Thursday, December 6, 2007

Last Day :-(

Well...its December 6th and our last day here aboard the Summit. Ethan is 5 months old today! So far we are enjoying our last day at sea. We had a great breakfast, attended an info session about disembarking, and played BINGO! hehehe After this post we are going to sit down in the restaurant and have some lunch. Last nights formal night was a lot of fun. Ethan loked so cute in his button down shirt.
As I said yesterday it is a bit sad to see such an amazing trip come to an end. This is also the first trip where we've really gotten to know some of the staff and crew. Many of them have grown attached to Ethan and look forward to seeing him each day. They don't get a lot of small children on these long cruises. Like we said though we are excited to get home now. The thought of Ethan's first Christmas is so exciting. We can't wait to decorate the house this weekend!
Mom..thanks again for checking in on everything. You are right..Jill is amazing! She has been so great to the pups and even emailed us pictures. She said that she's gotten quite attached to them...especially Blade. :-)
We depart FL tomorrw on USAIR flight 922 at 2:10pm. We connect in PHI onto flight #3680 departing at 6:45pm. We are scheduled to arrive in ALB at 8:06pm. Whew! Can't wait to see everyone! Love you very much! We have TONS of pictures to share!
Kate

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

No Worries...We Survived Colombia!

Hi everyone! Sounds like winter has arrived at home. Yesterday we were sitting on a Colombian pier drinking a local beer and listening to Christmas carols...weird. We were actually a little disappointed yesterday that our excursion was cancelled. There were waiting lists for all of the other trips so we were unable to join another tour. It looked like most people were getting taxi's on the pier to go to the Old City on their own. The ships crew said that it was completely safe and that they have never had any problems. So...we attempted to do just that. Once we got outside though we decided that it was a little too sketchy for our taste. The cab drivers/tour operaters were charging three times what the max. price was. Plus they wanted you to commit to a certain number of hours. It was also very hot and humid for Ethan. Instead we decided to spend a few hours right on the beautiful pier. They had a small bar, shops with local crafts and souveniers, a nice park, and even some Colombian dancers. We enjoyed our few hours ashore but wish that we had been able to see more.
Today is a day at sea as we continue our journey home. There is a TV channel onboard that shows the ships location at all times. Right now we are off the coast of Jamaica. Soon we will begin to loop around Cuba as we prepare to arrive in Florida. We've come such a long way! It's crazy to see our route on a map.
We have to admit that we are a little sad that our trip is ending. We've seen so many amazing places that its hard to see it come to an end. But we know that there are many vacations in our future! Plus we miss everyone and can't wait to be home for Christmas! I get to see my doggies in two days!!!!!!!!
Tonight is our last formal night, so we'll be dressing up for dinner and hopefully have a nice picture taken.
Mom...John and I are all set with coats. We have our NorthFace Fleece jackets with us. Ethan's snowsuit would be great though. I forgot our flight plans upstairs but I will post them either later today or tomorow morning. Thanks for meeting us at the airport! After that we will probably head home to order a pizza because we will most likely be starving!!! :-) So feel free to join us!
I will write more later or tomorrow. Love you guys and will see you soon! Have we really been away for almost two weeks?

Monday, December 3, 2007

I think its Monday?

Hi Everyone! First let me say that I'm also glad that NYBlogger has revealed their identity. And I'm so glad that its you Steve! I was hoping that you were following our trip. Be sure to tell Helen and the boys hi and that we miss them! I have to say once again that the comments you guys leave are the best!
Yesterday was another amazing day we awoke to a beautiful Panama sunrise. We were amazed to see all of the ships/boats around us waiting their turn to make the transit through the canal. Since we are on such a large ship we actually had a reservation to begin our journey. They showed a documentary onboard about the canal the day before, and I have to say that after learning more about its history I found our trip even more fascinating. It is truly incredible to see how the canal operates and to know that you are crossing the Continental Divide. Just think we were in both the Atlantic and the Pacific yesterday! John was able to get some great pictures with his camera. We can't wait to show everyone. When we returned from dinner tonight we found three certificates on our bed. We were each given our own certificate signed by the captain saying that we completed the transit through the canal. How great is it that Ethan has that?
Some people got off of the boat to complete excursions but as I mentioned we chose to stay aboard. What was cool though was that originally they didn't think they were going to let anyone off at the end (Cristobal Pier), it was meant to be a stop to simply pick up the excursion goers. Turned out though that we had more time than expected, so at 8:30pm we set food on Panamanian ground. We stayed within the terminal which consisted of a large market place with craftsman, souvenirs, bars, and local entertainment. It was really cool, but we only stayed about an hour so that Ethan could head off to bed!
Today was a day at sea. I started to the day with a massage in the spa :-). Nice and relaxing. After that we took part in some of the ship activities, ate lunch, napped, ate again, and then went to see a comedian that joined our ship in Costa Rica. It was a great night!
Tomorrow we hit up Columbia. We were disappointed to find out that our excursion was canceled. We have decided to just get off and stick to the pier around the ship rather than plan anything big. This way Ethan can have his nap on board and we will be close to home base and good security if the place seems sketchy. We really aren't planning to do much there.
Heard that the weather is cold and icy back home. My poor puppies! I'm curious to see what Ethan thinks of the cold weather. I think he's a summer boy. By the way those little legs of his seem to be browner than ever. Never ending SPF50 is apparently no match for our little island boy!
More tomorrow....when we start our journey home! Unfortunately blogger is not allowing me to post any more pictures tonight...the connection is a bit weak right now. I'll try to get more up tomorrow!
Love you all!
Kate

Huatulco Church


This church was part of our tour in Huatulco Mexico. It was dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe. The ceilings of this church are actually covered in beautiful murals...really cool to see. Here's a little known fact...our tour guides husband painted the murals! :-)

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Another Day at Sea

Hi! I LOVE reading the comments you guys leave, please keep them coming! I'm sorry for not posting more pictures. I have to confess that I oopsed and left the cord for my camera at home. In order for me to post pics John has to download them from his camera to his laptop and I have to bring the laptop down to the internet cafe, etc. Lately its been easier for me just to run down and use one of their computers. We will be sure to put a few up tomorrow though. Think of it this way...now you can see most of them at once! :-)
So....yesterday was spent in Costa Rica. There really are NO words to describe where we were and what we saw. The actual port that we entered was admittingly not one of the nicer parts of the country but not too bad. It was the most central port however for the array of excursions that were offered. As I mentioned we traveled to Monte Verde and explored the cloud forest. Please check it out online if you can. To sum it up we boarded a nice, small motor coach with our guide Pablo. He was one of the sweetest men ever and full of info on Costa Rica. Our bus ride took about 2 hrs 45min. It would have been just over an hour however the road to Monte Verde is not paved. The paving of the road has actually been voted against by locals three times. When I say unpaved its an understatement. It took 2 hours to travel 17miles, and we're talking Costa Rica at its best! Cliffs and all! We drove to an elevation of 5,000 ft where we arrived at our destination. What I didn't mention the other day was that a tour of the cloud forest includes you having to cross suspended bridges up above the tree line. From this hike and of course the rocky ride we saw what had to be some of the most beautiful things in the world. John and I have never seen landscape like this. I simply cannot describe it and can only hope that the pictures we show you at home will give you a sense of its beauty. The sights and sounds of the rainforest and surrounding areas are things that we will never forget. We can''t wait to return to Costa Rica with Ethan when he is old enough to take it all in. Our tour actually started at 8am and didn't end until after 6pm...it was a long day!
Today was a much appreciated day at sea. We took our time getting ready this morning and let Ethan nap as much as he wanted! Of course we attended another wine event...tastings from around the world. Other than that we've been taking it easy!
Right now we are sailing a few miles out from the coast of Panama. We can actually see Panama from our balcony. (never thought I would say that!) We begin our journey through the canal early tomorrow morning. We enter the first lock at approx. 7:50am and end our journey around 6:30pm. I believe we are expected to enter Gatun Lake at 11ish. Although you are given the option to do an excursion in Panama and rejoin the ship at the end of the canal, we have decided to stay onboard and travel through the entire lock system. Otherwise we won't be able to say that we sailed through the Panama Canal! We are really excited to experience this. They are opening the helipad at the front of the ship for the day so that everyone can take pictures, etc. Our next port of call is on Tuesday in Cartagena, Columbia. I will try to write more tomorrow night after we complete our canal passage!
We miss you guys and can't wait to bore you with vacation pics. Hate to break it to ya but we are loving the long cruise and the exotic locations. We are already planning on taking the Galapagos Cruise as well as the Antarctic. :-) Have to admit we miss you all though and are excited to get home for Christmas. It is Christmas time right....87degrees right now!
Hugs and Kisses!
Kate

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Our 3rd At Sea Day

Hello Everyone!
First off thanks for checking on the pups mom! A few days away certainly makes me grateful for all of the days I have with them. Yesterday was a full day in Huatulco Mexico! Wow we thought Alcapulco was amazing (which it was) this place was insane! Very possibly the most beautiful places we have been. The thing that's great about Huatulco is that it is relatively unspoiled. Unfortunately the Mexican government has decided it will be the next big Mexican tourist hot spot...hopefully they won't build it up too much. We arrived in Santa Cruz and were stunned by the breathtaking mountains that surrounded it. Truly incredible...I can't wait to post pictures because there really isn't any way to describe it. We went on a land and sea tour which began with a motor coach tour of the surrounding area and a shopping stop. We then boarded a "party" boat which took us around to some of Huatulco's bays. There are quite a few beaches here that are just empty and can only be reached by boat. Vacation heaven! After our 4-5 hour tour we shopped around Santa Cruz and had some Queso Enchiladas at a waterfront restaurant. Oh and of course had some more Corona's!
Today was a relaxing day at sea. We took a wine seminar on how the type of wine glass can effect the taste of a wine...amazing! We also went to a lecture on Ecotourism in Costa Rica. Seas have been a bit rough the past 24 hours. Cabinets in the bathroom actually opened and shut a bit during the night. Overall not too bad though. We are sailing off the coast of Nicaragua as I write and are set to arrive in Costa Rica tomorrow morning at 7am. We are planning to travel to Monte Verde National Park where we will walk through the cloud forest, visit the butterfly and insect museum, etc. There is about a 2 hour ride to the parks from our port but we have found that the bus rides are great for Ethan. He naps through them which is wonderful because he doesn't want to miss anything when we are walking around and forces himself to stay awake. He is such a good baby and we are simply having the vacation of a lifetime with him. :-)
I will probably wait until Saturday (day at sea) to post again and will be sure to include some pictures. We have a long day tomorrow and will surely head to bed early!
Hugs and kisses to all! Kristen and John hug Ava for us we miss her and can't wait to hold her next week!
Just think guys we still have a week of traveling left!
Hope all is well! My email is being checked again so email me if you need to!
Kate

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Acapulco 2

Kate and Ethan in Acapulco!

Acapulco 1

Tuesday-Acapulco

Today was an amazing day! Acapulco far exceeded our expectations. We couldn't believe the views as we pulled into port. It is so gorgeous here...unlike anywhere else we've been. We had a great excursion today as well. We went on a tour bus to the Sea Turtle Release Camp which was actually quite a distance from the pier. This was great because it allowed us a guided tour of much of Acapulco. We made two stops for picture ops and then continued on our way. Once we arrived at the Turtle center Ethan was fussed over by some local school children. (I have the best pics of this!) They loved him! We heard a brief lecture on Sea Turtles and then continued on through the hatchery. After our small tour we walked down the sandy beach to the waters edge and were given our very own baby sea turtle to release into the ocean. It was absolutely incredible! Truly a once in a lifetime experience. Ethan was fascinated by how the small turtles moved...he loved them!
After our ride back to the pier we did a little bit of shopping and then hit up a local outdoor eatery for some local food and of course a few buckets of Coronas!
Back on the ship at around 5 we stopped by the outdoor bar at the back of the ship for some live music and drinks. The perfect place to wave goodbye to Acapulco...somewhere we definitely plan to return to.
Tomorrow it is on to Huatulco (sp). At 8:30 we are joining our excursion. It is a land and sea tour complete with a stop at a local beach! Afterward we will spend some time shopping in the Santa Cruz Marina. We are so excited to visit yet another new place.
John, Ethan, and I ate breakfast on our veranda this morning watching Acapulco come into site. All I could think was...I can't believe I'm here! John and I both agree that this trip is unlike anything we've ever done before and truly truly an unforgettable journey. More tomorrow! Love Kate

PS
Thanks for visiting our babies mom! Please email us an update!

PSS
For some reason my Acapulco pics aren't posting!!!! You'll have to wait until tomorrow hehehe
Sorry!

Cabo Wabo Baby!

Ethan getting ready for 1st Formal Night

Monday, November 26, 2007

Second Day at Sea

It's Monday....our second at sea day. Sorry for not posting anything yesterday. Cabo wiped us out, we barely had the energy to climb into bed! I also have to apologize for not posting any pictures yet...I promise to get some up tomorrow. Yesterday was a beautiful day in Cabo San Lucas sunny and in the low 80's. After tendering off of the boat we explored the dock area and local shopping. Of course we had lunch at Cabo Wabo (don't worry John, no Sammy sightings :-)) and then continued on through the town. As you can imagine we ended up at a local bar on the water with a bucket of Mexican beer...aaaah vacation! Ethan had a great time in Cabo taking in the sights and charming the locals. By the time we got back on the ship he was snoring!
Today was a welcomed day at sea. We had breakfast overlooking the open sea, had a "formal" lunch, and took part in some of the laid back activities on board. We just finished dinner and Ethan has already had his bath and has headed to bed. John and I were amazed today by how many people on the ship know Ethan by name. So many people look forward to seeing him each day. He especially brings smiles to the faces of crew members who have not seen their babies in serveral months. I swear he is tired simply from smiling so much! John and estimate that we say the phrase "he's just about five months" at least 20 times per day.
Tomorrow we dock in Acapulco. The forcast calls for sun and 88 degrees!!! What's the temp in New York? hahaha At 8:30am we leave for our excursion. We are visitng a Sea Turtle rescue center where we will actually get to release a turtle back into the sea! After that we are planning to do some shopping and check out the beach situation. Back on board around 5:30.
Must say this cruise and cruise line is our favorite so far. John and Kristen we have to sign up for a cruise soon! John and I have never had our vegetarian needs met so well. We had a letter waiting for us from the staff asking to meet with us about our dietary needs, and are given a vegetarian and vegan menu for every meal!!! It's incredible and some of the best veggie meals we have ever had.
Hope everyone is doing well, we miss you all! Gigi please hug Raven and Blade for us if you happen to see them. I will email Jill tomorrow to check in! Love you all...more from Mexico tomorrow!

Saturday, November 24, 2007

We're On Vacation!!!!

Well....its Saturday November 24th and we are officially on vacation. We left Albany yesterday at 7:30am and arrived in San Diego many many hours later. We are happy to report that Ethan was a perfect angel the entire way. He slept through most of the flights and when he was awake he simply smiled and played. We boarded our ship the Summit around 2:30pm Pacific time. This ship is amazing! It is very different than the other ships we have sailed on. For you Seinfeld fans the best way to describe it is Del Boca Vista. In other words Senior Citzen heaven! John and I have to admit though that its nice to have peace and quite aboard a cruise as oppossed to the usual cheesy hairy chest contests we've seen before!
Today was a day at sea and we certainly enjoyed it! After breakfast we attended an info session on our Mexican port of calls. In the afternoon we introduced Ethan to the world of wine tasting...it was great! This was our first of 3 formal nights aboard the ship. It was so much fun to see peoples reaction to Ethan all dressed up. Needless to say Ethan is quite the "celebrity" on this trip. Everyone knows him and looks forward to seeing him around each day.
Now its time to put our little one to bed! Cabo tomorrow where we will explore on our own and do some shopping. Forcast calls for abundant sunshine and 81degrees. Aaaaah vacaation!
Love and miss you all! We will post more tomorrow night and be sure to include some pictures!

Friday, November 2, 2007



It's November! Yesterday was the perfect example of a dreary November day; grey skies, blowing winds, and chilly temps. Although i always thought of it as a bit of a depressing month, I seem to have a different view now that we have Ethan to share it with. Yes, November still brings with it the promise of cold winter months, but it now also promises new holiday's to share with our little one and eventually the wonderful feeling of showing him snow for the first time. Each new month brings with it new exciting things, its as though we get to experience everything for the first time again. This year November will also bring us our big vacation! Only 22 more days until we set sail!
At three o'clock this morning I heard Ethan stirring on the monitor. My first thought I must admit was, "urgh what's he doing up at 3:30?". That thought changed to sheer joy when I entered his room and peeked into his crib. There he was looking up at me with such a look of happiness....arms and legs moving non-stop and the biggest smile on his face I have ever seen. The best feeling in the world!

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Halloween


Happy Halloween! We had a great time celebrating Ethan's first Halloween. As you can see from the picture he dressed up as a turtle! He had a great time visiting his Gigi and Grampy and seeing his Aunt Kristen and Uncle John. Best of all he got to see his cousin Ava dressed up as a lady bug. After our visit we headed home to meet daddy as he arrived home from work! Then it was time for special visitors to come to us! Grammy Alice, Papa, Uncle Pete, and Carolyn came to the house for a peek at our special little turtle. We had a great time visiting and greeting the trick or treaters that came to the door. Needless to say Ethan headed to bed early....exhausted from his day of dressing up!
It's hard to believe that its already Halloween....Ethan's first Christmas will be here before we know it! Be sure to check the blog at least once a week to see what's new...daily when we are on our vacation!

Monday, October 22, 2007

Our New Way of Communicating


Hi Everyone!
This new blog will allow us to keep everyone out of town up to date on what is going on here in New York and also allow them to view pictures of Ethan. Most importantly this is how we will keep everyone informed while we are on our vacation. I will post pictures and details of what we do each day while we are away. You won't have to wait until we come home to see pics of Ethan on his first cruise!
The really cool thing is that you can respond by making comments to our posts. Hopefully this will work for everyone and will be a great way to keep everyone up to date!