Call the Mexican authorities?
I prepared Tommy another travel book as we were planning a family cruise! He was receptive and I believe was excited to take another voyage. I used some photos from his first cruise to bring a remembrance of that trip and the fun he had.
This adventure was with some of our best family friends and their children and grandchild, and we also had our children and grandchild. Arrival to Galveston was smooth but then I thought that Heath, Tommy and I were going to be the only ones sailing this day… Our friends had issues with no birth certificate and our kids had a “bullet” in the bottom of the lining of their suitcase. How does this happen you ask? I asked too!! LOL but in moving from house to house it just got caught in the bottom of the bag… Just happened to be the baby’s bag!! So, they were questioned, and Kahlyn watched as every piece of clothing that she had packed so neatly was scattered all over the table. I thought she was going to throat-punch someone by the time they made it through all of the security checks. I would have loved to have a picture of her face when they asked her for the 15th time, who the child was with them. Her face full of anger spelled his name letter by letter gritting her teeth - R..E..A..G..A..N..!! LOL Funny now, but not so much in the moment!
Once on board the rest and relaxation began… Right, LOL There was so much to see and do! This was our first Royal Carribean cruise and I have to say one of my favorite experiences. Our dinner wait staff was fabulous. They were most helpful with Tommy. They figured him out on night one and I never had to make another request. They just loaded him up with grapes, French fries and a coke! While we all visited, I would let Tommy play on my phone and of course he took pictures of his friends that joined him! I felt so secure at dinner with these creatures watching over us!!
There was a welcome aboard pirate parade as we sailed away. Tommy really enjoyed this; the cast members were very sweet in the way that they chose to interact with him. Here are a few photos of their fun along with a video. I apologize the video is kind of long, but Tommy was having such fun and I never knew who was going to join him next, I just couldn’t stop recording!
Tommy was great about exploring the ship. He was content in the theatre even though the unknown noises could startle him, the singing and dancing girls of course was exactly what he signed up for! LOL
As he would get tired, or we thought he needed a little less stimulation we would return to the room. The new towel animal surprises were always fun to come back to. Heath and I love the balcony. We believe that this is the only way to cruise. Tommy set up his area and we brought a portable DVD players and multiple DVD’s. This worked well, we did not have to worry about the iPad signal or purchasing any other type of internet package while on board.
First Port of Call… Costa Maya
This was somewhere that none of us had visited before. We did not book an excursion, but were eager to have an adventure. We snatched up a cabana around the pool area that was just off the pier. The sunshine and scenery was beautiful. Reagan played in the sandy beach area and Tommy went straight to the swimming pool. He actually sat on one of the stools of the swim up bar, I had to keep reminding him to wear his sunglasses. The last thing I needed was someone bothered by him making “googly eyes!”
On to Cozumel
We had booked an excursion to Mr. Sanchos. It was top notch. We split the cost of the private cabana and beach with our own waitstaff. The food and beverages were all included. For Tommy this meant more french fries but he seemed to be happy with them.
Everyone was walking on the beach, eating and enjoying the sunshine. Heath and Kahlyn decided to take a snorkel tour. I went down to the boat with them and took some photos and videos of them heading out. It was a good father daughter bonding experience! As I head back to our beach area, I learn that our neighbors in the next cabana started hollering… “Hey, hey, don’t do that!” I was told that they were trying to get Tommy’s attention. He had gotten tired of the water and sand in his swim trunks and decided to just strip right there and put on dry clothes!! Lord help us - Thankfully one of the guys went and held a towel up to minimize the show! LOL Needless to say, I could have burried myself in the sand. I felt like I was on edge the rest of the stay awaiting the Mexican authorities to show up! Luckily, this did not happen and of course Tommy has left us with lasting vacation memories!
On our way back to the ship after our adventure, Tommy spotted his favorite car all decked out for the beach and was happy to pose for a picture!
Back on the boat, we enjoyed some more adventures watching a steel drum show, playing in the game room and a game of putt-putt. All in all, it was a great trip.
A Rocky Start,
A smooth sail,
A beach “streaker”
and just like that, back to reality!
We are looking forward to our next cruise in March 2025. We have 4 ports of call and who knows what Tommy will have in store for us. But… You will find out!! LOL
- God Bless
