Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Family Cruise 2013

After a lot of time and anticipation, we were all so happy to leave the gray, cold, dreariness behind.  We were looking forward to warmer climates, clear blue skies, and warm water. We flew to Houston on Saturday, February 2 and took the shuttle to our hotel. Always fun and games in a hotel room. (Remember hot lava? Apparently you are never too old for hot lava. I didn't get in on the action, so no pictures.)   They were very nice, big rooms.  We ordered pizza and watched TV.
 

 



Sunday morning, our transportation picked us up at the hotel for the 45 minute drive to Galveston. We checked in and boarded the ship within about an hour.



We are ready for some sun.
 
 
Looking out at Galveston from the ship 
 
 

Mariner of the Sea- February 3, 2013







 
 
It was Super Bowl Sunday and the ship has this awesome, big screen tv on the pool deck. 
 
 
 
 
The view from one of the 4 windows in our room. 
 
 
 
 We had a Family Oceanview room. It was great. There was a small room with bunks for Parker and Colby, a living room area with a couch, 2 chairs, and a tv, a seperate bedroom for me and Allen and a sitting/dressing area outside the bathroom.  Each of these rooms had a large window with a fantastic view of the front of the ship- the helicopter pad.  It was so fun to see where we were heading and watch as we pulled into the ports. 
 




 
 
 
Looking up at our room from the helicopter pad.
 
 
 
Monday was a sea day.  The boys hit the sports court, and we tried to play mini golf.  It was warm but windy, too windy to play golf.
 
 
 




 



It was so nice to see blue skies and sunshine!


 

 
 
 
Monday was our first formal dinner night.  We celebrated Zac and Alisha's anniversary with singing waiters and a candle in a piece of yucky Tiramisu.
 



 
 
 
Why is it so painfully hard to take a nice picutre? 
 



 
 
 

Cozumel Mexico- February 5th, 2013 

 
Tuesday we arrived in Cozumel, Mexico.
 

 
 
It was about 85 degrees and very humid, but it felt so nice after the winter we've had.  We spent the day shopping and sight seeing.
 








 
 
 
Josh and Kasie were very adventurous and rented a scooter to get around Cozumel! 
 




 
 
 
Since Cozumel is an island, everything has to come and go on a ferry.  There was a huge line of cars and trucks waiting to load.  It was interesting to watch.  The ferry must be bigger than it looks, we saw several tankers pull in.

 

 
 
It was a beautiful day, and so much fun.
 










 
 
 
 

Georgetown, Grand Cayman- February 6th, 2013

 
Grand Cayman was our next stop.  It is a beautiful island with great beaches and warm water. 
We had to tender here, but it is always quick, and it is a pretty ride to shore.
 



 
 
 
We hopped on a bus and went to Cemetary Beach.  Cemetary Beach?  Yep, check out the background. It is at one end of the famous Seven Mile beach.  It is so beautiful, it's unreal.
 
 
 











 
 
 
Josh and Kasie went to Stringray City and swam with the rays. 
 


 
 
After the beach we walked around town and the port for a while. 
 
Outside one of the many beautiful jewelry stores

Around the port



The main street along the shore in Georgetown, Grand Cayman




 
The sunset- from our window


 
This view never gets old.
 

 

Falmouth, Jamaica- February 7th, 2013

 
Jamica was our last stop.  We walked around the port for a while, before changing and taking a shuttle to a private beach.
 
 





 




 
Red Stripe Beach
 










 
 



 
 
More beautiful sunsets


 
 
 
Friday and Saturday were our last sea days.  We spent them playing, relaxing, and eating.
 











 
We had a wonderful time, but it is always over way too fast.