What a short lived six days filled with smiles and laughter throughout. Cruising with Oliver in the Gulf of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico was everything and a bag of chips. It started late Saturday afternoon April 2nd with a belated birthday cake and song from Mimi and Papa. We celebrated Oliver’s and Elisabeth’s birthday with a cake and big howdy as they arrived here in Brownsville. After getting them settled in for the evening, we took Justin and Elisabeth to their hotel and settled in for our 4 hour nap before our flight to Fort Lauderdale.
Our window was incredibly tight for airlines throughout the whole trip. Ollie was used to flying first class with his Auntie Elisabeth, but it was not to be with Mimi and Papa. We flew in the back with the rest of rowing riff-raff so narrow seats and 3 inches of recline were the order of the day. We were off to the Brownsville airport at 4 am for a 6 am connecting flight to DFW. No issues other than the flight was jam packed which surprised me for a Sunday. Our only stressor of the day came with our arrival at the airport and the transfer to the ship. The ship sailed at 5:00 and we arrived at 3:00. Talk about cutting it close. We originally intended to take an Uber, but we would never had made the sailing, so we took a taxi and with a $15 tip we made it on time. Once on board, the merriment commenced and lasted the entire 6 days of the cruise.
Although running on 4 hours sleep the past two days, Oliver gamefully made it to the main dining room for supper. Discovered he is not fond of Prime Rib but loves Escargot! He ended up having it as his appetizer each evening. 12 years old, loves Escargot! Go figure! Oliver also became a headliner on the ship as apparently the Schiessl gene for not meeting a stranger is a dominant trait. Literally each evening different tables would greet our grandson with a hearty “Hey Ollie”. He got very used to the pampering of the wait staff and enjoyed Peach Coloada’s with every meal. Virgin of course. While at sea he was a pool fiend when he was not in the arcade winning all sorts of prizes.
As the first galleries pictures show, we spent the first port of call for a “Perfect Day at Coco Cay”. There we enjoyed water slides, wave pools, snorkeling, music, food, and warm trade winds. We were scheduled to take a helium balloon ride, but there was lightning in the area so it was canceled. Not a huge loss as that gave Papa a chance for some extra lounging by the pool and a nap. We boarded the ship and were treated to Oliver’s first live theater experience. A bit Avante Gaurd his and our tastes, but we enjoyed it anyway. We spent the next day at sea and Oliver spent most of the day in the pool.
We had a bit of a rough crossing as the seas were in the 5-6 range and boat rocked pretty good. We made Costa Maya and almost didn’t get to dock. The waves were splashing viciously over the pier and a couple of the large bumpers had broken loose. Made for an exciting docking for the crew. We just watched from the balcony as the poor pier minders got soaked trying to catch the bumpers. We then went to the Mayan Ruins and my guess is the only thing Ollie is going to remember is how hot and miserable it was. It was about a mile and half hike in 90 degree 90% humidity making learning history and walking almost unbearable. At least the mosquitoes were vicious blood sucking creatures which took our minds off the heat. We made it through the death march and learned a good deal of history in the process. Glad our tour had ice cold water at the end.
We then sailed for Cozumel and swimming with the dolphins. Had a wonderful time there. Even though Vicki was petrified of the water, she braved it out and let the dolphin push and pull her. Oliver was great at it, me, not so much! LOL. We enjoyed a buffet lunch and did some shopping in Cozumel. On our day at sea, Ollie took on the I-fly and will definitely be a superman. Couldn’t get the smile off his face. Wasn’t near as rough on the return trip and we had a relaxing evening with a finale in the North Star. Essentially a giant crane that lifts you 60 feet above the top of the ship and then swings you out on both sides. We were lucky enough to do it at sunset and the views were incredible. It was so much fun spoiling #2 and we are counting the days until we get to do it with #3! Being back in Brownsville for the next couple of months awaiting the next phase which should be hip replacement surgery. Pop some comments into comment section if you feel so inclined. Did I mention? We’re still loving retirement.
