Saturday, we got up, and, instead of eating continental breakfast at the hotel, decided to go out and try the Express Cafe- we'd walked by there the evening before, but they weren't open. The line for The Lady and Sons was already 2 blocks long at 8:30 (and they don't open til 11!) so once again, I was glad we weren't going there. Breakfast was really delicious, and it was nice to stretch our legs before starting out again.
We had a pretty uneventful drive to our hotel- we'd decided to stop just north of Nashville for the evening. The hotel has recently changed to all non-smoking, and our first room REEKED of cigarette smoke. We ended up moving to a room on another floor, which was much better. Continental breakfast in the morning, before starting on the home stretch.
We were do to stop and switch drivers, and have lunch around Louisville. I read on our map that there was an arboretum just South of there which had a cafe, and we decided to stop. Bernheim Arboretum was REALLY nice- and the cafe had much tastier food than McDonalds. The kids meals (3.99) were served on a Frisbee (6.99) that we got to keep. And after we ate we drove over to the kids playground which was really nice- we had a fun break playing there. The rest of the drive home was pretty quiet- we made one final stop for coffee and to change drivers, and made it home in time for dinner (and to start laundry- ugh!)
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tybee and horses
For our full day, we'd planned on spending most of the day at Fort Pulaski and Tybee Island, since we weren't sure how much history the kids would be into, in Savannah. We got to the fort, and Isabelle got a workbook about the park, where if she completed activities about the park, she'd get a junior ranger certificate, and badge. She had a lot of fun doing that, and I think it made us explore the Fort more thoroughly than we might have otherwise. It was hot, of course, and we also needed to get over to Tybee to eat some lunch before our reservations for a dolphin tour, so we finished as much as we could of the book. We ran into a ranger on the way out who signed her certificate, and took her name and address so they could send her a badge when they get more in.
We ate lunch at Cafe Loco, near the boat dock. Food was ok, but service was seriously slow...it killed time until our tour though.
We went with Captain Mike's dolphin tours and had a great time. There are lots of shrimp boats around Tybee, and dolphins (as well as seagulls and pelicans) follow them, to score an easy meal of the bycatch they dump of the side. So we saw tons of all of those (and got tons of pictures of dorsal fins, and water where a dolphin WAS...along with a few good pictures of actual dolphins!). The girls were getting tired and crabby by the end of the tour though. Our plan had been to go to the beach- but it was SO crowded, and we couldn't find parking (and all they wanted was to go back to the hotel), so after stopping for drinks and ice cream, we drove back to Savannah- the girls slept until we got back, and then were wide awake and eager to play (the big game they played at the hotel was Cheerleeder- Isabelle made up the cheers and then taught them to Rebecca- their team was "Team Dolfin" :) )
After letting them play for a while, we decided to take a walk and do some shopping. We'd talked about doing a carriage tour of Savannah after seeing them while we were walking in the downtown area. We knew they left from City Market so we headed in that direction.
If you're a fan of Paula Deen, you know her restaurant The Lady and Sons is in downtown Savannah. Andrew had already nixed it, not really being a fan of southern style cooking...and I knew it was a bad choice as busy as it is. But I wanted to stop by her store next door, so we headed there first. The line for the restaurant was insane- it was at least 3 or 4 blocks long, on both sides of the street. So I was glad we were only going to the store! After that, we stopped at a couple of other stores- nour-ish, for some neat soaps and bath fizzies, and Savannah Bee Company, where we got to taste test a bunch of yummy honey. They also had a play area shaped like a giant hive, where they kids played while we shopped.
When were were done there, we headed to City Market, where we decided on Cafe at City Market (simple enough, right? :) )for dinner. It was pretty cool- 50's themed in it's decor, and we pointed out lots of celebrity photos (they had lots of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe, in particular!) to the girls, while eating pizza- Andrew had salmon with cream cheese and red onion, I had spinich/tomato and feta, and Isabelle had cheese. Rebecca was not hungry and just requested a vanilla shake (great dinner, huh? :) ). After we finished, we bought tickets for our carriage tour, and hung out until it was time. We really enjoyed the tour, and got to see lots of the downtown area (including a debutante party outdoors in one of the squares- how were they not dying in formal wear in that heat?).
After finishing the tour, we made one last stop- at the Savannah Candy Company. Wow! So much yummy stuff- we got to watch salt water taffy and pralines being made (and we got a sample- and of course, bought some- of the pralines). We got a few treats and then started back to the hotel. We had a scary moment though- cars are required to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalks. A southbound car stopped for us...but the northbound car nearly plowed right over Isabelle, who had walked a couple of steps ahead!!! (and the really creepy thing- the car that almost hit her was from a ghost-tour company- it was a hearse!!) We made it back to the hotel in one piece though (and skipped the cookies, since we had so much candy!)
We ate lunch at Cafe Loco, near the boat dock. Food was ok, but service was seriously slow...it killed time until our tour though.
We went with Captain Mike's dolphin tours and had a great time. There are lots of shrimp boats around Tybee, and dolphins (as well as seagulls and pelicans) follow them, to score an easy meal of the bycatch they dump of the side. So we saw tons of all of those (and got tons of pictures of dorsal fins, and water where a dolphin WAS...along with a few good pictures of actual dolphins!). The girls were getting tired and crabby by the end of the tour though. Our plan had been to go to the beach- but it was SO crowded, and we couldn't find parking (and all they wanted was to go back to the hotel), so after stopping for drinks and ice cream, we drove back to Savannah- the girls slept until we got back, and then were wide awake and eager to play (the big game they played at the hotel was Cheerleeder- Isabelle made up the cheers and then taught them to Rebecca- their team was "Team Dolfin" :) )
After letting them play for a while, we decided to take a walk and do some shopping. We'd talked about doing a carriage tour of Savannah after seeing them while we were walking in the downtown area. We knew they left from City Market so we headed in that direction.
If you're a fan of Paula Deen, you know her restaurant The Lady and Sons is in downtown Savannah. Andrew had already nixed it, not really being a fan of southern style cooking...and I knew it was a bad choice as busy as it is. But I wanted to stop by her store next door, so we headed there first. The line for the restaurant was insane- it was at least 3 or 4 blocks long, on both sides of the street. So I was glad we were only going to the store! After that, we stopped at a couple of other stores- nour-ish, for some neat soaps and bath fizzies, and Savannah Bee Company, where we got to taste test a bunch of yummy honey. They also had a play area shaped like a giant hive, where they kids played while we shopped.
When were were done there, we headed to City Market, where we decided on Cafe at City Market (simple enough, right? :) )for dinner. It was pretty cool- 50's themed in it's decor, and we pointed out lots of celebrity photos (they had lots of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe, in particular!) to the girls, while eating pizza- Andrew had salmon with cream cheese and red onion, I had spinich/tomato and feta, and Isabelle had cheese. Rebecca was not hungry and just requested a vanilla shake (great dinner, huh? :) ). After we finished, we bought tickets for our carriage tour, and hung out until it was time. We really enjoyed the tour, and got to see lots of the downtown area (including a debutante party outdoors in one of the squares- how were they not dying in formal wear in that heat?).
After finishing the tour, we made one last stop- at the Savannah Candy Company. Wow! So much yummy stuff- we got to watch salt water taffy and pralines being made (and we got a sample- and of course, bought some- of the pralines). We got a few treats and then started back to the hotel. We had a scary moment though- cars are required to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalks. A southbound car stopped for us...but the northbound car nearly plowed right over Isabelle, who had walked a couple of steps ahead!!! (and the really creepy thing- the car that almost hit her was from a ghost-tour company- it was a hearse!!) We made it back to the hotel in one piece though (and skipped the cookies, since we had so much candy!)
Last day of Wonder, first day of Savannah
For our final day, we debated whether to go to breakfast on the ship, or to just depart as soon as we could so that we could get a start on driving. I decided that since were were assigned to first seating (at Tritons again) we should go ahead and go...it was our last chance for "free" food, and we got to say goodbye 1 final time to our servers. As it turned out, the ship didn't have the all clear to disembark until about 10 minutes before we finished breakfast, so it worked out well.
We had our carry-ons with us, so we gathered them up and headed off the ship. A porter helped find our stuff (and, as a side note- when we were listening to the announcements about what you could and couldn't take through customs, they said "no opened packaged food". And I remembered the morning of our departure that I'd packed our trail mix- which I brought on the ship, as the cruise terminal parking lot warned of ant infestation if you left food in the car- in our luggage the night before. After looking through all our luggage, we found it...and the porter told us that, no, it was fine to take that through customs. So we repacked and were off). We were all sad to leave the ship (the girls tell us every day that they want to go back) and it was a bit rainy, so it was a bit of a gloomy start for our trip to Savannah.
We made better time than we thought though, and as we were driving into downtown, we were struck by how beautiful it was. I think most of the people we met there were from somewhere else, and it's easy to see why. We decided to go ahead and get lunch at the Pirates House (we'd read mixed reviews about the food but figured the atmosphere would be cool). It turned out to be decent food, and a lot of fun looking around the restaurant. The kids menus had punch out pirate hats, with mustache earring and coins, so that was a big hit.
We then drove to the Juliet Gordon Lowe birthplace (as parents to a Daisy/soon to be Brownie, and a soon to be Daisy Scout, we figured it was the place to go). Rebecca was a little bored, I think, but Isabelle enjoyed it, and they both enjoyed wandering around in the garden. We decided to walk around the downtown area, stopping at a cafe for drinks, and then walking over to the Cathedral (which was gorgeous!). They were getting a bit squirrely, and eager to go to the hotel, so started back (walking through a couple of squares- so pretty!).
The hotel was great- we stayed at the Planters Inn, which was right downtown. The staff was very friendly, and we arrived just before their complimentary wine and cheese reception (they do it nightly). I was still really full from lunch, and just hung out in the room and read, but Andrew and the girls went and had lots of good stuff (the girls skipped the wine ;) ).
We hung out and relaxed a bit longer before walking down by the river to look for somwhere to eat dinner. (I forgot to bring the camera!). We ended up at a little greek diner- the girls had sandwiches, and Andrew and I split saganaki, and a greek salad, and the guy behind the counter gave us a complimentary order of calamari. Afterwards, we walked a little longer, until the sky started to darken, and we saw lightning in the distance, and we decided we'd better get back to the hotel! The rain held off until we were back in the room...and we go back just in time for the freshly baked cookies that they had out in the lobby.
It was the girls bedtime, and so we just chilled and read a bit longer in the room.
We had our carry-ons with us, so we gathered them up and headed off the ship. A porter helped find our stuff (and, as a side note- when we were listening to the announcements about what you could and couldn't take through customs, they said "no opened packaged food". And I remembered the morning of our departure that I'd packed our trail mix- which I brought on the ship, as the cruise terminal parking lot warned of ant infestation if you left food in the car- in our luggage the night before. After looking through all our luggage, we found it...and the porter told us that, no, it was fine to take that through customs. So we repacked and were off). We were all sad to leave the ship (the girls tell us every day that they want to go back) and it was a bit rainy, so it was a bit of a gloomy start for our trip to Savannah.
We made better time than we thought though, and as we were driving into downtown, we were struck by how beautiful it was. I think most of the people we met there were from somewhere else, and it's easy to see why. We decided to go ahead and get lunch at the Pirates House (we'd read mixed reviews about the food but figured the atmosphere would be cool). It turned out to be decent food, and a lot of fun looking around the restaurant. The kids menus had punch out pirate hats, with mustache earring and coins, so that was a big hit.
We then drove to the Juliet Gordon Lowe birthplace (as parents to a Daisy/soon to be Brownie, and a soon to be Daisy Scout, we figured it was the place to go). Rebecca was a little bored, I think, but Isabelle enjoyed it, and they both enjoyed wandering around in the garden. We decided to walk around the downtown area, stopping at a cafe for drinks, and then walking over to the Cathedral (which was gorgeous!). They were getting a bit squirrely, and eager to go to the hotel, so started back (walking through a couple of squares- so pretty!).
The hotel was great- we stayed at the Planters Inn, which was right downtown. The staff was very friendly, and we arrived just before their complimentary wine and cheese reception (they do it nightly). I was still really full from lunch, and just hung out in the room and read, but Andrew and the girls went and had lots of good stuff (the girls skipped the wine ;) ).
We hung out and relaxed a bit longer before walking down by the river to look for somwhere to eat dinner. (I forgot to bring the camera!). We ended up at a little greek diner- the girls had sandwiches, and Andrew and I split saganaki, and a greek salad, and the guy behind the counter gave us a complimentary order of calamari. Afterwards, we walked a little longer, until the sky started to darken, and we saw lightning in the distance, and we decided we'd better get back to the hotel! The rain held off until we were back in the room...and we go back just in time for the freshly baked cookies that they had out in the lobby.
It was the girls bedtime, and so we just chilled and read a bit longer in the room.
At Sea
We woke up feeling quite a bit better, but still pretty red and sore. Unfortunately, our two big plans for the day had been visiting the Vista Spa (the Rainforest Room- heated massagers and different saunas) and hanging out by the pool. So both of those things were out! Instead, we had a quiet morning, exploring the ship some more, playing shuffleboard and meeting characters. Andrew and I sat in the shade watching an ice carving demonstration while the kids made chocolate chip cookies in the kids club. (We also enjoyed a kid free lunch at the Beach Blanket Buffet, while they ate with the kids club).
After that, the movie theater was having an encore showing of Up (in 3-D!) so we were excited to have a second chance to see it. We all really enjoyed it (although it was very sad at parts :( ), and Rebecca spent the next day asking us to buy her Doug (the dog from the movie).
THen it was time to go back and change for dinner. Our last evening was at Triton's, which is probably the most elegant of the resturants. I started off with Escargots Gratines (and shared some with Andrew who decided they counted more like seafood or poultry, than meat :) ), and the Market Salad (with yummy peppered goat cheese!) and Andrew and the girls had Tomato-Basil soup (Andrew loved his- it was a bit too seasoned for the girls taste). For main course I had the 3 Cheese Lobster Macaroni, and Andrew had the Seared Sea Bass. We were getting full, but not full enough to skip dessert! We shared again- Andrew orderd the Grand Marnier Souffle, and I got the Sweet Temptations (small servings of Creme Brulee, Chocolate Mousse and Praline Petite Choux (pastry filled with Hazelnut cream). And at the end of the meal, Putu made more origami- a fish for Rebecca and a jumping frog (which was much fought over!) for Isabelle.
We had some time before the show, and, since we hadn't really gone to much of the entertainment, decided to go to the lounge, where they were having How Well Do You Know Your Disney Music? (which seemed like a perfect choice, since I'd been quizzing everyone on the music playing at Animator's Palette when we ate there.) They had a pianist play a few bars of various music from movies, theme parks, shows. Some of them were really easy (It's a Small World), and some were really hard (a bit from the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast). They also had bonus questions (who was the actress that played the male lead in the show this comes from?), so there were 15 songs, but 40+ possible points. Our family ended up in a 3 way tie, and, after the bonus questions, tied (twice!) with another family. So they declared us both winners, and gave us a gold medal, and a hat that said Winner (which was a big hit the rest of the evening).
The final stage show was Disney Dreams....An Enchanted Classic. It was a really awesome show...until un unscheduled stop due to technical difficulties. The performance has bits where actors and props rise from below stage...and part of the mechanism failed, leaving a gaping whole in the stage where the cast was supposed to be dancing. While they fixed it, they had kids in the audience volunteer to come up and sing. Once again- Isabelle was unexpectedly shy, and had finally considered going up...when they fixed it. The cast was really professional, and didn't seem flustered at all by the unexpected break. I was glad to see the end of the show, and we finished in time to get to Until We Meet Again, where they brought out all of the characters (including Peter Pan and Anne Marie- the stars of Disney Dreams) to have a last appearance and sign autographs.
It was a lot of fun- we hadn't caught up with a couple of the characters before, and since Rebecca was wearing the Winner hat the whole time, everyone made an extra big deal over them. After getting the autographs, Andrew took the girls back for bed, and some frantic last minute packing (since luggage had to be out by 11, and it was 10:30- although, in all fairness, we were mostly packed), while I stuck around to get a final photo of the entire cast (and to pick up some pixie dust- Mickey shaped confetti that they dropped from the ceiling).
After that, the movie theater was having an encore showing of Up (in 3-D!) so we were excited to have a second chance to see it. We all really enjoyed it (although it was very sad at parts :( ), and Rebecca spent the next day asking us to buy her Doug (the dog from the movie).
THen it was time to go back and change for dinner. Our last evening was at Triton's, which is probably the most elegant of the resturants. I started off with Escargots Gratines (and shared some with Andrew who decided they counted more like seafood or poultry, than meat :) ), and the Market Salad (with yummy peppered goat cheese!) and Andrew and the girls had Tomato-Basil soup (Andrew loved his- it was a bit too seasoned for the girls taste). For main course I had the 3 Cheese Lobster Macaroni, and Andrew had the Seared Sea Bass. We were getting full, but not full enough to skip dessert! We shared again- Andrew orderd the Grand Marnier Souffle, and I got the Sweet Temptations (small servings of Creme Brulee, Chocolate Mousse and Praline Petite Choux (pastry filled with Hazelnut cream). And at the end of the meal, Putu made more origami- a fish for Rebecca and a jumping frog (which was much fought over!) for Isabelle.
We had some time before the show, and, since we hadn't really gone to much of the entertainment, decided to go to the lounge, where they were having How Well Do You Know Your Disney Music? (which seemed like a perfect choice, since I'd been quizzing everyone on the music playing at Animator's Palette when we ate there.) They had a pianist play a few bars of various music from movies, theme parks, shows. Some of them were really easy (It's a Small World), and some were really hard (a bit from the Broadway version of Beauty and the Beast). They also had bonus questions (who was the actress that played the male lead in the show this comes from?), so there were 15 songs, but 40+ possible points. Our family ended up in a 3 way tie, and, after the bonus questions, tied (twice!) with another family. So they declared us both winners, and gave us a gold medal, and a hat that said Winner (which was a big hit the rest of the evening).
The final stage show was Disney Dreams....An Enchanted Classic. It was a really awesome show...until un unscheduled stop due to technical difficulties. The performance has bits where actors and props rise from below stage...and part of the mechanism failed, leaving a gaping whole in the stage where the cast was supposed to be dancing. While they fixed it, they had kids in the audience volunteer to come up and sing. Once again- Isabelle was unexpectedly shy, and had finally considered going up...when they fixed it. The cast was really professional, and didn't seem flustered at all by the unexpected break. I was glad to see the end of the show, and we finished in time to get to Until We Meet Again, where they brought out all of the characters (including Peter Pan and Anne Marie- the stars of Disney Dreams) to have a last appearance and sign autographs.
It was a lot of fun- we hadn't caught up with a couple of the characters before, and since Rebecca was wearing the Winner hat the whole time, everyone made an extra big deal over them. After getting the autographs, Andrew took the girls back for bed, and some frantic last minute packing (since luggage had to be out by 11, and it was 10:30- although, in all fairness, we were mostly packed), while I stuck around to get a final photo of the entire cast (and to pick up some pixie dust- Mickey shaped confetti that they dropped from the ceiling).
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