Day 8 - Shopping in Key West

Picture this, I am sitting on our balcony in 90+ degrees with a towel over my head to take the glare off my computer screen. I am getting a free signal from a hotel on shore as our minutes are almost up. They cost $.40 a minute on the ship.

The girls have gone to the water slides, which are not so busy because most people are on shore. We came back earlier because of the heat.

Because we were coming back to the states, we had to be checked through customs this morning, We were a bit late getting into Key West because of some mechanical problem. We sail out at 6 p.m. This is not one of Ken's favorite days - shopping and another formal night.

Day 7 - Fun in Freeport

We learned from our tour yesterday that you can

find much better deals with the local taxies than

going through the ship's tours. So this morning we wandered over to the local guides and found Madre or Bahama Mama.

She told us that she has 8 children, including 2 sets of twins. She is paid $175 a week for driving a taxi in Freeport.

She gave us a great tour.

Day 6 - Nassau

We had a great day in Nassau. Took a ship sponsored tour - Beach and Lunch

at the Wyndem Resort. Kids loved the beach and the water slide there and I found a Starbucks inside the hotel.

After the tour we went looking for Rosalie whom we had

encountered in the tourism centre this morning. She had

promised the girls a good deal on hair braiding and she was

glad to see us back.

Day 5 - A day at sea

Today was our first day at sea with no port visits.

We had breakfast in the suite. Good decision it took the girls many minutes to get dressed and ready for the public. We explored the shops first. High priority.

Grandpa is reading his book. Did I say it is very hot on the so open deck but very comfortable in the restaurants and staterooms.

The girls spent a lot of time on the water slides. We had a nice dinner in the Celebration Dining Room. The 14 year old boy is pretty cute and has the same opinion of Justin Bieber as the girls.

He is attending the Circle C youth program which the girls are shunning. I will have to add to this later, I think. Krista is almost ready.

Day 4 - Setting sail

We got to the cruise terminal at 1 p.m. Having VIP status certainly improves
boarding process. We were aboard by 1:20 p.m. Had a snack in the dining
room and headed downstairs to find Suite U93. We will add pictures soon.

At 5:30 the Fantasy left Charleston. We met our dining partners, a family
from North Carooulina who have 2 boys aged 4 and 14. The girls provided the
entertainment.

When we returned to our room the maid had our room ready for sleeping
including a towel animal on the bed along with chocolates. We all were
pretty tired so went to bed early.

Pictures from Day 1

Day 3 - Beckley to Charleston

Slow start today, the girls were tired from yesterday's long drive.
Really hot here, 39 C feels like 100 F. Stopped at Cracker Barrel in Rock Hill, Virginia for lunch.

Girls found something that kept them occupied for an hour or so. Ah, sweet peace. Krista got the pegs to 2 but she cheated. "What do you call someone who cheats herself?" asked Grandma. "A winner" said Krista. "The game comes with directions," said Katie. "Grandpa wouldn't be able to find Charleston without a GPS, so technically its the same thing."

Arrived at our hotel near Charleston. Our fabulous travel agent, Barb found this place, with free parking while we are cruising and a shuttle to the terminal. So, to quote Katie, "technically" the hotel cost us $10. Hopefully, we will add pics later.

Day 2 - Windsor to Beckley, West Virginia

We got an early start today, got to the Border at 8:45 a.m.
The congenial customs officer told the girls that he had never
been on a cruise and he thought we should take him with us.
Although we planned to cross on the bridge, Mabel (our GPS)
took us to Detroit via the tunnel.

We stopped for lunch at an Amish restaurant in Ohio, and drove
on Highway 77 to Beckley, West Virginia. We stayed over at a
Howard Johnsons. Girls had a swim and we went for dinner to
Subway. No Sub sauce here -- waitress had never heard of it. Only in
Canada, you say??

Carol is still having trouble uploading pictures. Should have
brought Margie with us! Will try again tomorrow.

Day 1 - Stratford to Windsor

After saying goodbye to Lukis (exchange student from Poland)
we were off to Windsor where we stayed with Uncle Doug and
Aunt Cheryl. We had a fantastic dinner of ribs, corn and potatoe
salad. Yum, yum.

Carol has been taking blogging lessons with Margie McCarthy. Carol is a slow learner. But
Margie is very patient.

Katie

Katrina attends Walkerton Public School, and she will be in grade 7 this fall. She is currently playing soccer and in the winter she figure skates. Katie likes to read, swim, knit, camp and play with friends. She is so excited about going on a cruise because she gets to go with her cousins Krista and Karly and best of all with Grandma and Grandpa. She can't get over all the things she will be able to do on the cruise.

Krista

Krista is 12 years old and will be in Grade 8 at Kinkora Catholic School in September. She has 3 big brothers, Joe, Jake and Matt. Her Mom and Dad are Anne Marie and Rob.

She likes dancing and baseball. Krista's favorite sport is shopping and she is really good at it. She thinks going on a cruise will be awesome and fun. Krista is looking forward to swimming, seeing new places and having fun with her cousins Karly and Katie,