Well, first full day on the boat was WONDERFUL. It was Dad's birthday (52 years young) - so we took him out for breakfast. We even let him order whatever he wanted :)
Then we hit up the pool. We wanted to be right in the thick of things and boy were we ever. We were right by the chips and salsa, feet from the hot tub, yards from the mellow band, and a run/jump/splash to the pool. And we started in the shade for about 15 minutes but then had GLORIOUS sun. I've gotten a few questions about the weather. Except for the first night in Tampa, WONDERFUL WEATHER. Temps in the 70's and 80's. Perfect to lay out in. In the evenings, if you were wearing only a bathing suit and were in a breeze (which moving ships usually have), then it got a little brisk. But I took a nap with my towel on me one day and loved it :) PS - note Dad's position. He wanted to tan only his belly and legs?
Dad's first official nap on the cruise (out of MANY).
Katie and I nominated Dad for the Hairy Chest Contest. For the first round the 10 contestants had to dance with each of the 3 judges. As you can guess, our dad was the classiest one (and yes - he's dancing with Katie. She was one of the 3 judges!!)
Katie's "Tarzan" as he rescued her. He took 3rd.
May I present the WINNER of the Carnival Legend Hairy Chest Contest: As his award he got a t-shirt and canvas bag from Del-Sol. He also got a Carnival Legend Trophy! A little golden ship on a stick. He started somewhat of a tradition for our family (see the post for Day 7 - dinnertime - coming soon).
Do you like strawberry daquiri's? (Virgin, of course). We do!! My favorite was the strawberry/pina colada mix. Especially when they poured both at the same time so the entire left half was red and the right half was white. Beautiful and oh so yummy!
Titled: "Glorious Ice Cream Cone"
I know we look washed out in this picture (don't know why), but I know it's a falsehood. We got pretty tan by the end of the cruise and looked every minute of it.
Titled: "Glorious Ice Cream Cone"
I know we look washed out in this picture (don't know why), but I know it's a falsehood. We got pretty tan by the end of the cruise and looked every minute of it.
Haha, this picture is one of a sequence. Mom wanted a real picture, and Dad wanted a smoochy one, but he just kept going in for the kill and mom was trying to talk to him and kept laughing. Perfect pic!
Katie with "Team Michigan" - her new friends on the cruise.
Another favorite cruise hobby: reading. We'd often find Dad trying to do both: read and nap at the same time. The book would be in his hands but his hands would be limp against the deck.
We too read on the cruise. We started/finished A Christmas Carol. *Highly recommend* It's quite a short book, actually, and made for VERY easy reading. While reading we also discovered how TRUE to the book all the movies are. I guess if it's a short book it's easy to be true to. (If you wondered, our favorite version is Disney's Muppet Christmas Carol). And yes I cried at the end.
Monday night was formal night #1. Justin got a new tux vest/tie and I got a matching dress. We looked sublime :)
In fact, we were so in love that we were invited on stage to dance as a lovey dovey couple during the performance. It was fun to bask in our love. The flash was too far away to work well, so here's the best one we've got. It was us walking onto the stage.
So of course while we're on stage Katie and Claire had a mini photo shoot using our camera.
At dinner after the show. SO GOOD. We ate so much all week long that it's hard to remember what we had on what nights. But here's a list of my favorites: all the fruit soups/bisques (strawberry, mango, cherry, peach), SALMON (4 times, thank you very much), all the seafood, the duck, some chicken dishes... Like I said, we ate so much. We literally had 3-4 appetizers, 2-3 entrees, and 1-2 desserts EVERY night. No exaggeration. We didn't really gain that much weight. Maybe 3-4 pounds? And I'd do it again baby!
Dad at his birthday dinner.
Katie with "Team Michigan" - her new friends on the cruise.
Another favorite cruise hobby: reading. We'd often find Dad trying to do both: read and nap at the same time. The book would be in his hands but his hands would be limp against the deck.
We too read on the cruise. We started/finished A Christmas Carol. *Highly recommend* It's quite a short book, actually, and made for VERY easy reading. While reading we also discovered how TRUE to the book all the movies are. I guess if it's a short book it's easy to be true to. (If you wondered, our favorite version is Disney's Muppet Christmas Carol). And yes I cried at the end.
Monday night was formal night #1. Justin got a new tux vest/tie and I got a matching dress. We looked sublime :)
In fact, we were so in love that we were invited on stage to dance as a lovey dovey couple during the performance. It was fun to bask in our love. The flash was too far away to work well, so here's the best one we've got. It was us walking onto the stage.
So of course while we're on stage Katie and Claire had a mini photo shoot using our camera.
At dinner after the show. SO GOOD. We ate so much all week long that it's hard to remember what we had on what nights. But here's a list of my favorites: all the fruit soups/bisques (strawberry, mango, cherry, peach), SALMON (4 times, thank you very much), all the seafood, the duck, some chicken dishes... Like I said, we ate so much. We literally had 3-4 appetizers, 2-3 entrees, and 1-2 desserts EVERY night. No exaggeration. We didn't really gain that much weight. Maybe 3-4 pounds? And I'd do it again baby!
Dad at his birthday dinner.
It was probably one of the most fun birthdays Dad has ever had (according to me). Relaxing by the pool, reading a book, kisses from mama, good music performance, YUMMY dinner, and family time. Can I go on a cruise over my birthday this year? :)
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