December 27th - Fort Lauderdale

We got up this morning and again went down and had breakfast at the hotel.  The nice thing is that each morning there has been something a little different.  This morning they had mini cheese omelets.

We then headed out for our 10:00 appt. for a massage, sugar scrub & body butter treatment












at the Chi Asian Spa.  It was a wonderful 2 1/2 hr. experience that I hope to have again.

The other thing we always do is visit a Costco in the town we visit.  We bought some Pallini Limoncello because it had two cute shot glasses.

We also had to go to Bass Pro Shops so Roger could buy a clip for his .22.  We lucked out because no sooner had we walked inside it started down pouring and when we were done it was all sunshine again.










We then went looking for iguanas since this is where we saw a huge one a few years ago and sure enough we found one.

It was a small one in comparison but I wouldn't want it sneaking up on me.












Then we got eaten by a shark.

December 26th - Fort Lauderdale

At 3:00 am this morning yes I said 3:00 am we had a couple of guys knock on our door which was not the door they were looking for.  Then the alarm went off at 5:30 because Roger was going to go deep sea fishing but of course I could not go back to sleep.  He left a 6:30 and was rewarded with a beautiful sunrise.

Amanda texted me at 7:30 and we went down for breakfast before heading out for some shopping.

It saved us a lot of money shopping here in Florida because we saw a lot of things that if getting them home wasn't an issue we would have bought them.

It was bad enough that we had to haul what we did get all the way back to the hotel, of course we pushed the cart as far as we could.

While we were out shopping Roger was enjoying the Atlantic Ocean.  Which was about all he did because they never even got a bite.

He ran into a commute problem, we are not used to back home, on his way back to the hotel.....a draw bridge.  Well we timed our excursions pretty well because as we were trying on our purchases of the day Roger texted to see where we were and was heading up the elevator.  We went for lunch at a Cuban restaurant we had gone to after our cruise last year.






Then Amanda and I went and got our nails done.  Due to a finger injury she received last week she only got a pedicure but I got my nails done and a pedicure.






I am all sparkley  for the New Year.

Of course we are not ones to ever miss a meal especially if it is free so when we got back to the hotel they were having their social time.  You can tell we are also very social.....only if it is through electronic devices.











They had a nacho bar along with chicken tortilla soup with peanut butter cookies for dessert and you could have your choice of wine or beer.

After we finished eating we set out to find our mardi gras beads that we forgot at home but need for our Cruise Critic meet & greet that we are having on the Carnival Miracle.

December 25th - Ft. Lauderdale Christmas

As we were getting ready to sit down and have our breakfast at the hotel the song I'll be Home for Christmas was playing and Amanda thought that was a little funny to have that playing in the hotel but I told her we were home for Christmas it is just that Florida is our home during Christmas.  Which of course she reminded me then that she didn't get to go home for Christmas last year.

Amanda thought she was putting an orange slice in her mouth but realized it was grapefruit, the face she made was priceless.  I only wish we had the camera ready to get all of her faces she made and her wiping her tongue with her napkin to get it all out of her mouth.

After breakfast we pretty much relaxed in our rooms watching tv, reading & of course playing on our electronic devices.

Finally about 4:00 we headed out to see if Jaxson's Ice-Cream Parlor was open. We had seen it on tv and of course if you know my family at all you know that Roger & Amanda love their ice-cream.  We lucked out and they were open and it was a packed house.

I felt sorry for the poor waitress because she kept coming back to take our order but we couldn't make up our minds.  So what did we have for our Christmas dinner you might ask.......











a Turtle Sundae and a Chocolate-Peanut Gargantuan that is the way the Hitchcocks do things.  Thankfully they have doggy cups to take home what you can't finish AND we have a freezer in our room so tomorrow while Roger is out deep sea fishing Amanda and I can eat ice-cream.

We went back to the hotel and then what did we do but go for a Christmas moonlight swim.















I am thinking of Brad a lot today and hoping that he is making it through the day with as much joy as he can, since he is so far away from his wife Christine on their first Christmas as husband & wife.  But hopefully his Christmas gift will be a wonderful new life for them in the Nuclear program of the Navy.

December 24th - Ft. Lauderdale

Thanks to our new daughter-in-law Christine we were dropped off at the Yosemite International Airport early Christmas Eve morning.  I just hope she was able to go back home and get some sleep.  The best thing about doing online check-in is that you do not have to wait in the long line to get your boarding passes which saved us from a much longer security line because it grew much longer just after we got there.  We had just enough time to use the facilities before boarding our first flight from Fresno to Denver.  We did get a little exercise once we landed as our next flight was at the complete other end of the concourse.  We decided we had just enough time to go to Quiznos and get some sandwiches to eat on the plane and sure enough they started boarding the plane soon after we got back.  The nice thing about today is we did not spend much time in any airport and arrived in much warmer weather in Fort Lauderdale with our luggage. We only had a little break down in communication when the GPS wouldn't connect fast enough.

We were very happy with our rooms at the Hyatt Summerfield Suites that I booked off of Hotwire.com.  Amanda is lucky right now because she has her own room for a few days before she has to share a cabin with her parents.

The rooms have a full kitchen & living room,

but one of our favorite things is the huge shower.  

We got settled in and then went to find some place for dinner and we finally lucked out this year and got to eat at TGI Fridays instead of Denny's.  Since we didn't have much sleep last night (I had 1 1/2 hrs. & Amanda had a 1/2 hr) we were ready for bed.

August 5th - The Beginning of Our Adventure Home

Didn't sleep much last night because I kept hearing the luggage carts out in the hall and I thought we needed to get up and leave because they were disembarking the ship starting around 5:00am and we weren't really sure when they would call our number to leave the ship since we were doing a Carnival transfer, which I have to say was nice because we didn't have to find or pick up our luggage we just grabed it at the airport.  When we walked in to the Barcelona airport it was packed with people.  Our flight number was being used for a different flight but I got in the line anyways that it had said to which was the wrong one so after waiting in line for a half hour we had to move and get in another line.  We got through security and the passport check with no problem but after sitting at the gate for a couple of hours they called my name along with some other passengers on our flight and we were pulled into another room and they searched our bags and did a pat down.  This would not have been so bad but we had to stay in there and we were not allowed to tell the others in our group what was going on.  So Roger, Mike & Pam were left in the dark about what they were doing to me.  Then they took the group of us and told us to follow them but we were not allowed to talk, touch or communicate in any way with anyone before we boarded the plane or we would have to go through the search again.  The flight from Barcelona to Miami was pretty uneventful other than one pocket of turbulance.  Then the headache began when we reached Miami.  What a mess it is to go through customs there.
We had to wait in a very long line to show our declaration paper from there we had to go and pick up our luggage and then walk past another customs area where we gave them our declaration paper just to turn around and drop our luggage off to get put back in to the system to pick up in Fresno and then we had to go through security again.  Wouldn't you know it but they pulled me out of line again for a search but this time it was much better and Roger even went with me.  We actually made much faster time and ended up having to wait for Mike & Pam to finish.  I did ask this time why and she told me I had SSSS on the bottom of my tickets and that means they have to pull me and do a search.  All I can say is I am glad we had a three hour layover because we didn't have to wait that long before they started boarding our flight from Miami to Los Angeles.  I had gone up and asked about giving up our seats and they were going to need someone they thought and then maybe even two so Roger and I waited until after almost everyone boarded and then they told us they would only need one of us to give up our seat so Roger went ahead and boarded.  Then last minute she told me they had a first class seat open so I got to sit in first class.  It was nice but I don't think it is worth paying a bunch of money extra.  They brought a hot towel to wipe your hands with, then they brought warm nuts and a drink.  I got the chicken breast on a salad, which the chicken was really good, wine, roll and a chocolate, which was not so good.  I did sleep more though on this flight but it was not as comfortable as I thought it would be.

August 4th - Sea Day

Today is our last sea day.  Roger & I went to the dinning room for breakfast and sat with some people from Texas & North Carolina, we ended up talking to them until it was time to head for the galley tour at 10:30.  It was interesting seeing the kitchens but after doing the Behind the Fun Tour last cruise it was a bit of a lit down since it is just a small section that we could see on this tour.  We went to a few of the trivia games and helped the girls that we had sat with at lunch yesterday win a trophy during the Chick Flick Trivia.  Then we had to head back and start packing, with a side trip after taking Pam the luggage scale, to the chocolate buffet which I had hopped to go back to since I only got through half of it before my plate was full but the next thing I knew Pam was calling because it was time to go to tea.  After tea I went back to the cabin and finished packing.  We had the farewell party at 5:00 and pretty much just kept having a good time on deck 5 until dinner.  Tonight was the Carnival Legends show.  There were some of the worst performers I think I have ever seen during these shows but it was still fun.  Roger headed to the Casino and I headed back to the cabin.  I was very sad because all of my towel animals were gone.

August 3rd - Messina

We had to get up early this morning because our tour was leaving by 7:15 so we had to be in the lounge at 6:45.  They first took us to see the church in Messina, really it was to look at the clock.  It would have been a site to see at 12:00 with all of the people moving.  We then headed up to Taromina.  We had to switch from our tour bus to a smaller city bus that could get us up to the town.  We then quickly walked through the old city and looked out at some beautiful ocean views.  She then headed us over to the Greek theatre. They still use the theatre today for concerts and plays.  We were suposed to have some free time but it seemed to be over before we could really see the town.  We did get a canoli that Roger & I shared and then Mike & Pam got one to eat together as we were waiting for everyone to show up. We then headed to a restaurant where we ate lunch.  The served us salad, two types of pasta and sauces and then some ice-cream for dessert. They also had wine & water to drink.  We sat in the wrong location because it got pretty warm where we were sitting.  Once lunch was over and we all got back on the bus we headed up to Mt. Etna.  The volcano had erupted a few days earlier but there wasn't any signs of lava flow for us to see.  I was surprised at how loose the lava was although there were some big rocks that had been spit out at one time or another.  We were glad we were on a Carnival tour because we didn't get back to the ship until after the time we were supposed to be back on board.  We got cleaned up and ready for dinner and headed back up to deck 5 to watch as we sailed pass Stromboli which is another active volcano.  I'm pretty sure that if it had been dark we would have seen some red sparks because it hiccuped a couple of black plumes of smoke.  It just suprises me that people live on the island and that it is a tourist destination, since it is not a very large island but mostly just the volcano and a very active one at that.

August 2nd - Fun Day at Sea

Relaxed & Pam & I went to tea.

August 1st - Venice Day 2

It's my birthday. Mike & Pam had decided they were going to stay on the ship today so Roger & I headed out a little earlier this morning.  We walked to Saint Marks Square again on a different path.  We walked across the  Rialto bridge.  It was nice because there weren't a ton of people walking across.  We finally reached the square around 9:30.  We got in line to go into Saint Marks Basilica which it surpirsed me how long the line was.  Once we got to the area to go in I was told I would need to check the little backpack I had so I just told Roger to go in and I would wait outside for him.  It didn't take very long for him to go through because they move you through and you can't take pictures inside.  When he finished there we went to the Dodge's  Palace and walked through there.  It was used for the courts, prisons and government.  We walked across the Bridge of Sighs.  It was starting to get warm so we headed back to the ship again meandering the streets & bridges of Venice.  We went and stood out on deck 5 as we sailed out of Venice and drank the champagne that had been sent to our cabin.  Mike purchased pina coladas at dinner and then Radoslav our dinning room bar waiter brought us a round of Baily's in Carnival glasses for us and said that I got to keep the glasses.

July 31st - Venice Day 1

We tried to sleep in a little today because we knew we would be sailing into Venice around 11:00 am.  Roger & I went up and got breakfast and brought it back to the room so that we could watch the John Heald morning show.  What I didn't know was that Roger had sent a letter in and John read it on the tv.  Calvin the assistant cd sang me Happy Birthday.  They later sent me a bottle of champagne, a signed picture of John and Calvin and when we came back from spending the day in Venice there was a plate of chocolate covered strawberries.  At 11:00 am we headed up to deck 5 to watch as the ship came into Venice.  We cruised past Lido beach which is where they came up with the name of the Lido deck.  We sailed past St. Mark square and on to the ship port.  Before getting off the ship we went and ate lunch in the dinning room.  We had decided to head off the ship around 2:30 so we met down on deck 0 and headed off to see Venice.  We met a gondolier named Fabio and we went on an hour ride with him.  I really liked going down the little canals.  He would tell us about some of the buildings but it was really hard to understand what he was saying with his accent but it was a lot of fun.  He dropped us off an hour later and we really had no idea where we were but eventually we found St. Marks Square but it was already 5:30 so the church was closed to visitors.  I think it was probably closed even earlier because we saw a bride and groom along with all their guest come walking out of a different area and head off.  We decided to head back to the ship which only took us around and hour.  We took showers and headed to dinner.  Tonight we had open seating but we ate in our same dinning room and had our regular waiter.  After dinner we went and looked at out pictures and then went up to deck 11 to look at the lights of the city.

July 30th - Dubrovnik, Croatia

Today we arrived in Dubrovnik.  We went on a tour that included a stop up on the hill so we could take pictures of the city and of course the Welcome to Dubrovnik sign.  We then headed to the old town gate and then climbed the wall.  It was beautiful looking out across the old city but even more beautiful looking out at the Adriatic Sea and the beautiful sail boats.  When we came back to the ship of course we went upstairs and grabed some lunch before Roger and I headed back out to the port shops.  I finally was able to pick up another souvenier and we walked down and got our passports stamped.  We went to the Red Frog Pub and sat out side so Roger could smoke his cigar and we had a drink before dinner.  The Show after dinner was a juggling comedian named David Deeble.  The funniest part of his show though was when he asked Mike to help him out.  I thought Roger might have an accident he was laughing so hard.

July 29th - Fun Day at Sea

Today was a fun day at sea and as usual it means there were more things to do than time to do them in.  We ate breakfast watching the Sicilian shore line go by as we sailed through the straight of Messina.  We then came back to the cabin to watch John Healds morning show on tv before heading to the port adventure talk.  After the talk we got together with Mike and Pam to decide what we wanted to do in the next ports.  Once we decided Pam and I went downstairs to purchase the excursions while the guys headed to Cucina del Capitano for lunch.  We met them up there but we didn't eat since we were planning on going to tea later.  We went to to the Marriage show which was done a little differently this time.  He brought up the two couples that had been married the longest, 62 years & 57 years. One of the husbands sang a song that he had written when he had fell in love with his wife. They then brought up 4 of the newlywed wives and then had the husbands redo their marriage proposal.  Pam & I had to leave early to make it to tea on time.  Tea was held in the upstairs dinning area of the aft dinning room.  As usual all the desserts were delicious.  We sat with Jo (Lucyintheskywithdiamonds).  We discussed how we were going to meet for the gondola ride in Venice.  After tea it was time to get ready for dinner since it was formal night.  While we were getting ready they delivered our canapes.  Then it was time to head out for "A Night of Magic" in the Spotlight Lounge.  After that show we headed to dinner.  Roger, Mike & Pam got the stuffed mushrooms,  Mike & I got the spaghetti carbonara,  Roger, Pam & I got the strawberry bisque for starters.  For dinner Roger, Mike & Pam got the lobster and shrimp, I got the prime rib, then for dessert Roger, Pam and Mike got the cherries jubilee and I of course got the chocolate melting cake.  After dinner we headed to the Showtime Theatre aand watched Destination: Unknown which was a really good musical magic dancing show.  We headed back to the cabin after the show because we didn't get a nap in today and we are tired and we have a big day in Dubrovnik tomorrow.  I can't wait.