First Port Day–Costa Maya

May 22, 2023 | Stacy

We visited Costa Maya in 2016. We had a great day there on that visit, but the region had been hard hit by both the lockdowns and hurricanes. We knew going in that our day would be a little weird.

The ship was not going to dock until 1PM or so, so the morning was ours.

Daddy visited the coffee shop and brought the girls back some pain du chocolat.

We went to the main dining room again for breakfast. It was such a nice view and our meal was excellent.

We all did, um, things? for the next few hours. Johanna tried the rock climbing wall.

Tab absorbed vitamin D.

Marie found a covered lounger.

Johanna went for a swim.

And came back with a beverage. These kids know how to cruise!

John and Nigel.

After some lunch from the buffet, we got the all clear for disembarkation.

I had some basic idea of getting through the port area and finding a cab to take us to the Malecon where we could find a beach to chill on.

On the outer edge of the port, there was no shortage of men and women offering beach packages. We found one that sounded safe (you need to re-read our 2019 nightmare to understand this was a HUGE leap of faith for us), and we headed to a very popular beach. The package was inexpensive, and drinks were also reasonable. But we had to endure SO MUCH SOLICITATION. To the point that I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. It was exhausting.

We had real Coke! Yum.

And after a few hours we decided to request a cab back to the port. Here, we paused to enjoy some flamingos.

And take a photo with the same sign we have a photo of Tab and Hanny with from 2016.

It was few hours until dinner, so we all kind of found things to do and eat. The pizza was not terrible. The sauce and cheese were actually good.

This is where I need to brag on Katriel.
The area where you can get pizza is also the area where you can get small sandwiches and pastries. The pizza line is often super long, while the sandwich/pastry side is much shorter. Katriel had discovered earlier in the cruise that if you were in the line for a sandwich or pastry and also asked for pizza, they would get you both.

She’s a genius! She got a donut for her and two slices for me and no one was sad.

As the ship was pulling out of port I was able to get a cool video of the sun setting.

Tab was with us for dinner, but wasn’t feeling photo-y. No problem.

Most of us had coconut shrimp.

Tab had bao tacos.

Katriel had the fruit cup.
She also had mac and cheese again and ice cream again.

We really did try a wide variety of dishes.
DH and I had the jerk pork. It was amazing.
I only ate 25% but it was so so good

Tabby had tiger shrimp.

Nigel is the least excited about food with a Caribbean flair; he opted for pesto pasta.

Johanna had NY strip AGAIN
And Marie had the Caribbean chicken. We’d been told it was quite spicy, but she said it was perfect

Most desserts were represented.
The carrot cake was a 6/10 to Tab and I. Needed more frosting.
The sunshine cake was a 7-8/10 for three of us.
The brownie was 10/10, as was the chocolate cake.

Day at Sea–

May 21, 2023 | Stacy

Tab and I got up and hit the gym. The view was gorgeous. It was the only sunrise we saw, and the only gym time we logged in.

I got some coffee at the Starbucks included with our drink package.

And ran into these two. ♥

After getting cleaned up, I grabbed a picture of the shower so I could demonstrate just how compact they really are.

We took some photos around the ship and had a seat to enjoy our coffees.

And then headed in to breakfast.

This is the one main dining room. At dinner time we eat on the third floor at 8PM.
For breakfast we are seated on the first level.

The girls enjoyed picking out pastries.

I had bagel with salmon and avocado.

And grits.

When we headed upstairs we saw that our steward had visited our room already.

We lounged around the pools most of the morning. Some went to play golf, and others did some slides. Katriel spent some time in the kids’ club.

We went to the buffet for lunch because we didn’t have other options. I ate two kinds of fish and some fresh veggies. It’s so weird how little appetite I have anymore.

We went to the lounge to play a Disney music trivia game.

We tied for first place.

The kids had ice cream number 2,420… or close to it.

After much hanging around we finally got ready for dinner.

We struggled to find great lighting.

It was dress up night.

French onion soup

Rainbow salad (Katriel)

Calamari

Caesar salad

Butternut squash soup

Lobster tail.

Katriel got fettucine alfredo.

Beef Bourguignon

Beef tenderloin

Some asparagus risotto

Cappuccino chocolate cake

Creme brulee

Apple cobbler

We went back to the room to watch a movie.

We were pretty tired.

Let’s get afloat!

May 20, 2023 | Stacy

I had planned this cruise to go out of Galveston because we had hoped to couple a shorter cruise with some TX road tripping. As it is, we will not be doing that post-cruise. There are a few activities going on with our homeschool co-op that Tabitha and I would like to attend, so we essentially drove two days for a five day cruise, and then will drive two days back home.

Breakfast was as good as yesterday’s.

We had to stop for a hole punch, bc I had noticed this morning that mine was missing from my cruise bag. We use it to punch a hole in our cruise card so we could put it on our lanyard.

I sincerely enjoyed the drive down the Bolivar Peninsula on the eastern coast of TX on our way to Galveston. It is a beautiful area, and yet you can see how it would have been devastated by Hurricane Harvey. So much of the area is newly built up. We had to take a Ferry to Galveston Island.

As soon as we exited the Ferry we could see our ship just a few miles away.

The parking was a bit hectic compared to most of our other cruise experiences, but everyone had an awesome attitude and we hoofed it to the port authority.

It wasn’t long before we were almost to the gangway.

And next thing you know, we were at the buffet followed by a trip to the ice cream.

We looked around the ship a bit.

And when we made it to our room I just about died. This was absolutely a terrible error on my part. The room did NOT have a couch/bunk bed set up. This tiny space was for four of us. (Nigel, Marie, and Tab had a similar set up, but with twin beds.)

I panicked for a moment, and then realized there was nothing we could do but suck it up.

We all went our different ways. Johanna, Katriel and I went for sodas.

And to look around the sports court.

We ran into John and hung on the deck for a while.

Some opted to try water attractions.

And we went to the art gallery.

Prior to dinner, we went back to our stateroom to get dressed up. This is how the room would remain for the rest of the voyage.

It was cramped, but we did what we could to maximize space.

The main dining room was gorgeous – I took photos another night.

Crab cake

Escargot

Artichoke dip

Pan-roasted fish filet

Prime rib

Stuffed portobello

Fried chicken

NY Strip

ahem

Key lime

Boston creme pie

Royal cheese cake

Dinner BEGAN at 8PM and was done around 9:40PM. We were all tired, and we headed back to our rooms for the night.

And the view from my bottom bunk.

GA to TX

May 20, 2023 | Stacy

Nigel, Marie, and Tab had one room, and John, Johanna, Katriel, and I had another. We were all up early and headed down for our breakfast.

We were on track for packing up and getting out and it didn’t take long to get moving.

Believe it or not, there was only ONE Buc-ee’s on our route, so we made sure not to miss it.

The overall drive from Greenville to Galveston is about 15 hours. I broke our days up into nicely sized chunks to let us do some sight seeing mid-day. Today’s overall driving was for 10 hours, but we were driving west and therefore gained an hour.

We stopped at The Cheese Cottage for lunch in Mobile, AL.

Because neither of us are big eaters, Katriel and I split a turkey and cheese club. Everyone else had the same sandwich, but a full one.

It was a cute little stop and a beautiful day.

We wanted a little something to do mid-day and I had read about Fort Conde in Mobile.

Access to the Fort included the Museum of Mobile, which we had not anticipated.

It was something to do, and it was amazing to read about the centuries of natural disasters that have plagued that region.

We saw the Port of Mobile where the Carnival cruise ships dock. It was right across the street from the fort (which is a recreation).

This fort is build right above the expressway!

No sooner did we get back to our van and start on our way than the sky opened up and it started to pour. AND – our wiper was dilapidated. We stopped by the FANCIEST Walmart I’ve ever seen, and John replaced the wiper and on we went.

We stopped at a Whataburger to say we did. No one hated it, but no one begged to return.

A few hours later we rolled into TX.

We stopped for the night in Winnie, TX, and the hotel left a little to be desired. But it was a great deal.

Here we go. A 2023 road trip and cruise.

May 18, 2023 | Stacy

We left town after John got home from work and the car was packed.
Stewart was not able to join us as he not only has a new job, but he also needs to save vacation days for his upcoming wedding.

Of course it rained, but that was ok. We only had about 3.5 hours to our first overnight stop in Newnan, GA.

This was my first time in Atlanta. I have heard many horror stories about the traffic there, but thankfully we hit it just right at 8PM or so.

We stayed in a Holiday Inn Express in Newnan, GA.

Bye for now, Beach

December 29, 2022 | Stacy

Most of us were up by the sunrise, and it did not disappoint.

I promise the heat was ON in the condo!

Maybe she was just pre-heating?
My darling daughter did the brave frozen foot dunk as Mama had days before. She didn’t want to “miss her chance.”

We loaded the car and headed back to Greenville. Stewart had left the evening before after dinner because his eyes were really bothering him and it would be easier to drive in the dark vs the glorious, but pain-inducing, sunshine.

Our stop at Buc-ee’s was right around lunch time.
Katriel got a parfait, Tab got fruit, John, Nigel and I got sandwiches. Johanna got a burrito. Marie was not hungry. It’s not super cheap, nor super expensive, but it was yummy!

I love this naptastic nine-year old!

Sun’s out!

December 27, 2022 | Stacy

I was awake in the night with a raging sinus headache. We’ve been sick this whole week. So I finally got back to bed around 5:30AM and missed sunrise. Boo.

I joined my family with games already in progress.

Some were already on their morning naps by the time I woke, because they’d been out ON the beach at sunrise! I love this silly family. It was about 20F!

I was fed and dressed in time for more games.

It was so sunny we were wearing our shades inside! What a marvelous problem to have.

Before lunch, we decided to check out the pool. While the pool was indoors, walking to the pool did require a moment outdoors waiting for the elevator. We decided to brave it!

We dried off, ate lunch and then decided to visit the beach. This time all of us went out at the same time.

More relaxing and a movie before we headed out to dinner.

We met our friends at the Flying Fish.

It was such a chill day.

Oh–I Sea You!

December 26, 2022 | Stacy

Some of us were up early for the sunrise.
It came over the horizon at 7:17AM as promised.

Some watched from the deck, while I sat in my chair and kept warm. It was maybe 21F out. Historic temps and all.

Johanna and Katriel played a long time with the new Madrigal house:

We ate Christmas Day leftovers for breakfast with this view:

After breakfast, most of us decided to take a walk out to the beach.
Some of us couldn’t resist a little salt water.

This little sandpiper brought me a lot of joy.

After a bit of shell hunting, John, the girls and I went over to Barefoot Landing to do some shopping and touring.

I was very much dressed for this shop.

We found a sweets shoppe and left quite a bit of money there.

But we didn’t leave empty handed.

Back at the condo, I worked on prepping our dinner (the beef went in the crockpot early this morning) and we joined the boys making the most of their work environment.

I could cook with this view every day.

Our Christmas feast was just as awesome on 12/26 as it would have been 12/25.

We all did our own thing for a few hours.

And in lieu of a proper dinner most of us headed over to The Crazy Mason to meet some of our friends who were also traveling to North Myrtle Beach this week.

Tabitha, Marie, and Nigel ate 100% of their treats. I believe Katriel had 15%…
John, Johanna, and I managed about 75%.

It was delicious.

Merry Christmas – 2022

December 25, 2022 | Stacy

It was our second Christmas in the new house, and it felt a lot less awkward.

With that said, it was somewhat unusual. For the first time that I can remember, Nan and Nene were not with us. And late last evening it was confirmed that Noelle would NOT have a late day flight today.

The kids were up by 7AM and we started opening gifts around 7:30AM. While gifts in and of themselves are not my focus of Christmas, I do love to see how the kids gift one another. I simply can’t take photos of every exchange, but they are all very special.

Nigel bought Tab some ramen noodles.

And gave the girls two movies to share; they each got to open one of them.

Marie also got movies, and I have no idea what is on the in the background… some kind of Christmas music channel.

There were presents from Nan, Nene, Barb, Ba, Poppy and Noelle that we opened and tried to share with them back home in a variety of ways.

Our feast was a little less intense than other years, but just as filling.
Johanna’s casserole was delicious, and it really is all about the cinnamon rolls.

The kids opened some gifts from us, and I think Daddy’s selection of the Madrigal house, Casita, from Encanto was a good choice, judging from Katriel’s reaction. Thank you Black Friday sales!

I daresay the most memorable gifts were the ones I could not take photos of because I was holding Stewart’s phone up in a FaceTime with Noelle. She had planned to be here when the girls opened their gifts, but wisely had sent them back in the car with Stewart on his November trip to NY. The gifts included letters asking them to be in her wedding a bridesmaids and junior bridesmaids. They were all elated and touched.

We worked at getting the mess a little under control before we headed out to church.

The service was lovely, and there were a lot of new faces. I hope the visitors were blessed to hear about Emmanuel.

Once we were home from church, we changed into travelling clothes, backed the coolers, and got our bags into the big van and Stewart’s car. We caravaned pretty much due east as we headed to North Myrtle Beach for a three night stay in a condo. That idea was born when I realized Nan and Nene wouldn’t be coming AND the Hoyts would be out of town. With no one to celebrate with, it became a case of, “well – since it is going to be weird, let’s embrace weird and add on a little different.” Since everything the kids would do during a break could be done at a rental, AND it would keep me from feeling like I had to use my free time to organize a chest of drawer or paint a closet or deep clean a bath in my free time. We opted for a beach view vs a mountain view.

We did the requisite stop at Buc-ee’s in Florence. Sadly, we didn’t stay long and browse. It was not only mobbed (I’m okay with that), but also the bathrooms were closed because of a county-wide water issue.

We made it to North Myrtle beach by 5PM, and retrieved our key from the rental company. We found the condo complex, but then it took some time to find our particular unit (the signage was poor). We quickly settled in and I started pulling out our dips and snacks. Marie assisted me while Daddy helped Katriel set up her new toy house.

We enjoyed snacks and games and fun drinks.

Noelle gave us a new trivia game.

Finally, we watched the girls’ new movie The Bad Guys. It was hysterical.
The rental was huge – four bedrooms, four bathrooms, massive living area and extremely well-appointed kitchen.

Thankfully, their off season pricing was acceptable and they allowed stays by the night and not the week.