I'm off today, but Nolan is filling in for me.....

I decided to take the day off today, but my wife suggested that it might be fun to post Nolan's homework as my blog this week, so feel free to comment.  My comment is, leave it to the wife to make me work on my day off, anyway.  The Family Circus comic strip guy does this all the time.......

4/14/11


Today was the day we got on the cruise ship! We checked the hotel to make sure we didn’t leave anything behind, and then we were off! When we got to the boarding station a porter took our larger bags and we went on with our small bags to get checked by security. We went into a line of people and after a little bit of waiting, we got to the 1st part where someone checked your birth certificate and photo ID. Then we put our bags on conveyor belt, and we walked through an electric scanner. Then we got on the ship and were given our room keys. We explored for a while, because we couldn’t get into our room until 1:30 PM.

Lido deck of the ship with the big screen

 At 1:30 we went to our rooms and unpacked our stuff, Danny and I were in one room that connected to my Mom and Dad’s room. After the ship left port at 4:00 PM, Dan and I went to explore a little bit. We found a water slide that was surprisingly large, so we went down it at least 8 times. Then we went down to the pool where my Mom was, and she told me to go get something called bottomless bubbles. This basically means you get a sticker on your room key to show Bartenders and you can get unlimited juice and soda! Then I went to Laser tag with my brother. It was a large inflatable dome for four people. My brother came in second place and I came in third. Then Dan and I found a mini-golf course and played the last hole continuously until we got a hole in one! Then we found Mom and Dad, so they came with us to swim at the pool. I remembered that the pools were saltwater when my eyes suddenly started burning! I decided not to go in the pools without goggles on again. Then I explored alone for a little bit. I found a candy shop and an arcade! I went back to our cabin to go to bed.

4/15/11

The next day we arrived at Key West. We got off the ship and rented an electric car. We traveled around in

it for a little bit and we found a lighthouse. Then we drove to the southernmost point in the continental US. We drove by the Hemmingway House. After that, we parked the car in a parking lot. We walked around for a little bit, and found an aquarium. My Mom and I went into the aquarium, while Dad and Dan went to a shipwreck museum. At the aquarium, there was a “touch tank”, where you could pick up sea urchins, sea cucumbers, horseshoe crabs, starfish and hermit crabs. There was another tank that contained stingrays and sea turtles. Outside at the Atlantic exhibit, I held an alligator! Then we went back inside and found a nurse shark tank. Next, we heard that there would be a guided tour in 5 minutes, so we waited and went to that. The first place on the tour was the touch tank, and the guide talked about the animals and plants in there.

Then we went over to the stingray tank and the guide fed the stingrays, who would jump up and grab the food. Next we went over to the nurse shark tank, where she very carefully fed the hungry nurse sharks! She brought over a baby nurse shark, and we got to touch it! Then we left and met up with Dan and Dad, and it was time to re-board the ship. We had to take the electric car back, so dropped us off near the ship. It took him a long time to come back, because he couldn’t find the place to return the car! On the way to the ship, we went into a store and got a free bamboo necklace. We boarded the ship and I went to the arcade. After losing at the arcade games, I walked around to explore the ship some more. I found Dan laying near the pool and I asked him to help me win the prize at the arcade. We tried, but lost again and went back to our cabin. We got dressed up for dinner and went to the Galaxy Dining Room. Our waiter’s name was Samson and he was from India. He showed me some cool tricks, like making four triangles out of two triangles by only moving one side of the triangle. He also got a bowl of water and a glass and he lit paper on fire and put in the bowl and quickly put the glass over it and it sucked the water from outside the glass to inside the glass. After dinner, we walked around a bit and then watched part of a movie on an outdoor big screen. Then I went to bed.

4/16/11
The day after yesterday (today), we went to Cozumel, Mexico. We ate a Breakfast and then we arrived at Cozumel. We got off at 1:00, and Dan and Dad went to the Mayan Ruins, while my Mom and I went to a Dolphin Swim and Ride. We took a 7 minute bus ride to Dolphinaris. When we got there we put on life vests, and got a quick explanation of hand signals. Then it was time to get into the water. We got in and the trainer told us that the dolphin’s name was Linco. The dolphin swam around and let us feel his leathery skin. I put one hand on my chest and the other pointed to the left. This was one of the hand signals.

The dolphin swam up behind me and turned over onto his back. I grabbed onto his fins, and he pulled me through the water at 25 miles per hour! Then I got to shake hands and hug Linco. The dolphin gave everyone a kiss on the cheek. After that, the dolphins raced, and then we got out of the water. We went in and had lunch, bought photos and a video, and then left Dolphinaris. It was the best day of my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After that I went back on the ship and met a bartender named Sanja, she was from Macedonia. Dan and Dad weren’t back on the ship when it was time for dinner because the trip to the Mayan ruins was very long. So my Mom and I ate dinner alone. Samson did a trick where he got two forks, a glass, and two tooth picks. He put the two forks on one tooth pick hanging them by the prongs and then he balanced the tooth pick on the edge of the glass. After that with the other tooth pick, he picked up the tooth pick with the fork on it, and balanced them back on the glass! I tried it a few times and eventually I got it and made it balance again.

Samson and Nolan

 After dinner, I went to a party. First we went outside and played flinch and scooter races. Then we went inside to play video games and to dance. Lastly, we went to a lounge to play capture the flag and hide and go seek. We got done at 3:30 AM and then they took us back to our cabins! I went to sleep after that point
4/17/11

Today was a full day at sea. I really didn’t do much other than go to the arcade with Dan and buy candy. I went to pack for tomorrow when I was leaving and then I saw that there was going to be a kids party at 10:00 PM, so I went. At the party there was musical chairs, dancing, and PlayStation. I mainly played musical chairs and danced but I played PlayStation for a few minutes after that and then my parents picked me up for me to go to bed.