First Day at Sea: Christmas Eve

By the time we started really traveling (5pm), it was dark. We couldn't really see what the scenery looked like.

First thing the next morning, our first full day at sea, we headed out on our balcony to see the view.

It was so fun to see the ocean surrounding us, and then to look to the left and right and see the rest of the family waking up and taking a look was pretty awesome. My father in law got us all rooms along the back of the boat.

My sister in laws and I headed to the gym and then ran on the top deck of the ship. It was gorgeous. Sunny and blue ocean surrounding us. No better place to run.

We ate brunch, swam, laid out in the sun, sent the kids to the Camp Carnival (which they hated and never went back too). 

Because it was Christmas Eve, we went to the Holiday Spectacular. It was fun to dance in the aisles with the family to Christmas songs... or mainly just Mariah Carey Christmas. Carnival LOVED Mariah Carey Christmas. 

Heading to the Holiday Spectacular...

Sitting in the theater. Dancing in the aisles.

It was such a unique Christmas Eve.

I love my girl. 

(Did you notice there is no Merrick in these dancing pictures? He is our little wallflower. He did not want to be apart of the shenanigans.)

We then played a little round of miniature golf.

Fun with cousins.

Doesn't he know that this might not end well?

 Tyson looking out on the high seas for pirate ships.

Tyson (aka Scotty)...Cameron... and brother in law Tyson (aka Smitty)

We need a way to tell the Tyson's apart when we are all together.

We went down the waterslide.

And right before dinner, Tyson thought it would be fun to take the kids swimming. The only problem is we picked the adult only pool. That swimming adventure ended pretty quickly.

Christmas Eve was our first formal dinner night. 

This is one of two tables for our large party. This was one of the things I looked forward to and dreaded at the same time. It was so fun to try different foods and not have to worry about the cost because it was already paid for... it was fun to say, I want to try both these entrees, so two entrees it was.  It was also so fun to switch up the tables and have fun chatting with family. I dreaded it because imagine going out for dinner everynight with a 1 yr old. Yea. I need not explain.

Cute Berkleigh eating her ice cream sundae. We told the kids that they could eat whatever they wanted on the cruise. Merrick said he wanted pizza for every single meal, and besides breakfast, he pretty much stuck to that goal. Berkleigh wanted tons of ice-cream, and for every dessert at dinner, or every time we passed the ice cream station on the Lido deck, Berkleigh got herself some icecream. 

There were so many fun things to eat. My favorite were the cold fruit soups... cherry, strawberry and peach. Yum. Other more adventurous people tried shark, lobster, frog legs, alligator. I stuck to things not of the sea. 

Our first day at sea was successful. Tyson got a little seasick, but besides that, we played, and ate, and swam, and got tans. Perfect.