Ozinga Family Cruise Days 1, 2, & 3

For our second anniversary and my mother-in-law's birthday, Isaac's side of the family and we went on a cruise out of Galveston.  It was a huge treat to be in the Gulf and Caribbean for 7 days, soaking up the sun, visiting with Penny, Dave, Jacob, and his friend Sarah (family we only see about 2 times a year), and exploring new places.

On the 7th, Isaac and I picked up his parents, brother, and Sarah from the airport and headed to the cruise terminal.  We are privileged to live 30 minutes from it!  While the ship was basically full, the check-in process was a breeze, and we were quickly in our cabins, unpacking before heading out to see our departure.  Isaac and I had a cabin one deck above Penny, Dave, and the kids, and at the very front of the ship.  We've learned we like being on an upper deck and in the front.

Galveston

Our first night at dinner wasn't as it should be; Isaac had worked so hard to make sure we had a table for 6, and then we were split into two groups.  It was a great night, but we were grateful to meet Denis and our table for 6 on the second night. That evening we went up to a big table on the Lido Deck to play cards.  We taught the Ohioan Ozingas the Hashes' favorite game of No Peeky, and Sarah and Isaac taught the rest of us Egyptian Rat Screw.  Crazy laughter probably kept the other passengers away from us that night!

No room for Isaac and me!

Cozy, but not the point of this trip.

Monday was our anniversary, and it was a lazy, fun day.  We had breakfast delivered to our cabin, went to the gym (we did this nearly every day), and stayed in the pool most of the rest of the day.  It was formal night, so we had fun getting all gussied up to meet Captain Antonino Sammartano and enjoy our lobster and shrimp.

Jacob, Sarah, Dave, Penny, Captain Sammartano, me, and Isaac

 

 

 

 

 Isaac and I had thought we had ordered a special cake to share with the family after dinner, but it turns out they went behind our back and had ordered one first, so our order was quietly tossed in the trash after Isaac and I left the Formalities shop.  Ha!  Our wait staff sang 'Happy Anniversary' to us, making us kiss between each phrase.  We danced that night too during dinner with other couples while the servers sang "That's Amore".  The nightly show (possibly my favorite part of ship life) was cancelled that night due to stage lighting malfunctions, so the four of us 'kids' hit the library to play more cards before heading to bed.  It was such a fun night celebrating two great years of marriage.

We were quietly singing "Veggie Tales" while waiting on dessert.  Yes, we're that silly.

 

"Happy anniversary, to you!  Kiss!.....

Tuesday looked a lot like Monday except we talked Jacob and Sarah into joining us at the pool and water slide. 

Dinner was another fabulous affair as we learned even more about Denis, our head waiter.  He's from Croatia, and got excited seeing all of the different brands of wine we brought to dinner each night.  He and his fiance Amy (she is the Spa Manager on the ship, and we fell in love with her too!) love to tour different wine countries, and I think Isaac and I managed to talk them into taking a Texas tour with a definite stop at Messina Hof (WHOOP!). 

After a comedy show and "the show", we fell into bed, knowing we'd be waking up early in Jamaica!