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My Allure Trip Journal- 5/27/12: There IS No Reader's Digest Version!

OklaCruiserMom
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OklaCruiserMom

OklaCruiserMom

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[NOTE: I wanted to include pictures with this post, but I have not gotten them uploaded yet to a suitable hosting site. I will do that soon, and a future post will include the important pictures from this part of the trip journal. Thank you for your patience!]

 

 

Hello all! Well, we made it. I’m just back from my very first cruise. We were on the Allure sailing 5/27/12. I love to write and blog and journal, and there are so many different perspectives from which I could come at this review- first timer cruiser, single cruiser, cruising-with-kids cruiser, trying-to-budget cruiser. I will try to add in the important points from each of those perspectives when they come up. So anyway, I had been looking forward to writing this for quite a while before I ever even left home! I was even playing around with cutesy titles. Some of the contenders were: A First Time Cruiser’s Big Adventure! (Pee Wee Herman, Eat Your Heart Out!); Cruise Virgin No More- How I Lost It to The Allure of Seas!; and Me and My Kids: From Oklahoma to the Caribbean and Back on Two P ro zac A Day! In the end, I just decided to go with the obvious.

 

Just the Facts, Ma’am:

First timers, family of 4: Mom, twin 18 YO girls, 11 YO boy

Allure of the Seas- Eastern Caribbean sailing

Captain Johnny

CD- Anna Banks

Pre-cruise- fly in on 5/26, stayed at Pier 66

Cabin- Interior Quad, Deck 3 #838

Dining- Traditional, early seating

Ports of call: Nassau, Bahamas; Charlotte-Amalie, St. Thomas; Phillipsburg, St. Maarten

Tours: Nassau- self-guided walking. Went to Pirates Museum and Ardastra Gardens

St. Thomas- Sunny Liston Fun Tours

St. Maarten- Bernard’s Tours, Driver- Sugar

___________________________________________________________________

 

 

And now… The REST of the story!

 

Saturday, May 26, 2012- We Leave For Cruise!

 

I woke up early and knew I had no chance at going back to sleep. Packing was pretty much complete, lacking only things we had to use before leaving that morning, like toothbrushes and deodorant. You’re welcome. icon_biggrin.gif?m=1129645325g Being a charter member of Internet Addicts Anonymous, I got online, checked CC here, checked Facebook, and took a screenshot of my one-day countdown on Royal’s website. My nerves felt so tightly wound at that point, if I’d been hooked up to some electrodes or something, I probably could have powered a small city!

 

*

 

Finally it was time to wake up the kids, which if you have them, you know is a gamble as to what kinds of moods you’ll be facing when they finally become fully conscious. Luckily, on this day, mine were pleasant. I should add here, that in addition to being just your normal kid types, one of mine has been diagnosed with ADHD, depression, and some as-yet-undefined mood instability issues. Another one is developmentally delayed and operates at a level approximately 4-5 years younger than true chronological age. The third one is basically pretty normal and well-behaved, thank you Jesus! icon_biggrin.gif?m=1129645325g

 

*

 

Well, we got around, and got dressed, and got all the last minute stuff collected and waited for my mom (hereafter referred to as G-ma) to come pick us up and take us to the airport in Dallas. She arrived, bringing a few things that we had left at her house and might possibly need, (her credit card for emergencies being the most important) and we started loading our bags (2 large bags to be checked, and two carry-ons, if you’re interested.) Experienced a small moment of panic when her car did its usual thing of not wanting to start unless the key and the steering wheel were perfectly and precisely aligned. Finally it started. Whew! We stopped at the Dollar Store and I ran in to grab a few last minute things while G-ma ran to put gas in the car. Our flight was at noon, and we left my tiny little hometown (Lone Grove, OK) at about 8:15.

 

*

 

The trip to DFW seemed to take no time at all. G-ma had brought along a little GPS thing which kept telling her to take certain actions, and she would take them, and the calm little voice would say “RE-calculating…” as if we had totally gone off the wrong direction. These things do NOT take construction into account. (Later, we texted her to say one last goodbye and she said she was still “arguing with the lady who keeps trying to tell me how to drive!”) I wasn’t sure whether she would be able to accompany us into the airport or she would just be dumping us out on the curb, and as it turned out, it was a curbside farewell. She popped the trunk, plopped our bags on the sidewalk, hugged us all… and from that moment on, for better or worse, it was just me and The Munchkin Herd.

 

*

 

We paraded inside, a mama duck and her little ducklings (with suitcases) and checked our bags. I had done the flight check-in online the day before and that whole process was super easy and quick. (American Airlines, flight 600, if you’re interested.) We went to the waiting area, where The Boy quickly made friends with an older gentleman sitting nearby, who kindly and cheerfully chatted with him, as well as with the girls, despite the fact that he had just opened his newspaper. I love older gentlemen like that. icon_smile.gif?m=1129645325g We had plenty of time before the flight, and the kids decided they were hungry. DFW has a wide variety of places to grab food and stuff once you get through security (at least from my less-travelled, not-familiar-with-many-large-airports perspective.) So The Rugrats decided they’d like some Subway sandwiches for lunch. I knew their usual, as we go to Jared’s Place frequently at home, and they ALWAYS get the same thing! (Remember this tendency of theirs toward habit and repetitiveness when it comes to food. This will be pertinent later.) So I trotted over to Subway and acquired sustenance.

 

*

 

Not long after I had returned to them and we had wolfed down our sandwiches, they began making the usual pre-boarding announcements and I ran back to get the other package of chips I forgot to get, and we got ready to board. The kids sat three across in one row and I was in the aisle seat across from them. There was a small child seated by the window in my row, all by himself. I quickly determined that his parents and two small siblings were in the row in front of us. I was worried that this was going to be a HUGE problem, as I could easily picture the little urchin wanting to climb in and out of his seat the whole flight. He was already playing with the trays and the window shades. He put the middle tray down and tried to put mine down too, and I ever-so-gently indicated that this would not be taking place. The middle seat was as yet unoccupied, but eventually a young man arrived and indicated that was his spot. A few minutes later his friend came and asked me if I could trade seats with him so they could sit together, but I politely declined, explaining that the three kiddos in the row across belonged to me, and I probably should stay near them. The two young men were perfectly accepting of this and the friend returned to his seat several rows forward.

 

*

 

We took off (the man in the aisle seat behind the kids crossed himself) and it quickly became apparent that the kiddo in my row was not going to be a problem. He conked out almost immediately. I am one of those travelers who feels she should make some attempt at conversation with those sitting next to her, and I felt guilty that I didn’t do that with this young man, because I didn’t really know what to say. He and his friend hadn’t seemed to be fluent English speakers, so I just let it go and consoled myself with the fact that he was listening to his music and napping anyway. The flight was somewhat bumpy and I think the captain left the seatbelt sign on for the entire flight.

 

(I don’t think I like flying much, by the way. The minute I step on a plane I always notice the mild urge to use the restroom, which gradually grows more “urge-nt” but I hate getting up and walking past all those people, so I just stay put and suffer the whole time. Strangely, I always accept a soda when the flight attendants begin serving beverages, and then I get to sit and watch the Great Pee Parade of others who also accepted their drinks, but don’t have my particular hang-ups.)

 

*

 

So anyway. Not a moment too soon, we landed in Ft. Lauderdale, and after a much needed restroom stop, we claimed our bags, which seemed to take quite a while, especially with The Boy, who was of the opinion that hanging back and waiting patiently for our bag to make its way around was for lesser mortals, and we needed to crowd our way up to the front and just get our bags, darn it! At one point I think he might have suggested we just leave it there and go on to the hotel. Patience is definitely not his strong point. (Not to get ahead of myself, but if you were unfortunate enough to come within a 25 yard radius of us at any point during the week, but particularly on Sapphire Beach, Studio B ice rink, or the 2:00 Cupcake Class on Saturday, you probably noticed this particular fact about him. I’ve been combing the reviews of my fellow sailors with terror, looking for references to “that one horrible kid I saw who …………………..” Fill in the blank with any one of a dozen objectionable attitudes he displayed during the week.)

 

*

 

Ok, we got a cab to our hotel. (Hyatt Regency Pier 66, if you’re interested.) Cab fare was $15.90 and I just gave the driver a $20. (As an aside, this would be a theme for the rest of the trip- cabs were always more than I had thought they were supposed to be based on research here on CC.) The room wasn’t ready, and we waited in their lounge area for only about 15-20 minutes, maybe. It didn’t feel like very long. It was here I uttered to my children the first of many similar sentiments I would reiterate in different variations throughout the week: “Don’t act like rednecks!” We felt like the hotel was a little on the fancy side for us. I wanted to make everything as amazing and impressive for the kids as possible for this trip, but we would have been just as well served at a basic Holiday Inn-type establishment. Anyway. The waitress approached us as if we were there to eat, and after a moment’s confusion we told her we were just waiting for our room. She brought us water and I left her a small tip. Finally, they said our room was ready, and we checked in and got directions to the room. It should be noted here for future reference that I am terrible with directions. TERRIBLE! So we took a rather scenic route to our room and finally had to ask a housekeeper to help us find it. We had a balcony room facing away from the port, with a big fancy yacht outside our window.

 

*

 

The kids were getting hungry, but they were also in full-on “Veg Out” mode, having discovered the TV clicker, and were flipping back and forth between something about alligators on Animal Planet, and Forrest Gump. I wanted to make the most of our only night in Ft. Lauderdale, and had planned that we would ride the Water Taxi around and eventually find a place to eat supper. So I insisted that they get up and we went to the desk to get directions to the Water Taxi stop. We had to stop once more when we got out by the pool area, and finally got headed in the right direction. The first of many poignant moments occurred about now- I was rushing along, trying to get to the stop, and we were passing all these boats, both super-impressive and not so much. The Boy said something like “Hey, mom, look at these fish!” or something similar, and I replied with something along the lines of “I don’t care about the fish, we’re trying to get somewhere, hurry up!” and I looked at the boat we were walking past at that exact second, and its name was “Share the Moment” which was the absolute most important objective for me on this trip. That hit me like a prize fighter, and I stopped, looked at the fish, and took a pic of the boat so I’d never forget that moment. And I won’t.

*

Up next: The Water Taxi, Embarkation, and First Day

Until next time,

D.

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cruisegal11

cruisegal11

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OP - I met you on the Sunny Liston tour. We had a good discussion about our sons. I wish I would've run into you again...I was hoping to chat a bit more. My family had a great time on this cruise. I've been debating whether to write a review..there are already several good ones going. Anyway, sorry to hijack. Looking forward to reading your thoughts....

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OklaCruiserMom

OklaCruiserMom

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OP - I met you on the Sunny Liston tour. We had a good discussion about our sons. I wish I would've run into you again...I was hoping to chat a bit more. My family had a great time on this cruise. I've been debating whether to write a review..there are already several good ones going. Anyway, sorry to hijack. Looking forward to reading your thoughts....

 

YES!! I wish we could have run into each other again too- I was so emotional by that time and so tired of The Boy's attitude and behavior! It was such a relief to know that someone else really understood, and didn't just judge. You were gonna be mentioned in that part of the story. A really good part, promise! I'd love to exchange emails and talk more in the future. You should definitely throw in a review! So many different perspectives are both entertaining and useful. You may have something to say that will really help someone else. Like me! :)

 

To everyone else who has offered encouragement in my review- Thank you!!! I hope it's entertaining and not too rambling for most people, but if it is, you can take this as an opportunity to practice your speed reading and skimming skills! :D Next part, coming right up!

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OklaCruiserMom

OklaCruiserMom

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After stopping to take pictures with a few more little dinghies ;) that would make my poor Dad pea green with envy, including one incredible boat named Milk Money, we made it to the Water Taxi stop, taking the long way around the back of the building, thanks to my spectacular lack of instinct for locations. Daughter S. was quite certain by this time I was the WORST navigator on the planet. She turned out to be quite good at finding our way around different places, and at ever-so-gently verifying with me whether or not I knew for sure where I was going before she started making suggestions. She’s such a wise child. J The kids plopped down on the edge of the pier or whatever you call it, and started checking out the water below, arguing about whether their shoes would get eaten by an alligator if they dropped them in the water. I issued dire warnings that NOBODY had better drop their shoes in the water, and struck up a conversation with a rather perturbed lady sitting nearby, who had apparently been misdirected and had hiked all over land and valley to find her way to this stop, only to discover that the boat she desperately thought she needed to catch, being the last Hollywood Connection, or something, was too full to allow her and her husband to board. With many oaths and declarations of severe retribution, she sent her husband into the office to find out exactly where the next boat would take them and exactly when it would get there, stating quite firmly that she was not taking another unnecessary step that night!

The next boat came, and Happy Shirley was ready to go, but her husband was still in the process of getting informed, and besides, another boat was pulling up right behind this one. So we got on it and tried to make our way to the back where the empty seats were, without causing injury to the exposed toes of the other passengers. We found spots at the back and off we went!

*

I definitely want to point out here that the water taxi was one of my favorite parts of the trip, mostly because it was the first step and it made us feel like we were having an adventure! We rode through several stops, listening to the tour guide talk about all the different houses, marveling at them and being amazed at the amount of money some people have. I kept glancing and smiling hopefully at the kids, like “Isn’t this fun? Isn’t this cool? You’re having a good time, right?” And they assured me it was fun, and cool, and they were having a great time. The tour was a bit of a torture, though, because we kept passing eating establishments with the most delicious aromas leaking out of them, and if I hadn’t been 99.99% sure they were outside our budget range, I would have happily jumped ship at any one of them.

*

We had been perusing the water taxi brochure for the whole ride, trying to decide at which stop we should disembark, and the kids thought Stop # 7 looked promising, because it had listed under it, a pizza place. Doughboys, or something like that. My kids can always be counted on to be in the mood for pizza, so we left the taxi at this stop and proceeded to walk. And walk. AND walk! We had asked the tour guide when she came to sell us our tickets where exactly this place might be, and she said something like it was just a little walk down the street from the stop. Now keep in mind, we didn’t know our way around, and ok, boys and girls… how is Mommy with directions? Terrible, yes, thank you! I kept telling myself, “If we don’t see it by the next corner… ok, maybe the next corner.” Finally, the children were getting hostile and we started to go around one corner, then changed our minds and decided to cross the road, and The Boy almost darted out in front of a car, whereupon words I don’t normally say issued from my mouth.

*

We joined another group of folks crossing the street (who happened to be CCers, btw!) and continued on a little farther. Finally, we turned a corner into The Shops on 17th Street or something like that, and desperately stumbled through the door of 5 Guys Burgers. My pizza-loving children were not exactly pleased at this point, but we were exhausted, starving, it was dark, and I. Didn’t. Care. Anymore! We threw ourselves on the mercy of the cashier, asking what was good and what we should order, etc. She was really super nice to us, coming over to chat a couple of times, and upon request, giving us the number to call a cab, and I paid it forward by asking for the manager or shift leader after we finished eating, and telling her that the girl was really great to us tired, hungry, out-of-towners, and that I just wanted the manager to know she was a good employee. I was trying to set an example for the kids that when people are kind to you, you try to be kind back.

*

Then we called a cab and took a short, uneventful, mostly silent ride back to the hotel. (Fare was $7 including tip, if you’re interested.) A little note about cab drivers here- remember when I said I feel l should at least try to make conversation with airplane seatmates? Same goes for cab drivers. I always feel guilty just talking to the kids or riding in silence, so I always asked the drivers how they were doing, in my whimsical, Southern Oklahoma way: “You doin’ alright today?” Some answered that they were fine, some barely spoke, and some were friendly and chatty. Mostly they seemed to want to just drive and not be too social, which I can understand.

Back at the hotel, we checked out a few more things on TV, being very careful not to hit any channels that would result in having to pay more money. The girls showered, and we all eventually passed out.

*

I woke up early the next morning, like “isn’t this still the middle of the night?” early. The Boy and I had been sleeping in the same bed, and he was awake too. I had thought we might be up early enough to watch Allure coming in, (squeeeee!) and I had heard and read here on CC all about going to the top of the tower building to do so. So I asked The Boy if he was up for an adventure, told him I wanted to go check out the tower, and as always, he was gung ho. We walked over (my borrowed camera takes horrible pics in the dark, I discovered) and went up to the top of the round tower of Pier 66. My son was a little concerned that maybe we weren’t allowed to be in there, but I assured him it would be fine. As we walked in, we were bowled over by the beautiful scent of the flower arrangements still on the tables from the night before- calla lilies, and I don’t know what else, but they were so lovely. We stepped outside, took some pictures, admired the wrong ship (I forgot my glasses back at the room) and posted a preservation of the moment to Facebook from my phone. (Internet Addicts Anonymous, remember?)

*

We decided to head back and stopped at the pool. It was very gradually getting lighter. He stuck his feet in the pool and I took my first “lounge chair” picture, despite the fact that it was 5:30 in the morning or so! (I'm such a dork!) We went back to the room and tried to rest a little longer. He fell asleep and I got up and showered, and I let them all sleep until the last possible minute. Woke them up, finally, and everybody put on their new Allure of the Seas t-shirts that I had had made at home, which many people asked about throughout the day. Daughter J. was peeved that her shirt was too long and her shorts were too short, and she was rather cranky and irritating, but we snapped some “happy family pictures” on the balcony and went to check out. Easily got a cab to the port, but the kids had been hoping for some kind of breakfast, it being about 10:30 a.m. at this point, and I asked the driver to stop at one of the pharmacies on the way. We stopped at Walgreens and I grabbed some Pop Tarts and similar items, a cheap plastic watch because I’d forgotten one from home, and some Gatorade. We arrived at the port, all excited and nervous, flashed our IDs at the gate, and he took us to the terminal.

 

*

 

This was way too long, so I decided to break it up. Part 3 coming up: Embarkation, Moron Moments, and Sailaway!!

Edited by OklaCruiserMom
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*

Now then, here is where I had the first of several of what I call my Moron Moments! When we got out of the cab and paid the driver, ($16 with tip, if you’re interested) it seemed like sheer chaos, despite the assurances of folks here on CC that there would be plenty of assistance and direction regarding where to go and with whom to leave your luggage. Being the small-town person that I am, I had no idea whether there were any “unauthorized” porters hanging around, or what they might look like if there were, and wasn’t sure whether to give our bags to the first person who asked, or just hang onto them a little longer. So when the first porter asked, I said no, we’ll keep them with us. What I thought was we would get asked several more times before we made it inside. But… we didn’t. We dragged all our bags inside and went through security (As an aside, when I handed the first agent our BCs/DLs, Daughter S. said “Calm down, Mom, you’re shaking!!”) Then we went through check-in and all, STILL LUGGING OUR BAGS!! I think I might have even asked somebody after we got our pictures made if there was anybody to leave the luggage with before boarding, and they basically said we were stuck with it.

*

So we had our pictures made, walked the gangway, and (hallelujah chorus) we were finally, really, truly onboard the Allure of the Seas. It was real, after all my months of planning and obsessing- we were actually there. It was big, it was beautiful, and we could not begin to explore it until we could ditch our bags, so the kids plopped down in some comfy chairs under a tree in the middle of Royal Promenade and finished their Pop Tarts while I went here and there taking care of business, like getting our SeaPass cards punched, asking for a map, etc. NOTE: They did not give us a map of any kind at check-in, and nobody said anything about The Boy needed a wristband, being 11 years old. When reading here, I had understood these things would happen at check-in, and they didn’t. No big deal, just pointing it out.

*

The girls weren’t interested in going ANYWHERE until we were luggage-free, but my little man is always ready to see what’s going on, so he and I went to Central Park. After the many rave reviews and drooling reports of that famous Roast Beef Sandwich, there was no way in heck I was going to miss out on this Embarkation Experience, even if I had to carry my luggage through the park on my head. I didn’t have to go that far, of course, because I had little slaves… uh, teenagers... to sit there and watch it for me. We joined the line of chaos that was Park Café (two lines- salad v. sandwiches, if you’re interested. I guess if you want both, you’re screwed! :D) I had one Roast Beef and one Turkey and Guacamole Panini. Holy God, it was as good as advertised. I could eat those every single day! That horseradish is not something I eat in everyday life, but it definitely added a kick to the sandwich. That stuff will clear your sinuses, let me tell ya!

 

*

 

Finally, it was after 1:00, and The Boy and I returned to the girls, to find them hot, tired, and bored silly. We went to find our room (Again, Deck 3 #838, if you’re interested.) Desmond was our stateroom attendant, and he was very friendly. We ditched the luggage, a couple of us changed into swimsuits, and we hit the Boardwalk, which of course was one of the things the kids were most looking forward to… (musically) Carousellllll! We tried the Boardwalk Dog House (The Boy had a Coney Island and I had a German dog, not a dachshund. We left those at home.) Then we hit the ice cream parlor. It would turn out to be the only time we went there all week. It was very good, but they were happy with the free offerings elsewhere. I had Mint Chocolate Chip, one of the girls tried the Mango Sherbet, and The Boy had… what else? Chocolate.) They rode the carousel ( I think I still felt too silly at this point to get on it yet, but they would eventually insist that I join them before the week was out, and I decided it was worth it.)

So we decided to hit the pool deck. Daughter J. and The Boy swam. Daughter S. found a lawn chair and demonstrated proper Vacation Relaxation Mode. Eventually we found the yogurt machine and I ordered my first Mama Drink of the trip from the pool bar. (Frozen Lemonade, if you’re interested. In my best Cousin Eddie Griswold voice: It was goo-oood! :D)

 

*

Disclaimer to those who responded to me in all the exercise threads, and who promised to be my exercise buddy on the trip: In case you're keeping track, it's not even dinner on the first night yet, and we are already in full Weight Watchers FAIL!! I'll mention somewhere near the end of the report, the final result of my unrestrained gluttony.

*

Anyway, then I got bored watching them swim and made them get out and we breezed through the Promenade and hit the Cupcake Cupboard, that being what Daughter S. was looking forward to most. Sadly, she was disappointed. Somehow she described the cupcakes as “weird-tasting and too fancy” (I know, I don't really get that either) but I could have slept in there!! My first cupcake was Lemon. Personally, I thought they were great. Seems like they were always on the cool side, temperature-wise, but I’d rather have a cold cupcake than a hot, melty cupcake so hey, I was fine with them.

*

We returned to the room, unpacked a little, and went to Muster/Mustard Drill. :D Sorry, just a poke at some reviewers I've read who actually thought it was 'mustard.' Our station was in the Promenade, right where the Embarkation gangway was. Seemed like most people were quiet and respectful during the video, and we stood around waiting to be officially dismissed and it never seemed to happen, so people just drifted away!

 

*

 

At some point earlier, I had made it a point to locate my intended sailaway spot, Deck 11 aft, Port side. So after Muster we went straight there, and the view was awesome! It was great fun, Daughter J. watching the Dreamworks party and complaining about wanting to be down there in the Aqua Theater, but I told her she could see it just fine and there would be plenty more opportunities to see the characters, so suck it up, because we’re not going anywhere right now! (Daughter J. is the one who is developmentally delayed, and the Dreamworks program was high on her list of priorities for this trip. Most particularly the How To Train Your Dragon character of Hiccup. Remember this- there’s a story about this later.)

*

 

*

 

So finally we realized the ship had started moving, and we were all, “Oh my gosh, we’re moving! We’re sailing! Auuugggghhhh!” And then... it started raining. It was amazing how cold that rain was! We and a few other hearty souls who had staked out that spot stayed there and waited to pass the Webcam Building. (Rain be damned, I had requested a SailAway wave, and I was going to be there, just in case. (Sure enough, I watched it when we got home, and you can’t see us clearly, but it’s a blur of blue at the back with the bits of white that was our shorts and pants, bobbing up and down as we jumped and waved frantically.)

 

*

 

 

And so, sailaway happened and we were underway. Daughter J. was freezing and it was almost time to go to dinner. We were already feeling the movement of the ship, which, given the size of the thing, came as a total surprise to us, but which we now realize was a little more than normal, according to experienced cruisers who were there. So on our way to supper we located a restroom, washed our hands, etc. (Daughter S. is a bit of a germaphobe - she was in heaven with sanitizer dispensers so widely available. :D)

*

We had also checked out our table location at some point earlier in the day, and wouldn’t you know- we were right in front of the door. I mean, the VERY first table you see when you walk in. This could have distinct plusses and minuses. For sure, one plus would be if The Boy started acting like a heathen during dinner, I could take him out and beat him quickly and easily. On the minus side, we were immediately visible to everybody who walked in the room, whether we were behaving well or poorly. (And I count myself in that behavior thing, because sometimes when it’s a good moment, our family tends to get silly and get the giggles, and I could just see us getting cracked up about something and everybody looking at us like we were completely uncouth.)

This post is already way too long, so I think I’ll cut it off here. Up next, our first night’s dinner and first port day- Nassau!

*

Thanks for sticking with me!!!

__________________

Edited by OklaCruiserMom
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OklaCruiserMom

OklaCruiserMom

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Great review, can't wait to read more! And a shout out from another Okie :)

 

Hey, Heather! Thanks!

Thunder Up!

 

Thanks, Larry!!

 

 

 

I'll add more tonight or tomorrow- I've got to get to work now before I totally get fired, and then how on earth would I ever get to take my second cruise?

 

Later!

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OklaCruiserMom

OklaCruiserMom

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Enjoying this so much that I can't get interested in the new novel I started as this is better. :D

 

 

Really, truly appreciate everybody's comments, but this might possibly be the highest praise my writing has ever received! Thank you!

 

I'm going to try really hard to get the important pictures up tonight from my parents' house. You guys have to see the Nerd Herd in person! I'm having a lot of fun with this- thank you all for adding to that! :D

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Lottycruiser

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Fantastic review , I love your style of writing , it's keeping me hooked and I can't wait for more .

Does anyone else wish there could be a separate forum for all trip reports ? I know there is a review section on CC , but trip reports are different and can easily get lost in this forum , such a lot of work goes into typing a report up , so it's a shame when it drops into oblivion .

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