Courtney joined us for the weekend which was awesome! Only a 2 1/2 hour direct flight from NYC. She had an afternoon to lay out and enjoy the sun before we got there.
Christopher wanted to stay home and watch Olympus basketball play in the playoffs. Good thing he did because Olympus took State! That night he took the red-eye from SLC to Atlanta and then on to Bahamas. We sent him with a notarized letter that he could travel alone (recommended for kids under 18, but no one asked for it). I think it's generally insurance if there are questions about children being taken from their parents (kidnapping). We was only a little bit nervous about him switching planes in the Atlanta airport -- finding the trains to switch terminals and having enough time. But I knew he could do it and thought the worst that would happen is he'd have to spend some time in the Atlanta airport. So that felt like a pretty safe bet. But he got around with no trouble at all. So proud of these milestones!
The best is that Monet was on his flight! She was probably on the SLC to ATL one as well but he didn't see her there. He went to the Bahamas flight and saw her but was confused to see her out of context so it took him a minute to process! "Monet?!" Ha, ha! She was going with friends on a Dive Trip around the Bahamas!
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| The same type of Manta Rays we dove with in Hawaii! |
There are two slide towers... Power Tower you access from the Current River: Two levels with a tube ride on each level. These tube rides are like being on a water roller coaster. So fun! Unfortunately the conveyor belt that can take you from the Current River up to the tubes was broken. Dang...it was such a cool feature we remembered from last time.
The other Mayan-style building has Leap of Faith, The Serpent (on a tube one through the shark tank) and Challenger--with two slides where you can race another person. And down lower, the Jungle Slide--a milder slide.
We went to the hot tub a lot because it was windy and just a bit too breezy to be really warm! Not sure if it was because of the wind, but even with several cruise ships in port, there were no lines! It wasn't crowded at all! It's a big place so there were lots of people, but we rarely had to wait long for a slide.
The resort closed at 5:00, but we were pretty done by 4:30. Each night we came back to our hotel, showered, rested and then went to dinner. After dinner we watched several episodes of Psych. Because that's what we do.
Have I mentioned that Rachel and Jeremy were there too? We met them and Eric & Cari's family for dinner our first night. Eric always has a good story to tell and todays was "an annoying flight and missing luggage." Nick's comment after was, "Eric was exactly as I pictured him!" (Eric has worked with Dan for years so he's heard his name a lot.
I had fun hanging out with Rachel the next two days. Although we were going different directions -- she had to go to the work dinners with Jeremy. Dan skipped them. Our last day there we rented a cabana next to Eric so any time we were relaxing, we were actually chatting with different people who have investors in Dan's company. Rachel knew them. I didn't. Fun people though, made better by the fact that I was with Rachel!
Funny moments:
A resort photographer was in the water snapping photos and got us all together on our tubes (why didn't I remember to view that photo?!) As we floated away, her eyes got big and I thought she was trying to tell me something.
Me: "What?"
Her: "something something something" (I can't hear).
Me: "What?"
Her: "WATCH YOUR HEAD!"
And right then my head smacked hard into the rocks. (It's still bruised in that spot!) But it was super funny at the time. It hurt. But it was worth it because it was so comical.
Chris showing off how strong he is.
Then, Nick: (in high mocking voice) "Gee, Mister, you're so strong!"
(Apparently from Hercules, the movie.)
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The first night we ate at a casual restaurant (no reservations) at the Marina "Frankie Gone Bananas." It was perfect for a big group and kids.
We got ice cream at Ben & Jerry's after and looked at the yachts as we walked down the marina while Dan googled Yacht Pricing. (For Fun!)
The next night our family ate at Olive's. Upscale restaurant in the Casino. It was excellent. I had the sea bass which was "remember it later" good. Flatbread pizzas were also great. Needs reservations. Another friend said they didn't have a good experience there. But we loved it. I would definitely go back for that sea bass. Dan had grouper and loved it too.
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| Huge portions. We each shared a plate! |
We were going to go on Sunday, but our driver said that was just for locals night. We read a recommendation that tourists shouldn't go there for safety reasons, but it was totally fine. Lots of taxis waiting for a ride. I suppose just avoid Sundays.
Some helpful tips (if there's a next time):
*We scheduled our airport pick-ups/drop-offs through "Sandra."
*Ordered our groceries online ahead of time and they were delivered to the room. (The car service will stop on the way in, but the store closes at 8:00 p.m, before we arrived, so we had the groceries delivered.)
*We ordered mostly breakfast items -- eggs, apples, bagels and cream cheese -- so we could eat breakfast in the room. Groceries are EXPENSIVE! ($13 for a box of cereal.)
*We packed treats and snacks in our luggage -- granola bars, Pringles, fruit gushers, licorice, Hi Chews and Nila wafers. We tried to pack peanut butter but it got confiscated at the airport! We were glad we had snacks for the evenings when we watched TV and after the pools but before dinner. So much cheaper to bring them rather than buy them there.
*Each day housekeeping provided 6 bottles of water. But we were glad we'd ordered a case from the store. About $28 for 35 so expensive, but we were glad to have it. We heard mixed reviews of whether to drink the water or not. (The hotel said it was ok, but everyone else said no. So we didn't.)
*We ate lunch at the resort -- plenty of places to eat and the food was pretty good. Wraps, Burgers, Salads, fries, fruit and veggies. The fruit and veggies were very fresh and excellent. On the other side of the resort is "Dive In" attached to the Royal hotel. They had the most selection and great food.
*Church was only 20 minutes away. The airport was about 25 min. No traffic on Sundays. We had a driver from Sandra take us.
*We stayed in the Reef which has kitchens in the units and fold-out couches. Plenty of space for all of us.
*The Cove is the adults-only hotel next door. The Royal is the large hotel in the middle with the Casino and aquarium. The other two hotels are old and run-down. Nor do they offer any convenience services such as a bellman or room service.
*It's a short walk over to the Royal or Marina for dinner. But we took the free shuttle too because we couldn't remember how to get around.
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