards wildlife. He spotted a fish in the water I had no clue was there. It was very long and narrow and Shane was sure it was a baby swordfish. I think it was another type of fish I've seen, but couldn't tell you the name (Feel free to tell me if you know).

There was a ton of construction for a water park on the island.....that didn't open until May (assuming they actually got done on time). That didn't do anything for us.

Shane and I sat and listened to a live band and shifted for shells to wait for Nana and Pop. I hadn't brought sunscreen and wanted to sit in the shade. I knew that Nana had some and had counted on using hers when we got to the water. I wasn't worried about Shane, though.

We waited as long as I thought I could hold him and then headed off to the water. We stopped at the first beach to make ourselves easy to find. I kept all my valuables on me since it was crowded and no one was around to watch them. I prayed Shane wouldn't do anything too crazy where I'd have to react instantaneously.

I left all of the shells on the towel, at least. Shane considered them quite valuable, but with 1,000,000 others all around us I wasn't too worried.

One of the first things Shane noticed were there were little fish in the water. He spent the beginning of our beach time trying to catch them (futilely)!

Nana and Pop showed up a little later. Nana talked to a little boy had a hermit crab and called Shane over. The boy's mom said there were a ton of them on the rocks.

You have two guess where Shane went next.

There were indeed swarms of tiny hermit crabs. There were a few larger ones, too. Shane got a nip on the leg he was expecting and squealed loudly. He swore it was "huge!" and had several people laughing at how the size increased each time he retold his story.

I tell you, what, though. I did see some larger crabs well hidden at the last set of rocks we were at. I wouldn't have wanted to be pinched by them! They were nowhere near as big as Shane advertised, or he could have lost a limb.

Shane did not want to go when I told him it was time to head back. I'd told Carrie we'd meet her at 1 PM and I didn't want to overtax my skin early in the trip (or at all).

I had the moron boy wash the sand off and then he laid down again right before we left. He had no idea that would recoat him in sand again!

At 2:30 PM, we had an appointment to ride the "North Star." It's an extendable arm that lifts a globe high above the ship.

It was neat to see the island. I would have liked to have walked the whole place. I spotted some inflatable water toys on the far side that looked like fun for later.

The island next to us was owned by Norwegian Cruise Lines. The employee with us recognized us from the trapeze earlier (She called Shane, "Minecraft," because of his shirt). She had worked for NCL and had some stories about what life was like there versus on RC.

We never made it back to the beach. With the length of the walk, Shane preferred to hop into a pool on the boat. He just wanted to swim!

We hopped in a few different pools and hot tubs before I told him it was time to quit. He would have kept going, but I felt the sun heating my skin up to the point I'd start burning.

Self-serve ice cream took the sting out of calling it quits.

I did end up with a slight burn. My calves got hit the worst. I hadn't put sunscreen on them since I got them wet before Nana and Pop showed up with supplies. The burn was enough to heat up the skin, but not anything that would cause peeling or anything worse later.

Shane had a very minor burn on his shoulders. He hammed it up when I asked him to stop for a picture (The wimp!).

He didn't peel at all. It looked red a few days and became a tan. It wasn't as red as my calves, either. He milked the "Don't touch my shoulders! It hurts!" Not that he got much sympathy.

By this point, Carrie and I had some good news about the house. I won't write about it here, but I will say there were points here and there where the trip was less relaxing than you would have thought (with good news and being on a cruise!). Carrie was stressed and anxious and feeling torn between working and participating in activities. Shane was oblivious, overstimulated, and overeager which added some friction to the mix. I was hoping to hear back from some interviews and to keep everyone sane, but it was still a lot of fun overall!