We're on vacation, AGAIN!

I feel like it was just a month ago that I wrote almost the same blog.  Oh, wait...it was only a month ago. LOL!  In that blog, I said,  "Don't hate me!"  I still mean that.

Later this afternoon we will drive to Melbourne, FL to have dinner in a restaurant recommended by Florida Travel and Life magazine called Grill's Riverside.  It is on the Indian River with beautiful marinas and docks to stroll around.  It will be dark when we get there after Shabbat, so we are hoping it's still pretty to walk around at night.  It sounds like it might look a little like downtown Annapolis, which is always pretty at night.  I'll let you know.

After dinner, we will check into the Country Inn and Suites near the ships in Port Canaveral. It's the closest hotel to the docks and provides free shuttle service to the ship as well as free parking at the hotel for your car.  Throw in free breakfast and it's a deal that can't be beat. 

Sunday morning we are boarding the Disney Dream for four nights of magic, visiting Nassau and Castaway Cay.  In December, Mark was in a fetal position in the bed, after vomiting all night, while we were in Nassau, so we lost our shore excursion to Atlantis.  We booked essentially the same shore excursion again, a guided tour of everything over there.  Finally, on our fifth trip to Nassau, we are going to Atlantis!  (cross your fingers, knock on wood)  The only other stop is Disney's own island, Castaway Cay.  This is our third time to the cay, but it's the first time without one or both of our kids.  This time we plan to go straight to the adults only section and just relax all day on a chaise, read, swim, drink something with an umbrella in it, and chill out!  When we get off the ship on Thursday, we are extending our vacation by visiting the Brevard Zoo before driving home. 

The two stops are basically just interrupting Mark's fun!  For him, it's ALL about being on the ship.  He wants to do these things:
1. ride the Aquaduck, the big water flume that goes out over the ocean;
2. view all the Enchanted Art, art work around the ship that senses you are looking at it and then starts animating itself;
3. play the Interactive Detective Adventure Game that goes along with the interactive art and sounds a little like the Sorcerer's of Magic Kingdom game;
4. enjoy the Magical Porthole, "portholes" in the inside cabins that not only have a live video feed of outside the ship but also have animated characters swimming by waving at you periodically;
5. book unlimited use of the Rain Forest room, sometimes called Persian Gardens on other ships;
6. check out all the Adults Only bars;
7. eat at Remy's, the exclusive specialty, adults only restaurant on the last night;
8. dress up like a pirate for the Pirates in the Caribbean Deck party on the night we leave Castaway Cay;
9. watch the FIREWORKS on one of only two cruise lines (Norwegian just added it last week) that shoot off live fireworks as part of the Pirate party night;
10. play mini-golf on the Sports Deck, a special course designed by Goofy and his son Max.

These ten things don't even include the four nights of big shows, Disney movies in the theater, or any of the other many fun activities we will discover in the daily Navigator placed in our stateroom each night.  I don't think we can get it all done in four days!

As for my weight, I am boarding this ship UP a pound from when I LEFT the last cruise. Obviously, that is NOT what I should have done.  I got on the Carnival Valor at 261 and off at 263.5, feeling pretty good that I only gained two and a half pounds. I proceeded to lose them very quickly, too, but weight is tricky. It can find you again.  This morning I weighed 264.4.  There's just nothing to be said about this that hasn't already been said. I'm out of control; I've been out of control for two years!  I actually dreamed last night that my giant hernia popped out of my belly and that I had to have that surgery again, but I wouldn't go to the doctor because I knew he would tell me I was too fat to have the surgery.  Geez, actually been there, done that.  So sad.

OKAY!  Enough whining now. I'm on vacation and have lots to do today to get ready. I have to paint my own nails because my appointment last week was  cancelled when my technician got sick; I have laundry to put away; I have packing to do; and we have some TV to watch before heading out at 4 p.m.

Here are a few pictures of the Dream that I took in Nassau from the deck of the Carnival Valor.  A preview of things to come!  I am taking my camera (DUH!) and will take many, many pictures in four days.  LOL!  I will not upload them until Friday when we get back because we don't want to buy that many internet minutes.  There will not be a blog until Friday either unless Mark gives me some minutes!  LOL!  He might.  I put out some short blogs on the Valor, so stranger things have happened.

I hope you all have as great a week as I plan to have.  Bon Voyage to ME and MARK!

After being up all night vomiting and then going to the doctor in the morning, we came out on deck and found the Disney Dream docked next to us in Nassau.  It was the BEST he felt all day, just sitting and staring at the ship.