my random ramblingsan infrequent (and these days, mostly Mira related…) blog

up and started gathering and packing our things. breakfast at the same spot around the corner, then back to the hotel to finish packing. checked out and taxied to the airport. first flight Mira slept from take-off to touchdown, and the second flight into Chicago was pretty easy as well. picked up the bags and taxied back home. great trip, looking forward to another cruise in a few months… 🙂

relaxed morning, breakfast around the corner. finally made our way to the beach which was gorgeous. rented a clam shell and enjoyed the afternoon in the shade and playing in the warm water. came back to the room and showered, then took a walk around Lincoln while the girls returned to the beach. watched the end of the Barca – Bayern game then got caught in a flash thunderstorm on the way back. arrived at the same time as the girls and Mira took a short nap. dinner at an Italian place on Lincoln, then back to the room for bed.

up and walked to Avis and picked up a car for the day. drove by to collect the girls and stopped at Denny’s a few minutes into our long drive. eventually made our way to the Zoological Wildlife park outside of the city for an awesome tour of their rescued animals. ended up holding and playing with a bunch of animals, watching the lions and tigers eat, then capping the day by playing with a 2 month old tiger cub. great time, great place. drove back, dropped off the girls, Mira went to bed and i returned the car. back to the room and Mira was still sleeping and Лена went back out to shop. dinner at a sushi restaurant nearby which we all enjoyed.

up early to pick up some roses for mothers’ day before Лена got up. called mom and hung out in the room for a bit until we were ready to start the day. walked down the length of Washington and back up Collins checking out the stores along the way. grabbed some food from a “South American fusion” place somewhere along the way. back to the room, Mira napped, i watched some basketball and Лена went back out for more shopping. dinner across the street at the Raleigh, with a beautiful setting around their pool.

up early as we pulled into Miami for our final stop. had a bunch of vmails which i of course had to check, then took the opportunity to read up on last week’s happenings, as it was my first chance with internet service. packed up the crib and our carry-ons, and were out of the room by 8:30 am. grabbed breakfast on Lido and hung out for a while relaxing. made our way off of the ship – good time, sorry to see it end. long, long wait to clear customs in the non-citizen line. taxied to the Redbury Hotel on Miami Beach, which would be our home for the next 4 nights. cool spot, very well located. shown a room but declined and waited for an upgrade, walked around the nearby streets until it was ready. unpacked and Skyped Лена’s family, then headed down Lincoln to grab some lunch at a Cuban spot. came back and took a short nap with Mira while Лена went back out to do a little shopping. hung out for a while then taxied out to a Mexican spot on the other side of town for a nice dinner. eventually back and in bed.

slept in as much as i could, then down to the restaurant for our sea day breakfast. took Mira to the splash park for a little fun, then found the chocolate bar in Lido and brought some goodies back for the girls. eventually all made our way for a late lunch. did some shopping and bought a photo from the first formal night. family nap time then our last dinner. put Mira to bed and spent the next couple of hours packing so that i could get our luggage outside the door for pick up. finally to bed.

slept in as we don’t arrive into Grand Cayman until 10 am. breakfast and got ready to leave. pulled up next to 2 other ships for our tendering. took the boat to port and grabbed a taxi to the turtle farm. so many huge turtles! swam in the lagoon with Mira following a bunch of turtles – great fun. checked out the sharks then ate some lunch, including conch. Mira spent a little time at the playground then we stopped by the juvenile turtle tanks for some fun. stopped by the gift shop on the way out then crossed the street to check out the dolphins. grabbed a taxi back and got to see Hell and some other random places along the way back to port, including a stop to sample Tortuga rums. little bit of shopping then tendered back for a nap. late dinner, in bed early – no shows.

up early and watched the ship come into port. all had breakfast at the buffet, then packed and walked out for our day on the island of Roatan, off the coast of Honduras. found our ride to Little French Key, which was incredible. got 3 chairs on the water under a tree, which turned out to be the ideal spot. played in the water all day with Mira, getting her comfortable with the water. enjoyed the kayaks and paddle boards, and of course the jumping platform. good lunch and strong drinks. eventually had to leave paradise and make our way back to the port, getting back at the last minute. shopped a little, then back on the ship. grabbed a pizza and then another late nap. eventually got up and headed down for another late dinner. Лена enjoyed watching the waiters dance. back to the room and to bed. rough waters during the night, but didn’t bother me much.

late morning even though we had room service deliver an early breakfast. eventually made our way off the ship and onto the tender. short ride to port, then found our driver for the day. got some good background on Belize as we made our way to the wildlife santuary / zoo. hot day! rented a wagon for Mira and started our tour. fed a friendly tapir and saw a bunch of interesting animals, including a harpy eagle. got drinks at the cafe before leaving, taxi ride back through Belize City which was unimpressive, then a little shopping in the port before our tender back to the ship. napped late before a late dinner, in bed early skipping the shows.

up early and brought back breakfast from the buffet. off the ship a little after 9 and ready for our day in Cozumel. taxied to Nachi Cocum for a nice day on the beach, grabbing a good spot by the water and in the shade. swam a bit with Mira and hung out all morning drinking pina coladas. afternoon downpour so ran into their covered area for a respite before catching a taxi back to the port. a little shopping then back on board. Mira took a late nap and we hung out in the room. dinner in the restaurant cut short as Лена wasn’t feeling super well due to a little motion sickness. caught the Love & Marriage show alone before heading back for bed.