Eee, Kelly - your TRs are so much fun because you really do put just the right amount of pictures in. Like, little caption, couple of pictures.. not little caption, OVERBOARD WITH THE PICTURES SO KENZIE DOESN'T BOTHER TO LOOK AT THEM. It's nice!
What isn't nice is the pictures of the lighthouse, because when I woke up in August on the Dreamz that is what I saw out our balcony. With Carly going to university and me going for my second degree, with different weeks off for spring break, it's not looking like we'll be seeing that lighthouse anytime soon. And Andrew is against cruises. Wah!
I'm loving the Atlantis pictures! I want to do that so bad - my grandparents took some random tour when they were in Nassau (same cruise as you took!) a few years ago - just hopped on some bus to tour Nassau with a crew of people (so out of character for them) - but they have pictures from Atlantis and they're tres awesome as well. Personally, it makes me think of the Mary Kate and Ashley movie when they were there - Holiday in the Sun. I wanna be on a Holiday in the Sun!
Sounds like you've got some busy days ahead - hang in!
Awww...thanks, Kenz, for likin' my reports. I think I talk too much. I try to be less-wordy but that's like physically impossible for me. Thank God I don't drink-n-post. I'd neeeever shut up then.... LOL!
I'm sad you and Carly are going in different directions these days. Some of the seasons of life do that. It makes the times when the stars align for you all the more special. It's really tough for Tracey's family to get all together, too. Very rare. But when all the siblings land in the same spot at the same time it's truly a gift and we all savor every moment (then complain about this one or that one later).
OMG! My niece, Sydney, used to love the Mary Kate & Ashley movies! I don't think I ever watched one, tho. I just remember her on Christmas morning getting those movies on VHS and squealing with joy. LOL! My first amazing look at Atlantis was when Oprah was there after they first opened. The boys were little squirts and we lived such a modest little simple life then. I remember seeing it and thinking, "Wow, I wish I could see that." I don't think I ever thought I actually would. I might as well have been wishing to see the moon. And now I've seen it. That's the coolest part for me. I actually was there. I see the commercials now and it's still surreal. I've been
there.
Many busy days ahead. Ugh! But isn't that life? Sure beats the alternative so I'll be happy and keep pushing on. I think I'm with you, tho. I wanna be on a holiday in the sun again, too.
Ack! So much to say! I should have taken notes like everyone else, but alas did not (on the first part ) I love the pictures of your little men so much! Especially your red headed "big" guy - makes me think of what my red headed "big" guy will look like in a few years and it makes me smile! I'm having a hard time with him growing up in grade school, I don't know how I'll survive when he's driving! Ha!
If you enjoyed Atlantis, you should go back just to stay! They are running amazing specials ALL the time now - one of my favorite sites for their specials is travelzoo.com - you should sign up for their weekly email. I don't know what flights are running to the Bahamas right now, but rooms at Atlantis can be had for a fraction of what they cost just 5 years ago. We love the Reef, but have heard good things about the Beach Tower and Coral Tower as well. As you noticed though, they don't make their money on the rooms - that casino and the food prices alone, will make them big money! But at least at the Reef you have a kitchen (but - once again- groceries are expensive!) I have to say, going to Disney has spoiled me into the 'all inclusive' thing. I hardly want to go somewhere like Atlantis anymore.
Driving in the Bahamas - if I can ever get a copy or a youtube link - you should see the cab ride back to the Dream that we had when we were in Nassua! My brother in law video taped it (he also video taped all 19 - yes NINETEEN - of us getting out of the ONE minivan that came back to get us from the church, that's a story in itself) it's a miracle we are alive! Even my sister-in-law (born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica) and my brother in law (who has lived in 3rd world countries for nearly 30 years now) were a little taken aback by the wild ride.
As always, beautiful pictures, beautiful trip report. Thanks for taking us inside all the 'golden ticket' events!
Carry on.............
I know! I see the pics of your little redheaded 'big guy' and it's a flashback moment for me, too. I don't know if it's because Chandler was my firstborn or what but I always looked at him and wondered how different he might look when he wasn't a little boy anymore. Would he still look like my sweet little boy? I think with Brian it was easier althought I wondered what was going on behind his eyes more. To me, Brian was going to look like his daddy. That's why I didn't wonder.
Look familiar?
That picture seems like it was just yesterday. It all goes by in blur. I do have a secret appreciation, tho, for your TRs as well. Your 'big guy' definitely takes me back. I will say, I have my moments when I look at Chandler and still see the same smile and chubby cheeks just like in ^this^ picture. But then there's moments when I need a hug, he comes to lift my spirits, and he's nothing like the picture. He's more a man than a boy. I'm proud of the man he's growing into. I know that sweet little boy will always be in there, too. Even when they're taller than me, they're still my babies. I think they always will be. :animwink:
I could see doing a long weekend at Atlantis. It got pretty busy in the afternoon, tho. Plus, a DJ poolside? Really? That's like a big red flag for me. Also, the girl in front of us at the spot where we got our lunch purchased some frozen cocktails and we noticed her ID was not that of a 21 year old. The orientation of the license is different for under 21s in Florida (we hold a Florida residency). So it hit me that for those under 21s who can afford a fun getaway like Atlantis, an additional draw would be that the drinking age isn't what it is stateside. Or I'm guessing it isn't because they carded the girl but she still purchased the drinks. Another red flag. I don't think we were there long enough to get a solid read on the party vibe.
I'll have to look up that travel site. I'm all about a bargain especially with travel!
I'd love to see that youtube video if you get a link!
Golden Ticket events!!!! I love it! :lol:
Here I go again...wish me luck! I'm so anxious to dig into the next chapter of your family's adventure that I'm going to make it short and sweet. No rambling! Only wrote down one post # this time (38)...i forgot after the first one! So that's where we're starting from-I too do not like treadmills! I walk not run but we have this nice park with a trail around a lovely lake and I love it! The fresh air, smell of pine, woodland creatures...very inspirational. I don't get much inspiration from treadmill scenery. Unless...do the treadmills on the ships overlook the sea? I might could do that if I had to. Oh my, the breakfast bread table! Man may be unable to live by bread alone but I PROMISE you that this girly definitely could! My weakness! Very cool to see the submarine training. I am a planner/scheduler OCD nut but it is usually the unexpected treats that you have no way of scheduling or even knowing about that make the most impact for me. I would be freaking out saying I couldn't watch because that is the time I had scheduled for a nap or something! But it would be the memory that stood out most once it was all over...I'm such a dingbat!----in case you're wondering if THIS is my short n sweet w/o rambling...NOPE! I'm such a good rambler I can't stop...sorry----
I did write another post #. My notes say "Post 47-1st pic-breathless speechless". That was a super bday gift for your hubby and I'm glad Chandler faced his fear and won! My 7 year old has always been scared of EVERYTHING so we made the last year about conquering those fears one by one! And he is kicking fears butt! So I absolutely know those Mama feelings seeing them do that! I loved the pics from the air and I loved your educational tidbits even more. I always enjoy that in your reports...I learn some new things as I follow along! Never would've heard about coal floats without ya! I am from NC and all the lighthouses I've seen here are on solid? sand. Didn't realize you could plop 'em down in the water and let sharks play around them!!! About your outfits...I love the white shorts with the blue buttons. Not sure why but I have always had a thing for those two row sailor type pants. Guess it doesn't matter why, does it? I just do! I remembered and still love the pretty dress with bonus hot body. I hate it wants to fall apart on ya! My favorite is the last minute white?/off white? one! Soooooo simple and pretty! And you wore it well! I love the family pic with that dress too. It's so funny that you do so much laundry on vacation! I would've had a heart attack and died before I found out my son was watching a sunrise if that had been me. So sweet though! Your boys are great! Take a moment now to bubble up with pride-you're doing a great job! Aaaaand....I'm caught up!! Gonna submit before it disappears and get my butt to reading!
The treadmill I was on did look out forward off the ship. It would've been a great view but the shades weren't all the way up so to get a good look outward you'd have to stoop down. Kinda hard to do while running.
I'm with you: loooove my breads! Only thing better is bread with butter!
Yes! I think Chandler is getting the drift that if you live a slave to the things you fear then you'll never really be living. Living is when you go and do
in spite of the things that scare you most. I've always said I want to go skydiving someday. Why? Because I know that moment when I'm on the ledge and it's time to jump it'll be the absolute ultimate to overcome the fear and take the leap. I crave that single moment. I think maybe I'm entirely too intense of a person..
I'm glad the random tid-bits aren't lost in the adventure. There's so much out there. I hope others will want to go see it all, too. Then come back and tell me something I don't know!
Thanks for the compliments on my white shorts with the sailor-style button configuration. Those were literally another last-minute wardrobe addition. I wanted a pair of white shorts to wear with my blue top. Found those the day before we left at Express. I ordered 2 more pairs in other colors a few days ago, too. Love them! They fit like a glove! Man, I loooove that red hot-bod dress so much. Ugh! To find another! I'd buy 6! I'm still amazed everyone loved the cream dress so much. I almost wish I'd worn my final dress that I never wore just to see if everyone would like that one as much. I didn't like the cream one like everyone else has. Go figure! Dressing myself is hard to do sometimes. I'm terrible at accesorizing!
Laundry. LOL! I did 4 loads today. It's a constant thing. I'm always washing something....
Thanks for the sweet words about my boys. That means a lot. I try really hard to raise them to NOT be like the rest of the world or like the 'typical' teens of today. I want them to be different, think independantly, have different values, etc. It's hard sometimes when I'm really aware of how different they are. I have moments where I question myself and wonder if I've done them a disservice. It's scary to be the guy on the road less traveled looking over at everyone else. But then the world is so crazy and the things kids/teens do these days shock the crap out of me. I'm happy for my boys to not be part of that mess. I hope they'll always choose the path others won't travel. It takes courage to do that and lends a great deal of wisdom and insight from the experience.
I love your pictures of Atlantis!! It's so beautiful there! It was absolutely worth what we paid for it, but we did get a great deal at Comfort Suites. I believe it was a military discount. Less then $200 for the four of us with fees.
Chase went back with a friend and his grandmother for 5 nights and they loved it again.
It is my favorite lazy river I have ever been on. Best. Ever.
And concierge reception pictures! Woot woo! That golden ticket is coming in handy!
Ugh! That is a FANTASTIC military rate! Let's discuss military rates at CS for the girls cruise! LOL!
Was it enough to stay fun right there on-property at Atlantis for Chase? I worry we'd be bored after a few days. Then again, I thought I'd go on a cruise and have nothing to do but eat so I guess I should shut up and give it a whirl, huh? Hahaha!
Atlantis is definitely my favorite water park river, too! I need one of those in my backyard!
Oh yes! The Golden Ticket is a very nice thing....
Sweet Tea Vodka....yummo! Like you, I'm not a fan of vodka, but I'll drink sweet tea vodka any day. But, have you tried Firefly? I think it is the best brand out there. We are from South Carolina and it is distilled not too far from us in Charleston. It is good as a shot, but it is amazing mixed with lemonade or even throw a splash into sweet tea. Try it out if you haven't!
I'm so going to the liquor store TOMORROW to look for Firefly! I had no idea what I was looking for when I bought the little mini-bottle. We stopped into the liquor store down by the port. At the check-out I looked at the ledge of minis and remembered to ask about an iced tea-flavored liquor. The old man handed me the one I tried. I just bought a gallon of tea from McAlister's yesterday. It's a good time to seek out the Firefly! And, uh, someday I want to visit Charleston! I think I'd love it there!
Wow. Schlitterbahn still gets so much press I figured it was closer in appeal
I'm really considering discovery cove for the next fl trip and then using the 14 day pass to hit aquatical and more
I brought up this comment to the hubby because I'm also perplexed as to why Schlitterbahn gets so much hype as well. I think if you leave scenery, theme, story, etc. out of the equation then, yes, Schlitterbahn is really up there. They offer some great slides. They're the ones who built the first uphill water coaster. Buuuut, they don't try to infuse story. Of course they're not nailing the immersive details Disney does. As Disney fans we'll never look at a Schlitterbahn park as being anywhere close to the level of what Disney is doing. Atlantis is lush and beautiful but it's not an immersive story. You're in paradise at Atlantis (literally, it's Paradise Island). You feel like you are exactly where you are. Typhoon Lagoon is different. You're at Disney World in central Florida. But you feel like you've landed in some south seas paradise after a huge storm. The locals in your paradise have taken what they could find and created what they needed. It's immersive. It's escape. THAT's where Disney smokes the playing field. Their slides/rides themselves aren't jaw-dropping...well, with the exception of that wave pool...never seen a wave pool put out artificial waves that big. It's the show that makes TL the superior park above Schlitterbahn (New Braunfels & Galveston Island) and Atlantis for us. But that's because show is something we value in our park experience. People who don't care about show and want great slides are going to go with other parks as tops.
I haven't looked in some time but the newest of the Schlitterbahn parks is in Kansas City. The original plans for that park were mind-boggling. How much of that has actually been built, I don't know. I know they did open and they were going to continue adding in phases. Whether or not the park will end up being everything originally planned, I don't know. I will say, tho, if they built it all then...whoa! Amazing!
Also, Sea World San Antonio is adding an Aquatica 2nd gate this year. I'm looking into going over there for a weekend to see it maybe in September. We went to that Sea World park in August 2008 (?) and it was beautiful. We thoroughly enjoyed it.
I'm thinking pre-cruise in May 2013 I'd like to hit up Discovery Cove, too! Heck, we'd like to go do the 3 Sea World parks as a trip in itself. Seriously. We'd enjoy that.
Do it! We went last time we were in FL and loved it. It was so relaxing...and swimming with the dolphins (amazing!!). We loved it so much, we'll go back every time we had down to FL now.
My sis-in-law raves about their visit to Discovery Cove a few years ago, too. My nephew who is aspie really
really got a lot out of the experience.
I have to agree...$70 extra is more than worth it for peace of mind (and sanity!).
I totally love riding in the Bahamian vans and taxis...always a thrill! Next time try a water taxi (thrill in the sense of fearing death! LOL).
Yeah, that is totally a side entrance. What a bummer they did not take you through the main entrance. The domed ceiling in the lobby is gorgeous!
Now, that is just so wrong! (And here I though Jacksonville's No Road was a ridiculous name for a street.)
First of all, your hair always looks fabulous! (Hell, I would be happy if mine would "sit still" for just five minutes - mind of its own, so much so that I have completely given up on it!)
And, oh yeah! How about that whole private thing and drinks and crispy treats? I told DH that alone was worth the upgrade when we did so a few years ago.
We had a visit from Stitch. Not a fan, and before the party (when Danny told us a special guest would make an appearance) I said, "Just watch...it will be Stitch." Somehow, though, I do like Stitch when on a cruise. Just not WDW. I'm weird.
And how I miss those "free" margaritas and crispy treats!
I do know a few crispy treats made it back to the stateroom with us, as well!
Well, that little gem of a pic definitely helps...if you don't go down with the ship! Very cool find and picture!
LOL! My DH says the same exact thing about woman's logic! I totally understand.
OMG! Hilarious!!! There is always a good kids story from vacations, isn't there?
I'm sad we missed that main entrance at Atlantis, too. I wondered why they took us to that entrance. Definitely didn't make me feel like, "ooooh...next vacation let's come heeeeeere...."
Little does DCL know, all they have to do to get me to splurge for upgrades at the port is offer free crispy treats. I'd be doomed if they ever figured this out. LOL! Your margarita & crispy treat pic makes me soooo hungry!
Little kids are so fun! Well, when it's other people's little kids embarrassing them it's soooooo fun...notsomuch when it was mine.... Ha!
Wow- now you've really got me thinking Atlantis for either my bday or anniversary next year. Looks soooooo nice! And I think DH might actually go for that one! Sounds like you guys had a great time!
Shop for good prices at Atlantis! Good golly the food is expensive. Maybe look at their meal plans or something. I don't even wanna know what the menu prices at their nicer sit-down venues are....
What you don't see in my pics, tho, is all the other stuff they do at Atlantis. Look at their website. They offer a LOT!
Awesome sunset! Thank you for the report on Atlantis. We
looked at booking a trip there but thought the price was outrageous.
I like the idea of doing a day as part of a cruise. Sorry about Chandler
on the water slide - glad it wasnt worse.
I loved how you and Tracy were the first ones at cocktail hour and watched
others down below waiting to get on board.
looking forward to more...
Well, if it makes you feel any better, the excursion price for Atlantis is outrageous, too. Doing it for a day isn't as bad.
Oh! I hadn't even thought of that... Tracey & I knocking on the door to be first for free cocktails! That's pretty funny! Then people-watching (& critiquing) the masses in line to reboard while we sit on our rumps in the a/c, sip our drinks, and stuff our faces....yeah...we are so classy!!!! I think I love the mental picture! It's so..... us!
) to find the beds turned down and a few little treasures:
