After our day at the beach, we returned to the ship to rest and dress for our first formal night.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Matis Reunion - Phase III - CocoCay, Bahamas
Our first port of call was CocoCay, Bahamas - RC's privately owned island. We headed straight for the beach and stayed all day. We actually did use sunscreen, but as you will see in all of the pictures in upcoming posts, we apparently didn't use enough!
After our day at the beach, we returned to the ship to rest and dress for our first formal night.
After our day at the beach, we returned to the ship to rest and dress for our first formal night.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Matis Reunion - Phase II
So there we were, four weary travelers who had nowhere to go. The hotel, of course, was full due to the scheduled shuttle launch. And not just our hotel, but every single hotel room in the area was in use. We were given permission, though, to camp out in our van in one of the hotels' parking lots. Well, it was the best option we had at the time, so we tried it.
Now, Cape Canaveral, Florida in June is rather sticky and hot...and mosquito infested! We couldn't sleep with the van windows up because it was simply too hot. We couldn't sleep with the van windows down because we were under constant attack by mosquitos. Combine these conditions with two children who have been sitting in car seats for the majority of the day, and sleep was clearly not an option.
So, what do you do in the wee hours of the morning when you are 18 hours from home and have nowhere to go? We went to WalMart! We used the bathrooms, we walked around, we played with toys and we even bought a couple of things. After we had outstayed our welcome at WalMart we took some donuts and milk to the beach and waited for the sun to rise.
And then, about 10 minutes before the sun was to be up, the kids decided that they had to go potty...immediately.
Now, Cape Canaveral, Florida in June is rather sticky and hot...and mosquito infested! We couldn't sleep with the van windows up because it was simply too hot. We couldn't sleep with the van windows down because we were under constant attack by mosquitos. Combine these conditions with two children who have been sitting in car seats for the majority of the day, and sleep was clearly not an option.
So, what do you do in the wee hours of the morning when you are 18 hours from home and have nowhere to go? We went to WalMart! We used the bathrooms, we walked around, we played with toys and we even bought a couple of things. After we had outstayed our welcome at WalMart we took some donuts and milk to the beach and waited for the sun to rise.
And then, about 10 minutes before the sun was to be up, the kids decided that they had to go potty...immediately.
Matis Reunion - Phase I
In June we joined Jeremy's family on a Royal Caribbean Cruise for a family reunion. We sailed from Port Canaveral. On day one (Thursday) of our trip we drove to Atlanta and spent the night in a hotel. Day two of our trip was a little more...exciting.
Friday morning we left Atlanta headed for Cape Canaveral. We had tickets to attend a shuttle launch in Cape Canaveral early on Saturday morning. We were to arrive at the shuttle launch viewing area between midnight and 3:00 am on Saturday morning. So, we decided that it would be a good idea to NOT book a hotel for Friday night and time our arrival in Cape Canaveral so that we could go straight to the viewing area. After the shuttle launch we would return to the hotel where we were booked to stay Saturday night and hope for an early check-in.
The drive from Atlanta to Cape Canaveral is about 9 hours and goes right through Orlando. Because we didn't have anywhere to go in Cape Canaveral until after midnight, we decided that a stop at Downtown Disney was in order. At about 10:00 pm on Friday we went to the Rain Forest Cafe at Downtown Disney to get some dinner.
We were all a little loopy, but it was a fun way to pass the time before we drove that last hour to Cape Canaveral.
So, we arrived in Cape Canaveral and headed to the hotel that we would be staying in on Saturday to see if we could put our luggage in the luggage check. We pulled up to the hotel and hanging on the hotel doors was a sign that said, "Shuttle launch scrubbed".
Friday morning we left Atlanta headed for Cape Canaveral. We had tickets to attend a shuttle launch in Cape Canaveral early on Saturday morning. We were to arrive at the shuttle launch viewing area between midnight and 3:00 am on Saturday morning. So, we decided that it would be a good idea to NOT book a hotel for Friday night and time our arrival in Cape Canaveral so that we could go straight to the viewing area. After the shuttle launch we would return to the hotel where we were booked to stay Saturday night and hope for an early check-in.
The drive from Atlanta to Cape Canaveral is about 9 hours and goes right through Orlando. Because we didn't have anywhere to go in Cape Canaveral until after midnight, we decided that a stop at Downtown Disney was in order. At about 10:00 pm on Friday we went to the Rain Forest Cafe at Downtown Disney to get some dinner.
We were all a little loopy, but it was a fun way to pass the time before we drove that last hour to Cape Canaveral.
So, we arrived in Cape Canaveral and headed to the hotel that we would be staying in on Saturday to see if we could put our luggage in the luggage check. We pulled up to the hotel and hanging on the hotel doors was a sign that said, "Shuttle launch scrubbed".
Dear Blog
Dear Blog,
I haven't visited in a long time. I'm sorry, but it seems that I just don't need you as much as I once did. You truly are a useful tool for writing about thoughts and experiences and for sharing photos. However, I find that with my busy life I rarely take the time to put my experiences into written words, and I have found a much more user friendly forum for sharing photos.
Before you become offended, let me tell you that the reason for my visit today is that...I miss you. I miss taking the time to write and I miss reading what others have written about what is going on in their lives. I regret that it has taken being sick to make me slow down enough to take the time to check in.
I thank you for your constancy. When I showed up today I found you completely unchanged from the last time I visited. I can't promise that my visits will be regular, but I will try to visit more often.
Today I will leave you with one short post about the vacation that we took this past summer, along with a promise to return soon and share more about the vacation.
Your friend,
Tricia
I haven't visited in a long time. I'm sorry, but it seems that I just don't need you as much as I once did. You truly are a useful tool for writing about thoughts and experiences and for sharing photos. However, I find that with my busy life I rarely take the time to put my experiences into written words, and I have found a much more user friendly forum for sharing photos.
Before you become offended, let me tell you that the reason for my visit today is that...I miss you. I miss taking the time to write and I miss reading what others have written about what is going on in their lives. I regret that it has taken being sick to make me slow down enough to take the time to check in.
I thank you for your constancy. When I showed up today I found you completely unchanged from the last time I visited. I can't promise that my visits will be regular, but I will try to visit more often.
Today I will leave you with one short post about the vacation that we took this past summer, along with a promise to return soon and share more about the vacation.
Your friend,
Tricia
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