Happy Birthday TJ and Tyler!

We were out of town for the birthday parties my sister threw for her sons, TJ and Tyler. We didn't want to completely miss out so we took a cake (a car of course!) over to celebrate with them.

With Tyler's gift, I think he was more intrigued by the drumsticks than the actual drum!

A Few More Photos!

We are back in O-town! We made it back to Orlando on Sunday after driving up from Ft. Lauderdale. I still can't believe we were able to take this amazing trip. We have so many memories! Here are a few more photos I wanted to share.

Here's a shot from the miniature golf course on board the ship. Isn't this an amazing backdrop???


Jay and I had fun making our own towel animals. Here's the dog and cobra we made for our cabin steward. She loved them!


Here's Jay in the theatre with one of our table mates, Neil.


These are photos from the Gala Midnight Buffet. Everything is made with food! It is really incredible what they are able to create. We loved looking at all of the food art!

Last Day at Sea

I am still unable to upload photos, but I wanted to post one last message before we end our voyage. We arrive in Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow morning and then drive up to Orlando. We have had the most amazing time and still can not believe we were able to make this trip. I have never felt so relaxed and stress-free in my life! I'll add more photos and stories from our trip later next week (after we've gotten home, unpacked and gone through two weeks of mail!). Hopefully you'll see more before the week is over.

This trip would simply not have been possible without the help of our family. Everyone pitched in to take care of our three dogs. Thank you, thank you , thank you!

Thanks so much for checking in on us while we've been away. I've really enjoyed working on the blog and have had so much fun reading everyone's comments. I may just have to keep it up when we get back to O-town.

Love to all of you!!!

Razul

Yesterday we indulged in a spa treatment. We booked the Razul Room which is a private spa room featuring a steam room, sauna, and then a rain shower. Incredible body products are provided as well – salt scrubs, mud masks, and other great treatments. This had to be one of the most relaxing (and romantic) parts of our vacation.

Our last formal night is tonight and then a couple of hours after dinner is the famous midnight Gala buffet. I love seeing all of the incredible art work the chefs create with food. I'll be sure to take photos of the butter sculptures we'll see!

We can hardly believe that this incredibly vacation will soon be over. We've had so much fun!!!

I have more photos to show but the connection is simply too slow for me to upload them. I'll try again tomorrow!

25 Hour Days

Not only are we on the most relaxing vacation we’ve ever taken, but we are also enjoying 25 hour days. Now that we are crossing the Atlantic we are moving our clocks back an hour almost every night. This morning we were up at 7:45 am (I’m sure you all know how early this is for us to simply wake up on our own!). I think I could get used to the extra hour every night. Maybe we should all permanently change to 25 hour days!

Jay has enjoyed the towel animals our cabin steward, Leah, makes for us each night. He has even spent some time each evening trying to figure out how they are created. This morning we had the chance to attend a towel folding demonstration. Jay learned how to make an elephant. His looks just as good as the one Leah did for us in our cabin!

We are having so much fun!!!

(I have photos but we are currently going through a small storm and I am unable to upload them. I'll try again later.)

A New Goal

We’ve had our second formal night (I don’t have photos of this – we had professional portraits taken, but forgot to use our own camera). Before the dinner we attended a Welcome Back reception for all returning Royal Caribbean cruisers. During the event some of the more active Royal Caribbean guests were honored. Mrs. Hearst was recognized for celebrating her 138th RC cruise. She only started cruising in 1994. One time she spent a consecutive three months on board the same ship. This gives us something new to strive for!

Here are a couple of shots taken from our balcony.

This shot was taken from our favorite spot to eat breakfast each morning. This is at the very back of the ship. The views are fantastic and so relaxing! I think I could sit out here all day!

Beautiful Madeira

(I wrote this post yesterday, but we didn't have internet access so I was unable to post it.)

Yesterday morning we woke up and watched the sunrise from our balcony as we docked at the port of Funchal in Madeira. The Madeira Islands are part of Portugal but are actually closer to the African coastline than they are to Portugal. The island is a popular tourist destination for Europeans and is known for the sweet wine it produces.

While in Madeira we went on a 4 x 4 off-road excursion. We climbed the mountains in a Land Rover and were able to see some really incredible views. We went about 4,500 ft. above sea level and stopped at the top of one of the mountains for a quick Coca Cola and bag of Cheetos (we are just too American)!

Beth Ann, we encountered many cows while on our trek through the mountains of Madeira. We didn’t get out and talk to any of them but certainly took a few photos for you! Here’s one of them.

The atmosphere on board was incredibly festive as we left our last port to start the trip across the Atlantic. The views of the island were amazing and then we literally sailed into the sunset