Adventure's with Terry: April 2013

November 27, 2012

Fair warning this is LONG! Hope you enjoy....Our big adventure was under way! Our bags were packed & already in the suburban along with my scooter! Now we just needed Richard, Christina & Julia to arrive! I had our passports & boarding pass...es in my purse and kept running through my list in my brain…certain that yep we had everything! Before long the kids were here and we were ready to go. We all made one more pit stop, piled in the car, Louie started the car and it went aurum…aurum that dreaded sound when you have no idea if it’s going to start. We all held our breath and…it started! We were off for our adventure of our first cruise! Richard gave us this cruise as our 40th Anniversary gift. How nice was that? My stomach was doing flip flops from nervous anticipation! As Louie was driving we were all chatting, Richard giving directions from the back seat, before long we were taking the exit and I could see the boat. All I could think was this is one Big Boat! The Carnival Pride was sitting right there just waiting for us to board! We got in line to park and our bags were taken from the car by the luggage handlers, we parked and unloaded our carryon bags. I got on the scooter and we head to the check in building. Holy cow there were lots of folks going on this cruise. A man met us at the door and directed me to the right and everyone else to the left. I had a feeling of fear sweep over me, my eyes got big & watery then the man said is anyone in your cabin with you? I said my husband so thank goodness Louie got to go with me. We went straight to the area where Homeland Security would scan us & our carryon bags. We were separated. Louie went through a metal detector while I was taken to a roped off area & was patted down. I lost my balance when the lady took my canes away & almost fell. Well before you could say Jack Robin another lady was by my side telling the first lady she should have patted me down while I was sitting on my scooter. Much to my relief I passed the pat down test! We proceeded to where we’d get our room key. While waiting I caught a glimpse of Richard and I felt better. Thank goodness he’s tall! A super nice lady took care of getting us our room keys. I told her this was our first cruise and that it was a gift from our son for our 40th Anniversary & that I was just a little nervous. She told us what a wonderful time we’d have & asked where I was from. I told her I’d lived right here in Maryland my whole life. She said it must be southern MD. I said Prince George’s County, why? She said because you have a charming southern accent. That was right nice to hear but I told I didn’t think I had an accent & she said you sure do. I asked her where she was from & she said Carroll County. Sure is nice to meet nice folks! From there we were taken to have our picture taken, then we walked (well technically I was riding) the plank which was a ramp that went up & turned & up till we got onboard. I expected to hear “Welcome Aboard” or “Enjoy your cruise” but we didn’t get so much as a “How do you do”. There were so many people on this ship! I was trying to take it all in. We waited for Richard, Christina & Julia to board. Once we were united we went to find our cabins. Now this was a very nice surprise! I’d heard how small it would be but we had a nice cabin with a king size bed and a huge bathroom. We also had a balcony which joined Richard’s so we could go from cabin to cabin without going in the hall! Then we decided to go find something to eat. Well now everyone must have had the same idea cause Oh My Goodness I never saw so many folks all in one place. Even Disney World & New York City wasn’t this crowded! By the way I was a bit disappointed in the food. I don’t mean to complain cause I know this cruise cost the kids lots of money but I have to be honest. It did make me feel better when Christina & Richard expressed the same feelings about the food. Their view was based on how great the food had been on their prior cruise. Everyone said you’ll gain 15 lbs. on a weeklong cruise. Well now, I’ll be surprised if I gain any weight. I’ll let y’all know. After eating we checked out the pools & deck. It was some kind of windy & cold up on deck. I sure wish I’d brought my winter coat. As the ship started to pull away from the pier it was actually going sideways! I was surprised & saddened at all of the debris in the water. I guess the debris & logs were from Sandy. Once we’d turned we started moving before long we were out of the harbor & in the bay moving toward the Key Bridge. It was amazing to be on the top of the ship as we under the bridge. I swear to Pete I thought we were going to hit it! I recon we clear it by about a foot. That was really cool! We headed to the cabin because I was freezing! Our bags were there so I proceeded to unpack us. Before long we were coming up on the Bay Bridge so we stood out on the balcony in the dark could see all of the lights on the bridge. Then we watched as we passed under the bridge…pretty cool! Not too long after that Richard came in the cabin with a big smile on his face and said Mom the casino is open…do you want to go? Well now some of y’all know I absolutely love to play the slot machines! So my answer to Richard was let’s go! As we entered the Casino I took my time and waited for just the right machine and I found it! I sat my butt down and didn’t even notice what Louie & Richard were doing or for that matter where they were! I was in Hog Heaven playing my machine! I was up I was down and by the end of the night I was up $100.00 on a penny machine! Woohoo!!! When we went to the cabin & got into bed the bed felt like it was moving but not in an unpleasant way it kind of rocked me to sleep!

Day 2 My adventure began with me in twilight, you know somewhere between dreaming & waking. I heard a noise and it dawned on me that someone was knocking on the door…really the door? I reached for Louie saying Hymie it’s Room Service. But he wasn’t in the bed! I managed to get my robe on and answer the door. Once the tray was placed & the nice fellow was tipped I tried to remember why I thought it... was a good idea to order room service for 6:30 am??? Oh now it’s coming to me…I wanted to sit out on the balcony with Louie watching the sun rise while sipping the nectar of the gods…a nice hot cup of fresh coffee! About the time I was trying to pour the coffee while swaying back & forth with the boat it dawned on me that Louie wasn’t in the bathroom. Panic set in as the thought of all the horrible times you hear about folks disappearing from cruise ships. I told myself to calm down and opened the balcony door expecting to see him on the balcony. Well he wasn’t there I couldn’t believe the wind. It was cold and strong enough to blow me down into the chair. I thought what the hay and took a sip of coffee…you see my brain works much better after coffee…well that sip came close to being spit right out! It was a crime to call this nasty stuff coffee…Oh my goodness…no husband…crap for coffee…mega wind…think Terry think…at that moment I thought if this is the best they can do for coffee it’s going to be a long week. I make my way to the door, fight the door trying to open it against the wind and thank goodness I get it open wedge my cane to hold it open carefully step up over the sill and end up safely inside. As I sit the cup down my thoughts are…should I wake Richard & tell him his Dad’s missing? Should I call the Captain and tell him to hit the alarm? Just then the cabin door opens & in comes Louie smiling with a cup of coffee. He says this coffee is pretty bad Babe, just as I say where were you? He says up on deck watching the sunrise! I say why didn’t you wake me? He said because you were sleeping so soundly and then he kisses me good morning and all of the worry & fear just melt right away. He says do you want to go up for breakfast. I ask should we see if the kids are up & he says they’re on vacation let them sleep. So I go in to brush my teeth and the darn boat just keeps on moving…get dressed & we’re off. Upstairs we find a table by the windows and Louie says do you want coffee? I say no thanks just juice. He returns with my juice & asks if he can get me something to eat. No thank you. As he heads to the food I notice he’s walking a little funny. I sip my juice and look out at the ocean and….all I can think is Mercy! Will this darn boat ever stop rocking. Now I’m hoping that Julia didn’t fall out of her bed with all this rocking. Louie comes back with a big plate of food and he’s digging in…raving about how good the potatoes are. At this point I’m looking down thinking…for the love of God will you just finish so we can go back to the room. Oh he finishes right on cue but he gets up and heads back for Danish! I sit there determined to enjoy my adventure but I have to tell y’all I was some kind happy when he had a full belly! We get back to the room and the very first thing I do is take Dramamine!!! I decide to get a nice hot shower. So I standing in this giant bathroom naked as a Jay bird, pull the shower curtain closed all while trying to keep my balance and not barf and I turn on the water and can’t figure out how to turn on the shower! I call for Louie…he doesn’t answer. I put my robe on…he’s out on the balcony. OK back in the bathroom he shows me how to turn the shower on. Ahhh at last I’m warm! I think I’ll just stay in here a long while! When I finally stepped out of the bathroom I was feeling fresh & clean, the bush woman hair was tamed & looking good…I was ready to go! The room was dark & Louie was in bed! Oh pooh! So I say sweetly, Honey I’m going to explore & see if I can find the kids. He says OK Babe be careful, I’ going to sleep now. So off I go all by myself. I’m on my scooter and make it onto the elevator and go down to deck 2 where the shops are…I thinking if I know Christina they’ll be shopping! Well as I make my way down the hall there are so many people I can hardly move or see. I’m looking in the windows & sure enough I see Christina & Julia! I make my way inside and there are just too many people so I tell the girls I’ll meet them outside. Well along comes Richard & he’s wanting to go to the Casino so I tell the girls I’m gonna go with Richard. He likes to play Roulette so I watch him and he must know what he’s doing or he’s one lucky fellow cause he’s winning! Well “my” machine is occupied so I watch Richard win! Finally a machine opens up and I pull the scooter up, stick my card in and just as I’m about to hit the button…my machine opens up! So I remove my card & get my machine. Well a young lady sits at the machine I almost played…she hits the button the very first time and hits a jack pot for $1,500.00. Why didn’t I hit that button??? So I tell her how happy I am for her. At this point Richard is ready to leave & I’m even with what I put in the machine so he goes to meet the girls & I go back to the cabin to find Louie awake. We head out to the meet the kids. Us girls attend a shopping seminar while the guys do their thing. After we all go to lunch. They have a grill set up & the hamburgers & hotdogs are pretty good. Louie has been raving about the baked potatoes & home fries, oh the kids like the chicken nuggets. They have a salad bar and we eat salad every day. Oh and green beans are made a different way every day. They have activities going on like watching a block of ice craved into a beautiful object or joining in the many games . The wind was still kicking & the boat was still rocking time for more Dramamine…back to the cabin for me. Now in his exploration of the boat Louie made a life saving discovery…he found a coffee bar! So we take off to find the coffee. Mind you this coffee was not free you had to pay for it but I didn’t care it was decent coffee! As I took I thought…Thank you God! Maybe this wouldn’t be such a long week after all! I should tell you the coffee bar was located near the Casino so…somehow or the other Louie & I ended up back in the Casino! I’m sitting at my machine with a decent cup of coffee and by the time we leave I’m up another $100.00! I’m thinking life is good! I am a winner!
One of my favorite times on the cruise was all of us playing cards. I have to tell you Julia is quite the card shark! We laughed & talked & had a wonderful time! By the evening we go to the buffet with the kids and I enjoy hearing about Julia’s day and her take on the cruise so far. She thinks it’s really cool to be sleeping in the hide a bunk bed and absolutely loves the towel animals & chocolates that are left on the bed. Everyone is eating supper and I’m having a hard time just looking at the food. The buffet didn’t do a thing for me and I must admit that could be because the boat was still going up & down & side to side! I took 2 more Dramamine. Louie & I were headed back to the coffee bar and there the Casino was calling my name… while the kids decided to go to the shows. I was in the Casino long when I felt really tired so we went to the cabin and thank goodness I fell to sleep. While I slept Louie, Richard, Christina & Julia did their thing. The boat continued to rock I was just happy it didn’t roll.
Here is where I have to say that these are my memories and it is quite possible that I have these first days of the cruise a little mixed up. Pretty much I was feeling like crap so I may have my days mixed up.

This is the view from our balcony...doesn't show how rough the ocean was.

We found one these cuties every evening along with chocolates!

Ok y'all notice how fantastic this lobster looks? Well this is a picture of what kind of lobster I was expecting to get on the cruise! I was so excited...I could barely wait! But believe me what I got didn't look anything like this picture...

Day 3

The next morning I awoke to find everyone sound asleep. So I got dressed, went out on the balcony, still windy but much to my surprise it seemed a bit warmer…maybe I wouldn’t freeze to death after all. Well I went back in the cabin, got on my scooter and headed for the coffee bar! I drove into the elevator pushed the button for the 3rd floor and away I went. As I backed out of the elevator I realized that I was on the wrong darn floor so back on the elevator and down to the 2^nd floor. I had to pass through the Casino and all was quiet. As I approached the coffee bar I was greeted with “Good Morning Mrs. Mary, regular coffee for you?” How nice was that she remembered me from yesterday! I had a feeling her & I would become friends! I sat right there & enjoyed my coffee. When I thought it was down enough where I could safely drive the scooter without spilling a drop I took off to explore the ship. I headed back through the casino and decided to cash out my $200.00 and I hid it in my pocketbook. I should have left right then & there but… that machine was calling my name….I just couldn’t resist so I put my card in the machine pushed the button and all of a sudden it was making all kind of noise and there were Flaming Sevens all over the screen along with a Triple Pay & a Double Pay on the same line. Holy Cow! I am a winner! I played for a while longer and when I left I was up another $200.00! Now this was a good adventure! Back to the cabin to get Louie and we headed to the buffet again. We met the kids out by the pool and it was nice to sit in the sun and start to feel warm. At last I took off my fleece jacket! Julia said guess what Mimi Terry tonight we are going to the restaurant for dress up dinner and they are having lobster and we get to have a family picture taken! Oh I was some kind of happy! LOBSTER!!! I can’t wait! Louie took me down to the medical room to see if we could get a Dramamine patch but…no such luck. They don’t recommend it. They say it has too many side effects. Umm I wonder if one of them is to make everything taste bad??? We all went back to our cabins to get all dolled up for supper. We met the kids & as we headed to the dining room for supper, we were greeted by our room stewards who knew us all by name. They did such a good job taking care of us and they always made it a point to speak with Julia and find out if she was having a good time. I really liked that. Well we head down to supper, stand in line and notice that they are taking pictures so Louie & I save our place in line while Richard, Christina & Julia get their picture taken. I tell them we’ll get one of all of us after supper. Well we make it into the dining room, we are shown to our table and we order…we soon find out everything in the dining room moves at a snail pace! Our appetizers come and I am so delighted that Christina’s strawberry soup is fantastic and everyone else’s is at least fair. We wait a long time and enjoy each other’s company. I might add that the boat was really rocking too, it was not only going up & down but side to side & oh no this time it was also swaying front to back. I try really hard to ignore it while Julia & I chat about her going to Harry Potter World tomorrow. She promises to get me a chocolate frog! This was it… the main course was coming out! When my plate was uncovered my heart fell when I saw my lobster tail was the size of a jumbo shrimp. Louie, Richard & I immediately order a second one. OK now this is the moment of truth I resist the urge to pick it up with my fingers, so I remember my manners and using my fork & knife I cut a small piece, dip it in luke warm butter and into my mouth it goes. Wait for it…wait for it…oh come on… where is the exquisite taste of lobster? It sure wasn’t in my mouth. I look at Louie & Richard to see if it’s just me and pretty much their lobster was crap too. I look to Christina and her steak was dry & way over cooked and didn’t taste very good. But Julia loved every bite of her fried chicken! We wait a long time for desert but when it comes it’s tasteless too. All of a sudden I get a very bad feeling and know I better get back to the cabin pretty darn quick! As we are leaving the waiter comes after us wanting us to stay for some kind of 40^th Anniversary Surprise but I had to go fast. Oh I felt so bad to ruin the kid’s surprise & not get our family picture taken but I barely made it to the bathroom and fell to my knees…as I was hugging the toilet wishing I’d chewed the lobster more, the darn boat was going full speed ahead with the rocking & rolling, I reached for the button to flush cause the last thing I’d be able to stand would be for a piece of that crappy lobster to slosh up on me. I know it’s grosser than gross but ladies & gents it’s the way it was. After, who the heck knows how long I craw to the bed just as I get settled in come Louie & Richard to see if I can make it to the shows. I beg them to go without me & to have fun. I won’t tell you how many more times I hugged the toilet but, thank the Lord I fell off to sleep in the bed.

Day 4

Hallelujah! This is an amazing morning!!! The sun is shining the wind has died down and it’s warm outside!!! Hot Diggity Dog I’m in tall cotton now! I wonder what fantastic adventures we will have today! Haven’t a clue but I do know that it’s time to visit the coffee bar! Louie goes & gets the coffee while I get dressed & we finally get our morning on the balcony just sitting & soaking up the sunshine! Oh boy I wish I could bottle it up and take it home with us! Yippy I have a signal on the cell phone so I call Wendy & Daddy. Just checking in on them to make sure all is well! Today the kids have their adventure to Harry Potter World. I know they’ll have fun. Louie & I head up to the top deck to take pictures while we pull into Port Canaveral Florida, then down to breakfast. Y’all know what? Once the boat was parked I felt good enough to try some breakfast! Louie decides he’d like to eat breakfast in the dining room. So Louie orders…Belgian Waffles, Home Fries, Eggs Sunny Side Up, and Bacon. I’d say the man was hungry. I order 2 poached eggs on one piece of toast. The waiter brings us our juice, (now y’all know we passed on the coffee) and a delicious croissant. We wait for the rest of our breakfast and we wait and we wait. While waiting Louie filled me in on how fantastic the Musical was…in his words it was “Thong Heaven”. The Magic Show was what he liked the best. He said it was amazing! Oh and the Comedy Show had them all laughing really hard. When the food arrives I am very satisfied with my food however Louie is disappointed at the size of his. For all the food he ordered I figured he’d receive several plates or at the very least a platter however the portions were so small it all fit onto one small plate with room to spare. Right then and there Louie decided to have his breakfast at the buffet from here on. After breakfast we go to the shops. Now that most of the folks on the ship have gone on adventures, it’s not crowded at all! I find the things I want & then we go across the hall to the jewelry store where Louie finds something he’s always wanted a Swiss made watch. He’s thinking it cost too much money. I tell him that I had planned to buy him a watch as a 40^th Anniversary present but just didn’t know which one he wanted. He gets a big smile on his face and gets his watch sized. I get a kiss & a thank you! Life is good! Louie & I go into another shop to look around and he heads back into the jewelry store and sees another salesman showing a man “what he thought was his watch”. Well I don’t know why he thought it was his watch…maybe it was lack of sleep but that’s where his brain went and if you know Louie you know he’s gonna speak up and speak up he did! He asked the salesman what the hell he was doing trying to sell his watch. The salesman had a shocked look on his face and thought he’d done something wrong. Louie said you can’t sell this watch I just bought it! Guess what guys…that wasn’t Louie’s watch…just about then the salesman who’d sold us Louie’s watch brought it out from being sized and said “Here you go sir, your watch is ready”. Well to put it mildly…Louie had egg on his face for sure. He apologized to them profusely. We go out on the deck for sunshine and to let Louie compose himself it is here that he explains to me that he was just nervous about spending so much money on a watch and wanted to make sure they weren’t pulling a fast one on him. One thing is for sure they won’t be forgetting us any time soon. It is here that we meet a very nice couple named Santa & Tony. Isn’t that a cool name for a girl? Well as we chatted with them they share with us how the motion of the ocean has been getting to Santa and I say me too! She says the patch she has behind her ear is the only thing saving her. We explain that I’ve been taking the pills & still getting sick. She says she has an extra patch and will give it to me. God Bless Santa! She is so kind to do this for me! We give them our cabin # and they say they’ll drop it off later. Oh the kindness of strangers! We stop by to visit the coffee bar then head up to the Serenity deck of the ship. In order to get out to the sunshine we must pass through sliding doors. Louie passes through and I follow on my scooter and just as I’m right in the middle the door slams shut on me. It got me pretty good and my good knee bruised right away. Boy did that smart! The worse thing was I spilled my coffee. We proceed out to the deck and look for a spot to relax & soak up as much warmth & sunshine as possible. Louie spies a hammock and decides to try it out. Unfortunately the darn thing flips and throws him on the hard deck. I was shocked & scared but he says he’s alright but he has gotten the first nick on his new watch. We meet some more nice people and have lovely conversations with them about our kids & our lives in general and their cruise adventures. Another lady comes up and says that Louie is the third person she saw being flipped off of the hammock this morning. When Louie gets up I can see he’s moving gently. He flips the hammock over & discovers it’s broken. As we leave I ask Louie if he’s really OK and he says I don’t know Babe I think I broke a rib. Well now I’m wanting him to see a doctor and he gives me the “are you crazy” look and says hell no. Oh there’s a very good reason for his reaction but that’s another story. Anyhow as we’re leaving Louie goes up to the attendant & reports the hammock. We stop by the buffet and I discover the deli. I get a hot corn beef on rye and it actually tastes good! I might not starve after all! It’s so nice to go to the buffet with few people there! We go back to the cabin & Louie takes a nap in the bed while I lay out on the balcony determined to be warm! It was great. We woke up & decided to go down for the good coffee & to report what had happened to Customer Service so no one else would get hurt then we found a seat and watched for the kids to get back on the ship. It was fun to “people watch” and ask folks if they had a good adventure, to see their smiles and hear “it was wonderful”. I was very excited & happy to see the kids board. They were all smiles! We all went to their cabin and we got to see all of the wonderful pictures from their day! Oh guess what…I got a Chocolate Frog and we all tried Any Flavor Beans, just like in the book…some are really good and some are Gross!!!! Listening to Julia tell us about her day was great. She kept saying, Mimi Terry it was so amazing! Christina took such good pictures that I felt like I was right there with them! The kids were smiling & laughing about their adventure and it made my heart happy that they had such a wonderful adventure! I was delighted to share in their day! We all went to the Buffet for supper and then off to see some shows. Sadly the boat is moving and that old sick feeling returns. I go back to the cabin along with Christina & Julia and I ask Christina to get me a pill. Thank goodness she uses her noodle and reads the bottle & says I can take 2. So I do. Not too long I feel good enough to go to the shows! They all agreed that the shows were not as good tonight but I enjoyed myself very much just being with family. Oh I almost forgot to tell you that before the first show they had a Bingo Game. Now I’d been wanting to take Julia to play Bingo since we got on the ship, so Louie & Richard went to buy us a card and came back with a card & a pull tab card. I asked how to play and Richard said if you get three of a kind you win. Well when I pulled the tab that said $500.00 on the outside I had three of a kind on the inside and I yelled Woo hoo I won $500.00!!! The whole place heard me too! Richard comes over and looks at the card he says in that voice that your adult child uses when you’ve done something stupid…Mom, in order to win $500.00 you need three beach balls, you have three flip flops that’s $5.00! Oh what the hay….I am a winner!!! Even if it was $5.00. All in all this was a pretty good day!

Day 5

Good Morning World! The sun is shining, the water is a beautiful blue, the wind isn’t so bad and with the combo of the patch & pills the motion of the boat isn’t making me sick! Thank you Santa!!! Room Service delivers a nice assortment of fresh fruit, muffins, Danish & juice. Louie has gone to get us the good coffee and I’m getting ready for a fantastic adventure! I love being on the balcony as we pull into port you can see all of the colorful buildings in Nassau!

Today we’re going shopping & then on an excursion to Atlantis! We’ll get to see all of the beautiful gardens and go through a glass tube & see all the amazing fish and sharks will swim over our heads! Pretty cool right! Let’s not forget they have a casino there too! Oh what a beautiful day and guess what it’s warm!!! We go up on deck to take pictures. Then we get ourselves & get ready for dry land! It was really hard to debark but a member of the crew helped us get through the massive crowd of people by yelling, “Let the lady through”. Nothing happened she said just move on through & they’ll move. Well they didn’t move so she yelled again & we were able to get on the elevator & on before much longer we were on our way down the plank! It wasn’t very far where we had to go for shopping. But…with people from 4 ships all headed in one direction it was overwhelming for me. I was on my scooter and people either didn’t see me or thought I was just plain in their way. I thought I was headed in the right direction. That is till a policeman said lady…you can’t go here. Not knowing he was talking to me…I continue on my merry way. I can hear a man yelling LADY then I hear Louie hollow Terry come back here! Louie’s laughing when I turn around red faced. The policeman didn’t think it was funny. I really didn’t need to have a run in with the law in Nassau! Well I try to get over my brush with the law & we proceed to the shops. There we

re only 2 shops I wanted and of course everyone & their brother wanted the same shops. I talked Louie into letting me go into the shop walking with my canes & that was much better. I got what I needed a.s.a.p. & was ready to go. Louie however was a man on a mission. He just had to find Sarah a conk shell that she could hear the ocean from! He found the perfect one and had her name etched on it. The second thing he was determined to get was a Cuban Cigar. Louie was asking where he could get one and wouldn’t you just know we had to go down side alleys to get there! To say I was a little nervous was putting it mildly!!! But hey the sun was shining, we were off of the boat, all in all this was not too bad of an adventure even if I was in an alley waiting for my husband to purchase an illegal cigar. Hold the phone folks…Louie has reminded me that his cigar was not illegal in Nassau. So he gets his cigar and we head to the ship to put our purchases away so we can get on with our excursion to ATLANTIS! I’m so excited about this! The kids are already there on their excursion. So as we approach the ship I see the Atlantis people are already there and I ask if they are for our excursion and guess what they are! They also ask me if I can walk because unless my husband can pick up the scooter & put it on the bus it can’t go! Well I felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks & wanted to cry. The man asked me if I had booked the excursion through the cruise ship and I said yes so he told me to go talk to the lady in the red shirt. Well you know I went straight away to the lady in the red shirt. I asked her if she could help me as I explained to her what was going on, she put her hand up like a stop sign, turned away from me and started counting tickets & gave them to the person standing by her. Then she turned to me and said when you booked your excursion didn’t anyone tell you that. I said no & asked again if she could help me, at this point I started to cry& Louie got upset so I put my sun glasses on so he wouldn’t see me cry. She said well you can’t take the scooter on the bus. There was awkward silence so then I said what can you do? No answer, then I say, well can you at least refund us our money? She said she could so we got back on the boat and I tried to hide my disappointment. Louie wants lunch so we go to the buffet. We run into Santa & Tony & I again thank her for the patch! We go back to the cabin & Louie takes a nap while I sit out on the balcony & have a good cry. After I cried I felt much better and was able to realize that…me being disabled is my problem, me needing my scooter is my problem. So I can feel bad or I can feel happy. Well y’all know I’m gonna choose happy every single time! Then I go in & lay down beside Louie and take a nap! When we wake up it’s about time for the kids to get back so we wait for them out on the deck. Louie& I think we shouldn’t tell the kids what happened as it would just upset them. When the kids get back we go into their cabin and look at their pictures and love every minute of their adventure. The look on Julia’s face was worth a million dollars! Then Richard said we looked for you guys, I even went into the casino. We didn’t say anything and he said did you have fun? Well…Louie told Richard everything that happened and Christina started to cry & then I cried and said please don’t cry. I said it’s OK. It’s my problem that I’m disabled not the cruise ships. Well before I could say anything else…as if in tandem Richard & Christina were saying that no it’s not. When the excursion was booked just like the cruise they told Carnival about me being disabled and they assured the kids that they would be able to take care of all my needs. At this point my heart was happy…because it was at this very moment that I saw firsthand that Richard & Christina are a team…they finish each other’s thoughts, their minds are on the same track. The kids explain that they wanted to give us this amazing adventure because they loved us and that they had tried to make sure we wouldn’t run into any problems like this. They felt this was unacceptable. Louie & I told them it was OK and we so enjoyed them sharing their trip with us and that us being together was what counted. So then we all go get something to eat and discuss our adventure for tomorrow. We’ll all be together for this one from start to finish! After supper we head back to the cabin and I lay on the bed with the heat pad on my back. The boat is moving and I’m feeling it but guess what…I’m not sick! In a while Richard & Christina are in our cabin telling us that they went to the Excursion Desk and talked with the lady in the red shirt. Her attitude was that she refunded the money, what more did they want. Richard was calmly explaining that he wanted her to do her job and assist us to that she rolled her eyes at him. Well he started shaking (that’s what he does when he’s mad) and Christina took over and asked her do you mean to tell me you couldn’t have taken 5 minutes to help them find a solution, suggested to them that they could get a taxi to take them & the scooter to Atlantis at this point the head person came out and was much more compassionate to the situation. He wanted to give us a free excursion but we already had our day planned for tomorrow. He said that he would have an escort at our cabin to get me safely off of the ship tomorrow morning. Christina let me know that the lady in the red shirt had only been with the cruise line for a short time and that this man was sincerely sorry for what happened to us. Well as is that wasn’t enough… Richard went over to the Service Desk and talked to them about the hammock that still hadn’t been taken away & about the doors that smooshed me. A lady in line heard Richard talking and said loudly, I know that hammock it did the same thing to me. Well the man we reported it all to yesterday was there and he took off to go remove the hammock before anyone else got hurt. So apparently Richard gave them a piece of his mind without yelling or losing it and Christina baked him up! I packed our bag for tomorrow with beach towels, sunscreen and the bug spray that Louie had said I didn’t need& bottles of water. It was time for sleep now it had been a long day and we had a new adventure ahead tomorrow!

This a picture from Atlantis, Nausau, Bahamas.

Just a note to let you know we’ve now been home 2 weeks and Louie’s chest still hurts. For him to say he hurts the ribs or sternum have to be fractured. BTW my good knee is fine.

Day 6

We woke up & started to get ready for our adventure! Louie went for the good coffee while I finished getting ready. We wore out swim suits under our clothes…first time I’d put my swim suit on since Louie closed the pool. Now I have to say here & now that I never look at myself in the mirror but maybe I should start because it’s time for a new swim suit. I hadn’t noticed that the back seam had started to wear out but Louie did!!! Oh what the hay…it is what it is…nothing I can do about it now! Room service delivered our juice, muffins, croissants, danish & fruit. We didn’t eat the bananas so I put them in the bag. Louie said why are you taking those? I replied because we might get hungry! Just as I finish brushing my teeth there’s a knock at the door. It’s my escort! Don’t I feel special! The kids are there too so…we’re off! The only hitch is the wheel chair is too wide to fit through the exit or down the ramp so I say…it’s OK I can walk! I thank the escort and Richard has ahold of me as I go down the ramp. I tell him I’m good but bless his heart he never lets go of his Momma. We walk a short distance and find a place to sit while we wait for our ride. I’m enjoying Freeport so far! The buildings are painted in bright hues of yellow, turquoise, pink, green and blue. You can’t help but be happy in this place! The sun was shining & the temperature was warm, there’s no huge crowd of people, I was surrounded by loved ones, the only thing missing was Wendy, Bill & Sarah. Life is good! Not too long to ponder before Nathan comes along & introduces himself to us. Nathan is a very pleasant fellow who takes us for about a 30 minute ride to Paradise Cove. During our ride he becomes our tour guide and entertains us with stories about what we are seeing. The ride goes by quickly. We all notice that he’s been driving on the wrong side of the road but that’s how they drive in Freeport. As we make our turn Julia sees a sign that says…Deadman’s Reef. I ask what do you think about that Julia? She said, I don’t know what to think about that Mimi Terry! We walk a short distance, get our gear, we receive instructions about this being a natural beach and to protect the coral and look with your eyes not touch with your hands. We head to the beach and I’m not to sure about walking in the sand. My canes do sink and it’s not the easiest walk in the world but I make it! Oh my goodness it’s beautiful here! Hardly any people and the water is a beautiful blue green color. We cover ourselves in sunscreen and Julia, Christina & I are being eaten alive by these tiny little black bugs! Time for the bug spray!!! I (with a little assistance) head to the water. I can’t believe I’m actually in the water!!! The only thing is…it’s too cold for my back so no snorkeling for me but that’s OK cause I’m off of that rocking boat, I’m warm, I’m in the water and with loved ones, in a beautiful place and I just want to remember this moment, this day for the rest of my life! Louie makes sure I’m OK then he’s off like a fish and so is Richard. The view is Spectacular! It’s hard to tell where the ocean stops & the sky starts! Just then a Stingray swims right up to us! Julia is such a brave girl to grab the camera & take pictures! Christina decides the water is too cold for her & decides to get a Kayak and have her adventure above the water. Then Richard comes back for Julia. He tells her it’s amazing and wants to share it with her but she tells him she can’t & starts to cry. Bless her heart…she saw a sign that says Deadman’s Reef, then she saw a stingray swim right up to our feet so I’m sure she is scared. Richard’s not taking no for an answer and scoops her up into his arms and tells her he loves her and wouldn’t let anything happen to her and they head off to see the fish & coral. Christina is off in her Kayak and while I’m still standing there with my feet in the water along comes a baby nurse shark to say hello! For just I few seconds I stay perfectly still in total amazement of this awesome creature then as if a light bulb went off in my head I realize this is a baby…where’s the Momma!!!! I’m sure I looked some kind of funny trying to get out of the water without falling but I got myself out of that water pretty darn quick! I get myself up under the umbrella and this is where I plant to stay! Not long at all before I reach for the bug spray!!! I haven’t felt this relaxed all week. I wish we could stay. Not long before one by one my loved ones return! First is Christina with Julia swimming alongside her. My granddaughter swam all the way! When Richard comes out of the water he looks tired, then Louie comes out and he looks beat! I had him a bottle of water and a banana. Now he’s happy I brought it along with the OFF! After a short rest Louie goes exploring the beach looking for gold doubloons and returns with cool shells to show Julia. Richard decides to try out the Conk. He gets grilled conk & fried conk. He offers some to all of us and everyone tastes it but Julia. Here’s what I think about the taste of conk…if I was starving and there was nothing else to eat…I’d eat it again. Louie has been itching to smoke his Cuban cigar so he moves down wind and lights it up. He looks so content sitting there smoking that stinking cigar. Recon he’s enjoying himself just as much as I am! Richard asks me if I’m enjoying myself and I tell him this is by far the best day of the whole vacation! Christina said this is how she’d wanted everyday of the cruise to be for us. I explain it’s not because of the beautiful surroundings but because we are all together to share it all! Again Louie & I say thank you to the kids for this amazing adventure. Louie & Julia build sand castles and I’m so glad they have this time to do something fun together. I hope she’ll always remember this day. Louie & Richard go back in to snorkel again and get to see the most beautiful blue fish. They say when the sunlight hit it looked like it had diamonds on it! Julia continues to play in the sand and Christina and I have a chance to talk about everything and nothing! When our fellows return it’s time to get ready to head back to the ship. I get to enjoy a moment with Julia and she is drawn to a hand carved turtle so after she had gone I bought it for her to have a souvenir of this amazing adventure. The man who owned the place gave Julia her pick of shells. She thanked him and we headed for the bus for Nathan to get us back to the ship. I just can’t say enough about how incredibly friendly these folks were. Not too long into the ride Julia was sound asleep. It seemed like right after boarding we set sail and headed for home. Shower & Nap Time! When I was taking a shower I noticed all of the red bites I had on me from those darn sand flees. Oh well they didn’t seem to be bothering me. After resting we all went up to the buffet for supper and Christina & Julia commented about the red spots they had on their body . The boat was moving again…let the rocking begin. I took it easy with eating. This evening the jewelry store was having a sale on bracelets and I had mine already picked out. The salesman who’d sold us the watch had set mine aside but I couldn’t buy them till the sale began. Bless Christina’s heart she took care of the purchase for me cause all of a sudden I was feeling yucky. So the girls & I went up to the cabin & I took more Dramamine. Then down to the coffee bar for a good cup of coffee. We played a few machines we were up, we were down, next time I was up we were done. I was ready for bed. All in all this really was a wonderful day! It was worth the wait!