Happy New Year - 2008

Happy New Year!

To each and everyone here, Happy New Year.....I hope 2008 brings you everything you wish for. I look forward to hearing alot of great things about yourselves and your kids in this upcoming year.

 

Happy New Year TBR Friends

Hey Braves do you want to go fishing on my new boat this year?

 

Is there room?



Welcome back Stretchy...you sure were missed!

Now fill us in on your first "real" vacation...the islands, your boat, the people and any extra curricular trouble that you got in.

 

Gotta love the shoes.

 

It's the hat...the new ballcaps for Stretchlon All Stars

 

Baseball always came first

This was our first "real" vacation since my son started school ball in the 7th grade. Do I regret it? NO.....we did baseball from Feb to Dec most years including playing one year when we played at least one game each of the 12 months when we made the semi-finals at the Disney New Years Tourney and that game was played on New Years Day. We always ended the year at the East Coast Championship Tournament in Myrtle Beach the first weekend in December. Some fabulous baseball memories.

Anyway my son is now a sophomore at UNCW and does not play baseball anymore SO we could finally take a family vacation especially since my daughter would be turning 18 on this trip. We decided to go on a Caribbean cruise on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas, the worlds largest cruise ship accomodating 4,000 passengers and 1,000 crew members. If you have never taken a cruise vacation I have to tell you that it is the only good way to spend money for a family vacation. There are more things for you to do as a group or individually than you can possibly fit in 7 days. It is fantastic.

This ship sailed on Sunday from Miami at 6 pm and the bon voyage party at poolside is awesome to get you started for a fun filled week. Music and drinks galore as you leave land behind. Monday is all day at sea with perfectly sunny blue skys while you spend hours touring all the different decks on the ship and all the different shops, bars, food places, cafes, sports areas etc etc. (including a Ben & Jerry's, Starbucks and Johnny Rockets). It has the coolest surf board rider with real waves and the tallest rock climbing wall you will ever see on the top deck along with full court basketball games and dodge ball games and putt putt going on all day long. You can even ice skate at night indoors on the bottom deck where the nightly ice capades show is held.

Tuesday: Haiti at a private island all day long with gorgeous beaches and some cool hiking paths. There is a flying line that you can go on that flys you from the top of the small mountain down to the beach rock cove over the edge of the beach. Breath taking ride. All the food is free on this island.

Wednesday: Jamaica and my daughters birthday party all day long at Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville. What a tremendous atmosphere with the best DJ ever playing songs and getting everyone dancing to all kinds of fun dance games. My daughter had her first ever shots (that I know of) and we had a blast celebrating her 18th.

Thursday: Grand Cayman the least of my favorite islands since it is very pricey, 128 dollar lunch for 4 at Hard Rock, and it is to Americanized with just blocks and blocks of fancy shops. I did not like it at all.

Friday: Cozumel Mexico probably my favorite stop, cause I first thought I would not like it, but the kids got to swim with the Dolphins and this was by far the best experience they ever had as kids. What a beautiful animal.

Saturday: Sailing the seas with nonstop parties on every part of the ship as people got ready to return to reality. Amazing how you can make some good friends in only a few days when no one is really worried about anything other than having fun.

In between all this you had great dinners every night in the ballroom, bingo games each afternoon with prizes of 5,000 dollars and free 7 day cruises, broadway shows that were magnificent as well as comedy central comedians flown in for 2 different nights but the best were the nightly ice capade shows on a small rink. What great performers.

The cabins were always pitch dark and basically sound proof so you were guaranteed to sleep very hard each night especially when you got back from the Casino at 4 am after playing craps for 6 hours!!!!

The highlight of all might well be the Promenade street in the middle of the boat, this is where you could always meet people or just sit and watch people. You talk about eye candy...this was paradise as most everyone was good looking and some of the European gals were smoking hot. This area was better than New Orleans at Mardi Gra or Vegas at New Years or Main Street in Disney World. Totally magical and nothing but joy joy joy.

Finally I am sure I have missed some things BUT I will tell you go and take this cruise with your family and you will love it just as much as I did.

ADDED ATTRACTIONS: pizza parlor open all night with free slices, neon glowing liquor cups at night, internet and library rooms, sauna and steam rooms, a sports bar with dozens of live games on TV, an outdoor running track, a boxing ring, and a gym with equipment that could turn you into a pretzel (I steered clear of the gym).

If anyone has any specific questions don't hesitate to ask. Thanks for letting me share Braves.

 

What a great summary of a fantastic vacation. I have heard of Freedom of the Seas and had seen it on TV...the only way to go.

It appears that the Promenade was designed with Braves in mind; "good looking people and smoking hot ladies with badges that said, 'Where's Braves?'

I hope you know that while you were sacrificing 7 days of your life to accomodate your family, I was working e-v-e-r-y single day

 

Like father like son

By the way the guy walking away is "Dish kid" after being rejected by a hot tropical babe. Some things never change!!!!

 

Glad to have you back

Stretch! Man that sounds like an awesome vacation and it looks like you had a great time.

 

AWOL from boot camp

Thanks Kenny.....you and I could have had a blast together cause pizza was free 24 hours a day and at night the drinks and shots around the pool were served in neon glowing cups....not a vittle within miles!!