Finally ready to cruise!!

8-16-2007 6-53-29 PM2
Originally uploaded by Amah

We've finally made it to cruise day. Papa had to spend a few special moments with Cavelle and Taniyah - He's really going to miss them. Not as badly as I will - but - on with the story!!

We all met at S'te and Rods. The checkout time was 11 and we couldn't get on board until 1. So we hung out there for a bit - all of us ready to head out. Finally it was time to LOAD UP~~ Keith. Dolores, and Kenny took Ty and returned the rental car while the rest of us all piled in the 15 passenger van with a real tall load of luggage!! S'te took us all down to the pier - They ushered her right straight thru just like she was running a shuttle!! The pictures show the kids impatiently waiting for Papa and the rest to catch up with us so we could get on that great big boat!!

We were ushered right into the VIP line - had everything in order - so it only took long enough for Brayana to get water dumped on her (she looked so startled when that cold water hit her!!). She was so upset at having to get on board looking like she'd had an accident. Our luggage had already been checked - so she didn't have anything to change in to!!

We posed for our picture - got on board and headed for the first of many feasts that we were to enjoy during the next 5 days!! We had a buffet lunch on the Lido Deck until it was time to get ready for our Fire Drill - we were all in the same call station. They put bracelets on all of the kids with our muster station on it - and we all trooped out to stand in line for "muster". It wasn't completely over (we were still in our lines) when the ship started moving on out. We were underway. Finally. . . . Keith took pictures of the skyline, North Island, the pilot boat, and his favorites, the planes.

So then it was time to go unpack - We met Millie - our Stateroom Attendant - a really sweet and helpful young lady! I hung stateroom keys around Brayana and Jaleel's necks as they were each the oldest in their rooms ~ and then the kids immediately headed for the pool - check out more french fries - wander the decks - get ice cream - gasp in complete awe at the Grand Atrium - check out the Arcade - boy they stayed busy right up until time to change for dinner. We had early seating in the Imagination Dining Room.

Talk about fancy!! You can see how tired Brennan was - especially with having to drag that darn cast everywhere he went~~

The kids had Shrimp Cocktail (decided they didn't like the sauce), fruit plates, nuggets, more fried, cheesecake, chocolate melting cake, and I don't even know what all else!!

Then it was time for the Family Disco time and to sign the kids up for Camp Carnival. The music was to loud, we were to tired, I think we made it to bed to stretch out about 10 or so.

I went to check on the kids about midnight. The boys were completely done it - I don't think they even moved after they laid down!! But. . . I couldn't get into the girls' room. The key wouldn't work. I could hear the TV, loud, knocked and got no answer, called their room, no answer! Getting rather frantic - I called the Pursers Desk - a really nice lady came up with another key - it didn't work - We knocked, we called, we banged on the door and the wall - no answer.Finally, she called the Security Captain (he's the only one with a master key) and he came up - uniform like he'd just stepped out of a magazine - made me sign papers, knocked, we called some more - he told me that the girls had locked the privacy lock!! So since it was locked from the inside - we knew someone was in there!! Relief. . . so he opended the door for me and warned me that I should have quite the talk with them because that just is not safe - to sleep with that locked. . . So about an hour after I started bedcheck. . I looked in on the girls - just sprawled - sound asleep where they'd flopped to watch their own "private TV"!!

I turned it off and fell into my own bed. . . what a day!! What fun!!

To see pics click here