It's been quite some time since I added to my blog, but after having dinner with two of our good friends/neighbors this past Wednesday evening, I was convinced I needed to do an update. So, here goes, Debra! :-)


Phil and I flew to Orlando Thursday evening, April 7, and spent last weekend, April 8 - 11, on a cruise to the Bahamas with my younger sister, Teresa (Teecie) Wells, her husband, Phil (Teecie and I have *my* Phil and *her* Phil), and Tee's son, Christopher Harvey. We had a great time just being together for those few shorts days. Our ship, Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas, left Port Canaveral, Florida, at 5 PM Friday, 4/8 (coincidentally, the 7th birthday of our granddaughter, Julia Jo). We had boarded about 1:15 PM, and made our way to the top deck of the ship where we had a wonderful leisurely lunch and also waited for our staterooms to be ready (all staterooms ready for access at 1:30 PM). The five of us enjoyed the time, the food, the view, and a chance to call and sing "Happy Birthday" to Julia Jo. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and exploring with camera in hand.

Soon after our departure from port at 5 PM, we enjoyed a marvelous dinner. (Our seating each evening was at 5:45 PM, and Teecie had arranged ahead of time for the five of us to sit together.) Our ship made its way overnight while we slept to Coco Cay, an island off which the ships from all the major cruise lines anchor for a day and the passengers are "shuttled" back and forth between the ship and dry land. Passengers can take advantage of all the water sports and activities as well as shopping on the island during the day before having to return to the ship for "anchor up" time.

Cruising overnight again landed us in port at Nassau, Bahamas. We decided to exit the ship and join the throngs (from FOUR ships in the port all at the same time). We went on a horse-drawn carriage ride through Nassau, then got into a taxi which drove us to Paradise Island (previously called Hog Island) where the Hotel Atlantis is located. We strolled about the hotel, had lunch outside one of its restaurants, then made our way via taxi back to the ship for the 3:00 PM "anchor up" time. One more night on the ship and we were docked at Port Canaveral. Teecie, Phil and Chris drove us back to the vicinity of the Orlando Airport where we had lunch together prior to our flight back to Chicago.

Well, take a look at the following photos which I was able to take. Some are self-explanatory; others will have a bit of info about who or what is in the picture. (Remember: click on a photo and it will enlarge for better viewing. Then click the BACK arrow in the upper left of your screen to return to the blog.)