Paradise and Magic..All Rolled into One Vacation! UD3/28 A Top 10 Wrap Up

Salt water in a pool?!?!?!?! Really? I never knew that. I always thought it was normal chlorine water! Learn somethin new everyday!

Your cruise looks amazing. Ive been reading your TR to Eric. Well, not the whole thing, just the highlights. Naturally, Ive started looking into cruises for us! We have our 10 year anniversary October 2011 and want to do something special. Noone thought we would make it past 5 years! Really, they had a bet!!!!!! Talk about faith! :rotfl2:

I found a few cruises that depart from Norfolk through Carnival. Thats super convenient since we live 20 minutes from the port. We have even been able to see the Disney ships when they come to town for maitenance work. They come right here and dock at the Harbor. Its always been exciting to see them there. Disney does a thing for locals where you can board here when its in port! Its usually last minute though since they dont always know when they are going to need something done. Its basically a free night on the boat. You pay for the 7 night but you get an 8 night. We have always wanted to do it but, we never have that much cash just lying around!

Carnival doesnt seem too great to me though. Its cheaper since we dont have to fly or waste gas to get there but it just seems like everything adds up faster than it does on the Disney cruises. IDK, we are still looking into stuff.

How was your motion sickness when the boat started moving? What about your room.....did it roll much? Did they have little snack places for burgers and fries and stuff? I like a good dinner but I would rather have a burger and fries than fancy stuff! Don't get me wrong, Ill try it but I always need a backup plan!

Did you guys do any wine and liquor packages or pay OOP for beer and stuff? Was that a Pina Colada I saw in your hand?
 
Salt water in a pool?!?!?!?! Really? I never knew that. I always thought it was normal chlorine water! Learn somethin new everyday!

Me too! Who knew??

Your cruise looks amazing. Ive been reading your TR to Eric. Well, not the whole thing, just the highlights. Naturally, Ive started looking into cruises for us! We have our 10 year anniversary October 2011 and want to do something special. Noone thought we would make it past 5 years! Really, they had a bet!!!!!! Talk about faith! :rotfl2:

I found a few cruises that depart from Norfolk through Carnival. Thats super convenient since we live 20 minutes from the port. We have even been able to see the Disney ships when they come to town for maitenance work. They come right here and dock at the Harbor. Its always been exciting to see them there. Disney does a thing for locals where you can board here when its in port! Its usually last minute though since they dont always know when they are going to need something done. Its basically a free night on the boat. You pay for the 7 night but you get an 8 night. We have always wanted to do it but, we never have that much cash just lying around!

That's cool! Jeff has actually been looking at cruises that depart from ports we could drive to, in order to save airfare. Norfolk is one we are keeping our eyes on!

Carnival doesnt seem too great to me though. Its cheaper since we dont have to fly or waste gas to get there but it just seems like everything adds up faster than it does on the Disney cruises. IDK, we are still looking into stuff.

It seems to me that Carnival and Royal Caribbean are very similar. Once on the ship, the only things you have to pay for are alcohol, soda, or souvenirs, etc from the onboard shops. Now....all that could add up, but it doesn't have to. Jeff and I spent less than $150 OOP on the ship. The one difference I saw on the Disney cruise was that soda was included. And, the rooms on the Disney ships are bigger. We also did not book excursions at port....we just did our own thing. I'm sure those add up as well. But they would on a Disney ship too. Don't get me wrong, I love Disney! But for the same cruise at the same time, the price was almost double that of Royal Caribbean.

How was your motion sickness when the boat started moving? What about your room.....did it roll much? Did they have little snack places for burgers and fries and stuff? I like a good dinner but I would rather have a burger and fries than fancy stuff! Don't get me wrong, Ill try it but I always need a backup plan!

No rolling...I couldn't even tell we were moving. Seasickness was a non-issue. They do have other places to eat dinner. The Windjammer Cafe was the buffet which, except for a couple hours in the morning and a couple in the afternoon and evening, was always open. When it was not open, there was a little pizza bar that had pizza as well as other snacks. Pretty much any time you wanted to eat, you could find something!

Did you guys do any wine and liquor packages or pay OOP for beer and stuff? Was that a Pina Colada I saw in your hand?

(See responses above in pink)

We did not purchase any beverage packages and just chose to pay OOP for our drinks. And yes...that certainly was a Pina Colada! Yum!
 
Great update! Missy I love the pictures of you and Jeff at sunset!

When we went on our first(and only so far-we hve been saying we are going again since than-LOL) cruise in '01 we had an inside room...the only nice thing about it is no outside light...so, if you have a late night and want to sleep in it was awesome!

I knew the pools were filled with salt water; but, when we went the water was sooooo cold and the seas were rough so the pools were rarely filled...

I cannot wait to hear more!
 
Your pics are absolutely wonderful!!:love: You both look so happy and relaxed.

The motion wouldn't bother me, but that height would be tough. There is no way I would get that close to the edge. :scared1: Although sitting on the lounge chairs would be heavenly.:cloud9:

Question? Do you need a passport to cruise??

Keep the updates comin'popcorn::
 
Oh...and Jeff felt that the choice of cover models for our in-room reading material was a bit ironic!
BahamasCruiseandDisney47.jpg

:lmao: Ok this is so funny not in a funny way....:rotfl:


YAY so glad you guys made it and everything worked out wonderfully...man that burning car :eek: yikes...only witnessed something like that once but not on the side of the road...

glad Joyce and the gd's made it too...

it looks just so lovely and wonderful I love all the pictures of you, Jeff and the scenic ones too...

just great...can't wait for more!

J~
 
What a wonderful update Missy!:goodvibes All your beautiful pictures are really making me want to take a cruise! You both look so happy to be there!:thumbsup2

I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner! I'm sure that's what my DH would like best...all the food!:rotfl:

Oh and those sunset pictures are gorgeous!! :cloud9:

Can't wait for more!!popcorn::
 
Your pics are absolutely wonderful!!:love: You both look so happy and relaxed.

The motion wouldn't bother me, but that height would be tough. There is no way I would get that close to the edge. :scared1: Although sitting on the lounge chairs would be heavenly.:cloud9:

Question? Do you need a passport to cruise??

Keep the updates comin'popcorn::

The passport issue really depends on where you are going. For most of the Caribbean, Bermuda,and Mexico, you can travel on a "closed loop cruise" with only a government issued ID (like a driver's license) and your raised-seal birth certificate. A closed loop cruise is a cruise that departs and returns to the same US port. Jeff does not have a passport....the only issue with that is that you cannot fly into the Bahamas with no passport. So....if we had missed that boat we were out of luck!
 
Great update! Missy I love the pictures of you and Jeff at sunset!

When we went on our first(and only so far-we hve been saying we are going again since than-LOL) cruise in '01 we had an inside room...the only nice thing about it is no outside light...so, if you have a late night and want to sleep in it was awesome!

I knew the pools were filled with salt water; but, when we went the water was sooooo cold and the seas were rough so the pools were rarely filled...

I cannot wait to hear more!

Thanks Connie! Hopefully another cruise (hopefully a warmer and calmer one) is in your not-too-distant future!

:lmao: Ok this is so funny not in a funny way....:rotfl:

Jeff got a real kick out of it...honestly, I probably wouldn't even have noticed! :laughing:


YAY so glad you guys made it and everything worked out wonderfully...man that burning car :eek: yikes...only witnessed something like that once but not on the side of the road...

glad Joyce and the gd's made it too...

it looks just so lovely and wonderful I love all the pictures of you, Jeff and the scenic ones too...

just great...can't wait for more!

J~

Thanks so much Julie!

What a wonderful update Missy!:goodvibes All your beautiful pictures are really making me want to take a cruise! You both look so happy to be there!:thumbsup2

I'm glad you enjoyed your dinner! I'm sure that's what my DH would like best...all the food!:rotfl:

Oh and those sunset pictures are gorgeous!! :cloud9:

Can't wait for more!!popcorn::

The food was really fantastic! And there were tons of choices....if the formality of the dining room isn't for you, there's always the buffet. But I loved getting all dressed up for dinner and being served like a princess! Sign me up! :thumbsup2
 
Loving the TR - wow the drama, but YAY to settling in and what gorgeous photos!
looking forward to the next installment!
Lx
 
I'm so happy that you got to see that Joyce & her granddaughters had arrived safely. What beautiful pics of the sunset :love: This brings back memories of my cruise. I would love to go on one again and have considered Royal Caribbean for an Eastern Caribbean cruise or just one to the Bahamas for 4 nights. I had an inside cabin aboard the Grand Princess and because it was so dark in the room & I couldn't tell if it was day or night (waking up from a 2 hour nap got me mixed up!), I finally turned on the tv channel to the live cam and that helped. I had a great steward, when he realized I was traveling alone, he pushed the twin beds together to make a full size bed and he would make sure I made it safe to my cabin each night by tapping on my door. He was too cute!

Looks like you both are enjoying your first evening aboard the ship (which you truly deserved after your long journey!)
 
Wow... you guys had a very stressful start! :scared1: I was a little worried when you said you were getting a car at Thrifty in Tampa... our experience wasn't great. I'm so glad you made it on time!

The ship looks wonderful! I'm glad you got settled in and were able to enjoy your first evening.

I chuckled a little at the magazine selections. :laughing: That would have freaked me out a bit!
 
Hi Missy!! I'm finally here and all caught up!! WOW! What a stressful way to start your vacation! And how nice of you to drive the grandmother and her granddaughters! The ship looks amazing!! We cruised with RC back 11 years ago on our honeymoon--it was a 7 night cruise to Bermuda! I can't wait to take another cruise--hopefully a Disney Cruise sometime soon!! Can't wait to read more! :goodvibes
 
Weird - I thought I posted after your update but apparently I didn't. (I did in my head though...)

Love, love, love those sunset photos and I know there is no way the pictures did the real scene justice. :cloud9: You guys look happy and relaxed - well deserved after that crazy travel day! I can't wait to read all about your first full day!! :banana::banana:

I love all the pictures of the ship! It looks gorgeous! :goodvibes

Sara
 
Loving the TR - wow the drama, but YAY to settling in and what gorgeous photos!
looking forward to the next installment!
Lx

It was so nice to finally be able to relax!

I'm so happy that you got to see that Joyce & her granddaughters had arrived safely. What beautiful pics of the sunset :love: This brings back memories of my cruise. I would love to go on one again and have considered Royal Caribbean for an Eastern Caribbean cruise or just one to the Bahamas for 4 nights. I had an inside cabin aboard the Grand Princess and because it was so dark in the room & I couldn't tell if it was day or night (waking up from a 2 hour nap got me mixed up!), I finally turned on the tv channel to the live cam and that helped. I had a great steward, when he realized I was traveling alone, he pushed the twin beds together to make a full size bed and he would make sure I made it safe to my cabin each night by tapping on my door. He was too cute!

Looks like you both are enjoying your first evening aboard the ship (which you truly deserved after your long journey!)

We really enjoyed cruising and I'm sure this won't be our last. How cool that your steward watched out for you like that! The crew and staff on our ship were so attentive. Top notch!

Yay! Glad to see you started one. :cool1: Can't wait until I have a moment to come back and read. :goodvibes

I'll be here when you have time to come and read! Glad you stopped in!

Wow... you guys had a very stressful start! :scared1: I was a little worried when you said you were getting a car at Thrifty in Tampa... our experience wasn't great. I'm so glad you made it on time!

The ship looks wonderful! I'm glad you got settled in and were able to enjoy your first evening.

I chuckled a little at the magazine selections. :laughing: That would have freaked me out a bit!

We were worried too, not because of any bad prior experience, but because you just never know how that is going to go. The lines could have been crazy, etc. Gratefully we were able to get through quickly. The ship really is beautiful. And the Monarch is one of the oldest ships in the Royal Caribbean line. I can only imagine what the newer, fancier ships look like!

The ship looks beautiful!!! SOOO nice and relaxing. Can't wait to see more popcorn::

Finally.....relaxing felt soooo good!

Hi Missy!! I'm finally here and all caught up!! WOW! What a stressful way to start your vacation! And how nice of you to drive the grandmother and her granddaughters! The ship looks amazing!! We cruised with RC back 11 years ago on our honeymoon--it was a 7 night cruise to Bermuda! I can't wait to take another cruise--hopefully a Disney Cruise sometime soon!! Can't wait to read more! :goodvibes

Welcome home Becky! Thanks for coming over to read along....I'm so glad you're here!

Weird - I thought I posted after your update but apparently I didn't. (I did in my head though...)

Love, love, love those sunset photos and I know there is no way the pictures did the real scene justice. :cloud9: You guys look happy and relaxed - well deserved after that crazy travel day! I can't wait to read all about your first full day!! :banana::banana:

I love all the pictures of the ship! It looks gorgeous! :goodvibes

Sara

You're right about the pictures.....it really was an amazing sunset! I kept saying the whole trip that my pictures weren't going to be able to capture what I was seeing adequately. So beautiful! :cloud9:
 
Just a quick update on my "real", non-cruising, life. We celebrated Isaiah's 13th birthday this weekend. Now I am the proud mother of, not one, but TWO teenage boys!

We spent the weekend at our church camp just outside of Ithaca, NY helping to open it up for the camp season. Isaiah's favorite place to be is camp, so he loved being there for his birthday. We had a great weekend catching up with old friends and kicking off what promises to be a great summer!

This is Isaiah as he's opening his gifts. He had asked for an iPod, but we told him that we wouldn't buy that for him. He also asked for a pair of sandals, so I wrapped his gift in several boxes, the outside one being a shoe box so he'd think he was getting sandals! This is his reaction to what he is seeing. LOVE IT!
Isaiahs13th--2010-Copy.jpg


Yee-Ha!! An iPod!
Isaiahs13th--20101-Copy.jpg



Blowing out the candles.
Isaiahs13th--20102.jpg


Some of the crew helping us celebrate!
Isaiahs13th--20103.jpg


These next pics are at our church picnic on Monday. I LOVE my church family!

Jeff and our good friend Bill
MemorialDayWeekend20101.jpg


Dan playing volleyball
MemorialDayWeekend20102.jpg


Jonah and our good friend Kailey.
MemorialDayWeekend20103.jpg


Me and one of my best friends, Tina.
MemorialDayWeekend20104.jpg


This is normally how you will see us!
MemorialDayWeekend20105.jpg


My nephew Josh and Dan.
MemorialDayWeekend2010.jpg


So that's how we spent our weekend and the reason I have not posted another update! I am working on an installment now and will have it posted by the end of the day! :thumbsup2

Thanks for reading! :goodvibes
 
Hi Missy!:goodvibes

It sounds like you had a great weekend!!:thumbsup2 It looks like Isaiah was very happy with his iPod! I love the surprised look!!:rotfl: We had a busy, busy weekend too...I'm still trying to recover.:laughing:

Can't wait for your next installment!!popcorn::
 
Hi Missy!:goodvibes

It sounds like you had a great weekend!!:thumbsup2 It looks like Isaiah was very happy with his iPod! I love the surprised look!!:rotfl: We had a busy, busy weekend too...I'm still trying to recover.:laughing:

Can't wait for your next installment!!popcorn::

We had a nice weekend, busy, but nice! Update coming right up!

Looks like a fun weekend! Missy
Isaiah face it priceless...looks likea fun celebration!
have a great day! :sunny:

I'm so glad I was able to capture that one! He was really surprised! :thumbsup2
 















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