We left the house around 5am and I didn't get a full cup of coffee in beforehand, so that was a must-have once we found our gate. There's nothing quite like the feeling of being at the very beginning of a vacation.
We all uploaded photos into a shared album, so I was able to get lots of pictures from other perspectives. Here we are ready for take-off. As always, Andy is quite the bougie traveler.
We landed in New Orleans around 1pm and after making our way to the hotel to drop off our things went exploring through the city. Our hotel was in the downtown area, so we were within walking distance to all the sights.
I wasn't wearing my Apple Watch, but we had to have gotten in several miles of walking. We'd all built up quite an appetite, so it was time to get some food. We ended up at The Corner Oyster House. I didn't get a picture of the outside of this restaurant, so I found a couple online.
I got to keep my cup. It's my one souvenir from the trip!
We were definitely in the mood for Louisiana cuisine and this restaurant did not disappoint. This is what Andy ordered, but I can't remember the name.
I ordered the Gumbalaya, which is a mixture between Gumbo and Jambalaya. It looks messy, but the taste was AMAZING.
After eating, we did more walking and exploring. There was a lot of construction going on. We think it was the town preparing for the Super Bowl in a few weeks.
We had complimentary breakfast at our hotel, but we all really wanted to eat at the Ruby Slipper.
Their award-winning Bloody Mary. They added dilly beans to the garnish and I loved every bit of it.
Beignets were another Louisiana treat I wanted to try and I loved them!
We had some time to spare after breakfast and before check-out and the sun was out, so we did some more walking/exploring. Somehow, Andy's days of being a clown in 4-H came up around this time. Then we saw this jester and it seemed fitting for Andy to get a photo with it.
Before too long, it was time to board the ship! Our hotel was also walking distance from the port, so that was very convenient.
We made it on the ship! First drink of the cruise.
About to set sail!
Andy and I experience temperature very differently. The temperature in New Orleans that afternoon was about 60 degrees. I felt comfortable in my sweatshirt, but Andy was roasting and had to take his shirt off.
One form of entertainment we chose that evening was karaoke. Brenda and I performed "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." It's always fun when the crowd joins in and we definitely had that, especially from the girls on the right. Eventually, we just gave them a mic and they sang with us.
I packed other clothes to wear that night, but the air felt chilly and I strongly dislike being cold, so I stuck with my jeans and a cardigan. When we woke up the next morning, however, we were somewhere in the ocean between the US and Mexico and the air felt so much warmer. I don't have any photos from the day, but it mainly consisted of us lounging on chairs, sipping cocktails, and chatting and laughing. That night was the dress-up night.
The Titanic pose! Jennifer and Brenda took the same photo last year and I laugh every time I see it!
We decided to use one of the ship's hot tubs that evening and on our way, Andy decided he was feeling too hot, so he jumped in an empty pool.
The next day was the best day: Cozumel! Cruise destinations are what make the cruise worth it. The temp was about 85 that day. It was heaven on earth, especially when they were experiencing temperatures in the single digits back at home.
Oh look, another clown/jester for Andy!
He's a character, that's for sure.
So many different shades of blue.
You can't really tell in the photo, but there were lots of small fish swimming around us and when we swam out beyond where we could touch, there were some big ones too!
Chicken fajitas on the beach, yes please!
There was a photographer on the beach and we took advantage. It was super cheap compared to what they were charging for photos on the cruise. And these pictures turned out SO good!
Before leaving the beach area, we wanted a photo with our server, Carlos. He did a great job keeping us fed and hydrated throughout the day.
Some complimentary tequila tasting. There were some really good ones and, if we weren't flying home, we may have been tempted to purchase some.
Perfect sign for the three amigos!
And for these three amigos.
Watermelon JELLO shots.
Thanks for treating us, David!
Time to get back on the ship. None of us wanted to do the walk (run) of shame and scramble to get to the ship before it leaves. We were back a solid hour early.
Since my suit was still on, it was time to go down the waterslide. I find them so fun. And then it was more lounging on the ship.
While we were gone, our room fairies worked their magic.
A couple hours after we set sail from Cozumel, our captain got on the speaker and said that a crew member has become seriously ill and that we needed to turn the ship around to we could get them to a hospital. We didn't end up porting, but when we got closer to land, a rescue boat came out. The next day, we got word that the crew member was doing better.
Our last day at sea was just ok. The weather definitely cooled off as we made our way back towards the US. The entire country was in a deep freeze and the southern United States was experiencing record low temps. The water was also choppier and I ended up feeling a bit seasick as the day went on. I was also chilly. I could have done without this last day. But it was still nice to relax and hang out with friends. We went to a comedy show that evening, which was really funny. The next day was Monday and it was time to head back home. When we woke up, we were just about back in New Orleans and the temperature was 29 degrees! Needless to say, it was not a comfortable morning in the open air portions of the ship! Debarkation is not the most enjoyable experience. A line of about 3,000 people takes some time. I think it took about two hours of waiting in a long line to get off. When we got to the airport, we grabbed some lunch and then waited. And waited. Our flight wasn't scheduled to leave until after 5pm. Apparently waiting in airports makes Andy exhausted.
There was a little bit of stress in flying home. Our flight kept getting bumped back ten minutes here, fifteen minutes there. We had a layover in Detroit that was pretty tight to begin with, so we were starting to stress that we'd miss our connection. The airline attendant was no help. When we explained our situation, she said she couldn't guarantee we'd make our flight and that there was a winter storm heading to New Orleans, so there wasn't much she could do. We just got on our flight and hoped for the best. Thankfully the views were pretty.
We landed in Detroit around 8:49pm and our next flight was scheduled to take off around 9:25pm. But they were shutting the gates fifteen minutes before take-off. Our group was in the very last rows of the plane, which meant it would take forever to get off. It would have been nice if they would have at least let us get off first. I've been on other flights where the crew let those with a quick connection get off the plane first; but no such luck for us. After finally getting off the plane, we had to run from to a completely different concourse. We were the last to board the plane and arrived with just minutes to spare. My lungs were on fire but we made it!
We pulled into our driveway around midnight. Thankfully, our negative temps landed us a two-hour delay at school the next day, which was a huge blessing for me. We also got out of New Orleans just in time because they got dumped with eight inches of snow the next day.
I am so thankful we took this trip. Just like it is with our family, when we get away from everyday life, something exceptional happens. All the shared experiences and memories create a special bond. We had so much fun and laughed so much. I love these people and loved our time away together.
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