Half Moon Cay is located on 55-acres of the 2,400-acre Little San Salvador Island. What a beauty! There is no possible dock for cruise ships, so it is a tender port. I was very skeptical about this. On our cruise in 2005 and again in Nassau this cruise, we had always docked so I was a bit weary about the tender boats and how the process was. Mom and dad decided not to get off at this port (their loss, it was our favorite port yet!) but around 10am Isaac, myself and the kids grabbed our towels, swim suits and headed for deck 3 to board the tender boats. We went through the process of showing our cards and walked across the gangway before I even realized that we were on one of the tender boat already. We went through the cove and arrived at the heart of Half Moon Cay.

After playing in the water for several hours, we managed to convince Brianna and Jacob to eat lunch. Carnival's crew brought all the stuff they needed to bbq hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken as well as potato salad, cole slaw, fresh fruit, drinks and desserts. We ate, walked around and to explore the island and went back to the ship. We were all exhausted and ready for a nap. Good thing for the occasional loud noises or we would have missed dinner! We managed to wake up at 5:30 pm and dinner was at 6. I tried lobster and sushi this night, definitely not for me but I did give it a try. I'll resort to remaining picky and not trying new foods once again. We had a great time dancing to "Hey Baby" though!

The rest of the night was as usual: camp carnival, exploring the ship, drinks, and rough seas once again.

Knowing that mom and dad couldn't walk the entire area, nor did we care to (we tried that before!), we booked a tour guide ahead of time. We also knew there would be a huge rush for people to get off the ship, so we opted for our tour to begin at 10am. We got off the ship around 9 and managed to get to the meeting location around 9:15 or so. The weather was nice, but very chilly. Our tour guide was very prompt, informative, and excellent with those who required extra time (such as mom and dad), and with kids! I even made the comment that there was no way I would remember what everything was that we took pictures and he said he would give me his contact information so I could email him to get the information from him. He was definitely true to his word. I can't say enough great stuff about him. Isaac and I had already been here and he knew that so he focused on mom, dad and the kids. We were perfectly fine with that. We saw Fort Fincastle, The Queen's Staircase, Atlantis Resort, Cable Beach, Paradise Island Beach, other historic locations, several "famous or government residents' homes", country and city areas, and much more.

We were back on the ship in time for lunch, a nap, and time for Brianna and Jacob to enjoy Camp Carnival while we relaxed on the deck some more before sailing away. Being past guests, Isaac and I were invited to a past guest party. We had a blast. Dancing, all the bar drinks you could drink (free!), and a video of some past cruises. I think we felt the ship rock a lot more this night than the previous 2. There was a lot of rough seas from the time we left Nassau until we reached our destination the next morning. I was sure we wouldn't even go to the next Port due to the rough seas. No one got sick in our party, luckily but you definitely knew the ship was moving no matter where you were.

Waking up was not at all what we expected. We expected to wake up to see nothing but water; instead we woke up and saw land. Isaac and I have been to Freeport, Bahamas before and it honestly seemed like we were there. The area seemed to be an industrial area so Isaac and Brianna grabbed the camera and headed for one of the decks to take pictures. While they were up there, Jacob and I viewed the area through the oceanview window, which was fine by us because we managed to see several dolphins that they missed out on! Mom also lucked out and managed to see them too which was a nice surprise for her. We soon learned that some guy on the ship was very ill and had to get off so sometime in the middle of the night, the captain had to turn the ship around and go to Port Canaveral, Florida (we left from Jacksonville) so an ambulance could meet the ship and take him to the hospital. Of course, only the guy and his family got of the ship, but we did see the NASA launching pad, other NASA buildings (all afar) Disney Wonder ship, and a few other sites from a distance while we were there. I would estimate our time there being around 2 hours, then we were back to sea, again.

*It appears this is the 3rd time straight this particular cruise ship has had someone who had to be taken off for an emergency illness. Someone died (not necessarily on the ship itself) the other two times. No updates were given on this guy so its hopeful that he is okay*

The rest of the day was wonderful. We relaxed on the decks, rested in our rooms, watched a game show, played in the casino, and eventually got ready for the Captain's Party before our formal dinner.

WOW! Carnival has to receive kudos here due to the fact that when we arrived at JaxPort, the lines were interminable. Saying that, it took less than an hour to get our documents checked, through security, documents checked again (more thoroughly), id’s checked, photos taken, walk through area, gangway, on the ship and on the elevators. We showed mom and dad a few locations on the ship, grabbed some lunch, and found our cabins. It wasn’t long afterwards we had to attend the muster drill and then we headed towards the deck to watch the ship sail away and under the Danes Point Bridge. I was determined mom would get sea sick so not only did we buy her some medication, she bought her own too. Of course, that didn’t happen, she did great. It was Brianna who didn’t fare too well. I think I saw every shade that girl’s face could possibly change to. I felt so sorry for her. She was so determined the ship wasn’t going to fit under the bridge, and then when she looked back and saw we weren’t around any land, it finally hit her that a cruise is quite different than being at the beach and playing in the ocean. We did have to give her a sea sick pill but afterwards, she did very well. I think it took some time adjusting.


Fascination from stacy on Vimeo

Brianna and Jacob were both eager to play at Camp Carnival and meet new friends along the way so after dinner we stopped by and gave them the opportunity to "try out" this new adventure. I wasn't sure whether they would like it or not but they loved it! I must admit I was not Brianna's favorite person when I chose to not allow her to sign in and out herself. There was something about the idea of her running around on the ship without myself or Isaac that put fear in me and I couldn't let go of that. She's only 9, not 19 and I just couldn't see letting her wonder around on that big ship all by herself, especially with something as huge as the Atlantic Ocean all around us. By the time Isaac and I picked them up, all was forgotten and they were upset that we were there already. Oops!




*(although mom didn't get sea sick, she did manage to have her very first alcoholic drink, ever. I have to say she seemed to enjoy what I was drinking very much, enough to go buy herself one!)*

2 more days!

The 'misunderestimated' president?

President George W Bush

All politicians are prone to make slips of the tongue in the heat of the moment - and President George W Bush has made more than most.

The word "Bushism" has been coined to label his occasional verbal lapses during eight years in office, which come to an end on 20 January.

Here are some of his most memorable pronouncements.

ON HIMSELF

"They misunderestimated me."
Bentonville, Arkansas, 6 November, 2000

"There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again."
Nashville, Tennessee, 17 September, 2002

"There's no question that the minute I got elected, the storm clouds on the horizon were getting nearly directly overhead."
Washington DC, 11 May, 2001

"I want to thank my friend, Senator Bill Frist, for joining us today. He married a Texas girl, I want you to know. Karyn is with us. A West Texas girl, just like me."
Nashville, Tennessee, 27 May, 2004

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

"For a century and a half now, America and Japan have formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times."
Tokyo, 18 February, 2002

"The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorise himself."
Grand Rapids, Michigan, 29 January, 2003

"I think war is a dangerous place." Washington DC, 7 May, 2003

"The ambassador and the general were briefing me on the - the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice."
Washington DC, 27 October, 2003

"Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat."
Washington DC, 17 September, 2004

"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror."
CBS News, Washington DC, 6 September, 2006

EDUCATION

"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"
Florence, South Carolina, 11 January, 2000

"Reading is the basics for all learning."
Reston, Virginia, 28 March, 2000

"As governor of Texas, I have set high standards for our public schools, and I have met those standards."
CNN, 30 August, 2000

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.''
Townsend, Tennessee, 21 February, 2001

ECONOMICS

"I understand small business growth. I was one."
New York Daily News, 19 February, 2000

"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it."
Reuters, 5 May, 2000

"I do remain confident in Linda. She'll make a fine Labour Secretary. From what I've read in the press accounts, she's perfectly qualified."
Austin, Texas, 8 January, 2001

"First, let me make it very clear, poor people aren't necessarily killers. Just because you happen to be not rich doesn't mean you're willing to kill."
Washington DC, 19 May, 2003

HEALTHCARE

"I don't think we need to be subliminable about the differences between our views on prescription drugs."
Orlando, Florida, 12 September, 2000

"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYN's aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country."
Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 6 September, 2004

TECHNOLOGY

"Will the highways on the internet become more few?"
Concord, New Hampshire, 29 January, 2000

"It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that chamber."
Washington DC, 10 April, 2002

"Information is moving. You know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it's also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets."
Washington DC, 2 May, 2007

OUT OF LEFT FIELD

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
Saginaw, Michigan, 29 September, 2000

"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."
LaCrosse, Wisconsin, 18 October, 2000

"Those who enter the country illegally violate the law."
Tucson, Arizona, 28 November, 2005

"That's George Washington, the first president, of course. The interesting thing about him is that I read three - three or four books about him last year. Isn't that interesting?"
Speaking to reporter Kai Diekmann, Washington DC, 5 May, 2006

ON GOVERNING

"I have a different vision of leadership. A leadership is someone who brings people together."
Bartlett, Tennessee, 18 August, 2000

"I'm the decider, and I decide what is best."
Washington DC, 18 April, 2006

"And truth of the matter is, a lot of reports in Washington are never read by anybody. To show you how important this one is, I read it, and [Tony Blair] read it."
On the publication of the Baker-Hamilton Report, Washington DC, 7 December, 2006

"All I can tell you is when the governor calls, I answer his phone."
San Diego, California, 25 October, 2007

"I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."
Washington DC, 12 May, 2008