Day 1: Leaving Charleston
The cruise left out of Charleston, a little over 4.5 hours from Kernersville, and our boarding time was between 1:30PM and 2PM. My mom picked us up around 7AM to head over to the Houstons where Emmy would be staying with Zander and Maddox for Grammy Camp. After arriving to Charleston, it was a very easy loading process onto our boat, the Carnival Sunshine. Sarah, Josh, Megan, Zack, Boomer, and I headed straight to the food and familiarized ourselves with all of the ship's dining options: made-to-order tacos, deli sandwiches, pizza, a hot buffet, numerous desserts and frozen yogurt. Not long after that, we departed from Charleston and had the mandatory safety drill - and then it was time to eat again! Each night, we had the early dinner sitting at 6PM, and on that first night I ordered the Charleston special of sweet and spicy shrimp. The evening ended with the Welcome Aboard Show in the main theater. We were all excited for the start of vacation...but also a little tired from our travels, so we made a plan for the next day before saying goodnight around 11PM.
Day 2: A Day at Sea
Friday was a day at sea as we made our way to the Bahamas. We started our morning with a workout in the ship's fitness center and then a buffet breakfast on the Lido deck. We found some lounge chairs together on the upper deck and made a home base for the rest of the day. The Williamses and the two Bakewell girls stayed out in the sun most of the day, alternating between the pools and sun bathing. Zack and Boomer opted for cooler options in shadier parts of the boat. I managed to snap a photo with Boomer during the few minutes that he joined us on the sun deck. Since there is no hiding my baby bump in a bikini, it was a good opportunity to document Baby Kennedy #2 at 18 weeks. You'll also notice that I am sporting two black armbands. Because I am pregnant, I did not want to risk taking any of the oral medicine that the others took for sea sickness, so my dad found a natural option that uses pressure points in the wrist instead. Luckily none of us got sick...but unfortunately I am the only one that came home with interesting hand-cuff tan lines!
That night was the formal evening, and we all put on our best attire for dinner. I ordered the prime rib, and it was delicious. I wish I could remember the appetizers and desserts I ordered each night - sometimes I even ordered multiple of each! We watched some stand-up comedy before the 9:30PM show, which was a 70s theme. We hung out in the atrium afterwards for more music and singing.
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| Baby Kennedy #2 - 18 weeks |
Day 3: Nassau, Bahamas
After a full day of blue ocean, it was strange to see land as we ate breakfast on Saturday morning. We debarked the ship around 10AM and briefly explored downtown Nassau. Then we took a water taxi over to Paradise Island to see the Atlantis Resort. We walked through the marina village and the casino, to which I made a $20 donation. We also found the public beach and put our feet in the Bahamian ocean. After a couple of hours on Paradise Island and even fitting in a Facetime call back home, we made our way back to our ship for a late lunch. Shortly after, around 5PM we departed Nassau to start the journey back to the US. At dinner that evening, I tried the Bahamian special, Junkanoo Pot, a savory rice dish with chicken, shrimp, scallops, and calamari. I also tried the featured appetizer of braised rabbit. I've certainly come a long way from the chicken-tender kid that I was growing up! After dinner, we went to one of the bars for Karaoke. Josh and Megan were the only brave souls in our group, and they sang "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister. The evening show was the "Love & Marriage" game with three couples from the audience. It was entertaining for sure!
Sunday was much like Friday with another day at sea. We got out to the deck a little earlier than the first day, so we were able to snag prime seats near a waterfall pool. It was nice to be so close to water when we wanted to cool off. Boomer and I had lunch overlooking the very back of the ship: Boomer - a burger from Guy Fieri's Burger Joint, and for me - made-to-order pasta with a Ceasar salad. It was a beautiful afternoon, and we enjoyed several hours outside chatting, reading, and lounging. That evening was our final night for dinner, and I was adventurous once again, the only one at our table to order the ox tongue! I also ordered the beef tenderloin and the melting chocolate cake. The show was my favorite of the cruise, a 80s theme with songs like Livin' on a Prayer and Sweet Child O' Mine. The performers were phenomenal each night. Around 11PM before going to our room, Boomer and I hit up the 24-hr pizza bar one last time.
Day 5: Returning Home
We woke up this morning back in Charleston and made the drive home to our little ones. Since there were international charges for WiFi on the cruise ship, we had not had any communication with them aside from the short Facetime call when we were in the Bahamas. It was so sweet to see theses photos from Grammy and Grandpa! Not only were the kids fed, bathed, and alive when we got home, Grammy had planned all sorts of adventures: swinging at the neighborhood park, baseball slip 'n' slide in the backyard, riding bikes at the elementary school, and an outing to the Science Center. I'm not sure they missed Mommy and Daddy at all! Since today was also Megan's 36th birthday, we had dinner at Fire & Sticks and continued catching up together. Happy birthday, Meg! And a big "THANK YOU" to Grammy and Grandpa for the opportunity to enjoy a kid-free vacation. It is certainly fun to have the time away, but it is also good to be home! Tomorrow Daddy has to return to work, but we will continue the summer adventures of Mommy and Emmy!
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