I can't believe its February and I'm still working on blogging about December...Sorry Mom. This particular week is just so hard to write about since it was so amazing and busy! I am shocked I actually finally finished this posted & I'm not proof-reading it. Enjoy!
December 26. Wednesday.
Belize! The Captain arranged for our family to be on the VIP list & get off on the first tender boat to Belize. (Insert hair toss here.) So we all woke up super early, met in the VIP tender location, and were escorted by the concierge to a boat. Glamorous life. Stoney had previously arranged an amazing zip-lining and cave tubing excursion for us to go on & James came along too!
We piled into a charter bus and drove an hour into the rainforest to our final destination. First, the six of us (the grands sat this one out) got strapped into helmets and harnesses for zip-lining! The zip line tour was amazing & everyone had a blast. I screamed like a crazy person the whole time. Dad & Carter repeatedly yelled the Top Gun quote "I feel the need, the need for speed!" At one point while we were all waiting to jump off the next platform built around a tree 70 feet in the air, Dad met a nice Christian college student and tried to marry off Grace. Priceless.
After an hour or so, the zip-lining tour was over and we'd all made it safely to the ground! Then our group changed into swim suits, checked in with GMother & GDaddy, and geared up for the next adventurous activity! This compound we were at was flooded with tourists. Our guide said that day alone over 2,000 people would take a tube tour through this cave. Crazy.
Once each of us was armed with a helmet and a big yellow inner tube, we began our hour long hike through the jungle.
On every Dvornik family vacation there is always a "Death March" & this was it. I'll write another post further explaining past Dvornik Death Marches that have occurred of the past decade.
After trekking on the gravel path up & down hills, around giant trees, past mysterious animal burrows, and through the river several times we finally made it to the mouth of the cave! Our guide instructed us one by one to plop down onto our inner tubes in the water and to put your legs under the arms of the person in front of you. We made a hilarious looking helmet headed human train all linked together as we began floating down the river with Stoney at the lead.
The cave was huge and illuminated by the headlamps everyone had attached to their helmets. As we floated past ancient stalagmites and stalagmites, our guide told us ghost stories and Skip kept an eye out for giant spider. But even more frightening than the stories and spiders were the hundreds of cruise ship passengers floating around us. Talk about quality reality television!
Finally, our group made it to through the entire cave and into the sunlight. We continued to float down the river, enjoying the scenery, until we landed back at the point we started the hike from. We lugged our tubes up to the compound, found our grandparents, & changed into dry clothes before boarded our bus. On the drive back to the port we stopped for an included lunch at the home of the tour company's owner. GrandDaddy asked "where the hell are we?" The lunch we were served looked very questionable, but you better believe we all ate every bite and asked for seconds. Everyone napped on the bus ride back to the port. Stoney, James, and I explored the little port shops before hoping on a tender boat back to the ship. It was a magical day!
That evening we enjoyed a delicious family dinner in the beautiful Versailles restaurant. My roomie Jessica joined us & Carter took full advantage of the unlimited entrees. After everyone was stuffed, we went to the theater to watch the Second City's comedy show! The whole family retired to their cabins after the performance.
The night was far from being over for me because of the crew Christmas party! While the passengers drifted off to sleep the crew partied until almost 3am in the Versailles restaurant. All the tables and chairs were pushed to the sides & the DJ pumped the music volume so high that the floors were vibrating. Of course our cast kicked off the dance party & spent the rest of the night laughing and taking silly pictures. The Captain even came & hung out for a little bit! When the party finally ended, I went up and passed out in Grace & Carter's cabin. It was yet another fabulous day!
December 27. Thursday.
Roatan. Since I had family on board I was excused from boat drill! Hallelujah! Carter wasn't feeling well and stayed on board with the Grands. Mom, Dad, Gracie, & I ventured out to explore Honduras!
We hoped in a taxi outside the gates of the port & the friendly diver took us up a mountain to a picturesque outlook with a killer view. Dad started brainstorming possible tourism business ideas for the driver so he can generate more profit. Our driver took us to a cute hotel right on a pretty little beach. Gracie & Daddy relaxed while Stoney and I went snorkeling! The reef was incredible. We saw so many beautiful fish & interesting coral. I absolutely adore the ocean and experiencing God's creation!
When it was time to leave we walked back to the taxi and found a bunch of questionable looking local teenage boys sitting on the hood. Our driver shooed them away as we piled into the small car but they continued to linger around. The driver was having a hard time getting the car to start and we all froze in shock. A dirt road somewhere in Honduras is not the ideal place to be stranded so we all silently held our breath and prayed. Finally, after what felt like 2 hours but was probably only 30 minutes, one of our drivers friends showed up to help. They switched out the battery or something, the car miraculously started, and we got on our way! My families adventures are certainly never boring!
The Captain invited our family to the bridge to watch as he pulled the ship away from the dock! Extremely cool. Captain Kostas was so sweet, loved meeting everyone, and answering all of their questions. It was funny introducing Captain Dvornik (GrandDaddy) to him! He had previously told me he was nervous to meet my family. Dad loved that. Afterwards, we had a family dinner in the Aqua restaurant and then they came to both of our performances of Band on the Run!
Everyone went to sleep but Mama came out with me to the White Hot Party! I taught her how to do the wobble dance & introduced her to everyone. When she headed back to her cabin, I went down to the Versailles restaurant for an Entertainment Department party. Rosie and I re briefed about the events of that week and James started spontaneously playing the saxophone. Just another silly night!
December 28. Friday.
Cozumel. Stoney had arranged for a driver in a passenger van to pick us up and tour us around the island for the day! The driver took us to the opposite side of the island which was more rural and totally undeveloped. James suggested we eat at a restaurant called Playa Bonita and the garlic shrimp was phenomenal! We all enjoyed the delicious food and amazing view.
When the driver dropped us off back by the port the grands wandered back to the ship & I took the rest of the family to the No Name hotel. We played our favorite card game, Peanuts, underneath a cabana & visited with the cast. Mama Stoney & I jumped off the dock, swam, and free dove together. Carter & Gracie swam next door to Margaritaville and played on their big inflatable water toys. We all had a fabulous final port day!
That night, after everyone woke from their naps, we went to see the Second City's improvised show in Spinnaker Lounge. Hilarious. Half the clan headed off to bed but the grands & Gracie stayed with me for a bit to watch the cast's Burlesque show. After the show I snuck Gracie into crew bar. Just making memories!
December 29. Saturday.
That morning Dad and the Grands were interested in going to the art auction. So I went with them and worked. Afterwards, I packed up stuff for them to take home to Florida for me and watched TV with mama stoney in her bed. I started to get sad and miss them even though they were still with me!
That night, GMother & GDaddy treated the parental units to a anniversary dinner at the specialty steak house restaurant, Cagney's. So they took us grandchildren to dinner at the Brazilian steak house. It was amazing! Literally every different type of meat and unlimited portions. Carnivore heaven.
I had to duck out early so I could be backstage to help the cast get ready for that nights performance of Elements. It always feels so amazing knowing my family is in the audience. They loved the show, of course! & Then everyone headed off to bed to rest up for a busy Sunday together in New Orleans.
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