Showing posts with label Sunburns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sunburns. Show all posts

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Our Royal Adventure- Cozumel

Adventures in the Sun
February 23, 2023
Cozumel, Mexico


Our most visited cruise port and even after 16 visits, it is still a favorite! 

Morning
For the first time of the cruise, we woke up to an alarm going off at 7AM. Unfortunately, I did not sleep well due to a UIL nightmare so it was a rough night. We all got up and got ready and then made our way to the Windjammer for our breakfast. It was not at all crowded at 7:30AM ship time and we were done and back in the room getting ready to get off the ship shortly after 8AM. (Keep in mind that passengers were allowed to get off all night so this was probably a factor in it being less crowded. A typical Cozumel arrival is 8AM so plan for it to be MUCH busier).  


Hello Carnival Dream... Nice of you to join us! 


Hello Thursday! 

We got all of our stuff ready for a beach day and then made our way to Deck 1 to get off the ship. It didn't take much time to make our way to the back of the International Cruise Terminal to the taxi stand. We were at Playa Mia Beach and checking into our day reservation within 20 minutes. TIP- Cozumel offers FLAT RATE taxi fees from the International, Puerta Maya and Downtown cruise terminals. Be sure to tell your taxi driver where you are headed and ask for the quote before you get in the taxi. We have NEVER had an issue and it has always been very easy and cheap. Our taxi to Playa Mia was $17 each way... Don't forget to tip your driver. 


We love walking the pier at Cozumel! 


We are ready for a GREAT day in Cozumel! 


Hello from our "tiny taxi". There's never a dull moment in a Cozumel taxi! 

Once we arrived at Playa Mia, we signed into our beach reservation and then made our way to lounge chairs for the day. Unfortunately, due to the high winds, the resort was not allowing beach umbrellas so we opted to sit towards the back of the beachy sand area near an awning in hopes of the shade covering. 


It's Finally BEACH day! 


We were all so excited to get here! 


I am in my HAPPY PLACE! 

Playa Mia is an all inclusive resort on the southeast side of Cozumel island and offers lounge chairs, a very large and somewhat smooth beach access as well as numerous other amenities such as ocean inflatables, a large pool and a massive waterpark with 2 waterslides and a kiddie area. This is probably the most "Family Friendly" resort we have been to in Cozumel. However, I would not say it was my favorite as it was very "family and kid" populated. As per the usual with these "all inclusive" resorts, the cocktails were watered down and not that good. 


The Pool area of Playa Mia. 

We loaded the kids up with sunscreen and they were on their way. They tried out the ocean bicycles and then spent over an hour on the inflatables. Chris and I enjoyed watching them in the shade with a cocktail in hand. 


They are ready for the Ocean Bicycle. 


Chris is reading and enjoying the shade! 


The LOVED the inflatables! 


More inflatable fun! 

Afternoon
We spent the morning in the ocean and then decided to get in the pool while we waited for our lunch. TIP- Order your lunch early at any of these resorts as there are many passengers from all cruise lines. We have found ordering around 11AM helps ensure good delivery timing and allows you a more relaxed afternoon instead of feeling rushed due to late arriving food. We ordered a wide variety of food and all enjoyed the quesadilla the most. But like I mentioned above, the food left much to be desired. 


POOL TIME! 


The kids liked the pool area a lot! 


Sibling fun! 


My not-so-little mini- me and I at Playa Mia! 

We enjoyed our lunch and then Luke and Chris did the water bicycle while Natalie and I enjoyed the serenity of the shaded lounge chairs. Shortly after that the kids spent the rest of their time on the ocean inflatables. Playa Mia made an announcement at 2PM local time (1PM ship time) for all Adventure of the Seas passengers to start closing out their tabs. This was the first we have experienced this type of reminder and I think it is very helpful.  


Chris's face when Luke asks him to do the Ocean Bike! 
Chris- That means I will have to do the bulk of the pedaling! 


The boys lasted about 20 minutes on the Ocean Bike! 


But they had a LOT of fun!

Chris sure did a LOT of the pedaling but it was FUN! 


WE LOVE BEACH DAYS! 


Goodbye Cozumel, you have been good to us! 

We were in the taxi and back at the International Terminal by 2:30PM local time. Since we had gotten off the night before, we did not do a lot of souvenir shopping so we were back on Adventure of the Seas shortly before 3PM local time (2PM ship time). 


A picture perfect view of your ship from the International Cruise Terminal. 
TIP- This is right behind the COZUMEL sign on the north side of the terminal near Senor Frogs. 


We tried to have the kids do some swimming in this area but it was a little too rocky for their liking. They were also really tired from a day of playing at Playa Mia and some minor sunburns! 


Hello Adventure... We're BACK! 

Once back on board, Chris and the kids went to take showers and naps while I went to enjoy the Solarium before the majority of the passengers got back on board. The Solarium was not crowded at all and in fact, I was in the hot tub all by myself for almost 30 minutes. TIP- We have also notice the hot tubs and whirlpools are MUCH hotter and overall better maintained on port days as well. We highly recommend enjoying these type of ship facilities on a port day, especially if you have been to said port before.  

Shortly before sail-away time at 5PM, I went back to the room and showered and got ready for the evening. We went back to Deck 4 outside promenade to try and spot pier runners but it seemed as if all of the Adventure of the Seas passengers were already back on board. (This was completely different from our Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze experiences just a few months prior. Royal Caribbean truly is a different clientele). The Adventure of the Seas set sail for Galveston, TX at 4:58PM. 

Evening
After waiting to watch pier runners without any luck, we went down to Schooner Bar for Pre-Dinner Trivia. I didn't expect to do well but Chris knew many of the answers and ended up winning in a Tie-Breaker at the end. We all got a medal keychain. (Overall, I was a little disappointed in the SWAG offered by Royal Caribbean for trivia games). Then we went to catch another EPIC sunset on Deck 4. 


Another GORGEOUS sunset aboard the Adventure of the Seas! 


God sure does paint a pretty picture! 


This was such a PERFECT sunset! 


Silly times on board!


The Norwegian Bliss sailing back to Miami! 
Will this be our next ship??? Alaska 2024, maybe! 


Absolutely no filter needed! 

We tried to go to the Family Gameshow "60 seconds or less" in the Imperial Lounge before dinner. This was a great option for kids of all ages but it was TERRIBLY managed and ran by the cruise director's staff. There was a challenge to do in 60 seconds and kids could come up and try to get selected to play. The crew wasn't really choosing who would play but rather allowing kids to run and cut in front of others just to get to play. Within 4-5 rounds of Luke waiting and raising his hand to play and not being chosen, he was completely done and wanted no part of it. Sadly we heard parents telling kids "Just run them over and get up there so you can play". I could get on a whole separate soapbox about how kids these days behave and how we, as a society, are raising the future leaders of our country. It is actually appalling. 

We then went to Mexican Night in the Sapphire Dining Room. We arrived early and were seated early but the service was still SUPER slow. I had told Royal Caribbean we were celebrating the kids birthdays upon booking and it seemed this was the night they would recognize their birthdays. TIP- You can specify just about any celebration and Royal Caribbean (and most cruise lines) will recognize the birthday or other celebration with a cake or dessert of some kind in the main dining room completely free of charge. Little did I know that the kids did not want to be sang to and get a dessert. I had mentioned it to Luke when the waiter reminded me at the entrance and Luke wanted no part of it. So much so that when the waiter asked who had a birthday, I randomly said "Me". So the wait staff brought me a cake and sang to me at the conclusion of our dinner. The coconut cake they brought was SUPERB and I enjoyed it a lot. 

After dinner we went to the "Can't Stop the Rock" show in the Main Theater. This was a pretty good cruise ship show and Natalie especially enjoyed it. Luke, on the other hand, took a nap. He was wiped out from a day in the sun. After the show, we went back to the cabin as Luke was just so tired. Chris and I LOVE the 70s Inferno that Royal Caribbean offers so we put the kids to bed and then went back out to the dance party in the Royal Promenade. TIP- Bring a wig and 70s clothes. This event is NOT to be missed and is SO MUCH FUN!  Chris and I danced the night away and then got a few cocktails before heading back to the room for the night shortly after midnight. 


This boy was tired... A sunburnt! 


Just a small taste of the Disco Inferno! It is SO MUCH FUN! 

It was a great day in our "home away from home" Caribbean port! We LOVED the crystal clear blue waters and a gorgeous day at the beach! 

Up next... Our final day aboard the
Adventure of the Seas! 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME!  

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Carnival Breeze- September 2022




 


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Monday, June 20, 2022

PCB... Where. To. Begin.- Day 3

 Panama City Beach- Day 3
Welcome to the Big Leagues, Kid
Monday, June 6, 2022 


It's the day we had been waiting for... And Luke was READY! 

Morning
The alarm went off bright and early at 5:45am and we were up and out the door by 6:30am. The drive to the PCB Sports Complex was a breeze and without traffic it was less than 20 minutes. We arrived at the complex by 7am but didn't even get to the batting cages where our team was meeting until 7:10am due to the length between the parking lot and the back fields. I measured the distance with my Fitbit and it was .47 from the parking lot to field 8 at PCB Sports Complex. We definitely got our steps in on this trip. 


The view from our balcony was INCREDIBLE... Even at 6AM! 


Our rental car Ford Escape! Thank you Hertz!


We are here and ready to cheer on Luke the Duke! 

Our first game of Pool Play was at 8AM and we were facing the Enterprise Diamond A's from Enterprise, Alabama. They were a 10U MAJORS team and we had our hands full from the get-go as we were a 9U AAA team. In fact, we were the only true 9U team in the tournament. This was a 9U-10U tournament and there were 2 teams that were mixed with 10U and 9U players but we were the only ones with a true 9U team. In fact, all of our players were 9 years old (Luke is the oldest on the team and was a week from being 10 at this point). Some of the players on other teams were already 11 or about to turn 11. Those 18 months difference between our guys and these guys became very apparent as the week progressed. 

Game 1- Luke Davis 
Luke sat out the first inning (as was the usual as the season progressed) to prepare to catch the second inning. One of the coaches explained that all 3 catchers would rotate all week to help avoid heat stroke. He caught for inning 2, played right-field for innings 3-4 and then caught the rest of the game. He did very well playing catcher during this game despite Marucci losing the game 11-3. Luke had a hard hit to left field for a pop-out his first at bat and then stuck out his second at bat. These pitchers were throwing well over 60 mph and we knew there was going to be an adjustment for all of our boys. 


It was already a hot one at 96* at 8:45am! 


Luke doing his thing... And LOVIN' it! 


Go out swinging! 


Day one was DONE! Way to go Luke the Duke! 


My heart was so happy... Because HE was happy! 

Check out #LuketheDuke's Game 1 @Ripken 2022

Afternoon
After the game we made our way back to our condo to eat an early lunch before going to the beach. We threw some frozen pizzas in the oven and we were on the beach before 11:30AM. We stayed there for the next 4-5 hours, reapplying sunscreen every hour. The kids loved being able to stand in the sandbars and ride the waves with their boogie boards. The kids had goggles they were wearing but Chris did not and got salt water in his eyes pretty bad. 


Hello gorgeous emerald waters... it was just what we needed! 

We spent some time in the pool as well but Chris went to check his phone to see if the car was ready and to our surprise, it was ready so we got out of the pool and changed quickly. Or so we tried... We were all sunburnt even though we put on sunscreen every hour. Poor Natalie's back was so red and it looked almost as if we didn't even spray her. Luke was ok except for his face and Chris was fine as well. The beach is one of our favorite places but it does not like us as much as we like it! I swear we ALWAYS get sunburnt! 

We got changed and made our way back to the east side of Panama City Beach to Pepboys to get our car with a stop at CVS for eye drops for Chris and "Sunburnt" after sun gel for the rest of us. TIP- Sunburnt is the absolute BEST after sun car on the market. It really helps pull the heat out of your skin as goes on smooth without a weird smell or texture feeling.  

$1,200 We'll Never See Again
Once at Pepboys, we got the bill and it was EXACTLY what they quoted us the previous day of $986. They even took off the original $99 diagnostic fee. This was a HUGE blessing! Thank you so much Joshua and Pepboys! May God bless you for your generosity! 

We then had to go and return the rental car to Hertz at the airport. We were so lucky because when we turned in the car, they prorated the cost and we walked away only paying $90 for the 26 hour rental. Once again, Hertz may have made a customer for life. 


The Buick was so low on gas when we turned it in to Pepboys to fix, the "Low Fuel" light came on. I have never let it get that low. I thought I had a 18 gallon tank! I was so close to $100... 


Hahaha... I love you Florida! 

Evening
As we made our way back towards the beach, the team notified us of dinner plans so we joined them at Under the Boardwalk restaurant at the Boardwalk resort in Panama City Beach. This was a very well laid out restaurant that allowed 5 large families to eat outdoors and the kids to play games near by. The food and service were great and we all had fun but we all got even more sun while dining outdoors. 


Under the Boardwalk Menu 

Under the Boardwalk- Boardwalk Resort PCB
Chris- Shrimp PoBoy 6/10
Kellie- Oyster Poboy 6/10
Natalie- Chicken Strips 6/10
Luke- Chicken Strips 6/10


We are SO grateful for Kate and Abby Claire (Two baseball sisters) who were in PCB to support their brothers too! Natalie had such a great time with Kate! 


Luke and his baseball bud, Connor! 

After dinner with the team, we ventured down to Mr. Puff's Ice Cream on Thomas Dr. This was a place that another team mom went to and raved about so we knew we had to try it! It was a "rolled ice cream" style of ice cream and we had never tried this. We really enjoyed watching the workers make our dessert! We all enjoyed this but we all agreed that the scoops style like Marble Slab is better. 


Mr. Puff's Ice Cream Menu


This was a HAPPY boy! 


Welcome to ROLLED ICE CREAM! 


This really is a neat experience for everyone to try at least once! 


You could leave a post it note on their main wall! 

After our ice cream we made our way to a Family Fun park where we had hoped to play putt-putt. By this time it was nearly 9PM and it was a 2 hour wait time so we opted to make this up on another day and go back to the condo. Once we got back to the condo we did a load of laundry in the full size laundry room and enjoyed the balcony and watched Deal or No Deal with the kids! TIP- I LOVED having the laundry in the condo. This may be the way to go when planning future vacations! Also, bring more than 3 pods of laundry detergent! We had to go and buy more! 

The AC was still not working at 100% and even after having it was set on 72* all day and not using the kitchen in the evening, it was still reading 75* at 9PM. Chris turned it off for about 15 minutes and turned it back on and it worked better. This became a nightly ritual to help the AC work better but it never really cooled to the level we would have hoped for as we like to sleep at 69-70*. We went to bed around 11PM and we were all wiped out. 

It was a much better day and despite the sunburns, we were feeling really good! 

Up Next... Day 2 of Pool Play and our DOUBLE HEADER at PCB Sports Complex.  

God is good... ALL THE TIME! 

 Check out ALL of our LAND travels:










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