Sea Day 6 of 6

Yes, you read that correctly. Day 128 of 128. Technically we are still on the ship till early tomorrow morning. We have an 8:00am disembarkation time and I guess they don’t count tomorrow. So, I wish you good morning from the MS Zuiderdam. It looks like we got robbed in our room because our cabin is so bare. It is a bittersweet morning today full of lots of emotions and excitement. Megan and I woke up early this morning and went and had our last breakfast at the Pinnacle Grill. They are open tomorrow but we want to have a relaxing morning, so room service it will be. It is a bittersweet morning today. Full of lots of emotions and excitement. After we had breakfast we headed to the main stage for a Grand Crew Farewell presentation. They showed photos, we had a speech from the Captain, and then Ian gave a presentation and showed photos from throughout the entire cruise. They served us complimentary champagne and it was quite the festive atmosphere. At the end they brought up almost every employee on the ship to the stage, they lined the staircase, and filled the theater aisles. They received a very long and heartfelt standing ovation from every guest in the room. I ugly cried twice so far and the day isn’t even over yet. I am writing today’s blog in segments as I am not sure what the evening will hold for us. After the farewell we sat and chatted with our friends Bob and Freddy and crew member Spencer. Then Megan went off to tutoring for the very last time and I went and spent some time laying out in the sun by the pool and swimming. One last time to tan my body before heading home. After pool time we met back at the cabin and got ready for our 5:00pm dinner time. We had our last fantastic meal and I enjoyed my last bottle of sparkling Shiraz that we bought on a an excursion earlier in the cruise. And then began the dreaded goodbyes in the dinning room. We gave our thanks to Regy and Umam for their 128 of wonderful service and attention to detail. They took fantastic care of us, Regy now for two world cruises. Then we went and said goodbye to our friend Billy. Another friend from 2020 and someone who we have stayed in touch with through facebook. We have watched both Regy and Billy’s family grow and grow up over the years and I will miss them and hope very much to see them on a future cruise. Then we headed to to the Pinnacle Bar where we saw and said goodbye to Tina, Yolanda, Spencer and several other passengers and crew. We shared a drink and toasted to friendship and safe travels for all. Then Gail and Marty came in and we got to say goodbye to two of our most favorite people on the ship. That was the hardest one of the day. We are going to miss seeing them regularly, spending such easy breezy time talking together, and sharing our lives with them. I ugly cried….again. Then we headed to the Crow’s Nest to meet up with Freddy and Bob and several others. I think by the time the evening wound down there were over 20 of us sitting in a large circle sharing shots of B52’s and toasting to adventures we had and the adventures left to come. We did that twice and then it was time to head home one last time. Our luggage had to be out by midnight so we put our two bags we are checking in at the airport out in the hallway to be swept away. We now just have our carry ons, to carry off. I know I won’t be sleeping much tonight. I am anxious, excited, sad and reflective all at the same time. I could write for hours about how amazing this trip was and what it has meant to me. But I am going to try and sleep. We set the clocks back another hour tonight and the alarm is set for 6am. We wake up on East coast time in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Love and Hugs to you.

The first three photos below are from the presentation they gave this morning. I have several more but these were among my favorites. There is one of us crocheting at Project Linus, a collage from the project Linus fundraiser, and Henk kissing precious long awaited for supplies. The next one is a photo from ALL the crew members in the Main Stage. And the last one is from our last sunset aboard the MS Zuiderdam from our balcony.

Sea Day 5 of 6

Hello from our floating hotel. I started my morning with breakfast at the Pinnacle Grill. I only have a couple more opportunities to eat here and spend time with the staff we have connected with the most, so it was imporatant for me to be there. I had my “usually” and splurged and had a mimosa this morning. Then I headed home to get Megan up and going. We jumped into our bathing suits and went and spent some time poolside. They didn’t have the retractable roof open but it was warm and relaxing. Then Megan and I decided to use our free pass to the hydro spa. One of our mariners benefits. We had the whole space to ourselves. We used the giant hydro pool and then relaxed in some wonderfully padded lounge chairs. Just before noon we headed home so Megan could go to tutoring. I did some more cleaning while she was gone. Next, we headed to the main stage for the crew talent show. We were treated to several different dances from around the world. Balinese and Indonesia crew members in full traditional attire performed the dances from their homes. I felt blessed by them sharing their country and cultures with us. There were also singers, a magicians, musicians and dancers. A lovely way to show our appreciation to some amazing crew members. Next, Megan headed back to the cabin and read and I went and had a pedicure. Had to get my feet summer ready for when we get home!  By then it was time to get ready for our 5:00 seating at the main dining room. We had a lovely meal and got to give out some more gifts to our servers in Main Dining Room.

After dinner it was ON!!  We finished packing all our suitcases. Eleven suitcase all labeled, locked, were placed in the hallway and taken away to the belly of the ship. We still have our remaining “going” home suitcases in our cabin they we can put out tomorrow evening. We took a bottle of champagne to dinner and brought was we didn’t finish back to the cabin. When we were done packing we toasted to ourselves and our accomplishment!  It was a long day. We have taken down all our decorations and our room doesn’t feel like home anymore. It’s kinda sad and it marks the end of this wonderful adventure. I am getting more and more sentimental about the blessing we have had in this journey. Reminiscing and remembering everything we have seen and done in the last four months. I know there will be a huge tribute at the farewell event tomorrow and I know I will cry. But tonight we cuddle in and look forward to our last two nights on the ship. And we are so looking forward to coming home to all our loved ones as well. Hugs!

Sea Day 4 of 6

It’s another sea day. And as most of our activities have come to end, we thought we would have nothing to do for a few days, but alas, that is not true. And we are totally ok with it. I went to the Pinnacle Grill and had breakfast solo this morning as Megan enjoyed some extra sleep. After breakfast we took some time for some housekeeping items. Getting our final billing statement printed up and having a couple of things fixed. We met with the photographers and checked on our final prints and zip dive that will be ready for us tomorrow. Megan had tutoring. And we both did more packing. We have almost nothing left except for what we are taking with us off the ship. At 2:00pm we attended the passenger talent show. A varies show of sorts with music, comedy routines, singing, recited poems and a Thai Chi performance. There are a lot of very talented passengers on this ship. The highlight of the afternoon was a rendition of Frank Sinatra’s New York sang by a 92 year old passenger. He rocked it and received a standing ovation for his performance. Tomorrow the crew is doing a talent show and we will attend that one as well. This evening was our last and final formal evening with a Masquerade theme. We were able to host two of the junior officers at our table for dinner this evening. Due to their work schedules they weren’t available to dine with us till later in the evening so we moved our dinner seating time to 7:00pm and were still able to eat at “our table” with “our servers”. I am happy to have not missed an opportunity to be with them as we only have a few evenings left. Dinner was filet mignon and lobster and it was a nice treat. After dinner we headed to the Crow’s Nest where they had live music and a party atmosphere going. We sat with Gail and Marty and got a chance to visit with lots of our friends. People are starting to say their goodbyes and I correct them and say see you later. I have an aversion to the word good bye. Something very traumatic for me since I lost my husband 7 years ago and I have a very difficult time saying and hearing the word. I have a bit of anxiety over the upcoming days when I know it is going to get worse before it is done, when we head to the airport on Friday. We stayed in the Crow’s Nest until 11:30pm and we headed home for a good night’s rest. We set our clocks back another hour this evening and we will now be 4 hours ahead of CA time. Almost back baby!! Hope you are all having a wonderful day!

Sea Day 3 of 6

It is another relaxing Sea Day on the MS Zuiderdam. As we sail west and head towards warmer weather we are hoping for a couple more opportunities to lay out in the sun around the pool. We slept in a little this morning. We skipped breakfast because we had a Mariner luncheon today. We spent our morning packing and organizing some more. It is like packing up an apartment you lived in for four months. The mariner luncheon was at 11:00 in the Main dining room. Ian and the Captain each gave a little speech and thanked us for our loyalty to the company. We had a really nice lunch with a couple and a gentleman that was on the 2020 WC with us. I pulled up photos from an excursion we both talked about during lunch and there he was in the group photos with us. What a coincidence. They presented each of us with a tile commemorating Holland America’s 150th anniversary. It was a nice gift and it went right into the suitcases. I had my last acupuncture appointment this afternoon as well. I give much thanks to Dr. Kim for taking care of me and helping me over the last couple of months. He and I are researching a good acupuncturist in my area for when I get home. I am feeling almost 100% and look forward to continuing my health improvement journey when I get home as well. We spent a chunk of today collating and wrapping up all of Megan’s work and lesson plans. I am happy to say we are 100% ready to submit all her completed work and lesson plans when we return to Templeton Home School program. Megan will be returning to her traditional school in Cayucos on Monday May 15th, so she can conclude her middle school years in the school she has attended since first grade. It will give her a chance to reconnect with her peers and participate with the 8th grade activities and graduation. She misses her friends tremendously and is so excited to return. Megan had tutoring this afternoon as well She is wrapping up a couple more lessons of the work the class is currently doing at home. They had advanced past where we had brought the work for her Algebra class and her teacher was kind enough to get us the additional work so she is exactly where she needs to be when she goes back to school. While we are on the subject, this week is teacher appreciation week, so make sure you show your appreciation to any amazing educators or support staff that you know and love. We had dinner this evening in the Canaletto with our new friends Denny, Melanie and Jody. We have enjoyed our time getting to know this amazing family. A great part of cruise life and world cruising in particular. Lots of time to form deeper relationship and friendships. After dinner we headed home and popped on a movie. I didn’t sleep very well last night and I am hoping for a good nights rest. Have a dull migraine pestering me. It has been a rest filled two days and I am very happy to be mostly packed up. We can start sending our suitcase out of cabin starting the morning of May 10th so they can get a jump on the luggage shuffle on board and we can say goodbye to the ones that are being shipped. I didn’t take any photos to share with you today. We set the clocks back another hour tonight. We will be five hours ahead of CA tomorrow as we tick our way back in time to where we began this journey.

I will bid you all a good night and a wonderful nights rest. Hugs.

Sea Day 2 of 6

It is Sunday here on the ship and we had a lot on tasks today. Today is the last day to send out laundry to the be washed. So we packed up the remainder of anything we had in the cabin and sent it out. We started our morning by having breakfast in the Pinnacle and had the opportunity to pass out most of staff thank you notes. Then we went up to the Ocean Bar to meet the project Linus group. The remainder of the blankets that have been completed since the previous display on March 22nd were all laid out and displayed. I believe the final count for completed blankets was 620 blankets. A world cruise record. We took a group photo of the majority of the 150 blanekteers that worked on the blankets this trip as well. Next, we headed home to start the dreaded packing of suitcases. We made a large dent in what we needed to accomplished. We are organized and have to decide what we need for the next five days or so and what we will take on the plane with us, versus what we will have shipped home and see in a couple of weeks. Megan had tutoring at 12:00 and she headed out while I kept working. Our next event was a BYOB cocktail party in the Neptune Lounge for the suite Ladies. A group of guests spearheaded this meet up and we have a few of them throughout the cruise this year. It was nice to get together with our neighbors one last time. Henk’s wife Crystal came and we spent a good hour talking with her about their life back in the Netherlands and their life together. They’ve been together since they were 16. They are an adorable couple. Next it was time for dinner. Megan and I had our last dinner in the Pinnacle steakhouse this evening. A wonderful meal as always and we ate too much, again. THEN, tonight there was a Barn Dance and we were encouraged to dress in our western attire. They had country music and line dancing in the Rolling Stone lounge until almost 11:00pm. I had a free drink voucher I was saving from the beginning of the cruise when we had the derby and my “Horse” won. So I indulged in a Wang Wang, basically a long island with juice instead of coke. It is named for the sound the ambulance makes when it comes to take you away when you drink too many of them. Mom and I discovered them in 2020 and this one was to her!! So that was three outfits in one day, and we have no more laundry service. Guess we’ll be bringing home some dirty clothes. LOL!! It was weird trying to decide everything we wanted to wear from now until our flight home on Friday so we could pack the rest. We have one more formal night in a couple days as well so that can all be sent home as well. We heard there are 14,000 pieces of luggage that need to be off loaded of the ship when we come into port on Friday. A large number of those pieces will be processed by Luggage Forward who will take our luggage from the port and mail it directly home for many of the passengers. Such a well orchestrated sympathy that takes place as we come home and they have to basically completely clean and turn over the entire passenger manifest in one day. There are 1800+ passengers getting onto the ship the day we get off. Can you imagine? O.K. Enough rambling for today. Enjoy the photos from today. Blessings!!

Sea Day 1 of 6

Ahoy there from the Sea. We are officially traveling back through the High Seas on our way back to Florida. We are rocking and rolling along. I got up earlier this morning since we rolled back our clocks last night. I am happy that I felt physically well enough to go back to the gym. I stuck with the treadmill and probably went a little faster than I should have. But I have a hard time going easy. After breakfast I woke up Megan with the song “From The First Time in Forever” from Frozen. That is the song they play on Elsa’s coronation day and today is coronation day in England. We spent a part of the morning sipping tea, drinking coronation shortbread cookies I bought in the UK and watching the events taking place in London. It was a historic event and the first time in mine and Megan’s lifetime both. We went to project Linus around 9:30am. It was officially our last day to sit and crochet with our friends. All blankets and supplies were due to be turned in today. I turned in the blanket I finished yesterday. My last one of this trip. Then, a woman turned in a 3/4 finished blanket and I volunteered to finish it up for Marty by tomorrow, so it looks like I have one more to turn in. After Linus we went to an invited Indonesian themed lunch in the Main Dining room for Suite guests and President Club members. We shared a table with Gail and Marty and had a delicious meal. Before we ate, the Indonesian crew treated us to a traditional dance performance. It was lovely. After lunch we headed home to get some housekeeping done. We are in the home stretch and about ready to pull out the suitcases for packing, but not yet. I spent the afternoon writing out 20 thank you notes to the crew members that are nearest and dearest to our hearts. We will distribute them over the next few days along with some stuffed animals we brought with us from the Disney store in California. I had an acupuncture appointment at 2:00pm. Megan spent the afternoon working on school work. We had dinner in the Main Dining room at 5:00pm. We ordered pretzel rolls last night so we could have them tonight. They have always been our favorite and they have been a special treat for us periodically. We weren’t that hungry after out large lunch today, and because we had to eat the pretzel rolls, so we ate a light dinner. After dinner we headed home. I was able to finish the blanket I got today so it will be ready to turn in tomorrow. We watched a movie and relaxed. Tomorrow we will start packing I think and I am going to take my time and do it purposefully and not stress about it. We are expecting to get our luggage back within 10 days of leaving Florida so I won’t be saying goodbye to anything for that long. Last time it took us almost 7 months to get our luggage and we had to pack exceptionally quickly. This time is so very different. We are are going to get a good night sleep. Tomorrow another sea day. Hugs as we head westwardly.

Praia Di Vitoria, Terceira, Portugal

Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone. Or we loving call it Cinco De Drinko. There is nothing planned on the ship in celebration of the day. Megan and I can’t wait to get home for some much missed traditional tacos. Today is our very last port of this trip. We toured all around the island of Terceira in very cool 4×4 Land Cruisers with just five of us and a tour guide in our vehicle. We got bumped and bounced around as we traversed through the hills, valleys and over cobblestone roads. It was so nice to be able to go at a nice clip as well as we have mostly been riding gin buses for the last four months. We had a great guide and we made several stops throughout the day. We had panoramic views from the mountain tops and had fabulous views of our ship. We saw the patchwork fields surrounded by rocks walls built by the early settlers here. The fields were cleared of the volcanic rock that laid here to prepare for planting and the rocks were used to build wall to divide the plots of land. There are walls all over the entire island. Now there are cows within the walls. Our guide said there are 60k people on the island and 1.5 cows for each inhabitant. The use the cows are mainly used for milk production, there are portable milking machines owned by each farmer that they take to the cows instead of bring the cows in from the pasture. The milk is either exported, used to make cheese and ice cream and to make powdered milk. We saw on old fort that was used when the Spanish were in control of the islands. There are several large guns here as well and they were never even used. We went to a cheese factory and got to sample four types of cheese they produce right there. We drove along the coast and visited the town of Biscoitos and the Ponta dos Biscoitos. There are swimming pools here all along the coastline where you can swim and there are steps and railing to take you into the pools that are filled naturally with the ocean water. In the summer time this area will be packed with locals and tourists every day. We saw the vineyards here where they grow a varietal grown only here called Verde Iho. The plants are surround by the basalt walls as well to protect them from the wind as well as to keep the heat from the sun close to the plants. Another unique production and an innovation way to accomplish the needs of the society.

So I’d be remiss not to talk about the obsession with bull runs here. From April till October every year, they have a running of a bull somewhere on the island EVERY SINGLE DAY. Sometimes in more than one location in a single day. The community pays to set up fencing, bring in food trucks and local vendors come and sell their goods throughout the evening from about 6pm till 8:00pm. At then end of the event a team comes through and cleans up all the wrappers, empty beer cans and by the next morning you can’t even tell the event took place. Every single night. We asked how largely these events are attended and if the locals grow bored or tired of them and he said no. He said every event is very largely attended by the locals of wherever the days run is taking place. It is crazy to think this event takes place daily, it gives a whole new meaning to what I have always believed the bull runs in Spain were all about.

When we got to the ship it was about noon so Megan and I hopped on the shuttle and went into town to look around. We walk through a few shops, walked down along the beach, stopped for drink (cause it’s cinco de mayo), went to a deli and had a snack and walked through a hand full of shops. The town was super cute and and very walkable. There were so many passengers and crew members walking around town. We definitely take over these little towns when we come into ports sometimes. After we got back to the ship we headed home and sent out the laundry. The captain made an announcement that we were 2,935 mile from Fort Lauderdale. Then we headed to the Lido deck for our last and final sail away party. The ship sponsored a cheese and wine event for the passengers. By the time that was over it was time to head to the main dining room for dinner. We weren’t very hungry and and had a couple of appetizers and salad. Then we headed home. I finished my final Project Linus blanket, because I have to turn it in tomorrow. And then we put on a movie to wrap up the end of our very last sea day. I have had to hold back tears a few times today. I am filled with emotions about the end of our fabulous trip. I will treasure every memory made, every opportunity I was blessed with and for how everyone came together back at home to allow me to come on this trip. It won’t be my last. Now we sail back to Fort Lauderdale and have six day at sea to look forward to. To pack, to rest, and say our “see you laters”. Looking forward to being home. Hugs!

Ponta Delgada, Portugal

Good morning from Portugal….again. We have come full circle and have returned to Portugal but instead of being on the mainland, we are in the Azores. They were the third group of islands discovered. The first being the Canary Islands, next being the Medina islands, and then the Azores. Today we were up early and grabbed something to eat from the Neptune lounge. Then we headed to the Rolling stone lounge to meet the Cruise Specialist group for our last excursion with them for the trip. It is bittersweet continuing with some of our lasts, and soon to be goodbyes. But we still have a couple more adventures ahead. We drove to the town of Funas where we drove through the downtown area. We then parked and had about 30 minutes to get out and take some photos and walked around the area. Our next stop was the Cha Correana Tea plantation. We learned how the grown and process 450 tons of tea here every year. From the same plant, based on the way it is processed, they produce black tea, green tea and orang pekoe tea. All the sorting of tea is still done by hand here. The work is done by the local women and the plant employees a large number of people from the area. We got to sample their teas, were given a delicious piece of pineapple cake and had the bonus of a most spectacular rainbow. It is the lowest lying rainbow I have ever seen. It was unique and breathtaking. Next we headed to the Terra Nostra Gardens. This is the islands largest botanical garden and there is also a very large thermal pool. Megan and I had came prepared and wore our swimsuits under our clothing. The majority of our group went and toured the garden while she and I opted for a leisurely 30 minute soak in the pool. There was a high level of iron oxide in this water which gives the water a strange organ color. It smelled slightly of sulphur. As a nice souvenir we carried that smell around with us for the rest of they as well. My hair and our skin smelled of rust. But it was totally worth it. We did a quick beach change poolside and were ready to head to lunch with the rest of the group by the time they were done in the gardens. We walked a short distance to a banquet hall where we had a delicious three course meal. We were served a potato soup with kale and linguica. Our next course was family style platters filled with Blood sausage, linguica, chicken, beef, pork, yams, sweet potatoes, potatoes, carrots, cabbage rolls and rice. For dessert were served a large slice of locally grown pineapple. A lighter colored and sweeter pineapple than we are used to. It was quite similar to Maui Gold pineapple. We were served sodas and we tried a local passionfruit soda and then both red and white wine. It was a lovely meal and we were beyond full by the time we left. Then we were back on the bus and off to the hot springs, the source of the thermal pool. These hot springs were actually boiling, releasing steam and there was a very strong smell of sulphur in the air. After a photos stop there we were back on the bus and off to the pineapple plantation. Because of the weather here, pineapples are all grown in greenhouses. It was a different perspective of production than we had seen before. You make accommodations for the the climate you are in so you can have the produce you desire. And the weather here is definitely unpredictable. We started the day getting rained on as we stepped off the ship, at one point we were absolutely sweating, and then we were getting rained on again. We were back to the ship, full and dry around 4:30pm. The ship was originally supposed to leave around 4:30pm, but since our next port is so close, they extended our stay here until 9:30pm. We had time to shower and wash the metallic smell off our bodies before we met Gail and Marty for dinner at 6:00pm at the Tamarind pop up restaurant. In true fellowship, we were at dinner with them till about 9:30pm. We absolutely love their company and will miss them tremendously when we get off in a week. But I’m not going to think about that yet!! By the time we finished dinner it was time to get ready for bed as our alarm in set for 6:30am tomorrow for another excursion. We snuggled in and I laid there and thought about the espresso I had at lunch today. Eventually I will sleep. Until tomorrow. HUGS!!

Sea Day 2 of 2

Ahhhh….another sea day. An extra hour of sleep last night, a gentle rocking and rolling all night and a rainbow in the sky as we started day. Happiness is. I was up at 7:00am, got up and ready to head to breakfast when Megan rolled over and reminded me about the time change. So I had to wait another hour before the Pinnacle Grill opened for breakfast. I let Megan stay in bed and I went and had a relaxing meal. Next, I headed to our last ever Project Linus (sad face). It was nice to sit one last time in the sunshine of the window, crocheting and chatting away with my dear friends. We meet a couple more times to turn in our final supplies and blankets and then one last time for a display of all the blankets completed since the last display day and a group photo will be taken. I hate all these “lasts” that are ticking into our lives right now. We received two lunch invitations in the last couple of days as well. The calendar in filling up for our remaining time here on the ship. My calendar is also filling up for activities when we get home. Need to make sure I keep a good balance when I get home. After Project Linus Megan and I headed home to wrap up a photo project we had to complete for her eight grade graduation slide show. Then she went to tutoring and then for a special lunch at the Pinnacle Grill with our dear friend Gail. Just the two of them. It was a great chance for them to connect and spend some 1:1 time. I stayed home and continued to clean and organize items that we have collected and purged things to trash, prepped to pack, or bagged up to donate. I also got to work on paying some bills and then continued to work on my blanket. It is almost done and I have no doubt it will be done and ready to turn in on May 6th. Next I headed to an acupuncture appointment and then back home. This evening we hosted the magnificent tutor Bonita for dinner. We had invited her husband as well, but he wasn’t feeling well so it turned out to be just the three of us girls. We presented her with her last charm for her Brighton charm bracelet I designed for her, it was appropriately a globe charm too. After dinner we headed to the main stage and watched this evening comedy show. Jim David, who has performed on Comedy central, gave a great set and made me laugh out loud. It was a nice close to a relaxing day. My soul is full, my heart is happy and I am ready for a new adventure tomorrow.

Sea Day 1 of 2

It was so nice to have a much needed rest  today. We had a lovely chance to sleep in a little and not have to wake up in a rush. I got up and got dressed and headed to the Pinnacle Grill for breakfast. I let Megan sleep in. As I left my cabin I sadly noticed in my mailbox our luggage tags. All of our suitcases have to be carefully labeled in preparation of being removed from the ship on May 12th and then they will be shipped home and to us in California. It means we are coming closer t the end of our journey and I will say again, it is bttersweet. After breakfast I headed to Project Linus to continue working on my last blanket and Megan met me there. After blanket time we headed home and sent out all our laundry. Hoping we are in the last part of needing “warmer” clothes for the trip. Off went our jeans and sweatshirts we have been using to keep us warm the last couple of weeks. I worked on some organization and Megan worked on school work. Then she headed off to tutoring. Later in the afternoon I went to acupuncture. We met back at the cabin apron 3:00pm and we were bums until it was time to get ready for dinner. Tonight was our last themed meal for the trip. Tonight’s theme; Irish Dinner. It was lovely six course meal paired two wines. After dinner we jetted home and I changed into my pajamas, Megan opted to stay in her dress and we went to the ships Pajama party. They had set up three stages set up around the Lido pool deck and told bedtime stories with a grown up twist to them. They passed popcorn, caramel corn, chocolate chip cookies, chocolates and hot cocoa. We were beyond full from dinner still. They had the lights tuned down, a fog machine going, and decorations to make it feel like we were outside in the forest. They even “made up” some of the lounge chairs with a sheet, a pillow and blanket so you could cuddle in for the story time. It was a super cute idea and done very well. We headed home around 10:30pm and I was already ready for bed! We are going to fall asleep pretty quickly I suspect. It was a long day, our tummies are full and tonight we set the clocks back an hour so we will get an extra nights sleep! We are moving closer back to the CA time zone, we are now only 7 hours ahead. Enjoy the photos from today! Love and Hugs!