April 23-30, 2022
We took the funnest trip in April. We decided to go on a seven day cruise with just our little family. Brian and I have cruised with friends, and we have done a few large Vore family cruise vacations with our kiddos. However, we haven't had the chance to go with just our immediate fam. (Minus Parker Bryce though...sniff sniff.)
We pulled the kids out of school for a full week, and Brinley flew home after winter semester and before her FSY job training began. And we had the best time. It was fun and relaxing, and we created some good memories together. Here are a few of the things I want to remember.
We got a screaming good deal because the cruise industry is trying to recover from Covid and get more people out on the water. Also, it wasn't a spring break or summer week, so it was less expensive. We even upgraded to two balcony rooms, and it was only $63 per day per person. WHAT?! When we added up all of our expenses (gas, Covid tests, parking at the port, tips, excursions, upgrading to balconies/connecting rooms etc.), we spent about $122 per person per day.
We drove the 9+ hour drive to Galveston. It was nice to have four drivers especially since we left in the middle of the night. Covid testing was stressful. We had to get tested 24-48 hours before we boarded the boat, but it was hard to get the results back in time. We tested at three different Walgreens. (Aub and I at one, the boys at another and Brinley in Utah.) Brinley and my results came back negative. Aubrey's came back INCONCLUSIVE. The boys Walgreens waited an extra day to mail them off so they didn't come back in time. UGH. We ended up retesting Aub at Walgreens and getting her results back in time. The boys we had to pay $100 each and get them tested at the port. We were really glad once we finally made it on the ship.
We had three stops: Honduras, Roatan Belize and Cozumel Mexico.
In Honduras we did a zip line, sloth, snorkel excursion. Don't ask Bri about his monkey bite...you won't hear the end of it! Ha. I'm glad we didn't bring rabies home as a souvenir.
I love Tanner's expression...this was even before the monkey bit Bri.
In Belize, we shopped at the port, and Bryn, Bri and I did a city tour.
In Cozumel, we taxied to a beach and had the best time playing together on the inflatable toys in the ocean. We rock climbed and enjoyed slides and bouncers. It was a private beach so it wasn't too crowded. It rained on us, but we stayed. Brian tried out his snorkel mask, and I am so glad he did. The snorkeling was good, and so we checked out snorkels from our beach and all went together. We just swam in the shallow/roped off area and still saw so many amazing sea creatures. We saw a stingray, a needlefish, and lots of schools of very large clear fish. I think San Francisico Beach was everyone's favorite excursion.
I think one of the best things about the trip for all of us was having Brinley there. Her two weeks home after her mission and before BYU was just way too short. She has the funnest laugh/giggle and would just crack up at all of the family interactions. (We live in a household of moody teens and moody parents....it can get rough at time!) She lightened the mood with her bright smile and quick whit. It was fun how adding her back in the mix changed the family dynamic. On the flip side, I think one of the best things for her was just being back with us. It's a win win. (We just need our Park Park...next year!! Right?)
Some of our ship activities included Put Put golf, Foosball, the sky ride, movies on the deck (Spider-Man No Way Home and Encanto), comedians, late evening dinners (lots of appetizers, some good main dishes and melting cake plus two scoops of ice cream!), Skull King, movies in the room (the kids), ice cream, delicious burgers, yummy breakfast burritos, late night walks/talks on the deck (me and Bryn), enjoying our balconies (mostly me I think), and corn hole competitions.
We had a very relaxing, fun week and made lots of memories together. Here are a lots more pictures of our trip.
Notice Tanner being all fancy with his pinky finger up and his napkin tucked into his shirt
We had late dining and it was LATE. We ate and ate and ate all day and then came to the dining hall around 8:45 each evening. It was a fun time to gather and talk about our days. Our area seemed pretty short staffed, and we had to wait quite a bit to get our food some nights. It was fine though. Evening entertainment was kind of blah so we didn't have much else to do. It was nice to hang out as a family.
Alan with an A, the magician, came by our table a couple of nights. He was SO good. He was also hilarious. One night he asked how old Tanner was and then mentioned that he looked much older that seventeen. Brian teased and said, "You should have seen him yesterday before he shaved his mustache." Well, Alan went off, and we were rolling! He was like, "Oh no. No, no, no...please don't tell me you had one of those whispy little things. Oh, those are terrible. There is a reason we left that in the 80s. We didn't even take it to the 90s. It's like a 1980's porn star." He just went on and on, and let me just say, everyone with the exception of Tanner, 100% agreed with everything he was saying! Tanner was a good sport and just grinned through Alan's entire spill.
We tried all sorts of yummy dishes and some adventurous ones. Brinley had frog legs one night, and Tanner had escargot another. I preferred the buffet or the fancy food, but the family time was priceless.
Family golf was fun. We did this a couple of times. (Mom/Erin/me, Tanner, Brinley, Aubrey & Dad/Brian)
Brian and my room. I loved having a room just with him but having a door that connected with the kids. We left the connecting doors open 75% of the time, but our room was so much cleaner/organized. Going into their room gave me a little anxiety for sure! Here is a glimpse below that doesn't do it justice:
Also, Tanner bought a sling shot. He would pack grapes from dinner in his pockets to use for ammo later. When I saw rocks he had gathered on shore sitting on a balcony chair, I was concerned. Luckily his sling shot broke after a couple of days and before our cabin was sited for any harm done.
Lots of fun in the sun. There was laying out and reading on the deck.
Bryn ended up with her usual first of the cruise burn. She missed getting sunscreen on the back of her legs. Youch. Luckily Tanner did not get burned this trip. He has had some terrible burns the past couple of years because he is so dang stubborn.
Lots of silliness....
Brian acquired these parrot towel/chair clips partway through the week. He was sitting next to a couple who was tired of messing with them, and they gave them to him. They came in handy. When Aubrey was being grumpy/moody (which was often--she's 15), he would pull them out of his bag and start talking to her in a high, squeaky while opening and closing the parrot's mouth. She couldn't remain stoned faced, and we would all crack up. Bri is good about keeping us laughing.
Corn hole was fun. We would switch the teams up and have competitions. Let me just say, it's hard being the weak link in the family when it comes to sports. Everyone was very kind to me though.
Tanner and Bri entered a couple of competitions. They didn't go far (maybe not even past the first game? I can't remember), but they still received a medal which they wore very proudly. (insert eye roll) Tanner said it was "the best cruiser award." He liked to flex.
Foosball was fun. We also enjoyed the ropes course and sky ride during the day.
I beat Tanner the first time, and it was AWESOME! He was stunned, and I had bragging rights. No need to mention the rematch outcomes here.
I loved this ride. It wasn't super exciting, but it was enjoyable. It was cool to be above the ship and the ocean and just peer out into the vastness of blue. It was a good burst of exercise. It also reminded me of my dad. We have been biking together lately, and I think he would have had fun on this ride too.
Our cute bat towel animal.
Our beautiful girls.
Aub did a little photo shoot.
Some pictures from our zipline experience in Honduras.
We definitely got our money's worth. I think there were 17 lines to go on. Also, we were with two other families and one of them was LDS. Pretty crazy odds there.
Tanner did a front flip off one of the podiums to begin his zipline. Brinley was pretty adventurous too. She rode upside down on a couple of routes. The guides were a lot of fun and pretty casual about everything. One time right before I went, they yelled across to the guy on the other platform, "it's her birthday." Then, as I was zipping down, the guy started bouncing the wire up and down. I started screaming because I felt like I was on a roller coaster. It was exhilarating.
It was honestly a little scary coming from the US were everything is super regulated for safety. We didn't have to hold on to anything as we rode. We didn't slow ourselves down when we were close to the platforms. There were not helmets. There was no weight limit. There really weren't any rules except to have fun. I am glad we all survived, and we did have fun.
The zipline was a three part excursion. The second part was visiting/holding sloths. Aubrey really wanted to do this. We held the sloths and then did about an hour at the petting zoo. It was very hot. We had just finished our very long ziplining adventure. The petting zoo kind of made me sad, but the kids seemed to like it. Once Brian got bit by the monkey, he and I bowed out. We found a shady spot, got a drink and waited.
And just a couple more of this exhibit because it was such an event.
Our guides at the zoo were young teenage kids. When Bri got bit, the young kid went and got a first aid kit. We poured some hydrogen peroxide on the wound and smeared some very liquid antibiotic cream on it. We were really hoping he wasn't infected with some deadly disease.
The lady we booked the three part excursion with was also our driver to each place. When we mentioned the monkey bite, she changed the subject! She is from the US. I'm sure she was thinking, "oh great, law suit, end of my business here we come."
Bri teased about his deep wound and lightheadedness due to loss of blood for the rest of the cruise.
The third part of the excursion was a snorkel out in the ocean. It was AMAZING. We were the only tourists on the boat and the guide took us out in the ocean. When I've done snorkeling before, they usually just have you swim near the boat for about an hour. However, on this one, we had a guide. He got in the water and we swam all around as he pointed out different sea animals.
We got to hold a live sand dollar and a baby starfish. We saw a barracuda and tons of really amazing fish. At the beginning, Aubrey asked him about sharks. He assured her there were no sharks in this part of the ocean. However, once we were done and back on the boat, we were asking him about what all he has seen. He casually pointed out a scar on his thumb and mentioned it was from a shark. Aubrey about fainted. It was hilarious. I'm really glad he didn't mention it beforehand because I know she wouldn't have gone.
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Bryn's hair!
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The kids. The photographers loved calling Tanner "Justin Bieber."
Our rooms were a little warm for Brian's taste. He rigged the fan Aubrey gave him for Christmas last year to his tripod. Kind of what I love about this whole set up is it's just so Bri. He brought his mini fan and tripod and lots of other things "just in case." I tease him because he tends to over pack when we go out of town, but he is prepared. It has saved us more than once. He is also creative with making things work. He takes good care of us.
As we were heading back to Galveston, the captain began having trouble with the speed. It was stuck in low gear. We arrived back to port late and weren't able to disembark until noon. We were planning on being home by 7 or 8 but didn't get back until almost midnight. One thing we have laughed/groaned about on our car ride home is when Brian got pulled over. It was late and dark. He was going 78 in a 55 work zone. (No one was working.) I definitely held my breath as Brian talked with the officer.
Luckily, he got off with a warning. When the cop left, Brian said, "Let this be a lesson to you...." We have a car full of new drivers, and I was glad Brian was making a lesson out of this experience. I was expecting something along the lines of: “don't speed” or “be sure and slow down in work zones.”
However, this is what we got: "if you are really nice when a cop pulls you over, you can get out of a ticket." NOT the lesson I was hoping for Brian Richard Gwilliam!
Oh....and Chad. We can't forget about Chad. Aub's Cruise COW. (Crush of the week) He seemed to be everywhere. His name isn't Chad...well it could be I guess. Brinley chose that name randomly to tease Aub more. Aubrey
never talked to him, but we all talked a lot about him! There were cash offers to get her to make a move, any move. She considered them because she is always broke, but didn't follow through. Aub was mortified and mesmerized when it came to Chad.
We were cracking up when we were exiting this huge cruise port with thousands of people, and Chad and family were once again oh so close.
We had a memorable vacation, and I am so glad we were able to have this adventure together.
