We're Cruisin' Now!

Our family, along with Grammy Nancy, got to spend a fun-filled week on board the Carnival Inspiration cruise ship!

We headed to Cocoa, FL to spend a couple of days with Jen's grandparents and to visit with Mike's extended family in Titusville. From there we made our way to Tampa to board the ship and start our oceanic journey!

Good-bye Tampa!

All of us enjoyed 5 days of cruising and spending time in Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Here are some of the things we learned during our trip:

#1 - Seth LOVES to dance! And, as Mike put it, what he lacks in rhythm he makes up for in enthusiasm and energy!! Check out this little video clip of the kids doing the Cupid Shuffle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTk3ODMLRpI

One of the highlights of the trip for Seth was getting this trophy:
There were 2 dancers who performed one night and called up people to participate. Seth was one of the lucky participants and, in his own words, "I danced so good that the older guy didn't even stand a chance against me!" Such a modest child!

The dancers also spent time with the kids in Camp Carnival a couple of days teaching some dance moves. Here the kids are with Otto, the hip-hop, robot-style dancer. He was really great with them!!

#2 - Katey really never tires of eating cheese pizza! Pretty sure she had it at least once a day and sometimes twice a day!

#3 - Dolphins feel really soft and not at all slimy or scaly. We got to pet, kiss, dance with and hug a dolphin in Grand Cayman. Katey wasn't too sure about touching Cappy, our dolphin friend, but the rest of us really enjoyed this experience (though the hundreds of razor-sharp teeth were a bit unnerving for Jen!) No cameras allowed, but here is a shot of the pool area we were in.

#4 - Turtles know how to dance. This one is Raising The Roof with Grammy!
We visited a turtle farm in Grand Cayman and got to touch and hold the smaller sea turtles. We learned that if you rub under their chins/necks they calm down for a minute or so which makes holding the flapping little critters a bit easier. Again, all of us really enjoyed this experience except Katey who refused to hold a turtle but was coerced into touching one!

#5 - There are icebergs in Cozumel, Mexico!
Okay, not real icebergs, but Katey and Mike both scaled this one. If you look closely you'll see Katey on the right side and Mike and Seth in the water under her. She made it to the top 2 times!!


We spent time at Paradise Beach and there were lots of fun things to do like jump on a water trampoline, go down a huge inflatable water slide, snorkel and dig in the sand. The kids found lots of coral on the beach as well as coconuts! Seth enjoyed digging in the sand with his found coral!

#6 - Magic is fun for the whole family...but especially the kids! There was a magician that came to our table each night at dinner to do some little tricks for the kids. They looked forward to this every day!!

#7 - The top deck of the ship can get very, VERY windy sometimes.

#8 - If your room is on the lowest deck you can usually beat the elevator if you just walk.

#9 - If you walk instead of using the elevator your legs get very sore the first few days of the cruise!

#10 - Being on a cruise with Grammy and the kids was SO MUCH FUN!!!!