Vacation Blowout Special!

After three months of nearly non-stop travel for out-of-town work, traditional holidays, doctors and school stuff we finally had a vacation where we could relax by traveling non-stop for another three weeks.

Grandma and Grandpa Hansen planned a full-immersion vacation and invited us along. It included flying to Florida, a couple days at Disneyworld, a week long cruise, and then more Disney to quash any relaxation that may have occurred during the cruise.

We didn't know what to expect from Ada flying but she seemed intrigued with the experience and did pretty good. It wasn't exactly 13 hours flying to Japan, but a good start. Her cousins were even more excited. The photo shows them at one of their calm periods during the flight.

Stacy had been to Disneyworld before but it was a first for Ada and myself. The wackiness began right away with the hotel we stayed at - Pop Century. This place pays homage to the pop culture of the past century in the most appropriate of ways: enormous sculptures.

We had four days to explore the different parks and were able to make it to all of them. The weather was spectacular until our very last day. This collage shows some random highlights.

Animal Kingdom was pleasant to walk around and had many interesting things to do without sitting down for a show or waiting two hours to jump on a ride. Magic Kingdom was OK earlier in the day, but by mid afternoon was so crowded and annoying it was like a living nightmare. Same with Hollywood Studios - fun for a few hours, but not a whole lot we could all do together. We would usually retreat to the Epcot Center to wander around the world showcase or the interactive exhibits. Ada and mom are in "Japan" below.

One of the unexpected things we saw a lot of were the bizarre parades, and this was Ada's favorite thing about Disney. We thought it would freak her out and it did, in a good way. She would go crazy with the chaotic noise and action. Here her and grandma are comparing hats while waiting for the action to begin.

Resting up while waiting for a ferry ride between parks.

Usually she would just pass out randomly for a while. Luckily we were able to get her in the family photo at Canadaland.

Fortunately Ada won't remember what a great time she had so she won't bug us to go back soon. Stacy and I had fun, but it really isn't what we are into for traveling.

The cruise was a bit more exotic and relaxing It was a seven day Western Caribbean sailing on the Norwegian Sun. The three of us were tucked in an interior room that was pleasantly roomy and comfy. Ada loved the full wall mirror.

The hallways were great for long crawls.

There was a fun kiddie pool on the ship that her and the cousins loved.

And what is a cruise without near constant dining, from formal:

To more casual:

The food and service on the ship were great. We all ate well and had a good time. Ada loved all of the attention that the waitstaff gave her. Many of the staff had young kids back home that they hadn't seen for months, and Ada was a bittersweet reminder. Since the cruise, she expects the same attention whenever we are out to eat.

There were some fun ports along the cruise. The first was Cozumel where we all piled into a small glass-bottomed boat to go snorkeling. Unfortunately, we don't have the pictures available. Half the passengers had to get off half way through because the sea was so rough. I was able to get some nice snorkeling in and Ada got a well-rocked nap. It was a good tease for Ada since we will hopefully be bringing her to the Yucatan again.

The next stop was Santo Tomas, a small deepwater port in Guatemala. We didn't get off the boat since all of the shore excurions were a bit too ambitious for us and the port area was actually a commercial shipyard- which was interesting just to observe. It was a nice day to chill out on the ship and enjoy the view.

We were able to go ashore in Belize. We found a boat that would drop us off at an island for a few hours while they did a snorkel tour. The island was Caye Caulker, which is just inside the barrier reef about 45 minutes from Belize City. It was really pleasant. It had a mellow feel and a mellow crowd. While not very beachy there was a tiny spot where we could swim and give Ada her first ocean experience, au naturale. As with water in general, she loved it and it was a beautiful day out.

Our final pitstop was at Key West for a few hours. There was barely enough time to visit an aquarium and walk around town for a bit, which was disappointing because it was a unexpectedly interesting place. A Keys roadtrip may be in the future.

Overall, it was a great vacation and a nice way to close out winter. Thanks to our families for making it possible! It was also nice to come home from a tropicalish vacation and not be plunged right back into the dead of winter, although its looking to be a typical rollercoaster spring, with the weather being only part of the ride.