Huisken Honeymoon 2014
Saturday: All Aboard!
Saturday around 2:30 we boarded the Caribbean Princess, a beautiful ship both inside and out. I will not be detailing the ship's features, but here's the link should you desire to check it out: Caribbean Princess Features. The evening was spent wondering around the ship, trying to familiarize ourselves with our new home for the next week. It was a lot to take in at first, but it was nice to get out of the hotel and airplane mode and into vacation mode.
Sunday: A Day at Sea.
Having slept in and feeling fully refreshed, it was time to find out exactly what there was to do aboard a 19 deck, 952 foot vessel. Turns out, there's quite a bit. With multiple swimming pools, spas, gaming options, shopping areas, dining options, theatre venues, and more, we never found ourselves bored. One of my favorite aspects of the ship was the dining options. Whether it be hand-tossed pizza, your favorite ice cream, cheeseburgers, all-you-can-eat buffets filled with a wide variety, or a sit down table with an exquisite menu full of gourmet meals including lobster, salmon, shrimp, muscles, filet mignon, steak, lamb, and more, you never went hungry. My favorite part: it didn't cost an extra penny and I could eat as much as I wanted. The cruise did have some "premium" dining establishments that required a cover charge. With it being the first night on the ship, we decided to get decked out in our formal attire and try a premium dining experience, and that's just what it was: an experience. First being served with a variety of breads, hand tossed salad, and excellent soup, and a bottle of champagne on ice, I felt that this was a meal I would not soon forget. Then came the appetizers: a HUGE bowl of muscles with side plates containing shrimp and crab. I'm such a sucker for seafood. There were a variety of sides, and we did not get to choose what side we wanted because they brought a plate of all six options. I can't remember them all, but I do remember that their sweet potato fries and garlic mashed potatoes were excellent. Then came the main course. Jenny has a seafood Alfredo loaded with shrimp and scallops, while I had a seafood sampler. But the best part was when they brought out a bowl of whole lobster tails, not just two or three tails, but there was at least a dozen in there! We ordered a sampler for dessert, even though we were both SO full, and the dessert did not disappoint. While the "premium" restaurant was excellent, the other dining options were just as extravagant and had just as much quality seafood, that we never went back. It was an experience that was well worth it though. I will not be blogging any more about the food any other day, because honestly, every night was like this. After our dinner experience that lasted a couple hours, it was dark outside and the sun was well set. We headed up to the top deck where we got refreshments, a blanket, sat in a pool chair, and watched a movie under the stars on the outdoor jumbo-tron. Bedtime.
Monday: Cozumel, Playa Del Carmen, & Tulum.
Tuesday: Honduras Dolphin Adventure!
After sailing at night, we woke up Tuesday morning in another new port: Roatan, Honduras, specifically Mahogany Bay. The sun was shining and we were ready for another adventure in paradise. We drove roughly 20 minutes up the coast to a bay where we got to encounter dolphins. These dolphins were in an open sky enclosure, meaning there were nets running from the bottom of a dock surrounding the bay to the ocean floor. However, these dolphins were not in captivity. It is actually common that the dolphins jump over the dock into the open ocean. The dolphins might explore for a night, but in the morning, they can be found waiting to be let back in to go play with their friends and be fed more live fish. They also let the dolphins out to the open ocean when they have scuba divers out there. The dolphins love playing with the scuba divers. Out in the open ocean they are free to leave, but they never do. I really liked that about this place. It made it a true dolphin encounter, something that I couldn't get at the Omaha zoo. That said, the dolphins were so amazing. They had quite a personality and were so playful! We got to touch the dolphins (who like their bellies rubbed, similar to a dog) and watch them perform tricks up close. It was so neat.
The dolphin encounter only took until noon, so after a quick bite to eat, the rest of the afternoon was ours to lay on the beach under the sun. It was a great day. After dinner, the captain informed the passengers that an illness was spreading throughout the ship and that Wednesday's trip to Belize was cancelled, as the ship was headed to Houston for early disembarkation and sterilization. It was a bummer as we were both so excited to see Belize. We had quite an adventurous day planned: zip-lining, cave spelunking, and river rafting. Oh well. Guess we'll just have to go back and to that another time!
Wednesday and Thursday were spent on the ship where we enjoyed breakfast catered to our room, playing games, going to live theatre shows and musicals, and even losing some money in the casino. We got off the ship early on Friday morning, and flew home on Saturday morning.
Universal Studios, Orlando, FL
Less than a month later, we found ourselves once again in warm weather. My parents had a vacation to Orlando planned and invited the whole family. The first day, Connor and I just hung out at the pool while mom and dad had to tend to some business and while Jenny was unable to get to Orlando until the following day. Jenny arrived late Friday night and we spent the next three days having a blast at Universal Studios. We rode many roller coasters, had a margarita at Margaritaville, devoured shrimp at Bubba Gump's, but our favorite was actually exploring Hogwarts and Harry Potter World. We got to go inside Hogwarts castle, eat at the Three Broomsticks, drink a Butterbeer or two, go on a few roller coasters, and shop at Diagon Alley. It may sound nerdy, but it was actually really amazing the detail that Universal put into the place. We spent an afternoon at Downtown Disney, where Jenny got to bring out her inner child, and turn into her favorite princess in a magical mirror.
