Cruise Part 2 Port Canaveral

We found land! After a few days at sea we woke up this morning to the ship docked at Port Canaveral, Florida. We had preplanned the day, so after an early breakfast we took off for our adventure to the Kennedy Space Center. Grandma Shelly, Grandpa Rick, and Nana came with the Shivers crew to explore the center while the others of our family were off to Sea world, Disney, and an alligator swamp. To each their own! The space center is actually a series of bus rides, with buildings to explore in between. The place is huge! Good thing for us the kids were good with riding the big bus since it showed space videos while we drove, and they got to rotate which grandparent or great grandparent they got to sit with.

 Kennedy space center is also a wildlife sanctuary so we had fun watching for alligators out the windows on the drive.

 These are the booster parts to the final space shuttle mission. They are awaiting cleaning to be recycled. And this is the boy's reaction to seeing "real spaceship parts"...

 The tour included an imax film about the Hubble telescope. Don't we look cool in our 3-D glasses?

Sporting our shades to explore the space center

 

Bird catching is an ongoing fascination for the kids. For years they have tried to capture all manner of goose, pigeon, and other bird. These black and blue birds were good enough to let the kids sneak close before flying away. So close this time!

 Off to another bus. See, the map shows how big the place is! This trip took us by the tall building where they assemble the parts of the shuttle to prepare for take off.

 This iconic building is command control, that famous building where all the people do the checks and count down for take off.

 The rockets sit on these launch pads, to take off. One is for rockets, the other for shuttles. There are actually several scattered around the grounds to view.

 After a bit of confusion and the requisite tantrum, we stopped to climb around one of the launch pads. It was neat to be so up close with the actual parts of the space program.

 Snack time and a consultation with the map. Where to next Nana?

 On the next bus ride we were take to see the real Saturn V rocket. The entire thing is in one big building, and the sheer size is amazing.

 After the "cheese" for mom picture, the kids took to exploring. Its always interesting to see history through their eyes. Ana wanted to make silly faces while Charlie tried climbing Grandpa to touch the engines. The decorative yellow stripes down the floor meant races under the shuttle as well.

 Charlie was particularly interested in the various parts of the shuttle, trying to figure out which housed the engines, where the astronauts sit inside, and how the whole thing fits together. They even got to touch a real moon rock.

 With a quick stop for lunch, we finally made it to the all important kids play area of the space center. While the adults explored and read about the various pieces in the rocket garden, our kids got to run around playing pretend space missions in the junior astronaut area.

 The space center was such a fun stop on our cruise, and somewhere we would love to come back to one day. There was much left unseen because of the sheer size of the place, but the kids took away lots of ideas for their pretend astronaut playtime, and we have an even better appreciation of the wonder that is the space program. Back to the ship to set sail for the islands...

Spring Break Cruise Part One

Spring break, whew, what a whirlwind! This year our kids had different school spring breaks, so Charlie got an extra week off while we went on  big trip. The kids were at first apprehensive about the boat, but once they had their things packed, they couldn't wait to start the adventure. At the airport, Ana had a bit of trouble with the TSA agent. Apparently packing a robotic baby doll and disappearing milk in her carry on was a tad suspicious. After a thorough exam, baby and her carry-on bag were allowed to come on the trip after all.

 On the plane, we sat in pairs, with girls in front of guys. Charlie IV started talking to his dad as they were preparing for take off, and barely took a breath while talking nonstop the entire flight. That boy has an amazing lot to say!

 After a very fun and very raucous birthday celebration  for Aunt Em, Aunt Liz, and Uncle Dee, then a run in the rain, we had a fun little party in our hotel room. The kids were determined to have a pajama party, and loved sharing their "make the rules as you go" style card games.

 The next morning it was off to the boat.

On this busy day we learned all about Camp Carnival and its array of kids activities, and then it was off to try the main dining restaurant, our place for dinner for the week. The kids loved being able to look out and play in the window while waiting on dinner, even if they spilled stuff every single day. Good thing they put us in the corner.

Surprise! When we returned to our room for the night we had our luggage delivered and the bunk beds in place. The kids immediately claimed their upper beds, and took to bouncing around with Faith until bedtime. We actually spent very little time in this room, after all it was a big boat.

Sea Day one involved our first foray into the chaos excitement of the morning buffet. Luckily the kids found a spot out of the way of foot traffic where they could watch the water go by. Then it was off to the first day of kids camp. While they played games and made friends, we explored the ship.

A definite highlight of being on a ship all day is the opportunity to attend classes. Grandma, Pa, Mom and I learned how they make a few of the special dishes on board, including taste tests. Since they shared the recipes, we will try a few at home.

Pa holds on tight in the glass elevator

At formal night we got the chance to meet and greet with the captain and various members of the crew. The kids are funny. They were more concerned about who was driving the ship with the crew standing around with them.

Everyone's birthdays were celebrated on the ship too...

For us this week was a rare opportunity to get out a little without the kids in tow. With so much family around, the kids had fun slumber parties with Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Liz and Aunt Em. Meanwhile we escaped for a little karaoke, and our routine of ice cream and pizza at midnight.

The next day meant we still saw no land. But no one missed dry ground because we were busy exploring the ship, playing at kids camp, and finally getting the kids in the pool. Let the record show they were ready to jump in the pool from the moment they stepped on ship. With so much in the schedule it took 2 days before we could make that happen, and then the water was so cold, they ended up spending all their time in the hot tub. There is nothing quite like 20+ kids all trying to kick around and swim in a little hot tub.

Charlie by now had become quite acquainted with the waitstaff at the restaurant, and they took this opportunity to let him help out in their night time song and dance. While this is usually something Ana is more into doing, she opted for a bathroom break (which is crazy far from the table) so her brother did a great job joining in instead.

The next day we found dry land. More pictures coming right up!