Happy 40th Birthday to Me! The Moore’s catch a ride to Havana!
April 30, 2017 – May 5, 2017
Maddie {7} and Govy {4}
T Minus 1 Day – April 29, 2017
Best laid plans. I love that we are leaving on Sunday, so we can have all day Saturday to get ready. Excited that I’ll have time to pull everything together and not be up until midnight…or later. Nothing like the last minute!
Although, since I am me, and after 7 years of packing for more than just myself, it still didn’t work. Mike and I were up until about midnight, so we scored about 2 hours and 15 minutes of sleep. Tomorrow is going to be AWESOME. Yawn.
Welcome to Miami – Bienvenido a Miami– April 30, 2017
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. 2 hours of sleep, thank goodness there was a little person in the bed to be excited because all I wanted to do was hit SNOOOOOZE…Here we go!
We were up a little after 2:00am. Maddie was a big help getting herself and Govy dressed while I jumped in the shower. High-five for having clothes laid out and ready to go. We were out the door about 3:30am – these early flights suck. So, not my intention to be up in the middle of the night, we’re only overnighting in Miami. With frequent flyer flights though, you get, what you get.
The Des Moines airport wasn’t as busy as I’d a thought for a Sunday morning. We got checked in and through security with 40-ish minutes to spare. Now I can relax. We’re checked in, at the gate and ready to go. LET’S GO TO CUBA!!
The flight from Des Moines to Atlanta was boarded and pushed back early. We all slept for part of the flight and Maddie built her 1st Lego set. My Lego kits for the kids worked AWESOME! (Zach might be onto something with patenting these things) Deplaning seemed to be an issue with everyone bringing their kitchen sink ON TO the plane to avoid baggage fees. We had a comfortable connection in Atlanta and were sleep deprived zombies in the gate area while we waited to board.
The flight from Atlanta to Miami was according to Govy, “Bumpy Mama! Whoa!” and the kids got another set of wings to add to their ever-growing collection. This is the flight that I slept on (my neck), oh the crappy airplane seat sleep. Upon arrival to Miami, we grabbed a taxi instead of waiting for the hotel shuttle. $17, very well spent!
We got checked-in at the Aloft Miami Airport, room 607; our 1st Aloft stay. Check in was a breeze and the room is spacious with high ceilings. We dropped our stuff and headed next door to Chipotle for a late lunch. Time for a hotel room picnic and then naps!!! Naps for EVERYONE!!
After a nap to shake the crazy, we went down to the lobby, played pool and the walked around outside of the hotel for a little bit. There’s not much outside of the hotel, but a little fresh air was nice.
Then, it was time to get ready for tomorrow; showers (our last in a normal sized shower for the next couple of days) and time for bed.
We had fun today listing all the modes of transport that we took, here is our list:
Dada’s Truck
Airport Parking Shuttle
Airplane
Airport Train
Airplane
Taxi
Accommodations: Aloft Miami Airport
Tomorrow: CRUISE SHIP DAY
Cruise Ship Day – May 1, 2017
We were up about 7:00 (6:00 at home) this morning. There are some little people who are SO EXCITED to be getting on a cruise ship! Time to get ready and get going!
It was nice not to be in a hurry. We headed to check out about 11:30am. I thought that I’d be so smart and we take Lyft to the pier but apparently, I can’t figure it out. So, on the eve of turning 40, I have also realized that I am old. I had the app downloaded, put in all the details, pre-authed the payment and then we waited and waited and waited. I never got any kind of confo on the Lyft ride so when a shuttle service showed up at the hotel and offered to take us for $10 more than the Lyft quote, off we went. Still cheaper than NCL’s transfers and we didn’t have to go back to the airport.
The kids were so excited on the quick ride and when the cruise ships came into view, they freaked out. Love it! This is part of why I love what I do, so fun to see the excitement. Being able to share these experiences together and watching them take it all in, it’s the best part of parenting. So glad that we decided to bring them too!!
We got our bags dropped off and got in line to check-in and board the Norwegian Sky on Norwegian Cruise Lines Inaugural sailing to CUBA!!
Check-in was like Cancun customs on a Saturday, and this is not a giant ship! The kids did great as we wrapped though the line, back and forth and back and forth. After we got checked-in and our Cuban Visa’s, it was to the ship! The kids couldn’t believe that it was time!!! We’re here, we’re getting on the ship, it’s time to go!
We got on a little after 1:00pm and the rooms would be ready at 1:30pm. We stopped in the Atrium Lounge to take a minute, have a drink, and start to soak it all in. Govy had a slight meltdown (no nap) over some apple juice but our nice waiter came to his rescue.
Before stopping at the room, we went to the kid’s club to check it out and get them signed up. They have a nice, younger kid’s area at the very front of the ship on deck 7. We got them registered, wrist banded and then when to find our home for the next 4 nights.
We found our room, 9322 on the Fjord Deck (9); nice center ship location. We dropped our bags, took a quick peek around the room and wanted to get lunch. We headed to the Garden Cafe buffet and found a table. Selections were nice, I was hot and opted for a nice giant salad, Mike wasn’t hungry and surprise, surprise, the kids went for burgers and hot dogs.
After lunch we walked around, exploring the ship, then it was time for the lifeboat drill. At this point, “no nap” Govy was pushing it and started whining in line for me to hold him…not something that happens often anymore. I tried to avoid picking this big kid up, but the poor lil guy looked so exhausted. Not in my arms a minute, while standing in the hot and crowded Muster Station E area, did he become giant, deadweight 4-year-old. Good Lord, now I remember why I can’t hold this kiddo anymore. “Tall” Mike was at the back of the Muster area and saw that he knocked out, so he came to relieve me, whew!
After the lifeboat drill and the 10-minute nap, we headed up to the Bon Voyage Party on the pool deck. We had a chance to rock it out at the dance party (made the closed circuit NCL Channel, What. What.) and the kids got to meet a few of the other kids on the ship and staff from the kid’s club.
Mike grabbed some lunch from the Bon Voyage BBQ and we headed to the Great Outdoor Café at the back of the ship to watch it pull away from Miami and the US. Our new favorite spot is that area on the back, the view, the breeze, the cold beer. Bon Voyage!
The kids wanted to swim and we needed to get unpacked and organized, so we headed to the room and the movie Sing was on. The kids watched that, while I unpacked. Storage is totally lacking for 4 people sharing a room, thank goodness, it’s only a 4-night sailing. Holy hell! After I found places to shove all our stuff, it was about 6:30pm and the kids had to make a choice. We could: Swim, Eat, Bed OR Eat, Kids Club, Bed. They opted for kid’s club.
We went and ate at Crossings for dinner, one of the main dining rooms. The wait was about 20 minutes. I had the Ceaser and lasagna; Mike got the crab and seafood cakes and the kids got burgers and fries. It was nice because they brought the kids food out first. Poor lil Govy, we thought that he might fall asleep before we left the table. After Maddie got her cookies for desert, he rallied and off to the kids club we went.
After we dropped them off, Mike and I went to sit in our nice, quiet room. We went through the activity information and started to get ready for tomorrow. I went and grabbed them a little before 10:00pm and it was time for bed!
They got the biggest kick out of the bed that falls out of the wall, so we had to take turns playing on that for a minute. Let’s hope that Gov does not roll onto me in the middle of the night. Maddie got the hide-a-chair and it was lights out!
Long Day. Organized and READY FOR HAVANA and 40! EEEEEEE!!!
Accommodations: Norwegian Sky, Deck 9, Stateroom: 9322
Turing 40 in HAVANA!! – May 2, 2017
Because who relaxes on vacation?! Meeeee, but Havana!!!! We were up and moving about 6:45am because we needed to be in the lounge to meet our tour group at 8:15am. Didn’t have time to grab breakfast and knew that was going to be a problem for later. Awesome! Thank goodness that there was a bit of a delay with the ship clearing customs (inaugural and all), we were able to run to the buffet, quick! We grabbed fruit, cheerios and fruit loops and headed back to the lounge; we already had water in our water bottles.
They called our tour, Havana: Rum, Cigars and Art Tour and off to HAVANA we went!! We got off the ship and headed right into Customs & Immigration. Good Lord, it’s HOT! HOT! HOT! Carrier will do well in Cuba, really well, when they get here, OMG! We got through the stifling customs building after changing some money to the tourist used Cuban CUC; the locals use the Cuban CUP. We changed over $200 USD and got about $170-ish CUC. Oh, government issued exchange fees, welcome to Cuba!
We boarded our touring bus and off into the city we went!
Our guide Jorge, was A.MAZING. First stop was to the old Bacoy Rum Factory, it’s now a little museum and gift shop….no lie, more gift shop. We aren’t big rum drinkers, so there was no need for us to lug bottles of rum around all day. Maddie and I did pop into a little trinket shop and be still her eyes, a beautiful hand painted purple fan was in the shops case. She is now the very proud new owner of a fan from Cuba as well. I picked up a little wood carved 57 Chevy for my travel collection and we headed back downstairs. Mike was working a Cohiba deal, for 2 small boxes when we came down. He was happy to score those.
We had a couple of block walk back to the bus and I was so struck by the architecture. You guys, the buildings here are surreal, it’s all the historic beauty and old world craftsmanship of Europe in this time warp of an island paradise. The disappointing part is that the people don’t make enough (government regulated) to help keep it up and the government is not doing anything to stop the crumbling. I could walk this city for days. The doorways, the tiles, the detail, the friendly people; it’s breathtaking. We felt completely safe too. I waaaant one of these old buildings!!!
Back on the bus, we drove through the city to our next stop, Palacio de la Artesania. This building, OMG. I want it too!! Want to turn it into a small luxury hotel, get some old cars and tour guests around. (Hello Retirement) Really though, there was live music, shops, and a courtyard to get a drink and chill, while listening to the music. We visited the shops and explored the building. There was a rum tasting, but we had already headed back to the bus with the kids. It was hot, and the kids lil red faces needed to be back in the A/C…the adult faces did too.
From there we drove along the Malecon to the Miramar area of Cuba, which is like the “Beverly Hills” of Havana. The houses are truly works of art. There were no single-family homes in the Old Havana area, all urban apartment-style living. In the Miramar area, because it’s a wealthier area, there are mainly houses. They are maintained, were restored during the revolution, and used by diplomats and government officials. We went by the Hotel National, The Riviera (Meyer Lansky’s) Hotel, and the newly reopened US Embassy (opened 2 years ago by John Kerry, during the Obama administration).
Political Side Note: The Cuban’s that we have talked to are all about some President Obama…not so much about 45. We can relate. We can so relate.
There is a lot of litter which, totally distraught Maddie, every time she noticed; which was often. My heart. We stopped by the water several times where we saw debris floating, both kids commented on the messy water, and that they should be more careful. Raising conscious humans. ❤
Our last stop was Alexis “Kcho” Leyva’s artist’s compound, Museo Organico de Romerillo in the Miramar area. He gained fame and fortune and in turn brought it back to the people of Havana. He created an open, creative space for people to have a library, computers, WiFi, and space to create all kinds of art. Sculpture, painting and even performance. This was a very cool space that was full of locals with a line out the door. It really resonated with Maddie, as we hoped it would. They have children’s programing and there was a display with the children’s art work. She got to look and learn at her own pace. Love watching her take it all in.
Back on the bus. At this point we were all about done (Mad crashed out), hot and ready for lunch. What a wonderful tour and glance into Havana. Cannot wait to see more of this city!
We made it back to the pier a little after 2:00pm and headed back to the ship. We dropped our stuff in the stateroom and headed upstairs for lunch. Several of the tours came back about the same time and guess what? We weren’t the only ones that were hungry. Everyone, bum rushed the food. LOL. After lunch, it was nap time. BIRTHDAY NAP! We all laid down for a little bit, naps are awesome.
After naps, the kids wanted to go to the kid’s club and it was DATE NIGHT in HAVANA for my 40th Birthday! I can’t even believe that this is a real thing!!!! OMG! OMG! OMG!
We got the kids checked into Spy Night in the kid’s club and we ran off the ship! Customs and Immigration was a breeze and we were in the city! We headed across the street from the terminal and wandered into the plazas, little streets, and pedestrian walk ways of Old Havana. This place is soooo charming and beautiful! We felt completely safe, crime is very low here.
We ended up on the Malecon where we sat and watched the people and the cars. Mike was in heaven, watching and looking at all the cars. Everyone was super friendly and happy to pop the hood to let him have a look. They tried to talk the best they could, in English/Spanish, about the cars. We did learn that they don’t own them. They are taxi’s, only a super awesome step back in time. We debated taking a ride but opted to do that tomorrow with the kids. Life experiences and all {spoiled but worldly conscious kids}.
We walked back down past the cruise terminal in the other direction and ended up at the bar in Dos Hermanos, listening to live music and drinking Cristal Cerveza’s. Of course, Mike had to do his thing for my birthday and had the 3-piece little band sing Happy Birthday to me. Very Cool. Love him!
We headed back to the ship around 9:00pm and stopped in the Atrium Bar for my new favorite drink, a Coco Mojito. SER.I.OUS.LY!!! Coco Mojito: Coconut Rum, Sugarcane Syrup, Mint Bitters, Coconut Water. Yazzzz! So, these taste like vacation and go down like water. We had a couple and then headed to get the kids.
It was about 10:00pm when we got them. We were all a little hungry since we had a late lunch and no real dinner. We headed to the Great Outdoor Café on the back of the ship for the late-night buffet, a lit-up view of Havana and a nice ocean breeze. A lovely end to an amazing day!
After the food hit our belly’s the sleepy eyes came out to play and it was off to bed.
Good Night Havana, you sure did not disappoint as a place to celebrate my birthday and explore.
Accommodations: Norwegian Sky, Deck 9, Stateroom: 9322
A jump back in time, while we cruise through Havana – May 3, 2017
It was nice to have a lazy morning, vacation is amazingly exhausting. Well a vacation where you go, see, do, like this one. We slept in and laid around for a bit this morning, letting all the tour groups for today get through customs and immigration. It’s a thing, people always talking about how much you eat on a cruise. No lie, there is a ton of food, everywhere; but we have been “doing” and not eating. This might be the first vacation where I lose weight, not mad at that! We ate breakfast at the Garden Cafe buffet and then went back to the stateroom to get ready for our day in Havana.
Customs and Immigration was a breeze and we were back into the city. We headed up the Malecon while scouting a car, to take a ride in. I left this all up to our car aficionado, I didn’t care which car, I just wanted to tour in one of them. It’s very easy to flag a car on the Malecon and there are brokers that also help you, if you want…don’t forget to pay the juice to them though too.
We found a super sweet old Packard, bartered an hour for $40 + gratuity and headed off through the city. Our guide was super friendly, very knowledgeable, and happy to share his story. Per our request, we focused on Old Havana, I wanted to see Revolution Square and Sloppy Joe’s.
When we got to Revolution Square, and saw the iconic steal faces of Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos (often mistaken for Fidel) high on those buildings. Whoa. Cuba. I am still processing all of this. That indescribable feeling you get when you travel. When you get out and explore. When you see new places, and meet new people. When you hear new sounds, and taste new things. It’s a drug that I can’t get enough of. Watching Maddie and Govy running and playing in Revolution Square was like when I was 18 and standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. When things that seem so unobtainable are brought to life and you are in that moment. It’s unbelievable.
From Revolution Square, we wound back through the city and along the Malecon back to the pier area. $40 VERY well spent.
Maddie wanted to do some souvenir shopping and the kids hadn’t walked around that area with us so we wondered through the streets. What’s really awesome, is that it’s NOT full of trinket and trash shops. There are a few, don’t get me wrong but only a handful, so refreshing! There are no billboards or giant McDonald’s signs. No Wal-Mart or Starbucks. This is the Havana that we wanted to see. The one, before the Americans come and bring all that is American Commercialization with them to this beautiful city; where time as stood still to some degree.
Maddie got another fan, it’s an obsession. Govy got a Tuk Tuk wooden taxi, I got a flag and Mike got a giant flag. We showed Govy the little “Vulcano” train we had found and he was in heaven checking it and the bit or track out. From there we made our way back to the ship.
We had a few more CUC to spend so Mike went to look for a couple more souvenirs and the kids and I headed back to air conditioning.
After the 3 of us got back through customs and immigration, the ship staff were out there to welcome everyone back with juice, ice water and old towels. Gracias!
Mike met us up at the Garden Café where the entire ship was trying to get lunch. No lie, I was a bit hangery and the kids were too. Once we could get some food it was nap time!
I had gotten an email from Delta that they were expecting bad weather in NYC, that could affect our flight home. So, I jumped on the app and tried to change our routing. I kept getting an error on the app (could be the slooow internet) and then tried on the Delta website, still an issue. So, what did I do? CONTACTED MY TRAVEL CONSULTANT, DUH! I emailed my office a screen shot of the flights I was trying to get and Jodie was able to call Delta and get our flight changed. Problem avoided! Really people, this is why you use a consultant. Without one you are totally on your own. After 20 years, I even needed assistance as well and got it! Thank you for Jodie for saving the day…you’ll read later just how important this help really was. Ugh, no lie!
After showers and naps it was back to the kid’s club for the littles and it was specialty dining for Mike and I at Il Adagio!!
We had some time before our dinner reservation and wandered into the Plantation Club for a drink and pre-dinner sushi. Sushi is not included but sounded so good we shared a surf & turf roll. Nom Nom! We decide that tomorrow night, this is where we’d have dinner. MMMM! Perfectly light, after a long hot day!
We had a window table at Il Adagio, which is an a la carte restaurant. I struggled with what to get but really wanted lasagna again. So, I got a Caesar and the lasagna, Mike got the spicy shrimp and noodles with a Caesar as well. Okay, truth time. This was a suuuuper disappointing meal. It was the same that I had in Crossings but I had to pay for it and Mike’s was so-so at best. The table next to us felt the same way. Had we not had onboard credit for this, I would have been PISSED! Our nice waiter, Errol from Jamaica brought me a birthday cake that we took to the room to share with the kids. The cake was the best part…and it was free.
We went and got the kids from the kid’s club and of course they were hungry too…aren’t they always?! We sat out in the Great Outdoor Café and had a snack before heading to bed.
Thank you for another amazing day Havana! Tomorrow, My Happy Place: The Beach!!
Accommodations: Norwegian Sky, Deck 9, Stateroom: 9322
Great Stirrup Cay, Beach Day!! – May 4, 2017
We got to have another lazy morning as we didn’t arrive until around 11:00am. We weren’t in a huge hurry to get off and waited until it was open tender.
Breakfast was in the buffet and then we went to grab our beach bags and snorkel gear. It was down to deck 4 to catch the tender and we walked right on.
Welcome to The Bahamas! Great Stirrup Cay in the Berry Islands to be exact. {No stamp, kids were bummed} This water!!! Holy Cow, it never ceases to amaze me, the beautiful colors of the Caribbean. We were not disappointed!
We found some chairs in the snorkeling area and geared up. The water was cool but after Havana feeling like the fiery pits of Satan’s den, it felt wonderful!!
Maddie tried for real snorkeling and loved the mask, the breathing with the snorkel will come with time. She loved the fish and would get so excited when she saw some.
Govy was content to hang on me and was more comfortable playing and splashing where he could stand.
We spent the whole day in the sea, the best way to spend our last day!
There was a buffet lunch included on the island and since the NCL Sky is all-inclusive, so we’re the drinks. We really didn’t do justice to the all-inclusive but we were too busy having fun together!
We tendered back and were on the ship about 5. Time to wash the sand off!
No nap day, so we’ll see how this goes. These lil travelers sure know how to roll with it though! They were raring to go for the last night in the kid’s club, it was slumber party night! I mean, how can you resist?!
We got them checked in, grabbed a couple of coco mojitos, and went to look at the photos, and check the gift shops. I got a new bottle of Coco by Chanel, happy duty free birthday to me! Mike got Guy the biggest bottle of Crown in the history of the world for his birthday and we headed to dinner at the Plantation Club.
SUSHI!!!! We ordered some edamame and I got 2 of the surf and turf rolls. Mike got 1 surf and turf and then a rock n roll, roll. Best dinner on the ship! Nom Nom Nom, so good! We enjoyed our last date night on the ship!
It’s sad packet day, so we had to get back to the room to pack, I haaaaaste this part. Vacation’s over, time to shove all our crap into our bags with the looming not-so fun, travel day ahead of us. So deflating after such amazing experiences.
We got started on packing and then went and got the kids around 10:00pm. These little party animals are not going to know what to do when we get back to normal bed times. It was late night snack time…again, who is going to cook us these delightful late night snacks when we get back home?!
We got back to the stateroom, finished packing and got ready for our long travel day.
Lights out, it’s time to go home!
Accommodations: Norwegian Sky, Deck 9, Stateroom: 9322
There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home! Shoot, my heal clicker isn’t working!! – May 5, 2017
It’s no secret that I want to spend ALL the money on travel. Oh, how Mike has to reign me in on that. But, it’s been that way since I started doing this 20 years ago, or rather 21 years ago this summer. {Whoa} However, there is also nothing like going home to our own house and our own beds. While reality can be overrated, sleeping in my own bed is not. Time to click the heals.
We were up around 6:30am, got ready and headed up for our last breakfast on the ship…along with the WHOLE ship. We found a table out back, but it was really windy in Miami which made for a quick breakfast.
We opted to walk off the ship with our bags and headed off right about 9:00am. Customs and immigration was a breeze (no stamp) and we grabbed the super shuttle back to the airport, with no wait.
We got checked in with Delta but couldn’t get seats together on the flight from Atlanta to Des Moines. Fingers crossed that we could get it worked out, I’m not trying to go to jail. We went to the food court in the airport and the kids worked on a Lego set while we waited to head to the gate.
We boarded and were ready to push back early, but lightening was striking which delayed us getting off. I was getting nervous as we only had 1h6m in Atlanta to start with, due to the last-minute change. Please Please Please, let us get home in a reasonable manner.
Upon arriving into Atlanta, we hauled to the gate (our kids are awesome) and made it as they were boarding. I went to the gate agent to see about seats, even though we were boarding. He advised that there were no extra seats to move us to and we’d have to ask people. Mike and I had Exits and the others were not middles, so at least we had bargaining power. We got on and were able to get the seats figured out, with ease. It was the flight to Des Moines, so of course, people are nice. Maddie and I ended up together in the very last row and had 5 seats all to ourselves, but remember, there are no seats left for the gate agent to get us…riiiight.
We landed in Des Moines about 4:30pm and were delighted to be home…and home early! I kept watching the original flights via LaGuardia which kept delaying and delaying and then finally CANCELLED. Had it not been for Jodie’s assistance, we’d have been stuck, at our own expense (weather) in NYC for the night. All because I couldn’t get through due to our location and lack of phone/internet options. Whew, 3 cheers to Jodie helping to switch the flights, when I couldn’t from Cuba. Just sayin…
Another life changing trip is in the books…where to next?!?!
The Moore's Are Where?? 