Thursday, December 27, 2018

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2008. Mattie's kindergarten art teacher designed this special wreath for him. What you can't see was that on each green leaf there was a message written from classmates of Mattie's. For year's this wreath hung on the back of our front door. It was a visual reminder of all the people behind Mattie and us. It was a horrific time and at the same time, we got to see the inner beauty of people. People who did not really know Mattie or us, and yet went to great lengths to make our quality of life better. 




Quote of the day: My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. ~ Bob Hope


We are safely back to the USA. We landed at the port of Fort Lauderdale at 7am. I have to say that being back in the the States is a wonderful feeling, especially when you are not feeling well. As soon as we got off the ship, I called my doctor and also went to the nearest CVS. Luxuries that I take for granted on a daily basis. 

I would have to say this has been the rainiest Caribbean cruise we were ever on, and currently it is pouring in Fort Lauderdale. We just can't seem to escape the rain! Though back on land, it takes me days to acclimate to being on solid ground as my entire body still feels like it is floating like a cork in the ocean. For people who get seasick/motion sick like me, you know what I mean when I say I need to continue to take dramamine for five days on land, until I get the ship's motion completely out of my body! 

While I am writing this blog, I could hear our ship's horn blowing in the distance, alerting me to the fact that new passengers are now on board, and the ship is leaving. It is quite a reality to know that every day of the year, someone is on a cruise. In fact, there were two passengers on our ship, that practically lived on a Princess Cruise for 8 years! Not sure how they managed that in all reality, because the confines of the ship get to me after a few days. 

What always fascinates me about cruising is the crew itself! It is a floating United Nations, as practically every Country in the world is represented in the crew. I always find it interesting to hear about the lives of the crew and why they chose to work on a cruise ship. I heard countless times on this trip that the income that can be earned on a ship is 12 TIMES more than if the person worked in their own country. Though we deem what they do to be hard work, and it is, the crew is very happy for the work. As it provides for their families and after their six months contracts, they can return home for three months of vacation at a time. 

If you have ever been on a cruise, then you know that the service on the ship is amazing. Every one is there to make your experience as pleasant as possible. It is a level of service that unfortunately we no longer see in our US service industry. In a way cruising is like going to Disneyland for adults.

The highlight of our cruise was our afternoons in the ship's sanctuary. This is a private space on the ship, where you are assigned a deck chair. The space is quiet, no children are allowed, and there are no outdoor movies and loud music playing. It is simply peaceful, where you can see and hear the ocean. In addition, at 3pm each day, they serve high tea with fresh scones, cookies, sandwiches and pastry. If only 3pm everyday could look like a sanctuary day!

I took a photo of my parents everyday in the Sanctuary. My dad was sleeping and my mom was enjoying a scone! I think the scones with clotted cream and fresh jam were one of her afternoon favorites! 

The last night of every cruise, Princess Cruises does a presentation of a baked alaska. Which is an ice cream cake treat. They shut the lights in the restaurant, and then literally you see a parade of baked alaskas being carried by waiters walking around the restaurant to music.

Pictured in the front row, from left to right: my dad, Veronica (our assistant waiter) and me

Pictured in the back row, from left to right:

Nelson (head waiter), Peter, Remus (waiter), and my mom

Remus and Veronica were a dynamic duo and really tried hard to cater to all our needs. Remus is from the Philippines and Veronica is from Peru. 

We had a very rocky night at sea, and between that and being congested, it has made sleeping very difficult! 

This morning, Peter went up to the top deck and snapped some photos of Fort Lauderdale harbor. 

This would have been a sight Mattie would have loved to see. He was a big fan of draw bridges. So this photo is for Mattie. 

The above photo of the bridge was taken from the ship. Once we were on land, we experienced another side of the draw bridge! 

This afternoon we went for a walk and along our journey we came across this wonderful 1957 Bel Air, all decorated for Christmas. Another Mattie favorite!