BASTHEFIRST

My son and I took our very first cruise on one of the inaugural Disney Dream Cruises in 2011 leaving Easter Sunday. His Birthday was that Tuesday onboard as well. I sent a present ahead by mail that I ordered off of the Disney Store website that looked like a wrapped Mickey present and had a Birthday Mickey and other stuff inside. When I got onboard and checked with Guest Services, they couldn't find it. I got passed around between a Supervisor and two managers. This went on for almost 3 days. One CSR said he would personally handle it seeing how nobody else really was. Although I was stressed over it, we were having a great time, so I took it all in stride and waited hoping for the best. Tuesday night at dinner Steve personally delivered his present and had a whole conversation with my son about his cruise and his Birthday and how happy was for him. BUT WAIT . . . when we got back to our room after dinner there was the usual laid out on the bed, but the room was re-decorated and there was a certificate, a limited edition Captain Mickey, and a note from Steve saying how he was glad to have been able to help and more. It is still one of the favorite gifts my son has ever received. :D

We took a tour bus back to the main entrance and quickly jumped into our rental car to get back to the Thrifty rental office by 4pm. We flew. Threw caution to the wind and did about 90 almost the whole way. It was disgraceful. I'm embarrassed, but we just made it back. No one there. The office was open but no one answered when we called. I wandered through the whole building; behind the desk, back offices, the bathroom, no one. We went outside and yelled and whistled and finally someone came in and said, extremely rudely, "I was counting the cars." I said ok, we'll run across the street and get gas then. We came back and after he got the keys he said, "Oh the last shuttle left." I said I contracted for a ride both ways from this office. YOU changed the time and I STILL made it back and your shuttle left EARLY?! He tried to say it left on time, but we both knew it left early. My son asked why he was being so rude. The shuttle driver then showed up and he told him not to give me a ride! It was then that I threatened his life and he called the cops. lol The cop completely understood. Told me to hire a lawyer, but there's nothing he could do and to take a cab. I didn't want to freak my son out so we just called a cab and I figured I'd fight the charges when I got home. Believe it or not I actually read this guy was an ass online prior and still rolled the dice. Shame on me. DON'T USE THRIFTY! The cab was only $15, so no bid deal. It is what it is.

For some reason my phone didn't charge while plugged into the car today, so I forgot and left it charging in the room when we went to dinner, so unfortunately I don't have any pictures from this meal. Brad started with the Shark and Langoustino Fire Cracker Roll with Salsa Verde. I had the Fried Shrimp with Pickled Cucumbers and Plum Sauce. For his main course Brad had the Braised Lamb Shank in a Burgundy Sauce marinated with garlic and fresh herbs and braised root vegetables. I had the Grilled Marinated Pork Steak with Grilled Zucchini and Sautéed Sliced Potatoes. For dessert I had the "Bitter and Blanc". Warm dark and white chocolate bread pudding with vanilla sauce and Brad had . . . ready for it? Warm Chocolate Melting Cake. lol

After dinner we walked around and checked out the end of some trivia in the Piano Bar then I took Brad to Camp Carnival for some video game contests and Bingo. I hung in the casino bar a bit with some friends but didn't stay too overwhelmingly long tonight and went back and watched some of The Internship on a movie channel in the room before turning in for the night.

Today is Port Canaveral day. We were awoken by the knock of Room Service at our door and the ship docking at Port Canaveral, both at 7am. This was an early and full day in Port, from 7am til 5:30pm and we were psyched for our first time at the Kennedy Space Center. I ordered 2 of practically every kind of Danish, muffin, croissant, juice, milk, etc. for this morning since we knew we probably wouldn't have time to go to breakfast and when I came out of the shower it was practically all gone. I guess my skinny little son figured he was only getting one breakfast today so he had to fill his hump. lol We packed up what we thought we need for the day in a backpack and headed out. It was chilly and damp so we wore our jackets today. Only about 45*, cloudy, and a little drizzle. We got our picture taken heading off the ship with someone in a space suit so my son's anticipation was already building. We went outside and waited for our Thrifty Car Rental Shuttle to take us to the rental office only minutes away.

I made my car rental reservation online with them since I'm a Thrifty Blue Chip Member and got a car for the day for like $30. I rented a car for 9am-5pm, but on the shuttle the driver said everyone must be on the 4pm shuttle if you want a ride back. Shady bait and switch, but what are ya gonna do? It was a small ugly thing, but it was perfect for what we needed. I printed driving directions before we left and turned on my phone GPS as well and we picked between the two. Kennedy Space Center is about 20 minutes from the Port. We got to the KSC before it opened and took a few pictures and then the ticket window opened. They pulled up our info and printed everything we needed. As I'm listening to her explain things I'm realizing that having to be back for the 4pm shuttle is probably going to now cost us the tour I wanted. I went to Guest Services and the woman there said it definitely would and changed things around for us accordingly. I was bummed but I did get a $50 refund. We changed from the super duper tour (or whatever it's name was) so we could still have LUNCH WITH AN ASTRONAUT.

If you like space at all, Kennedy is well worth seeing. We walked through the Rocket Garden of old rockets big and small. Exploration Space puts you in command in every way possible. The Angry Birds Space Encounter is a little out of place because it's really just a game stop for little kids, but probably necessary on busier more crowded days. The Astronaut Encounter puts you in a tutorial and question and answer session with an actual Astronaut. The newest and largest building is Space Shuttle Atlantis and its connecting Shuttle Launch Experience. It's REALLY cool. The reveal of the actual Atlantis Space Shuttle in the building is almost enough to make you cry. I swear my son's face at that moment made the whole day worth it. Although having lunch and getting a picture with an actual Astronaut was right up there! We then got on one of the tour buses for the tour of the outer areas and launch pads and were then dropped at the Apollo/Saturn V Center. The largest rocket ever created is INSIDE the building hanging from the ceiling. Touch moon rocks, rovers, shuttles, landing craft. Just awesome. I'll recommend this to any and every one. I love amusement parks, so I don't know that I'd choose it over them, but having never been to Kennedy, it was an easy choice and one we're REALLY glad we made.

Funny you should mention the décor, as I have barely. lol I had heard about it over and over in doing my research and was really looking forward to seeing it all for myself. It is definitely Renaissance themed from head to toe and back to front. There was SO MUCH naked in paintings and wall coverings and statues, that in all honesty, I barely noticed. The true reflection of it was when my son said he thought "all these naked people" was 'weird', nothing more. I then explained the theming and what the Renaissance Period was and who Michelangelo was and his great works of the time. It made a little more sense then. And if you're into art, or especially this period, the ships décor will be a real treat. I didn't find it offensive at all, not even the giant statue of David in the Steakhouse. What I did notice was that the entire ship for the most part is VERY dark. I noticed this because I like light and believe more of it makes things look bigger, brighter, cleaner, and newer. As a hotel manager these are important things. I don't imagine any of this will really matter to those concerned when the Pride gets her reimagining in the coming year and has a whole new look. I think people that are offended by it are the same people that are looking for things to complain about in general, but that's just my opinion. There is just SO MUCH of it that it becomes part of the background and you will barely notice any of it in no time at all. ;)

Since I couldn't get my scanner to work property to make the Funtimes bigger and more readable, here is a link thanks to RADIO who reported LIVE from our cruise who did post them:

http://public.fotki.com/Radio88/carnival-pride-janu/

I have the Camp Carnival one as well, so I'll keep working on it. :D

So, the kids are asking if the waiters dance to "What Does the Fox Say?" at any point in the dining room.

 

Keep it coming1 I'm loving hearing about the boy-friendly Camp Carnival activities. My son was VERY excited to hear about the cup stacking and the scavenger hunts! My daughter is pretty easy to entertain, so she is not as concerned. If she doesn't like what's going on in camp, she will just read or swim.

No "What does the fox say" dancing in the dining room, but we weren't in the dining room for dinner the one night on Friday, so I guess it's possible. My son and I both realized afterward that we forgot to ask what the entertainment in the dining room was that night because we enjoyed it so much all the others. :mad:

Early dinner seating at 6pm is usually done around 7:30pm give or take every night. It's funny watching them clear and set for the next seating like clockwork as some are gone and some are still finishing. Extremely efficient.

After dinner we headed to Butterflies Lounge on Deck 2 all the way at the front of the ship next to the Taj Mahal theater for our first Family Friendly Comedy Show at 8:30. I had heard that the crowds can be unbelievable for the comedy shows, so get there early. We got there about 45 minutes early and there was 2 people there, so I got to at least take a picture of my son in front of the microphone on stage. It also gave me time to go back to my room and mix a drink to bring down. It really didn't fill up til close to show time, but I heard the later adult shows get more and more crowded earlier and earlier, with some people never leaving their seats and staying for the following show. My son found a friend from Camp Carnival and was chatting away with him til the show started while I perused that nights Funtimes and the one for the following day as our room was made up, it was laid out on the bed, as was our latest towel animal (a frog), as it is nightly while we are at dinner. The show was REALLY funny and clean for those worried about their kids. The comics are all first rate and nationally known. Not $100 ticket headliners, but familiar just the same. There can be a couple comics that share the time or just one with his own show. This was only one and it ran about a half hour.

I took my son back to the room so he could do his nightly report writing before bed. I had been invited at Karaoke to come the Carnival Legends Auditions tonight, which is a show of cruise guests singing as famous stars (Elvis, Elton, etc.), but I ran into my casino friends cutting through there and got hung up for hours. lol I did manage to catch some of one of the house bands in the Starry Night Lounge. It was a tight little 4 piece band from the Philippines that covered The Beatles extremely well. A lot of energy and they were really good and entertaining. You can lose track of time really easy at night. Like casinos in Atlantic City, there are no clocks, and without a watch or phone on you, you'll have no idea, before you realize, it's time for bed! lol

It was a cruise casual day and dinner so we spent most of it in warm-up suits, Brad in his blue with orange T and me in my Clemson, you couldn't miss us. Yet another way we made friends throughout our cruise. People would say to us, separate or together, "Hey, you're the Clemson boys!", which my son loved. lol

We decided to head down to the Perfect Game Sports Bar for Sports Trivia at 5pm before dinner. One thing I've definitely found is that Trivia, like Karaoke, gets a pretty good turn out consistently, no matter what the topic or challenge. We saw some friends previous trivia games and events and got started. I forgot to save the questions for this one. I don't know why, but we won, by one point! I let my son have it for this one, because the one question I had no idea about and let him handle we got wrong. lol That one was, "Other than swimming, name one Olympic sport that requires you to go backwards?" He guessed curling. Not bad, so we tried it, but it was rowing. Can't remember the others. I'll have to work on it. We awarded Ship Medals on red, white and blue ribbons for this win. He was psyched! I think he wore it the rest of the night. lol Trivia generally lasts about a half hour, so we went and looked at some pictures in the lobby before dinner.

We went straight to our table in the Normandie Dining Room since we now know right where to go and there's a father and son sitting across from each other in it at our table for four. What was funny was that my son and I both kind of stepped back at the same time as we turned the corner to our table and laughed. Afterall, it is Dinner #3 and we've seen noone at our table yet, and now they were taking the whole thing. lol They picked one side and Rich and his son Chase ended up being really nice guys who we saw several times more throughout the Cruise, but never ate in the main dining room again. Rich said his son was an EXTREMEMLY picky eater, which fortunately I definitely don't have that problem with my son.

Tonight my son started with Thinly Sliced Prosciutto Ruffles with Sweet Melons and I had the French Onion Soup. I tasted mine and then remembered to get my phone out and take a picture. By the time I did he had inhaled all the Prosciutto. This is a kid that will eat pork in any form endlessly, so I shouldn't have been surprised, but it was funny. For our main courses Brad chose the Aged Braised Short Ribs with Sesame Eggplant and Fried Rice. I had the Slow Roasted Jerked Pork Loin with Fried Rice and Crisp Garlic Seasoned Green Beans. Before dessert we were treated to the staffs dancing to some dance music. Really funny, especially watching them laugh through it. For dessert I tried the Warm Fig, Date and Cinnamon Cake and Brad, believe it or not, had the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake! The waiters are now no longer giving him a dessert menu either. They're prepared. His milk shows up, they laugh, and say, "the usual sir?" lol

It was a cruise casual day and dinner so we spent most of it in warm-up suits, Brad in his blue with orange T and me in my Clemson, you couldn't miss us. Yet another way we made friends throughout our cruise. People would say to us, separate or together, "Hey, you're the Clemson boys!", which my son loved. lol

We decided to head down to the Perfect Game Sports Bar for Sports Trivia at 5pm before dinner. One thing I've definitely found is that Trivia, like Karaoke, gets a pretty good turn out consistently, no matter what the topic or challenge. We saw some friends previous trivia games and events and got started. I forgot to save the questions for this one. I don't know why, but we won, by one point! I let my son have it for this one, because the one question I had no idea about and let him handle we got wrong. lol That one was, "Other than swimming, name one Olympic sport that requires you to go backwards?" He guessed curling. Not bad, so we tried it, but it was rowing. Can't remember the others. I'll have to work on it. We awarded Ship Medals on red, white and blue ribbons for this win. He was psyched! I think he wore it the rest of the night. lol Trivia generally lasts about a half hour, so we went and looked at some pictures in the lobby before dinner.

Good review!

 

Just curious why you wanted to share a king size bed with your son rather than having two separate beds. :confused:

Oh I never mind anyone asking me anything, and I guess I was so in my own head I didn't think to explain. I wanted the King size bed for ME! :D I also asked them to make up the sofa bed (which is a twin) nightly for my son. The room feels much bigger and luxurious with the beds made up as a King. Separated they take up more space and I don't do twins anymore. I've earned that, but good question, thanks. lol

"The first Elegant Night is also the Captains Celebration, which can be held out on the Promenade Deck in nicer weather, but in the Atrium Lobby when it is not, so we got to chat and get pictures with all the Captain and all the officers as well before heading back to our room around 8pm"

I'm originally from, and back in, Jersey, but lived in Clemson for 6 years! GO TIGERS!

Just got off of the Pride and the first Elegant Night was more formal just because more people were dressed up than the second. The second is the second to last night and people are sun burnt or just burnt out, but the formal is formal. A LOT of people dressed up. Be prepared, but pack light if that's a concern and have fun! :D

CARNIVAL PRIDE RIDDLE TRIVIA

1 - A man buys a ranch style home. Everything is blue. The walls are blue, the furniture is blue, the beds are blue, the inside is blue, the outside is blue. What color are the stairs?

2 - What's black and white and red all over?

3 - A rooster sits on a roof facing North. The wind is blowing 30 mph from the south. The roof pitches due East. If he lays an egg what direction will it roll?

4 - What color was GEORGE WASHINGTONS White House?

5 - What gets wetter and wetter as it dries?

6 - You're driving a bus that has 6 stops. 8 get on, 2 get off, then 6 get on, 4 get off, then none get on, 1 gets off, then 4 get on, one gets off, then 7 get on, 2 get off, then 10 get on, 3 get off. How old is the bus driver?

7 - You fill a basket but no matter how much you do so, it adds no weight whatsoever. How is this possible?

8 - Who is your sister-in-laws mother-in-law?

9 - A man and his son are in a car accident and the father dies. The boy is flown to the hospital where the Dr. comes into the operating room and looks at the boy and says, "I can't operate on this boy. He's my son." How is this possible?

10 - An electric train is going 60 mph heading east up a 45 degree slope with a 15 mph Eastern cross wind. Which way does the steam blow?

11 - What is the name of the closest star to the Earth?

12 - How many grooves in a 33 rpm record?

13 - Is the Capital of Kentucky pronounced - A) Looville B)Louieville C)Louisville?

14 - A man goes into the woods looking for nothing. He comes out holding nothing. When he gets home he searches his empty hand for something. What is he looking for?

15 - A man in car #1 crashes into car #2. They pull a dead body out of car #2, but the driver of car #1 does not go to jail. Why?

16 - A man jumps off of a 20 foot ladder and does not get hurt? Why?

17 - A man leaves home, makes a left and a left and a left. He returns home to find two masked men waiting for him. Who are the men in masks?

18 - What state is round on the ends and high in the middle?

19 - Is it possible to jump higher than the Empire State Building?

20 - What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich don't need it, and if you eat it you'll die?

CARNIVAL CRUISE MOVIE TRIVIA - Name the movie AND the year it came out.

1 - "Frankly Scarlett . . . "

2 - "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes . . ."

3 - "This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship . . ."

4 - "The force will be with you . . ."

5 - "You talkin to me?"

6 - "I love the smell of napalm in the morning."

7 - "I ate his liver with some fava beans . . ."

8 - "Show me the money."

9 - "I feel the need, the need for . . ."

10 - "We're gonna need a bigger boat."

11 - "Hasta la vista baby."

12 - "We're not in Kansas anymore."

13 - "Life is like a box of chocolates."

14 - "I see dead people."

15 - "Houston, we have a problem."

16 - "Do you feel lucky punk?"

17 - "There's no crying in baseball."

18 - "I'm the king of the world!"

19 - "Say hello to my little friend!"

20 - "I am serious, and don't call me Shirley."

We just got off the Pride on 2/2 and while we didn't eat at David's, we did do the Chef's Table dinner. It's $75/person and was absolutely unbelievable! I'd normally NEVER pay that much, but it was WELL worth it. :D

We began our third day with the prerequisite knock on the door and my coffee and Brads croissants and danish arriving, but we both quickly fell back asleep. A few too many Enerdrivers last night for me I guess and Camp Carnival and all its running around caught up to Brad. Brad's becoming a Hobbit because he now refers to his room service as his "first breakfast". We eventually rolled out of bed and got showered and dressed and headed up to Mermaids Grille to see what was on the buffet for breakfast. It wasn't bad. Everything you'd expect or hope to be offered, hot and cold, at breakfast time. As a side note in getting ready, we found the bathrooms in the rooms to be plenty spacious enough. The shower is a stall with only a lip on the ground preventing the water from coming out and a long curved shower curtain and rod. They have Shampoo and Body Wash in containers mounted to the wall in the shower. The bar soap they provide smelled a little weird to us and was extremely dry, so we didn't use that much having other options. Someone can be getting ready in front of the mirror at the same time without problem and the bathroom lighting is excellent. Although be careful of the toilet. Like most cruise ships, don't get to close when you flush. I think it could suck down a small dog if you weren't careful! lol

After breakfast I took Brad to Camp Carnival as he had a few hours of things he wanted to do there from 11am-2pm, starting with another Scavenger Hunt, Head to Head Challenges, and Video Games. I went to Raphael's Lounge and caught the end of the 10am Sound Clips Trivia (where they gave you movie lines and you had to guess the movie) and then sat by a window in a beautiful leather recliner and just enjoyed cruising for almost 45 minutes. The lounge started to fill up again for the 11:30am Guess That Movie. This time they gave you a line from a movie and you had to guess the film title and what year it was released. Tough huh? I finished second, losing by one point, with the winner getting the coveted "Ship On a Stick". lol I got to know the couple sitting next to me so we stayed for the next Trivia called Ultimate Mind Game. That's right. Winner winner chicken dinner! 20 out of 20 and now we are the proud owners of a Ship On a Stick! Or as the staff describes it, "a solid gold plastic replica of the Carnival Pride". lol I saved the answers, so if I can remember all the riddles I'll post them next. Basking in my glory I hung around for the next one called the Triviathon Fun Challenge, but didn't compete. I just helped the couple next to me. This one was REALLY hard and it ended up going overtime between 2 people.

When it was over I went up to the covered pool stage area on the Lido Deck where they were about to start the Hairy Chest Contest. I've heard people say how much they loved this and others how much they hate it. This was really funny. It's done well. Most of the contestants, there were 6, volunteer anyway, and the entertainment staff makes it enjoyable as well, as they do with most things. It goes on for a while, with different challenges, so to speak, eliminating 2 at a time til it's down to the final 2 showdown. They get the crowd involved and it was really funny and worth catching if you like to laugh.

Brad found me at the pool and then we grabbed some lunch at the buffet. Nothing special, but as always we try to taste different things. Although you may not expect it, the lines are still BIG at 2pm for lunch at the buffet stations. There was Family Karaoke starting around now so we walked downstairs to check it out, but it was the same karaoke crowd and not a kid in the place. My son's never afraid to sing with me, but he didn't really want to hang out with a crowd of adults for no apparent reason, so we didn't stay. We chatted about our days and walked through the stores then went back to our room at 3pm to watch "Star Trek: Into Darkness" on one of the movie channels. I think my eyes may have been open for some too! LOL

The first Elegant Night is also the Captains Celebration, which can be held out on the Promenade Deck in nicer weather, but in the Atrium Lobby when it is not, so we got to chat and get pictures with all the Captain and all the officers as well before heading back to our room around 8pm or so to find our latest towel creation.

Little Brad changed into his pajamas and started his nightly writing for his school report on his trip and I went down to the Florentines Lounge for a little karaoke. I'm not exactly a love song singer all too often, so needless to say my choice in song woke up the place pretty good. lol After I went back up to check on my sons progress and he was already done writing and sound asleep. I head down to the Ivory Piano Bar for some sing-a-long, but it was like the dance of the dead this early, so I didn't stay. Now I live near and work in Atlantic City, but don't gamble at all, which is a huge pastime for many on a Carnival Cruise. It was heading through the casino, one of the few places your allowed to smoke and you sure can tell, that I spent the balance of my night before turning in. I met some hilarious people there that I ended up running into and hanging out with several times throughout the cruise, so never say never.

After dinner we went back to the main atrium lobby to get our picture taken at some of the many places to do so. There are a lot of stations set up, many with fake backgrounds. That's not really are thing, plus we can usually do that home at The Picture People, so I let my son pick where he wanted to get his picture taken . . . and boy does he love having his picture taken. lol Oh, there's also a photographer that comes around and takes your picture at your dining room table every night too. No matter where you have them taken, they take them separate, together, individual. Remember the more options, the more they're likely to sell, but getting them taken is free and you're not obligated to buy any.

We got in our matching suits, shirts and ties and headed down toward the Main Dining Room and the Atrium Lobby. We stopped at Pixels Gallery, the name of where all the photos taken by Carnival are printed and displayed, to take a look at what had been printed so far. While the photos are taken digitally, every single one is printed and displayed in racks around the 3rd floor overlooking the lobby. Each style of photo is grouped together and yours are grouped by facial recognition. A little wasteful to be printing them all, but I'm sure that will change eventually.

After looking around briefly, and fending off eager photographers at their stations, we head into the dining room. Now many have asked about Elegant Night. By my estimation, a good 90% of people were dressed up. Not just dressed better than normal, but Formal. Lots of suits, dresses, gowns, you name it. People saying it's a lot less are fooling you. I saw it and was glad we dressed appropriately.

For dinner tonight little Brad started with the Spicy Alligator Fritters over Tropical Tomato Salsa with fried chips & onion straws followed by Prime Rib with Baked Potato & Onion Rings. I tried the Fried Vegetable Spring Rolls with Tomato, Oregano & Olive Oil Sauce followed by the Barbecued St. Louis Style Pork Spare Ribs with Grilled Corn on the Cob, Spring Onion, Fries & Creamy Cole Slaw.

Brad, and many others, thought the Alligator Fritters were kind of bland and mostly stuffing and not to be feared. Most loved their Prime Rib. My Spring Rolls were excellent as was the tenderness of the Ribs and corn. The fries were some of the worst I've ever had. You are forewarned. lol Brad couldn't help ordering the Warm Chocolate Melting Cake again for dessert and I tried the Caramelized Apples on Puff Pastry with Mini Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce. Brad LOVED his again. My pastry was perfect although I think the apple got left in the tree. BUT the caramel sauce was hot and thin and a wonderful surprise. I don't like caramel because it's thick and sticky, so this was great. Right before dessert the staff performed a lip synch to an old Dean Martin song that I can't remember, but it was cute.

My son, Charlie, wants to know if there were prizes for speed stacking. He desperately wants to win a trophy (Ship-on-a-Stick) next week!

No there were no prizes in Club Carnival. They did play Bingo there once and they gave out a dry erase board or the like, but no ship prizes or medals. The littler kids do some activities with things they get to keep though. Lido Deck Stage games, trivia, name that song, etc. around the ship all award medals and ships.

After the Steakhouse demo we went down the Lido Deck Stage next to the pool to sign up for the Master Mixologist contest, but we ran long and missed it. I wanted to enter my "Enerdriver" but it'll have to wait til next time. ;-) We did manage to catch some of the Ice Carving Demo there and see some of the Mixology contest though.

I took Brad down to Camp Carnival for their re-opening at 2pm. They close a few times during the cruise to prepare for what they call "Beary Cuddly". It's basically a Build-A-Bear workshop that you have to pay extra for. He wasn't really interested in that, especially since I had got him a Funship Freddy (the Carnival mascot) online before the cruise for Christmas. As a side note, we never did see or hear of Funship Freddy making any appearances on-board during our cruise, but that doesn't mean he didn't.

The Kids Club had about 3 hours of activities from 2pm-5pm that he was interested in checking out. Various games, Speed Stacking, Wacky Words, Team Competitions and finally a Scavenger Hunt. The Scavenger Hunts were for kids who were old enough and their parents allowed them to sign themselves out of the club to search the ship for what they were looking for. Sounds a little worrisome, but they are always in groups and if your kids are even fairly responsible, it's not that big a deal.

I told my son to meet me back at our room after his scavenger hunt so we could get ready for dinner. Your second night is the first of 2 formal or "Elegant" nights and we brought matching black suits along for them, and needed a little more prep time. lol

Once we got dressed for our day (in our Clemson gear of course) we headed up to the main dining room to check out brunch. Oddly, they seated most everyone that came in together, I guess trying to maximize space and make it easier on the wait staff. We never mind because we like getting to know as many as possible, but you could see the different points of view at one table. There were 8 of us and 6 of us were laughing it up and joining in. Two you would've barely known were there and you could tell didn't want to be. I just had some coffee and a muffin. Little Brad of course had steak and eggs. lol

After breakfast we walked around a bit and stopped to play some giant chess on the Lido Deck next to the pool. My son is becoming quite the chess fan. I whooped em in the first game. He was shocked, the little stinker. Although he caught me blind and beat me even faster in the second game, so I quit and told him he was grounded. ;-)

We went to the Taj Mahal Theater for the Fun Ashore & Fun Aboard Presentation at 10:30 to hear what the Cruise Director had to say and try and win some free stuff. No luck, but it was fun. Immediately following we went up top to David's Steakhouse for Steakhouse Secrets Revealed at 12pm to get a good seat. It filled up pretty quick. They demonstrated a salad, appetizer, main course and a dessert and gave everyone attending a sample of them all. My little foodie loved it. It was at this point that we learned about the Chef's Table dinner and signed up after the demo. More on that later.

We like it dark when we sleep, so with all the lights off out on the ocean that certainly is not a problem. The advantage is that if you're an early riser like we are, leaving the curtains open to your balcony can be like turning the lights on. We woke at 7am with the knock on the door. You can hang a door hangar on your hallway door with your breakfast order the night before and what time you want it. So there stood our steward with coffee and fresh croissants (little Brads new favorite). Just as we rose, there was the sun coming up over the ocean off our balcony. Not bad at all. The day before had peaked at about 35*, which we weren't really complaining about having left -10* only days before. Checking the balcony it was already between 45*-50*, so again, better than anyone expected.

Hope these are ok for those interested. :)