Cruizin'

We arrived home from our 8 day Carnival cruise yesterday.  In my last post I promised to take lots of photos and post from Acapulco.  Well, I did take lots of photos, some of them good ones.  Getting online for free proved to be a challenge.  There was access on the ship, but the one time I used it to check email it cost me thirteen dollars and it was quite slow.  I am out on a flight charter today and have not taken the photos from the camera to the computer, so expect the next post to be photo-ful.

The day of our embarkation (cruise talk for getting onboard) turned out to be clear weather in California, that is except for the thick blanket of fog covering the central valley.  We loaded up the plane with fuel, luggage, booster seats, snacks, books, toys and all six of us humans.  As we unloaded the car, several people in cars came by, slowing to ponder how all that stuff was ever going to fit in that little airplane.

We taxied out through the grey, lifeless air, launching the airplane on instruments.  Thirty seconds later we cleared the cloud layer and blinked our eyes to bright sunshine.  From there we made good time non-stop to San Diego's Montgomery Field.  On the way, we enjoyed views of the fog-laden central valley, the snow capped Sierra Nevada and Tehachapi ranges, and the west end of the Mojave Desert.  We swept over the congested LA Basin in minutes, pointing out landmarks as we began descending for San Diego.

I had arranged a van to take us to the ship, and there it was, waiting for us as we shut down.  Fifteen minutes later we were giving our bags to the porter and walking up the ramp.  Now of course I am making it sound easier than it was, because Teddy was wound up tighter than a three day clock.  That boy can pull a disappearing act in a crowd faster than you can turn your head.  Now Teddy has a case of stranger anxiety, which can be embarrassing, but turned out to be a blessing at times.   Twice he slipped his hand from our grasp and wandered through the sea of legs, only to be stopped by a passenger or employee, causing him to scream "Let me go!" at the top of his lungs, alerting us to his whereabouts.

Once aboard, we found our two cabins, which were side by side but not connecting.  I then had the opportunity to get acquainted with this monstrosity of a boat.  I had never been on a cruise ship.  I guess the reason being that I considered this "floating hotel" concept to be simply ridiculous.  I don't even generally choose big hotels when I travel, much less one in which I can't get out without getting wet.

So why now?  Kids.  It's the same reason I am willing to eat at Applebee's while I wasn't a few years ago.  This all inclusive trip for six people for eight days was less than $500 each.  Traveling with our kids can be all work and no fun for the grown-ups, so if that turned out to be the case, at least we hadn't broken the bank in the process, or so I surmised.

All I really wanted out of this trip was the chance to relax, and the prospects seemed promising as Camp Carnival was willing to accept Teddy and Zoe for several hours each morning and afternoon.  This promised to be even more attractive to Z & T, because once onboard we would be cruising with another family with a girl and boy the same age as ours.

Both AW and I are exhausted from our vacation.  AW has a black eye and I still feel like the earth is moving under my feet.  It wasn't quite as easy as we had hoped, but it must have been a good trip, because I have several good stories to relate, so check back in for some fun photos and a few laughs.