Our last port of the journey is Naples. We spent the day exploring the Amalfi Coast and enjoying the most breathtaking views.
The day began with disembarking the ship at 8am and meeting our guide/driver for the day, Dominic. On our way to the first destination we learned about the area and a little bit about Pompeii.
First stop, was a small local park with magnificent views of the Golfo di Napoli. We jumped out of the van and immediately my son started chasing birds. LOL. We admired the view while my son admired the birds and dogs.
Next, up a Limoncello factory with wonderful things. It was 9:45am when we arrived at the factory and we were offered samples of Limoncello which were delicious. We then moved to chocolate samples, and then finished it off with wine samples. There was also a small cafe that served coffee, pastries, and limoncello drinks. Between the four of us we had two Limoncello spritzers, one slice of lemon-almond cake, and a pineapple juice. I’ll let you guess who had what! The lady’s face was priceless when we ordered the drinks and all I could think of was the Dirty Heads lyrics, “A-a-aye, I’m on vacation. Every single day cause I love my occupation.” Everything was phenomenal and we enjoyed our break looking out at the sea. There was also a little car there which my son loved. The worker helped him “fix it up” and also give it a car wash. It was really cute.
Sorrento’s city center reminded me of the gothic area in Barcelona near our hotel. There were lots of little shops and small narrow roads. The shops here were an upgrade in my opinion. Dominic dropped us off in the city center and we walked down one of the roads for some window shopping which turned into actual shopping. We then headed to the coast to take in the views and before we knew it, it was time to go.
The last leg of our journey out was to Positano. The town is basically in the side of a mountain. If you showed me this mountain before it was an establish town, I would have told you there is no way you can build houses or roads here; it’s too steep! Well, I would have been proved wrong. We pulled off into a parking lot. I knew we were stopping for lunch, but this nondescript building didn’t really seem like the place to eat. I knew we were going somewhere with a view and from the outside, it didn’t look like this place had one. We walked upstairs and inside and I was astonished by the view! I wouldn’t have guessed that from the outside! Absolutely breathtaking and pictures don’t do it justice. Here we ordered pizza! We ordered three pizzas thinking they would be personal size pizzas. They were basically large maybe even extra large and was way too much food for us. We did our best to eat everything because it was sooo good, but we couldn’t do it. Pizza tastes much different here. The sauce is sweeter with a pinkish hue to it and the mozzarella cheese is extra stretchy and yummy. We also ordered some juice for my son. The juice options were peach or pear which I found unusual. My son went with the peach and it was quite tasty!
We headed back towards Naples with one more stop before the end of the tour: Pompei. The story of Pompei has fascinated me since I was a child and first learned about it. I remember visiting Busch Gardens in 1995 when the ride Escape from Pompei opened. It was basically Snake River Falls from Cedar Point, but when you’re up at the top, you’re in Pompeii as the volcano explodes. You then escape Pompei and shoot down the waterslide to get drenched. Anyway, I was pretty excited to finally see the real thing.
Pompei is much larger than I was thinking. Archaeologists have excavated a huge amount of the ancient town. We learned about gladiators and how they were basically slaves that were picked up at the market. We also learned about society at that time. Sewage was thrown in the road and the roads were built to drain towards the sea. It must have been one stinky place! It really is amazing what was uncovered here. There is also a woman made of stone. Her shape was preserved somehow by the volcanic ash and it shows great detail. She’s on her knees with her head down we a cloth on top of her head. You can also see she was pregnant. The volcano erupted at 1pm and by 1:20pm 16,000 people died.
We hurried for dinner when we returned back to the ship and closed the night with the show playing at the Aquatheatre.
Happy 10 Year Anniversary to us! We celebrated by splitting and doing two separate tours. LOL.
All of our mornings started early with our tour pick-up times at 7:30pm. We elected to do private tours because it wasn’t that much more compared to the large group tours offerer by the cruise line. We disembarked the ship and right outside were a group of drivers holding handwritten signs. There was one for Brian and one for me.
My son and I explored the road less traveled and visited the quieter and less crowded areas. The typical tour for the one we chose was to see the catacombs and then to Tivoli. I asked a lot of questions about the catacombs and in the end we decided to skip it. I wasn’t sure how my son would react to a closed area that the guide said was not for anyone claustrophobic. Also, I wouldn’t be able to bring the stroller. The guide made a couple other suggestions and we were on our way.
Our first stop was a small park that overlooked Rome. When we arrived, there was a faucet running. Our guide, Gio, told us that it was drinking water and showed us how to drink it the Roman way. You plug the hole at the bottom and then the water shoots out another hole at the top creating a nice arch of water which you can drink. My son thought this was the best thing ever! We then walked into the park filled with orange trees and got our first glimpse of Rome.
Museo delle Mura was the next stop which means Museum of the Walls. During the reign of Emperors Aurelian and Pribus, a wall was built around Rome. It was constructed between 217 AD and 275 AD and used for military purposes. Some of the wall still stands today and we went in them! We could peak out the holes which were made for archers to protect the city. This is a free museum that is pretty neat!
We continued on Appian Way which is a historic road. It was first used by the military to move supplies. While it was a neat thing to see, the bumpiness of this road is not good for those who suffer from motion-sickness.
Parco Degli Acquedotti which translates to Aqueduct Park was our next stop! This park was filled with locals running, biking, and walking. We walking down a path where a golf course was to our right and tennis courts and a pool were to our left. Straight ahead was a large and magnificent historic aquaduct. The longest aqueduct stretched 40 miles and routed spring water from the mountains to the city. A park worker had a small speaker playing Italian music and it really set the ambiance for our walk.
Off to the mountains and the small city of Tivoli! When we arrived, my son was thirsty and wanted chocolate milk. I asked if there was a convenient store to buy some. The guide thought about it and said that there was something better. We stopped at a gelato shop for a frappe which was essentially chocolate milk made with gelato. My son loved it! I couldn’t pass on the opportunity for gelato so I tried the Stracciatella and Cioccolato Fondente. It was AMAZING!
We had the option to eat lunch now or wait after the next site. My son barely ate breakfast since we left so early so we opted for early lunch. Eating lunch at noon is definitely not the Italian way. When we arrived at the restaurant we were the only customers until around 1:30pm. It was nice to have the whole place to ourselves! Our table overlooked a small park with a playground. It was perfect. My son could play while I relaxed in the shade. We ordered an appetizer and two orders of pasta which ended up being WAY too much food for us. The appetizer was my favorite and was basically crunchy bread soaking in olive oil and topped with cheese and ham. There was also a wild berry drizzle. We ate the whole thing and that could have been our whole lunch. Fettuccini was our main course. My son’s pasta was with tomato sauce and served with a semi-solid cheese on top with a little pesto. Mine was topped with asparagus and bacon. My son’s was definitely the better one, but neither was as good as the pasta from yesterday.
We finished the tour with the crown jewel of the day: Villa d’Este. This is a world heritage site and an absolute gem. Also, it wasn’t crowded at all! We first walked into the villa where each room was hand decorated from the ceiling all the way down to the floor. Each room was filled with masterpieces. We then made our way outside to the gardens. What a magnificent site! It was a really hot day so walking by all the fountains was very refreshing. Natural air conditioning!
This concluded our tour and it was time to head back to the ship. It was a 90 minute drive back to Civitavecchia.
Back on the ship, my son stretched his legs at the playground and then we cleaned up for dinner. Potato soup, lasagna, and bananas fosters for me tonight. Yum! We finished the night in the Royal Theatre for the Effectors II. I saw Effectors I while I was on the Odyssey of the Seas. The show was still in preview, but it is shaping up to be a nice complement to the original.
Our day started in La Spezia, Italy. This port is about one hour from Pisa, two hours from Florence, and relatively close to Cinque Terre. We opted for exploring Cinque Terre on our own. There was a shore excursion offered by the cruise line. It involved a lengthy bus ride on twisty roads. Going on our own meant we could take the train which was quicker and a straight shot.
Cinque Terre is composed of five towns along the coast. I purchased a day pass for the train ahead of time which allowed us to move about as we pleased. I’m so glad I did because the line to buy train tickets was really long!
Figuring out which platform was for the Cinque Terre train took a little work. The boards were in Italian and I wasn’t sure where the Cinque Terre train ended which is a key detail for finding the right platform. I pulled a map of Italy on my phone and it looked like Livorno was the town. There were also several train employees around answering questions. I asked to be sure and she told us the platform and that it is leaving in one minute. We raced down the stairs and back up the stairs on the other side. There was a train there, but it didn’t open. I’m not sure if we had already missed the train or if this was the train, but wasn’t going. There were a few others in the same position. After waiting around for a few minutes, we cut our losses and waited for the next train. Back to the original platform where the next train came about 20 minutes later.
We stood at the end of the platform in a less crowded area waiting for the train. At some point a man in train uniform approached us and went on in Italian. I listened carefully and while I don’t know Italian, there was enough overlap between English and Spanish that I was pretty sure he was explaining that the train is much shorter than the platform and that we needed to move to the other end if we wanted to catch the train. He said “English?” after his long explanation and I nodded. He then said in broken English what he had just said in Italian. I was pretty proud of myself for actually understanding correctly! It was also really nice to get confirmation too. The train stop was incredibly crowded with tourists and we nicely pushed our way to the other end and waited. The train came soon and of course we were standing directly in the middle of two doors which meant we’d be the last ones to get to a door. I thought there was no way we’d make it. The mass of people thinned and then we hopped onto the train. Awesome, we got on! There is no way we’ll get a seat I thought. The couple in front took what I thought was the last seat. My son explained, “Look there is an upstairs!” as he raced up the steps. Upstairs had plenty of open seats and all four of us found a nice spot to relax.
We took the train to Monterosso al Mare and the train stop was centrally located to this town. We walked along the coast line enjoying the wonderful panoramic views of beaches, cliffs, and Italian lifestyle. There is a picturesque hiking trail that connects the villages. The stretch from Monterosso to Vernazza is said to be breathtakingly beautiful, but with a five-year old who doesn’t like to hike and it being a super hot day there was no way we’d make it as a happy family. We walked to where the trail began and noticed the warning signs. One read that wearing sandals on the trail was prohibited. Good to know for next time! On our way back, we were getting thirsty so we stopped at a local restaurant that was just opening for drinks. This area of Italy is where Pesto originated so I also ordered pesto pasta that we shared. As we waited for the food, my son told us he was sooo hungry. I told him food was coming. When the pasta arrives my son shouted, “Ewww it’s green.” He reluctantly ate the bite I hand fed him and didn’t say a word. Soon enough he was devouring it. He absolutely loved it! It was the best pasta I’ve ever had in my life so it wasn’t hard to understand why this five-year old loved it too. It was so peaceful sitting next to the sea with a glass of chilled wine and incredible food.
We traveled on the train to the next town, Vernazza. We weren’t planning on a beach day, but it was so hot that it became one. We didn’t bring swimsuits but enjoyed what we could in clothes. For everyone else that meant using shorts as swimsuits and diving into the sea. For me, it meant walking into the water as far as I could go without soaking my dress. In France, the water was frigid. Here it was much warmer and I missed the cold water! After cooling off, we headed to the busy streets for gelato.
This isn’t my first time to Italy. It’s my third time. The first time I went with People to People Sports Ambassadors when I was sixteen years old. The last time I was twenty-one and with a college friend. Both times the food wasn’t great. I hear people rave about real Italian food and really didn’t know what they were talking about. Granted, I don’t really like tomato so that was a huge issue when I was younger. But the gelato was not good either! This time I zeroed in the gelato and listened to others about it.
Gelato isn’t regulated and can mean different things in Italy. Not all gelato is real gelato. There are a few ways to spot the good stuff. First way to detect the fake gelato is with how it sits in the container. Is it piled high or is it completely below the level of the metal container? The real stuff can’t be piled high because it’s softer. How are the colors? Are they vibrant with artificial coloring or are they muted with shades you’d find in nature? The real stuff is colored by the ingredients in the name. Pistachio should not be green for example. This was on my mind while we chose a shop; however it was so crowded that the lines stretch into the streets and you couldn’t actually see the gelato until you were in the front of the line. We were in a touristy area and I thought it wouldn’t be the real stuff but it was hot and any gelato would be welcome. We made it to the front of the line and we found a winner! The flavors were in Italian. I ordered Strawberry for my younger son, our older son ordered Oreo, and I ordered two Italian sounding ones for Brian and I. Brian’s turned out to be Biscotti and mine was basil. It turns out basil gelato is fantastic! Our young son liked mine so much that soon enough I was left without gelato as he ate his cone of strawberry and mine too.
Our dinner time this cruise is 6pm which is early with all that there is to explore on land. After gelato, we took the train back to La Spezia and then walked back to the ship.
Dinner tonight was a Cesear Salad, Shepherds Pie, and Tiramisu. All of it was very good. The best part of the evening according to my son was the farewell by the wait staff. This particular cruise had two starting points: Rome and Barcelona. You leave the same port you started. For those that started in Rome, tonight was there last night. To celebrate, the staff performed a little dance and my son joined right into the fun! He’s looking forward to that part of the cruise again, but not the cruising ending part of it.
Today we explored the quaint French town called Cassis. We booked a shore excursion with Royal Caribbean called, “Cassis Discovery and Beach Break. We met at the Royal Theatre at 9am. Once everyone was gathered, we walked off the ship and onto charter buses. We left the port around 9:30am for our journey to Cassis. It was a little less than an hour by bus to a small rest stop area outside Cassis. We then transferred from the bus to the “Petite Train” which was a tram that looked like a train. The tram navigated the provincial roads and we stopped up the road from the marina. It was then a short walk down to a beautiful marina with the backdrop of the French Riviera. A meeting stop was established and we were told about the different attractions in town. Our group of around fifty dispersed.
We opted for the boat tour that included swimming. We lined up to buy tickets and there were four main tours listed on the signs. Each tour was a different length of time and a relatively large boat. After our guide had told us of the different options, I approached her and asked questions. This is when we learned about the boat tour with swimming. This tour was not listed on the signs. The lady at the ticket counter spoke English and told me the cost was 30 Euro per person regardless of age. I thought this was a little strange since every tour listed had a kid’s price. I asked again to clarify pointing to my young son and she repeated with a less than pleasant tone of I already told you this. She did indeed mean what she said. I guess never question a French. We purchased tickets for the 12:30pm tour and were told to meet at Dock 1 at this time.
We had about 90 minutes until our tour so we decided on snacks and beach time. The streets were lined with little shops, restaurants, and bakeries. We stopped at the bakery for a small snack to hold us over past lunch time. I told my son he could pick one item and he choose a giant cookie covered in chocolate. I had the strawberry tart. My strawberry tart was really good, but not as good as I thought it was going to be for an authentic French pastry. My son’s cookie was a lot better. We walked through a tiny park as we ate our snacks and then made our way to the beach. The beach was poised with the classical turquoise blue of the French Riviera and was absolutely gorgeous. My son exclaimed as we arrived, “This isn’t a beach! There’s no sand!” In typical Southern France fashion, the beach was composed of small rocks. I walked down into the water with my son. Brr it was freezing! How it can be 90 degrees out and the water is freezing cold with no glaciers anywhere nearby is baffling. We learned later that it had something to do with high winds. Brian joined us in the water and then I opted to lay out on my towel on the rocks. The walk to the water without shoes wasn’t too bad, but it was tortuous walking back. Lesson learned. Wear sandals when walking on hot pointy rocks.
We approached Dock 1 at 12:15pm and I realized we didn’t have any water with us. I walked across the street to buy some and when I returned we were boarding the boat. It was a much smaller boat than the large tour boats and it held 12 passengers and the captain. We move slowly out of the marina and into the Mediterranean Sea. As we get out there, the captain starts talking about the area in French. We all look at him and smile not knowing anything he just said. I don’t even know how we knew, but the last thing he said in French was, “Did everyone understand me? Does everyone understand French?” Brian and I say no in unison and this slight look of terror comes over him. He then opens up a folder and shuffles through papers. He pulls out two sheets of paper and hands one to each of us. He then points to a paragraph written in English that explains what he just said. We were the only ones on the boat that didn’t speak English. I guess not that many English speaking visitors buy this tour! The boat then stops in a nice inlet and he says something in French. One of the other passengers translates for us and tells us that this is the swimming area. Almost everyone is pretty quick to jump off the boat! Tanner and Brian jump off and I bring my younger son to the side of the boat and hand him to Brain. I stay on the boat because I’m not sure how easily Brian can tread water and hold my son who does not have any sort of flotation device on him. The answer is not easily at all. It is really hard to hold a child and tread water! The waves are big enough we don’t want him swimming alone. He’s been doing really well with swim lessons and swimming in the pool, but this another level of swimming. I pull my son out of the water and we take turns staying with him on the boat while others swim. If I had known, I would have brought his puddle jumper or borrowed a lifejacket from the ship. After awhile, we all get back into the boat and continue our tour. We move along the coast turning into the different coves. It’s a very active area with kayakers, paddle boarders, cliff jumpers, and other boats. It was a really awesome experience and worth the long commute from the port! Our tour ends at 2pm which gives us 90 minutes left before our meetup time.
We ended our time in Cassis by eating lunch on the marina. Many of the menus here have English written as well, but not everything. I used my phone to translate the things I didn’t understand. Our waiter spoke English so that was nice.
Royal Caribbean offers three main room dining options: early, late or my time. My time means you can change your time throughout the week, but you still need a reservation. I like the flexibility of this, but families with food allergies are advised to choose a dining time instead. We chose the early time because the late dining interferes with my son’s normal bedtime. The nice thing about a set dining time is that you’re at the same table each night with the same waiters.
We arrived back at the boat at 5pm so our 6pm dinner time didn’t give us a lot of time to get cleaned up and out the door. We make it work and when we arrive, the waiters bring one giant bowl of fruit for my son. The staff is outstanding here. There was constantly someone near my son giving him attention so we could enjoy our meal. They also cut-up his steak for him! It was really nice to actually eat my meal when it came out versus helping my son eat his first before eating mine.
Tonight’s dinner was French onion soup, beef short ribs, and creme brûlée! I figured I had to pick the most French items from the menu! Everything was delicious, but I didn’t finish most of it. Our lunch was so late that I wasn’t that hungry come dinner time.
I notice that there are a lot of families wearing white tonight. I think wow that is one big family coordinating outfits! Well it turns out it was wear white night according to the cruise compass. Oops, I guess I should read the Cruise Compass more often!
After dinner we spend time enjoying the ship. We went to the Promenade for some family photos and then my son wanted to ride the Carousel. We enter the Boardwalk and Brian’s face lights up. “I had no idea this was here!” My son enjoys riding the Cheetah while we watch. I also popped into the candy store to check it out. So. Much. Sugar! I notice that the Playmakers sign also says “Arcade” and I wonder if there is actually an arcade inside. There is! I completely missed this the other night. There is a Mario Kart racing games which has a cost and several old-school games that are free. There is also free ping pong and foose ball. We play in here for awhile then my son wants to go to the playground. We walk past the other arcade on our way so my son plays some more. We do finally make it to the playground, but it’s almost ten now and it’s closed. Off to bed we go!
This morning we had our first shore excursion to Palma Nova beach! We met in the Royal Theatre and then we were transferred to the beach via coach bus. The beach was about 30 minutes from the port and was lovely. The water was clear with a greenish hue near the shore and a beautiful blue the further out you looked. It was a public beach, but relatively empty. We spent most of our time hanging out in the water, building sand castles, and laying in the sun. There is something so therapeutic about a beach day!
Our pick-up time was at 1:05pm so we were hungry close to this time. We walked down the street which was filled with souvenir shops, restaurants, and bars. We opted for the supermarket where we purchased gatorade, Pringles, and ice cream. We also purchased some grapes to share. The ice cream was a Milka cone and was similar to a King Cone back home. The Milka cone was so much better though! The chocolate was better and the ice cream creamier. It was the perfect snack for a hot summer day. At 1:04pm our bus parked in front of the Hotel Tropico and it was time to go back to the ship.
I was exhausted by this time since I stayed up to watch the show the night before, but everyone else was full of energy. My family spent the afternoon at the pool while I grabbed a sandwich from Central Park and then took a nap.
Tonight we ate dinner at the main dining room and met our wait staff. They were awesome with bringing our younger son his food first. He started with a fruit bowl and he slowly picked at it while watching his iPad. He is so slow that when his entree was ready, the waiter took the fruit bowl and replaced it with chicken and fries. My son isn’t looking, but his hand reaches around his iPad for a bite of fruit, and is devastatingly disappointed that his fruit is gone. The anger begins to rage, and the waiter brings my son another bowl of fruit. He ate three bowls of fruit this evening! I had the Orange Duck and it was delicious. I ordered this on my last Royal Caribbean cruise and it was consistently good both times. I also had a wedge salad and a peach dessert. Overall the dinning hall was very good!
We walked to the promenade to window shop and take some pictures, but that didn’t last long. My son was becoming restless so we headed back to the room. My son and I had quiet evening of playing Airplane Chefs on his iPad and we called it an early night. Tomorrow, we’ll be in France!
The last two nights we stay at this cute hotel in Barcelona. It’s located in the older gothic quarter and is centrally located to some wonderful areas. It’s also one of the few hotels in the area that accommodates families well. Our room had a king bed and bunkbeds and was decently sized. Our room had a balcony that overlooked the alley and overall was a wonderful hotel. The staff was incredibly kind. Today, we checked out of our hotel and asked about taxis. They said they can call one to the hotel and that the driver would come to the lobby to collect us. Wonderful! After waiting about five minutes, a taxi driver approached us and asked us if we were waiting for a taxi. I said yes. He then asked for our room number. It turns out we was another family’s taxi. This family had checked out right before us so I knew ours would be close behind. We waited about twenty minutes and still no taxi. I began to wonder if the front desk had forgotten to call. I turn to walk back to the front desk to ask and as I turn the lady from the front desk is there. She’s there to tell me that the taxi company called and they are delayed. She gave us the option of waiting or going in the street to hail a taxi. We were about to say we’d wait, but I looked at my watch and realized it was almost noon which was our boarding time. The lady knew the fastest way would be to hail one, but she could see the hesitation on my face. We have a lot of stuff! Before I could say anything, she said she would help us hail a taxi. She helped us with our luggage and walked outside and across the street for us and she waited with us. Plenty of taxis past. Most were full and the ones that weren’t full were tiny ones that wouldn’t fit us and our stuff. Soon enough there was one and we were on our way!
The port was a 15-minute drive. The taxi dropped us off and we were on our way! We waited in a short line to hand over our baggage and then headed to the terminal. Before entering the terminal, there were people checking SetSail passes to make sure we should be there. We showed out passes from my phone and then entered. Inside there was a decent line and a short line for priority guests. Usually this line is for guests selling in suites and guests with high-raking loyalty numbers. We fit neither category, but they opened the line for us. Our ticket was having my young son with us. Young children and their families are ushered through this line too. Well at least that’s what I think happened. (We had a similar thing happen on our last cruise.) We are handed off to a lady who checks our passports, vaccine cards, test results, and letters of recovery. She clears us and then we walk on the ship. It was incredibly efficient!
We head off for brunch at the WindJammer which is the buffet on-board. I had a burger and fries. It was okay, but nowhere near the caliber of burger from last night’s restaurant. It was a quick lunch and soon enough it was 1pm and we could enter our cabins.
Our cabin is at the front-starboard side of the ship. We are the last cabin door in the hallway which makes remembering which cabin you are super easy! When we booked this cruise, it was nearly full and there weren’t many Oceanview balconies left. So far, I really like this location. It’s quiet despite being next door to Adventure Ocean and overall has been convenient. We’re close enough to deck 15 and 16 to take the stairs and we’re close to the kid’s club, arcade, and solarium.
When we arrive to our cabin, our keys are there on our ledge and our bags are in the hallway. Now the moment of truth…how crammed will it feel with three adults and one child with lots of stuff? As we pile in the luggage and unpack, I’m starting to regret my decision of one cabin. I chose one cabin because I knew we’d spent a large amount of time off the ship and around the ship. Also, my son doesn’t do the greatest in groups so the more economical group tours are really hard for us. I chose to save some money with one cabin so we could use that part of our budget for private tours. Back to unpacking. We slowly empty each suitcase finding nooks and crannies for everything. Surprisingly, everything finds a home and are filled cabin is no longer cramped. It’s amazing how much storage space there is! We were able to fit two large suitcases, two small suitcases, a car seat, and a stroller under the bed! Four people in a cabin is definitely doable. If money weren’t an object, yes, I’d book two connecting cabins, but we like to travel a lot so we save where we can.
Cruising is back! My very first cruise was September 2021. This cruise is my sixth cruise. I’m calling it the year of the cruise! I’ve been very spoiled because my first five cruises were relatively empty and felt more like cruising on a semi-private yacht. This cruise is not that. It is crowded and I haven’t yet found my secret quiet spots…don’t worry I will. Despite the amount of people, being on such a large ship means there is space.
Many people head to the pool shortly after setting foot onto a ship and we were no exception. Given the amount of people on the ship, I thought finding four loungers together would be tough. It wasn’t hard at all! We found four near the Splashpad and my son sets off to play. He was a little too short for the slides, but enjoyed the water tables. He didn’t last long here because he really wanted to go to the arcade.
Being on a new ship is a little overwhelming especially for a little guy like my son. He was so excited and full of energy that he literally pinged around the ship like a rogue ping-pall ball. I appeased his curiosity and we bounced from Boardwalk Arcade to Front Arcade to Playscape to Adventure Ocean to Central Park to our room. We saw a lot in a short amount of time!
I expected this ship to be a bigger and newer version of Harmony of the Seas, which it is, but there are actually quote a few differences between the ships. Let’s start with the Boardwalk. The boardwalk arcade on the Harmony of the Seas is a room you enter from the boardwalk that houses lots of games for small children. The Wonder of the Seas doesn’t have an enclosed arcade here. Instead, arcade games are located outside on the boardwalk and there are fewer options. This was a little bit of a letdown for my son. A candy store replaced the arcade area, but it wasn’t opened yet for the day. Another difference was the restaurant. Harmony of the Seas housed a Mexican restaurant here while Wonder of the Seas houses Playmakers. This was an upgrade and both changes seem to make the area a bit more lively. Another small difference was the size of the climbing structure. It’s smaller on this ship. Starbucks is located on the promenade on this ship instead of the Boardwalk. It’s pretty cool to see the progression and having experienced both ships, I think the changes made were overall upgrades to providing a better experience.
The arcade at the Boardwalk was smaller, but the arcade at the front of the ship was much larger. The larger arcade houses driving games, air hockey, This is my son’s new favorite place! He played a basketball game and skee-ball before we bounced to the next location.
The Playscape is new to Wonder of the Seas and is a HUGE upgrade for families. It’s located at the back of the ship next to the putt-putt course. As we past the ocean-themed golf course, we saw stairs up to a small slide. My son raced up them and slid down. Noting else was visible and I thought, really one slide is a playscape? I mean yes, technically it is, but I was expecting a full playground. Well we looked a little further and found it! The main playground was down a deck on the other side of this slide. It has another larger slide, a non-jumpy trampoline-style climbing structure, space to run, bouncy animals, a steering wheel positioned so it feels like you’re guiding the ship, a telescope, and more. My son found his new favorite place!
I booked this cruise just like I would book a cruise for my clients meaning I didn’t get some fancy discount or anything like that. I did however take advantage of promotions that are available to you too! Royal Caribbean has a Kids Sail Free promotion which is still happening now. That saved us a TON on this trip. Also, my travel agency is part of a consortium that offers additional perks. We received a specialty dining for two on this sailing for free!
We made a reservation for Chops when we boarded the ship for tonight for 7pm. The time wasn’t ideal because we wanted a little bit later, but it could still work. Later, my son and I are back at the cabin and the phone rings. My son answers it, which he loved because he doesn’t normally get to do that. It made me really appreciate the three years of speech therapy; he’s really come a long way! Eventually, he says “okay I’ll get my mom” and then hands over the phone. It’s someone calling from Central 150 which is an upscale specialty restaurant on the ship. He sees I have a coupon for specialty dining and offers a reservation for tonight at 7:30pm. He also sees our sons are with us in the cabin and offers 50% off for our older son and our younger son is free. I think, 7:30pm is a better time and they both have steak so let’s do it!
Bringing my young son to a fancy restaurant isn’t something we normally do, but it’s our ten-year wedding anniversary soon so we are making an exception. We start the meal with specialty martinis which are cool and delicious. They are served with cucumber as a garnish and I ask if we can have a couple extra for our young son, knowing he’ll want to eat ours. The server comes back with a martini glass filled with cucumbers. Once he realizes they are cucumbers, he’s less excited about them. I offer to poor a drink in his glass and he grins. I pour some water intro his martinis glass and it’s one of the few times the child actually drinks water! For appetizers, Tanner and I have the beef short rib and Brian has the scallops. The beef short ribs comes out plated on mashed butternut squash and was Devine. It looks like a meal in itself. Next, the entrees. Lobster for Brian, Beef tenderloin for Tanner, and lamb Wellington for me. Everything was so good! We finish with dessert. I had the fried cheesecake which is presented artfully, and tastes good, but it wasn’t my favorite. Overall a wonderful dinner and definitely an upgrade from the main dining hall.
We finish the night together at the promenade for some pictures. I purchased the photo package ahead of time so I’m all about getting as many quality photos as I can! My family head back to the room for the night, but I head to a show.
Tonight, Tap Factory was the show in the Royal Theatre. I think most people would love this show, but it wasn’t for me. The show is basically tap dancing mixed with a contortionist, acrobat, and drumming. The scene is set within a factory and begins with an African-American man playing the role as a janitor. He interacts with the audience in a language I think no one really understands, but with the gestures and such enough is communicated. The show then moves to an all-male, all-white dancing/drumming team performing as the factory workers. There were a couple parts where women tap-dance with the men as essentially back-up dancers. The performers were all fabulous, but the antiquated casting and old-school role playing was off-putting for me. It was no Hamilton!
After the show, the elevators are backed-up so I decide to roam a little bit. The ship is lively with the AquaShow drawing a crowd on the Boardwalk and several musicians entertaining guests at the various bars. After about 15 minutes of roaming, I hop in an empty elevator and head back to the cabin. Tomorrow, we’re in Palma de Mallorca!
Our morning began with a walking tour and most of us slept right up until we needed to leave. My son can be difficult with crowds and group expectations so our tour was a private tour with a company that tailors to children. Our guide messaged us last night and again this morning, and we met Sharon at La Rambla 34. It was a short 5-minute walk from the hotel.
Sharon started the tour by giving my son a scavenger hunt sheet and a marker. He was asked to find six landmarks. We was excited about it!
We walk down La Rambla and turn down an alleyway. We see a fountain and are surrounded by buildings in a small square called Plaça Reial. It’s a quaint little nook and we learn that the area used to belong to a convent. The government took it over, but you can still see religious figures around as a reminder of what the land used to be. Two large lamps and several smaller ones are in the square. The big ones are early works of Guadí. The fountain in this square is one of m son’s images for the scavenger hunt and he happily checks it off.
We return to La Rambla and my son is excited about something ahead. Our tour guide thinks that my son has spotted the next item of the scavenger hunt, but what excites him are two glass elevators that go down to the subway. He presses the button and watches with curiosity as the elevator moves up. The next landmark was on the ground between the two elevators. It’s a mosaic designed by Joan Miro, and doesn’t hold a candle to see-through elevator shafts according to my five-year old.
Next, we walked to La Boqueria which is a food market similar to the West Side Market in Cleveland. Many stalls have fresh fruit and smoothies which is what my son wanted. Our guide recommended the ham cone and bonus it was included in the tour. It was absolutely delicious and unlike any other I’ve had before. My son loved his dragonfruit smoothie as well!
We walked to an old church and the outside of it was pretty touristy. Street vendors lined the alley with trinkets on large blankets. “No gracias,” we said, as we walked by them. I then see a street vendor lift one of the storm grates and hide his plastic bag of goods in the ditch and then carefully return the grate to normal. I wonder how many bags of goods are hidden around the city.
Our guide commented on the amount of tourists and then said we’ll go somewhere most don’t know about. We snaked down some narrow alleys to a small church where Guadí was a regular. The outside of the church was damaged from the civil war. It was never repaired as a reminder of the deadly attack that left 40 schoolchildren dead.
We saw one more church before taking a break. If we didn’t have our guide with us, I would have thought the first church and third church were the same and would have been studying the map wondering how I walked in a circle! This one was just as magnificent as the first.
My son overall did amazing on this tour and Sharon did a really nice job keeping him engaged. He was getting restless so it was time for a break. We stopped in a cozy chocolate shop where we got a large plate of churros to share with a cup of rich melted chocolate. These churros were nothing like the ones I’ve had back home or in Mexico. They were amazing! Sharon took my son aside as we ate and taught him some Spanish. She held a sheet of paper with pictures and words. They worked together to match them. My son would point to one and she’d say the word. For example, my son points to the bicycle and she says “Bicicleta. Now say it with me.” Sharon starts to repeat the Spanish word while my son yells bicycle in English. He continues in this manner for pretty much all the words. I remember being this stubborn as well when learning a new language. Later he tells me he doesn’t want to speak Spanish.
We walked to another neighborhood and our guide pointed out this large building. She told us that it used to be a large market similar to the one on La Rambla. The market didn’t last and the government took over the building to re-purpose it. In 2002, they discovered that the market was built on Roman ruins. Today, you can see the ruins and the building is a museum.
Our final stop was to a park called Parque de la Ciutadella. Visiting the park was a good reminder about why hiring a guide is so important. Yesterday, I looked at the map and saw this park on the way to the water-front. We came here and our impression was, “hmm this is a nice little park with a cool gate,” and that was about it. We barely saw it and definitely didn’t see the best parts! Today, we walked to a playground in the park where my young son made friends with a boy from Finland. We talked to his mother who is from Germany originally and married to a Spaniard. We talked about childcare and women’s health and she was astonished about how horrible our system is in the US. “Barbaric” is the word she used and I have to agree compared to the systems in place in Finland. Anyway, after my son’s play date we continued through the park to a giant sculpture of a giant baby mammoth. Apparently, they roamed the area. This sculpture was my son’s favorite thing about the day. He loved being able to sit on the Mammoth’s trunk! Our tour ended at one of the most magnificent water fountains I’ve ever seen. My son wanted to climb to the top so we hiked the stairs. At the top, was a group of adults salsa dancing and my son was all about it! We then climbed down the other side and my son sprinted off and through a yoga class. The class was laying in corpse pose as he jumped and skipped his way through the still bodies. I followed and then realized why the class was in this particular nook of the park. It was a dead-end so we both tiptoed our way back through all the relaxing yogis laying in savasana.
After the tour ended we walked down the alleyways back to the gothic quarters. It was hot. We walked by shops and the air con for each one gently grabbed our ankles inviting us inside. As we neared our destination, it started to feel like the AC had tentacles that wrapped itself around us anytime we stepped right in front of a door. Food was supreme to feeling cool and we finally made it back to the market for lunch. This time around it was packed. We grabbed some fruit, smoothies, and more ham. It was all amazing.
We headed back to the hotel to rest. Brian and our older son needed to take their Covid-19 tests which is required to board the ship tomorrow. My younger son and I had Covid-19 89 days ago and a letter of recovery within 90 days of being sick waives the test for us. That turned out really nice because my younger son would have had to get a pcr test here in Spain. (PCR tests are required for unvaccinated children at this time.) We brought virtual proctored Covid-19 tests with us that was pretty easy.
It’s beach time! We walked to Playa de la Barceloneta which is a local beach. The beach was absolutely packed but my son found a nice spot to build sandcastles. The beach is my son’s happy place! The water was transparent, but I wasn’t a fan of the rocky and rough sand. I’m a beach snob. Getting my son to leave was a bit trickier and at this point he is Hangry. We went into a small supermarket to load him up with snacks and milk.
We brought our stroller on this trip and it’s been imperative for an enjoyable vacation. My son doesn’t like to walk far. Give the kid snacks and some guidelines and he can walk a lot further than I thought possible. We didn’t have towels at the beach, but the hot sun made air-drying easy. My son was soaked from the sea and we told him he needed to dry off before sitting in the stroller. If he sat in it wet, it would get his dry clothes wet later, we told him. My son thought about it and agreed. It’s over a mile walk to the beach and my son would have made it all the way back if we let him. (Later in the walk it became congested with cars, motorcycles, bicycles, scooters, and pedestrians so we decided it was safer for him in the stroller. He often does things unexpectedly which is a bad combination for the setting.) Soon enough we were back “home.”
We cleaned up for dinner and went out with the expectation of dinner and a show. Dinner was the first restaurant which looked decent and for us that was El Tres Tombs. It was packed outside with some inside tables open. A good sign! We all ordered burgers which agreeably isn’t very authentic to the area, but they were delicious and the best burger I’ve ever had in Europe. Mine was topped with goat cheese and caramelized onions. It was a hefty slab of cheese and it made the burger so tall that I ate it with a knife and fork. Our waiter seemed unusually intrigued that we were from the US. We paid our bill and as we were getting up to go, he insisted on bringing us shots to help with digestion. I had never heard of the liquor but it’s a staple in the north of Spain according to the waiter. All three of us had finished these gigantic burgers so it was really thoughtful for him to be concerned about digesting them. We downed our shots which actually tasted pretty decent. Here I am several hours later without heartburn so I’d have to say this little remedy definitely worked for me. Normally a burger that big is pretty much immediate acid reflux.
My son was unwinding quickly and our leisurely dinner meant that we didn’t make it to the show. We were going to go to Parc Montjuic for their nightly fountain show.
Two days in Barcelona has been a nice sampling of the city, but definitely not enough time! There are so many things we didn’t see and do. My son wants to live here so I’m guessing we’ll be back.
Tomorrow we’ll board Wonder of the Seas, but we’re not done with Spain yet. We’ll be off to Palma de Mallorca soon!
Our trip to the Mediterranean Sea began yesterday morning, but for us it feels like one long day. We arrived at the airport more than three hours before our flight. We were a little concerned regarding a name difference from one of our vaccine cards to our passport so we wanted the extra time in case we needed a last-minute Covid-19 test. It wasn’t an issue for us and check-in was a breeze. The day before flying we filled out health forms through the Spanish Government’s website that showed we are fully vaccinated including a booster within the last 270 days. Young children are exempt from this form. Overall it was pretty simple.
We packed a lot in carry-on bags because we didn’t want to chance lost luggage. We arrive to our gate and we’re told only 20 carry-ons fit in the overhead compartment for the entire plane. The check-in agent assures me that lost luggage has only been an issue abroad and that we’ll be fine with it making it to Barcelona. I reluctantly hand over some suitcases. The idea of moving through JFK with less luggage does sound appealing though. We check our bags and begin boarding.
Colton has gotten into this game on his iPad where you’re basically a flight attendant serving food. The more you serve, the more you unlock in the galley and pantry. Colton was excited to see the real galley on the plane. We were seated towards the back of the plane and at the end of the flight Colton was able to checkout the real galley and the flight attendant let him talk on the loudspeaker. He followed that up with checking out the cockpit with the pilot. American Airlines really went above and beyond with letting Colton learn about airplanes!
We had a decent layover in JFK, but before we knew it, we were already boarding the massive plane to Barcelona. As we enter the plane, we walk past the business class seats. They are essentially individual pods that look like they recline fully. Colton is worried. “Mommy we can’t sit together!” I laugh that Colton sees business class as a serious downgrade. We sat in economy which feels much more cramped than I remember from my last European trip in 2006.
The flight attendants are busy on the flight. Our seats welcomed us with a pillow and blanket and shortly after settling they offer headphones for the TVs. Next, we’re offered drinks and then dinner. Dinner was a choice of chicken or pasta. It was a full tray of food with an entree, bread, cheese and crackers, a mini salad, and a brownie. The utilitarian appearance made me happy that I ate a delicious Caesar salad while at the airport. I took one bite of the chicken dish and then suddenly wished I hadn’t eaten such a large salad! The food was remarkably delicious.
I spent the next several hours trying to convince Colton that sleeping on the airplane would be a good idea. It’s going to be morning when we arrive…This is the only time you’ll be able to sleep…You’re going to be tired if you don’t sleep now. What a waste of energy. The airplane was too busy for a sensory-rich kid to fall asleep. Well, that is until we’re 15 minutes from the gate and then Colton is completely out.
We arrive just after 6am local time. Immigration and customs were efficient and pleasant. It didn’t take us long and before we knew it, we’re waiting at baggage claim. Now to find out if all our bags make it. Tanner’s bag arrives first, then Brian’s bag, and my shared big bag and checked carry-on haven’t arrived and the crowd is thinning. Just as I start to think about shopping, my bags are in sight. We wheel our stuff out the airport and to the taxi line. There are several taxis already lined up in various sizes. Hopping into a taxi is easy peasy and we’re off to the hotel!
I didn’t know Barcelona would be mountainous! Our drive starts in what smells like a very rural setting. The smell of cows and manure is strong, but the farm is nowhere to be seen. We pass by a shipping yard, a port with Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas docked, and a large mountain that turns out to be one giant cemetery. Barcelona is quiet.
Our taxi stops at an alleyway and our driver tells us our hotel is down there. There is graffiti everywhere and the streets smell like urine. I’m a little worried about our hotel. The automatic doors open to our hotel and the cool breeze welcomes us. There is an old marble staircase to our left and the check in desk straight ahead. My mind eases as the chic hotel matches my memory of the pictures and vibe. We walk to the front-desk praying that by some miracle our hotel room will be ready at 6:30am even though our check-in time isn’t until 3pm. That miracle doesn’t happen so we check our luggage and go off to explore the city.
Colton is still sleeping and was successfully moved from the airplane to the stroller to the taxi and back into the stroller.
We head towards the water and meander through parks. We see lots of people biking, boxing, running, and working out. We saw some beautiful architecture on the walk including Familia Sagrada and a building designed by Guadí. It’s beautiful, but we’re all too tired to really appreciate it. We take a break at a small cafe and enjoy some drinks. My freshly squeezed orange juice is delicious, but I was a little jealous of the looks of Brian’s cappuccino. We walked for hours and arrive back at the hotel when we couldn’t stand upright anymore. Understandably, our room still wasn’t ready so we plop on chairs and wait. At around noon, I think the front desk feels bad for us and tells us that while our room isn’t ready, they can switch us to one that is. Tanner, Colton, and I crash into beds and Brian goes and runs three miles.
We nap enough to walk again, but are still tired. We eat dinner at the hotel restaurant and then Tanner and I go off shopping for a couple toiletries and some chocolate milk for Colton. Brian crashes while we shop and it’s a laid-back evening in our hotel room. Tomorrow we’ll be ready to explore!
I studied abroad in Sevilla many years ago so this shouldn’t have been a surprise, but it was kind of cool to see the city really wake-up. The morning started out quiet, but by our little shopping spree the streets were vibrant with activities. It was also 1000 times more comfortable walking because it was a lot cooler.
Tomorrow we’re doing a walking tour and checking out the beach!
Did you know that Haiti is mountainous and beautiful? When I thought of Haiti, I thought earthquakes, hurricanes, and civil unrest. I had pretty low expectations for this port, and we were considering staying on the ship. It turned out to be the best port on this trip!
After finishing breakfast, we went to my parent’s cabin to watch the crew dock our mega-ship. I was surprised to see so many mountains! The mountains were lush green and the ocean was a pretty blue. Already I was warming up to the idea of Haiti. When we were cleared to disembark, we decided to check it out.
Labadie, or as Royal Caribbean calls it Labadee, is a private resort located in Haiti. What I love about this itinerary is that 2 out of 4 stops are at Royal Caribbean’s private resort. No need to book an excursion, plenty can be enjoyed close to the ship.
We walked off the ship along the dock to the peninsula. We were greeted with Haitians dancing and drumming to what sounded similar to African music. The private resort was much bigger than I anticipated. My son saw some trails off the main area and wanted to explore. My mom found a shady bench while I took my son to explore. The first trail took us to Dragon’s Flight which is one of the zip-line courses. They were still setting up so we didn’t see anyone zip line. The trail circled back to the main drag and we crossed over to another path. This lush path wound to an overview of the ocean and where our ship was docked. We continued along the path and found two old turrets and an old cannon. My son loved that the turret’s had fans inside of them. The fans and electricity seemed out-of-place alongside the 1800s old structures. Further along the path was a pavilion where a group of adults from the ship were painting pottery. This was an excursion option. We circled back to my mom and then we continued on our journey on the main path.
My mom studied the map while we were off exploring and noted the tram stop ahead. We jumped on the next available tram and headed further and further away. It was a nice tour of the island and it gave us a good lay of the land. To our left we passed a beach, another zip-line, and a splash pad area. Then, to our right was a beach area exclusive for some sort of special level that we aren’t. We then passed through a shopping area where locals had several shops for local things. We took the tram to the very last stop.
Columbus Cove sits on a calm beach with a mountainous view. We arrived shortly before lunch. My son and I explored an old bell tower for another view of the area. Unfortunately, the views were obscured by trees so it wasn’t the birdseye view I had in my mind. Nevertheless, my son loved it and climbed back down to show my mom then climbed back down to show my dad. Lunch was served in an open-air cafe and consisted of hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, and Caribbean chicken for the entrees. There were various salads and I chose the watermelon and feta option. For sides there was corn on the cob and Mac n cheese. There were also several desserts. I chose this coconut cookies/cake. Everything was good.
My son hadn’t wanted to go to the beach this morning, but my son often says no to almost everything in the morning. I snuck our swimsuits into my bag because I was sure he would change his mind. Immediately after lunch he asked about swimming at the beach. We changed and then spent the next couple hours at the beach. He made some friends and had a lovely day playing in the shallow-calm water and the nice beach.
To return to the ship, we took the tram back. I stopped to get a closer look at the beach closer to the ship. Columbus Cove was much better in my opinion. The surf here was much rougher although still not too bad.
Back on the ship we watched the ship disembark and we waved goodbye to Haiti. The remaining evening was pretty typical, showered, dinner, and bedtime.
I have mixed feelings about Jamaica and honestly wasn’t looking forward to this port. I had contemplated just enjoying the relatively empty ship while most went ashore; however, the lack of slide onboard for my son and the amount of fun he had at the beach in the Bahamas led us to book a last-minute shore excursion. Since my son is unvaccinated, he is only allowed to leave the ship with a Royal Caribbean shore excursion. It’s basically a bubble tour where he has limited contact with Jamaicans. We checked-in at the shore excursions desk to receive our stickers which basically marked us as a family with an unvaccinated traveler. We then headed outside to meet the tour operators. Once everyone had given their tickets in exchange for a wristband, we headed to the buses. It was a short walk through the historic area and shopping district and then a 15 minute bus ride to Blue Waters Beach Club. At the beach club, there were loungers for us. Cabanas were available for an extra $80 and drinks and food were also available for a cost. We booked the transfer only option, but there was also an option that included food. Jamaica is known for their jerk chicken and spiced foods which I think taste delicious, but unfortunately for me all contain allspice which I’m allergic to. Eating on the island is tricky for me so I passed on the food here. My dad purchased a Pina colada and an empanada type thing. The Pina colada was delicious and a lot better than the drink at CocoCay. My dad also said the empanada was really good and reminded him of the ones he ate in the Jamaican area of London.
One of the things that appealed to me about this beach club was that they advertised Reggae Music would be played at the beach. There was a DJ at the beach, but nothing about the music was reggae. Instead it was American party music that you would expect at spring break with a bunch of twenty-something-year-olds. The majority of the passengers from the ship were families so I found the provocative music a mismatch with the clientele. The music was also incredibly loud. My son enjoyed the sand and water, but the loud music was not autism-friendly. The tour was supposed to last 3 hours, but we headed back after 2 hours.
The key thing with booking the shore excursion was that it allowed us to do some shopping in the historic area. I had brought back Jamaica rum for Brian the last time I was here and he really liked it. I was on a mission to find the same rum. We went into the duty-free liquor store and they had it! My dad also loves rum so we loaded up. It was lunchtime and we were hungry so we grabbed a snack to hold us over. My parents got jerk chicken which they shared with my son. I went for the safe option…fresh mango. My son also had a candy bar which was really good too. It was chocolate with coconut and like nothing I’ve had back home.
The final order of business was a toy for my son. I had told him he could pick-out one thing to take home. We went in and out of the shops looking at the different options. In the end, he chose a turtle made from a coconut shell which had a string mechanism that you pulled to have the turtle waddle along.
When we got back on the ship, we headed to my parent’s cabin and hangout on their ocean view balcony that overlooked the historic market we were at earlier. We stayed there to watch us set sail away from Jamaica. Afterwards, we grabbed some pizza from Sorrento’s and coffee and pastries from the Cafe Promenade. The pastries and pizza are both included in the fare. The specialty coffee is extra. My dad had an Irish coffee which was about $9 and I had a frozen mocha which was $5.50. Gratuity is then automatically added on top of the price. I really liked the frozen mocha which is called a Mocha Creamice here. There is also a Starbucks onboard, but I actually preferred the frozen mocha I got at the Cafe Promenade. I should also note that I’m not really a fan of Starbuck’s coffee. It tastes burnt to me.
We opted to skip dinner at the main dining hall tonight to watch the sunset instead. Our ship was sailing away from the sun so the best view was from the back of the ship. It’s amazing how difficult it was to find a good spot to watch the sun set. We first headed to the Boardwalk thinking we could catch it from here. While we could see it, the Aquatheatre blocked a clear shot to it. We then headed to the track because there is a section of it that offers a nice view. The back of the track was closed this evening in exactly the part that would have had a nice view. We ended up going up to Deck 15 which is the sports deck. We passed frozen yogurt on the way so each grabbed a small cone. Deck 15 was the perfect place to watch the sunset. There are chairs facing the back deck on both sides of the Abyss Slide so we grabbed some seats an enjoyed the view.
After the sunset, my son wanted to play some more mini golf so I helped him refine his putting skills. We then headed to the WindJammer for dinner. As usual, my parents went off to watch a show while I took my son back to the room to sleep. It was another nice day.
I followed and then realized why the class was in this particular nook of the park. It was a dead-end so we both tiptoed our way back through all the relaxing yogis laying in savasana.
Adventures by Amaris Blog 