Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Day 208: Visiting Stockholm, Sweden

This morning we woke up early to see the archipelago of Sweden. Alayna was able to snag us a table by the window and we enjoyed breakfast while seeing all the different homes perfectly located
 on the islands all around us while we pulled in to our port. 

We took the kids by their clubs and found our tour guide for the tour of Sweden. On our tour we were able to see the City Hall, The Royal Palace, Old Town Square, and The Grand Cathedral of Stockholm. All of these places were filled with a lot of interesting history. I don't recall much, but it was lovely to see. Most of the places we saw were older than America, so that made it pretty amazing, too. 

We met up with Alayna by chance at a street crossing. At that point, we walked around with her and found the Starbucks. I was having trouble posting my blog, but I was able to get a few pictures uploaded to Facebook.  Daniel then decided to walk to the embassy to get a coin and Alayna and I found a few stores to look through. 

When we got back to the ship I picked Maddie up and took her to the Pirate and Princess party. There, she met a friend her age and danced with her for a while. She also got to meet Jake and Sophia the First. She loved seeing them and dancing along with them. She was so excited once they appeared that she screamed, "princess and Jake!" 

After the dance party we went to our room and got ready, and then headed off to dinner. On our way, we saw Minnie and Daisy so we stopped to say hello. Maddie was so excited to see them again and gave each one a kiss as we left. 

At dinner we enjoyed an "American fare" dinner menu. Maddie are a cheeseburger and Caleb had a steak. They ate much better this evening, so that was great! Because of the great eating, they enjoyed ice cream and cake. 

Maddie had a full day and a short nap, so I tucked her in earlier than normal (9 instead of 10) and the boys went to the arcade to play. When they made it back Caleb hung out to watch TV and keep an eye on Maddie while Daniel and I went to a comedy/magic show. 

When we finished up and then met up with Alayna for a little while. Because we're losing an hour tonight we didn't chat too long. Daniel and I made it back to the room and got things ready for tomorrow. 

Now it's time for bed. Goodnight!

Day 207: A Magical Day at Sea

This morning I woke up for a spa appointment. I received a facial which also doubled as the only quiet time I would receive for the rest of the day. Daniel and the kids hung out in the room and then met me for breakfast once my appointment was over. 

The kids were challenging through breakfast which has been the norm lately. I think we'll try and change our breakfast venue soon to see if that helps with the attitude problems. I think everyone just needs more sleep. 

After breakfast Maddie and I went out by the Goofy Pool and watched part of The Lion King, and Daniel and Caleb went to play in a basketball shoot out. Unfortunately, neither of them did well enough to move on in the tournament, but they had fun trying. 

Because the wind wasn't terrible, and it felt somewhat warm, we decided to let the kids swim. By the time we made it back to the top, it was so cold! We still let the kids swim, because taking that back from a two year old is impossible. Maddie and I got in the hot tub and Caleb opted for the pool. 

We met up with Alayna for lunch and enjoyed some fresh fruit and sandwiches. Of course we topped it all off with ice cream. The blueberry flavor was delicious! 

After lunch we let Caleb go to the Oceaneer Club and Daniel and I took a nap with Maddie. After naptime, we met up with Alayna and went to see the pictures that we've had taken so far on the ship. 

When Alayna went back to work, Maddie and Daniel went to get Caleb from his club and I began getting ready for the semi-formal dinner/show. 

On our way to dinner we saw Cinderella. Maddie and Caleb said hello and gave her a big hug and kiss. 

At dinner, the restaurant begins as all black and white. The photos on the wall begin as black and white sketches. As the dinner progresses, the restaurant slowly changes to color, as do the photos. At one point, a show began and Disney movie clips played on the side in the photo frames that earlier hosted the sketches. Once the clips stopped, Mickey came out. He then had the restaurant staff come out who had changed into color vests, as opposed to the black and white ones they had began in. 

After dinner we went out and met with Daisy. The kids love seeing the characters, so we try to catch them as often as we can. We then went to watch the show "Villains," which was a fun show featuring all the "bad guys" from the Disney movies. After the show, we got to see Goofy, Donald and Daisy, and ended with Mickey and Minnie. The kids enjoyed it. 

We finally made our way back to the room and then got the kids to bed. Maddie was in a tantrum mood so it took a minute to have her calm down. 

Now that everyone else is tucked away, we're going to bed. Goodnight! 

Day 206: Touring Copenhagen

This morning we woke up early and made our way to breakfast. We met up with Alayna and planned to leave early so we could spend as much time as possible touring Copenhagen. 

The kids were a bit tired and their moods reflected it. The weather was cold and rainy, so we weren't sure how they would do seeing how it was nearly impossible to sit through breakfast without one mood swing or another. 

We checked into the nursery to see if there was room for Maddie. She was able to go so we gave Caleb the option to stay back and play in the clubs all day, too. They were each happy with that option, so we dropped them off and then headed to our bus. 

Alayna had the morning and early afternoon off, so she was able to join us on our tour. We took the bus out to the iconic row home landmark. It was truly one of my favorite places in Copenhagen. 
The rain was off and on throughout the day so it was pretty cold and dreary. We were able to see some other amazing things, such as Tivoli Gardens. This place was Walt Disney's inspiration for Disneyland. 
After walking through the park and seeing the cool garden area and free roaming peacocks, we went to the nearby Starbucks and got a coffee for our ride back. 

We got back in time for Daniel to go to the embassy and for Alayna and I to shop. Daniel forgot all of his long sleeved shirts, so I was on a hunt to find him a sweater. I found what I was looking for and also a nice jacket for myself. 

We got back on the ship and picked up the kids. They had a great time in their clubs and Caleb wanted to go back as soon as he could. 

We enjoyed dinner together and the adults tried escargot for the first time. It was very delicious! It reminded me of eating an oyster but it was flavored better. Caleb also tried calamari for the first time and loved it! 
After dinner we came back and put the kids to bed. They haven't had much sleep lately so they went to bed early enough to catch up on that. Daniel and I are equally exhausted so we're calling it a night. Goodnight!