Fun in the Sun 2013- It's the End of an Era... Until Next Time

Sunday, August 4, 2013

New Orleans, LA- Back to the REAL WORLD

The view from our Balcony... No crystal clear blue waters :(
But that's ok, I get to see my babies today!

I woke up to the beautiful sunset over New Orleans around 6am and as much as I wanted to stay on the ship last night, this morning I could not wait to get off and get home to my babies! We had not planned to get up until 7 or so but my mind and body had me up and ready to go long before that hour. Chris finally woke up when his alarm went off and we went to breakfast really quick on the Lido Deck Buffet one last time. Despite being the last day and the chefs tired of us, the food and service were yet again SUPERB! You would not have known it was the last day!

Despite being the LAST day and a BUFFET it was pretty good!

We then went back to the stateroom to double check for any luggage and then we headed towards the Renoir Main Dining Room which was our holding area to disembark. We had the "FASTER TO THE FUN" priority sticker which allowed us to disembark right after the Self-Assist people who were carrying their own luggage. This was great because by 8:15 we were walking off the boat and by 8:55 we were back at our hotel (Across the River), with a fully-loaded car and on the road towards Houston. This is UNBELIEVABLE in terms of Cruise Ship Disembarkation's! Once again, if you are going on a cruise in the near future, check with your cruise line for this type of service. It is WELL WORTH the $50 per cabin! Best investment of the whole trip!

One last picture aboard The Carnival Conquest! It's been fun!

By 9 am we were on I-10 beginning the 6.5+ hour trip back to see our babies! We called both sets of grandparents to check in on the kids and see how things went. It was then that we found out that poor baby Luke cut his finger playing with a candle and had small insect bites on his arms and legs. This happened while at my parents house in Arp and it could have been anything from Chiggers to an allergic reaction to some of the plants and flowers kept at my Mom and Dad's house. He was completely fine and healthy when we arrived later in the day so I was not that worried. Besides, between the 4 grandparents, they had raised 5 children so we trusted them completely! If it weren't for them and their kindness to love and spoil their grand kids while we were gone, we would not have been able to go at all! Thank you Ron and Shirley and Dan and Jackie... We REALLY appreciate! Same time next year? (Just kidding... well maybe a little) No really, Thank you ALL SO MUCH! We love you so much!

We stopped in Baton Rouge for another cup of Community Coffee which I have now learned to love just as much if not MORE than Starbucks! That coffee is really good. If you are ever in Baton Rouge, stop and get some... It is AWESOME!

Oddly enough, our first meal off of the boat was WAIT FOR IT... Taco Bell! EWWWWW... I know, I know! Gross! But convenience played a MAJOR role at this point of the game. We had not seen our babies for 10 days and we just wanted to get home!

Somewhere around Beaumont we heard a small noise and was not sure what it was. Sure enough, when we got home to Conroe we noticed my tire was nearly completely flat. We took it to the gas station to air it up and then immediately to Firestone Tires to fix it. Luckily, this was close to our subdivision so Dan came and picked us up so we could see the kiddos! (I was about on Pins and Needles at this point... Thanks Dan for coming or I would have lost it)

We got to Dan and Jackie's house and there they were ALL GROWN UP! I swear they each grew 2-3 inches in those short 10 days. Natalie ran and gave us hugs and started to tell us all about her week while poor Luke looked at us funny and then ran towards Gigi Jackie. This broke my heart a bit but I figured this would happen! We were able to pick up the car later that evening and come to find out we ran over a nail and had to get it replaced, bummer, but at least it is fixed and it happened close to home and AFTER the cruise instead of BEFORE! Count your blessings!

I don't think Luke liked his Island hat...

Natalie liked her Hello Kitty Marshmallow Pop

Natalie and Luke with all their Souvenirs from The Caribbean

Natalie liked the Island Hat... Imagine That!

These were on my counter waiting for me when we got home from the kids (And Gigi Jackie)
This was the SWEETEST thing and I will NEVER forget it! Thank you!

It was a WONDERFUL trip and we could not be more grateful to our parents for keeping our kids and for God The Almighty for allowing us to be able to take such a wonderful trip! Thank You, Lord! It was truly amazing!

God is good... ALL THE TIME!

Fun in the Sun 2013- Sea Day #3

Saturday, August 3, 2013

The Voyage of the "Mighty Mississippi"

 "Take a deep breath and relax. This all ENDS tomorrow." This was a caption flashing across the TV screen in our stateroom as we got ready to face the last day on the ship. We knew that we wanted to do as much as we could on the boat today but still be able to rest and relax... Besides, we turn back into FULL TIME parents when we get home tomorrow!

We started the day off with breakfast on the Lido Deck where Chris had his usual omelet and I went for the wonderful Breakfast Tacos at Blue Iguana Cantina (If you have been following our blog, you know I really LOVED these things!) We knew that today was the last day we would be able to play in the casino and we also knew that once we got into the Mississippi River waters the casino would close and since we didn't know when this would be we decided to go ahead and play a little before it got crowded and busy. Since it was before 9am, we even got to play on the $3 minimum table! Yay for low bets! It was at this casino session that Chris earned back all of his losses as well as additional cash. I too was in the "black" as they say and this helped pay of our "Sail and Sign" account and charges throughout the week.

The rest of the morning we spent walking around, relaxing and taking it all in. I went to "The Fun Shops" and did a little souvenir shopping for my babies while Chris played 70s Music Trivia before Brunch. We then went and had one last wonderful brunch in the Punchliner Comedy Club. Chris said his Filet Mignon Steak and Eggs were amazing!

After Brunch we went to the Q&A session with our Cruise Director, Cory Rogers. This was awesome because he spent a lot of time answering questions about everyday life on the boat. Chris and I learned A LOT from this short 1+ hour discussion but our favorites were:

1. The ship's 2 largest revenue streams were the bar and the casino (Kind of a "Duh" thing but interesting considering that you can eat AS MUCH AS YOU WANT)
2. Most ship employees are on contract for 6 months on the boat and then 2 months off.
3. Any unused food they use a very large Grinding Mill to process it and then they shoot it out the back of the ship at specific locations. It is pretty much FISH FOOD. I thought this was awesome and explains why we would look out our balcony and see SCHOOLS OF FISH!
4. They have an entire 1/2 floor of FREEZERS and they keep 2 weeks worth of food. This led me to question the outcome of the whole Triumph incidence. Our Cruise Director basically said that the media BLEW THIS WAY OUT OF PROPORTION but I am still a little skeptical. I have a friend from High School who was on the boat so I will have to ask her sometime.
5. The employees ARE allowed to fraternize with EACH OTHER but never with guests.
6. Because of the Currency Exchange Rate most of the employees from The Middle East, like India and the Philippines, make so much money they drive Rolls Royce when back at home. Of course, one of the Assistant Directors from Ireland said he looses money.

After this Q&A session we went to the Chocolate Extravaganza Buffet. I am not a chocolate lover, AT ALL, but these desserts were amazing. I thought this buffet would be at midnight but a mid-afternoon snack really hit the spot.

We decided that we better go ahead and use our Match Play given to us by the casino so we played Roulette. We had $25 in Match Play coupons and we made $25 so that was pretty cool. After we did this we went and cashed in all of our casino chips and tickets and went and paid off our account. All in all we made close to $300 and this cut our bill in half! We were pretty thrilled.

What cruise wouldn't be complete without... HARRY POTTER TRIVIA! Wait, that sounds weird doesn't it! But Chris had already been a star of the Star Wars Trivia so we decided to play along. Us and about 100 other TEENAGERS! It was pretty lame but kind of cool at the same time! All in all I answered 8/29 questions (I am ashamed... I should not know that many!) and Chris answered 26/29! We did not get a trophy for this one because there were TONS of Harry Potter Nerds in attendance. This one girl knew 15 spells by name... WOW!

We left the Harry Potter Trivia and went and got A Pineapple Paradise on the Lido Deck. This was so cool because it was served right out of the Pineapple! It was really cool! This led to naps and relaxation on our balcony before we had to pack our luggage and get ready for dinner.

Chris' first one had a hole in it and we had to hold our fingers on it until they could carve out another one... It was pretty funny!

 I enjoyed my Pineapple Paradise

So did Chris... after he got one without a hole!  

During the afternoon we were able to see a FULL RAINBOW. We didn't even know it had rained but we looked out our balcony and saw an entire Rainbow. I have never seen a Rainbow START TO FINISH! This was so neat to see yet another proof of God and HIS creations and promises. This turned out to be a trip based around God and His Awesomeness and Creations. This experience was priceless!

My camera would not allow me to capture it all.. but it was there and it was AWESOME!

After packing all of our luggage and leaving outside our door, we headed off to dinner for the last night of Prime Rib. Once again, Chris got his money's worth (And mine) at dinner. It was here that we were able to see the last dance and performance by the waiters and even listen to a song they wrote for us! It was special and made me cry a little... I really LOVE CRUISING! I miss my babies but I don't want to leave!

One last Balcony shot before dinner... We love cruising on a Balcony!

We finished the night on our balcony watching the entrance to the mouth of the Mississippi River. We entered at about 9pm. This was cool because you could actually see the seawall as we entered. Of course there were TONS of oil rigs but you could see land as well. We even saw a "Pilot House" where the Pilots stay as they bring ships into the River! This was really cool to actually see the transition from ocean to Mississippi!

This was the first sight of our "pilot" who would lead us all the way to New Orleans. This was at 9pm and we were not scheduled to arrive in New Orleans until 5am. Hard to believe we spent that much time on the River.

Hard to see in the picture but this was the Pilot House we saw!

You can see the Seawall in this picture and land which we think is Pilot-town, LA

Another look at the Mississippi River and the Seawall... Notice the "Ugliness" of the water, Yeah we are back in the Mississippi! Gross!

Sea Day #3 was awesome and we had a great time "livin it up" and relaxing before having to go back to the REAL WORLD tomorrow! Thank You, Lord, once again for this amazing trip and opportunity you have given us!

God is good... ALL THE TIME!

Fun in the Sun 2013- Cozumel, Mexico

Friday, August 2, 2013 

"The Mayan Conquerors" 

After an amazing 2 days of snorkeling and relaxing in Roatan and Belize, today is the day of physical stress... "The Amazing Cozumel Race". Today we are planning on running this Race that is supposed to be just like the actual CBS show The Amazing Race where teams travel around the world completing clues in a massive scavenger hunt. We knew we will never be able to get on the TV show which we watch every season and LOVE so we decided this was the best way to experience it! (We are going to post a separate blog with the actual clues and stuff much later but this is the main idea)...

At the starting line...

The Race didn't start until 10:30 but we decided to get off the ship and explore the Tourist area at 9:30. We looked around and browsed some of the shops before we decided to take it easy and rest before the Race started. We went into Fat Tuesday and found they had Free Wifi... this allowed us to mass delete the 100+ emails from the week and even leave a message for our kids on Facebook.

 Chris and I outside Fat Tuesday in Cozumel

Cozumel Tourist Village near the Cruise Terminal

Outside THREE AMIGOS and we are READY to Race!


The time had come and we made our way to the designated holding area for the race near the end of the docking pier at Three Amigos Restaurant. It was here that we received our map and other Race supplies and clues as well as decided our team name of "The Mayan Conquerors".

 A BEFORE PICUTURE!

We traveled by taxi with other teams to the actual starting point of the Race inside Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Restaurant on the beach of Cozumel island. They gave us our first clue and we were off.

A picture of the "Flag" we would be searching for within all of our clues... A "marker" if you will.

Once we figured out the first clue we had close to a mile to run/ jog to get to the next clue and you were allowed to take a taxi... yeah that was hard! There were about 6 other clues and "Detours" before arriving at the finish line.

You may not be able to tell by this photo but I was tearing up... From relief and excitement!
This was an amazing experience! Life changing!

All in all we traveled over 4 miles BY FOOT down the streets of Cozumel in open markets and run down streets. It was JUST LIKE THE SHOW! We came in 6th out of 16 teams and completed the race in 1 hour 50 minutes. The guides of the Race said that "The Winners Circle" (1st-3rd place finishes) times are usually 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 40 minutes but this set of teams was a little faster than usual. Being the two larger people that we are, I was happy with a 6/16 finish! But let me tell you... the Amazing Race would never work for me! Not because I am fat but because I AM WHITE! There was no time to re-apply sunscreen, and we were only racing for a T-Shirt NOT A MILLION DOLLARS! It was crazy and I got a mild sunburn! It was about 98* and the humidity was as bad if not worse then Houston! It was hard... BUT WE FINISHED and we weren't last AND we even beat a team from OSU! So all in all... I FEEL LIKE A WINNER!

BOOMER SOONER BABY!

The AFTER picture...
After crossing the Finish Line we got to eat and relax at the Final Pit Stop "Mama Linda's Restaurant". We were so hot we barely ate anything!

Time to get back on the boat...

After the Race we went and purchased our standard souvenirs and then boarded the Ship. We were docked right beside The Carnival Magic that sailed out of Galveston and that massive thing made our 110,000 ton ship look like a CANOE! Wow, that boat was huge. We spent the majority of the remaining time before we left Cozumel just looking out our Balcony at The Carnival Magic! It was pretty cool. There was also Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas docked nearby at the Cozumel Cruise Terminal. This was a mammoth of a ship that had a hollowed aft section with INSIDE BALCONIES... It was wicked! I felt like I wanted to get off shore and just do a shore excursion tour of THAT Ship! Haha... forget the beach, I want to tour that Ship! It was so cool!

Our ship, The Conquest is on the right, and The Magic is on the left!
Their lifeboats are 4 times the size of ours!

We set sail toward New Orleans at 5pm that evening and the reminder that life as we know it was returning to us FAST! We enjoyed one of our last dinners and then spent the rest of the evening in the hot tub and pool! It was a great way to relax and enjoy this last part of our cruise. When we arrived back in our room we noticed it was really hot so we called and a technician came in and found that our room was 75* inside so we were sent a fan! Yeah... that didn't really help! The last 2 nights neither Chris nor I got great nights' sleep but at least we were still in the beautiful Caribbean!

Running this Race with Chris and being able to see parts of Cozumel that the average person never gets to see was AMAZING! I guess that is why they call it "THE AMAZING COZUMEL RACE"! It was awesome and although we were both DEAD TIRED it was one of the best times of our lives! Thank You, Lord for this experience!

God is Good... ALL the TIME!

Fun in the Sun 2013- Belize

Thursday, August 1, 2013

20,000 Microns Under the Sea- The Great Western Barrier Reef  

It is another bright and early morning in the Caribbean and Chris and I are ecstatic about being able to snorkel around one of the biggest and best Barrier Reef in the world. In fact, The Great Western Barrier Reef is the 2nd largest reef in the world behind The Great Barrier Reef in Australia.

We started by waiting in the Main Lounge for the tender since the ship could not dock in Belize City because of the reef itself. We arrived about 30 minutes prior to our scheduled tender time just in case and we ended up having to wait for about 45 minutes before our private tender arrive to take us out to the Barrier Reef.

Chris and I waiting for our private tender.

Once we boarded the small catamaran we were greeted by locals and given all of our snorkel gear and a briefing about the entire shore excursion. It was a 10 mile, 40 minute commute from where our ship anchored to the snorkel sight at the Western Barrier Reef. During this time Chris and I rode at the front of the catamaran just taking in all of the amazing and breath-taking sights of Belize and its water surroundings. We also took this time to secure our snorkel gear and of course, put on LOTS and LOTS of sunscreen. When we arrived at the snorkel site, the captain of the catamaran gave us one last briefing before we jumped in.

Waiting to get to The Western Barrier Reef via catamaran.

All of my snorkel gear is tight and ready to go...

I was a little freaked out at first and had 2nd (and 3rd) thoughts about this process but the push and support of my husband helped me take the plunge. I am so glad I did... It was stunning and beautiful. We were able to snorkel in the MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN with tons of fish and coral for close to an hour before having to board the ship again. I saw some very interesting schools of fish as well as a remarkable coral reef. Chris was able to spot a Sea Urchin. Chris and I stayed close to each other to point out things and it was interesting and fun to share this adventure together.

This coral was beautiful with the shades of purple. I kept swimming back to this spot to just "float" in awe!

 Another piece of coral that looks like it could be in movies!

If you look closely you can see some beautiful fish towards the ocean floor.

Another shot of the area around the beautiful purple coral.

These fish were gorgeous... They could have been in "Finding Nemo"

This was an area of the Barrier Reef that Chris captured!

It is amazing to see so many DIFFERENT types of coral and creatures.
Again, God is so amazing and I am in AWE of his creations!

Towards the edge you can see a school of fish!

Chris and I had a BLAST snorkeling and we cannot wait to do it again... BUT WHERE?!


After finishing our snorkeling, we headed to a VERY SECLUDED and PRIVATE beach on a small island out in the middle of NOWHERE. It was called Bannister Caye and it was the MOST BEAUTIFUL BEACH I HAVE EVER SEEN! It looked as if it came straight out of a movie or postcard. It had about 6 Palm leaves covered huts, a restaurant/ bar, showers and a very small gift shop. While making the 4 mile trip from the Reef to the beach we even saw some dolphins jumping alongside our catamaran.

A house we saw on our way to Banister Caye and our private beach.

While on the beach Chris and I found a live Starfish and Conch Shell. The beach was gorgeous but after about 10 feet it almost immediately dropped off and the current was very strong this day. It was funny to see everyone from our boat experience this drop off and current. After relaxing on the beach for a little while, Chris and I ordered local Chips and Salsa and spent the remaining time relaxing in our private hut! It was the time of my life and I want to go back there AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! I cannot even begin to describe our amazing this experience was. I am so glad I got to share it with the LOVE OF MY LIFE! Absolutely incredible!

These creatures were so neat and this one in a lifetime opportunity was priceless.

Chris found this Conch Shell too.

One of the absolute best days and experiences since we have been married! AMAZING!


Unfortunately, our time at the beach was up and we had to head back towards the ship. During this trip back to the Conquest our small catamaran turned into a party with lots of singing and dancing. This was awesome because it was something that Chris and I would NEVER do in real life or everyday life and it was nice to just relax and once again enjoy each other. We had a blast on this shore excursion and is now at the top of my destination and shore excursion list. I would recommend this to anyone and EVERYONE traveling to Belize!

The Carnival Conquest anchored several miles off the coast of Belize City

Enjoying the boat ride back to our Ship...

After another 30 minute boat ride, we made it back to our Home away from Home!
Isn't she a BEAUTY!


Once we got back on the Conquest, we got cleaned up and then went and ate at Blue Iguana and Guy's Burger Joint. After lunch we went into our Stateroom and played along with the Afternoon Show of Star Wars! Chris, The Woodsmen, got on TV and was once again the star of the show! As if his head needed to be any bigger! We then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and napping in our stateroom before the 2nd Formal Night of the cruise.

2nd Formal Night on the Cruise

2nd Formal Night on the Cruise


We went to the early show of PLAYLIST PRODUCTIONS "Latin Nights" and then went to a late and romantic dinner. The previous nights on the cruise we ate first then did the show but this reversal of events proved to be more romantic and we loved it. After our dinner we took a few quick pictures then went back to the late show conclusion to meet and dance with the stars of the show. Chris and I had a blast Latin and salsa dancing with the cast on the dance floor but WOW... we cannot dance! It was funny... Hilarious actually! You know the saying "White people cant dance"... yeah, we are not only white but we are BAPTIST! It was awful... We are SO BAD!

Dancing with the Cast of "Latin Nights"... Anyone want to teach us how to dance?


We wanted to go to this event called "The Quest" hosted by our Cruise Director but it was at 11:45 so we had to kill some time in the casino :) We ended the day in the black which was good and for the first time of the cruise we were making profits for the trip! We made our way to the comedy club and while waiting for "The Quest" to begin we watched Super Star Karaoke which is basically Karaoke with a LIVE band! I had just about picked a song when it got cut off to begin "The Quest"... real bummer!

"The Quest" was basically a Let's Make a Deal style of scavenger hunt. The Cruise Director would call out an item, such as a camera, and someone on your team would take it to him to get points added to their score. It started out fun and clean but it took a turn for the worse... It was not something I was proud of being at and ended up leaving!

Overall, this was an AMAZING day and Belize is now at the top of my favorite places I have ever visited and the Barrier Reef snorkeling is my favorite shore excursion by far at this point.

Again, I challenge ANY atheist or Non-Believer to go to this snorkel sight and argue God doesn't exist.... I dare you! It is impossible! This was the most awe inspiring sight I have seen in my near 31 years of life! Thank You, Lord for not only allow me to witness these things but for CREATING these things! You are an AMAZING God! Thank You!

God is good... ALL THE TIME!