Vacation was wonderful. Saturday before last, we got up, drove to Houston and got on a boat. The boys were so excited and William kept asking when we'd be on the boat. Once we boarded (just before noon), we immediately got food and sat to wait for our room to be ready. We didn't have to wait long and as soon as the announcement was made, we hurried off to see our accommodations. The mini-suite was great. We had a balcony, which was the place William and Robert wanted to be whenever we were in the room. Robert would sit out there indefinitely pointing and smiling at wave after wave that the ocean produced. I liked that we each had our own area to sleep. Our room was the "bed room" area. William was in the "living area" where the couch folded out into a full size bed, and Robert was in the long, very wide hallway between the bathroom and front door (in a pack n play bed). My favorite thing was that our room had a full size tub in it which made for east bathing of the boys each night. Who could ask for more?
We went up to the pool deck in order to watch the boat leave, but the wind was rather cold (we left behind an ice storm in Austin that morning) so we ended up watching from a glassed in portion of the ship. William went around the entire afternoon (and the whole trip for that matter) happily exclaiming, "I'm so excited" and "this is the best vacation ever!" to anyone who would listen. His face had an ever present glow of 3-year-old joy that I wish I could bottle and save forever. We ate at one of the main dining rooms that night where we discovered that Robert and high chairs were not going to happen this trip. He screamed until we put him in a regular chair, and then he was as happy as could be. Crazy kid. Francis and Robert were exhausted after dinner and went straight to bed, but William and I caught the 7:15 show in the theater. William loved all the music, dancing, and lights, but his favorite thing was when the magician came out and started heckling the audience. He called out one lady for leaving and she waved him off. "uh oh, she need's to go poo poo," the magician said, which made the audience laugh, but none so hard or long as William. He laughed long into the next couple of jokes/tricks. When we left (and for the rest of the trip) he giggled and said, "Mommy, that man told a poo poo joke! hahahahaha". Boys!
Sunday was a day at sea. We had a little family devotional while we waited for our room service breakfast. We tried out the kid/baby areas (William by himself in kids' club and me with Robert in the parent child area), and did a few of the family activities they had on board. We tried the other main dining room, which we ended up liking much better and finished off the evening with a show (a mini-musical) and a special drink (a virgin Pina colda). the drink was big and the four of us could hardly finish it. Such a perfect day!
Monday through Wednesday were our days in port. Monday morning we got off the boat in Cozumel, mexico. We took a taxi to Paradise Beach and we could not have chosen a better location. It was only $6 for the 4 of us to get into the resort and have access to all their amenities. All they asked was a $10 food minimum that we used to buy some extremely delicious nachos. This was Robert's first time in the ocean. He was eager and interested at first. He waded in curiously and as soon as the first wave hit (not even an inch in height, mind you), he screamed bloody murder and ran from the shoreline. After a couple of minutes and some help from Francis, he went back in the water and had so much fun, he never wanted to leave again. He and William splashed and played in the waves for over an hour without stepping out. Francis went snorkeling for a bit while I watched the boys. I think he enjoyed getting to venture off on his own. As soon as he got back though, both boys wanted to join him out in the deep. We opted instead of swimming the whole way out to go out on the dock and climb down the ladder. They didn't last long, but when we got back out we watch the many many fish swim by under our feet. That was pretty cool. Before we left, we took advantage of the heated pool as we waited on out food. The boys loved that took because there was an extensive shallow portion (for deck chairs) that they could play on without needing their floaties. We eventually headed back to have a late lunch and take naps. Francis used nap time as an opportunity to do some of the on board activities such as the ping pong and goofy golf tournaments. For each one you participated in, you got a signature on a points card. By the end of the trip, he had enough points to get a free deck of NCL playing cards. William did go with him once to do the bean bag toss. He was so stinking adorable, they gave William a medal even though he didn't win. He was so proud that he wore it around all day. But I get ahead of myself. That night the show was the comedian (completely clean!) and it was the only show the boys had trouble sitting through. William made it through, but Francis had to take Robert out as the show was just not holding his attention.
Tuesday the stop was Belize City, Belize. After reading many reviews (and a request from Francis that at least one day be low key), we decided to just stay in the secure area of the port and do some shopping. It was a rather large area, and we even took a tour of a chocolate factory, eating some delicious truffles while there. The boys each picked a wooden snake as their souvenir and spent much of the day "scaring" those around them with their toys. William loved people's reaction and would proudly proclaim that his snake was venomous. Silly boy. We tendered into this port, so we caught an early boat ride back to have lunch and give the boys a rest. At dinner that night Francis had calamari, and William tried some and liked it. In fact, pretty much every night Francis would select at least one "weird" food for his 3 course meal, and William would always want to try a bite. My adventurous eaters. By this time the boys were sick of the same old kids menu and ordered off the adult menu for the rest of the trip. William loved having an appetizer, main course and dessert, and always made sure we knew which course was coming next. Such a smart kid. The show this night was the magician, but it was rated PG-13 so we opted not to go. We instead ordered room service (MORE food, I know) and watched Big Hero 6 on the TV while all laying on William's bed. When it was over William smiled big and said, "This was the best night ever. I love this so much!" I turned and Francis had tears rolling down his cheeks. My husband, who never cries, was touched that spending time with his family meant more to our little boy than all the fun he was having on the boat. I love our family.
To be continued...
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