I'm back! Time for a recap of my vacation...

Sunday - June 1
I was up early with mom, but didn't head out until around 9:30-10am. Once the girls were dropped off at "camp" I was off towards Baltimore. If I am heading that way you better believe I am stopping at the outlets in Hagerstown. I didn't find much, but I did pick up a sweatshirt and some good grubby things from another store.

A little further down the road and I was checking into the Hyatt Place, which Priceline scored for me at an amazing rate. I was very impressed - a great hotel with superb staff at checkin and at 4am the next morning when I was up for my flight out.

Monday - June 2
As mentioned I was up early and had some starbucks and a muffin right onsite at the hotel. I was leaving too early to take advantage of the free breakfast, but the morning staff made fresh coffee and pulled out a muffin that was to be tossed out shortly when its timestamp came around. Off to the airport and out. The flights went smoothly and I made great time. From the Orlando airport it was a 45 minute ride on the shuttle to get to the port. This was my first cruise as a platinum level member of the crown and anchor society and was spoiled by those extra perks. I flew through checkin in the non-existant line set aside for platinum plus members and was onboard Sovereign quickly.

This was my last of the three ships in the Sovereign class and she was, of course, consistent and similar to the others. I have to say this much, I was a bit sad to find a horribly messy public bathroom and less than overly friendly staff - which is not the norm. I was glad to have a good stateroom attendant, which I haven't had the past couple of trips. My dining room staff was nice (Norbert and Charleen) but the little things were missing (the scraping of crumbs, offering the pepper grinder, tricks). On this trip I shared a small table with a honeymooning couple, Andrew and Tifanny, who were quite sweet people and easy to talk with.

Tuesday - June 3
Cococay - I was so happy we were able to stop, since on my last trip the seas were too choppy. This is one of RC's private islands and it was just lovely. I am quite glad I had the inside tip to head to the far sie of the island as this allowed me to avoid the stereotypical beach crowd. I wandered along the backside of the island along the water lined with shells and crabs to where I found a nice secluded spot and a beach chair partially in the shade. Well, at least it was for a while... unfortunately, it was so peaceful that I fell asleep, and I woke mostly in the sun and my legs and stomach burned to a bright red. doh. I keep swearing I won't do this to myself, but at least now I have some tan lines! After waking I wandered back up along the beach and partook of the BBQ grub and then found a nice spot on a shaded hammock where I lounged for a while longer.

I was back onboard long before we sailed back out and went up on deck to spend a little time giving color to the back of my legs as well. After this I decided to attend a scrapbooking seminar they had going on - what the heck, right? At least I picked up a few little tips and tricks that suit this beginner well. This was also my day to select the jewelry I tend to buy on every trip as a reminder of a time and a place. This time I picked up a pair of red heart-shaped swarovski crystal earrings and matching pendant.

Wednesday - June 4
Back to Nassau for my second visit, this time I booked a snorkel trip and was out headed for rainbow reef early in the morning. This time I slathered myself with three layers of my 50SPF sunscreen and a teeshirt to prevent further burns. I was back onboard for lunch and a little beyond to avoid the hottest hours of the day. I grubbed down at Johnny Rockets to avoid the buffet, which I loathe thanks to mankind's typical behavior.

I admit, I was sore with sunburn at this point, but I did head back into Nassau to wander some of the areas that we didn't cover on my last trip - nothing amazing found. Frankly, Pirates of Nassau stunk - don't bother. I had to head back to the straw market of course - gotta find another cutie Kate Spade, and I did... definitely me! This one is black with pink and silver circles and polka dots. I'm sure this one will get as many compliments as the one I bought last trip.

The other thing I noticed on this day that left me wondering was the kids onboard texting left and right. Seriously, if cellular at sea is pricey, wouldn't you think those kids were building up large text messaging bills?

Thursday - June 5
Thursday was at sea, a great chance to sleep in and relax a bit so I had the energy for traveling home, which is always a day-long adventure. I played a little bingo, losing miserably of course, and just did my own thing.

Friday - June 6
Up and out... and quickly! Another perk of being platinum - I was off that ship hella fast. I got to the airport and was treated to another pleasant surprise: being offered an earlier flight! Instead of getting into Baltimore at 7pm I was getting back into Johnstown at 8pm and had plenty of time to get my laundry started.

I had a good trip and am glad I went. Now I just need to get through all of this mail. Did I mention that my mailman decided to stop my mail earlier than I requested? So I have two weeks worth of schtuff built up. I headed out this morning to get the girls, so everyone is home from their vacation and trying to rest up this weekend.