On Tuesday morning, we loaded up all our bags and made our way downstairs for breakfast. Staying in a hotel is such a novelty for kids, so everything was exciting to them.
Since we could't board until noon, we walked around downtown Galveston again and visited the shops we missed the day before.
Then it was finally time to board the ship!! The line outside was super long and didn't move very quickly, but we all survived.
We were told to report to the main dining room, where we opted to change our dinner time from 5:30 to 8 PM. This was such a good move because the early dinner would mean that we needed to be back to our room by 4 at the latest each day to get showered up and ready for dinner. With the late dinner, we didn't have to rush our day's activities, we could stop by the pizza/sandwich shop on the Royal Promenade if we needed a snack before dinner, and we had plenty of time to get showered up and dressed for a formal dinner.
The kids were mesmerized by everything, including the fancy staircases...
We made a pit-stop in the Windjammer. where the kids filled up on fruit, rice, pasta, jello, and pudding. I don't think we've ever taken them to a buffet, so the whole concept was pretty appealing to them.
Then we checked out our stateroom. They hadn't pulled down the bunk beds yet, but after a quick phone call, they made sure to get it taken care of before bedtime.
What's better than a buffet? Endless soft serve ice cream cones...
The kids wanted to do everything right away, but Colby was especially adamant about playing some ping pong. He has a one-track mind, so we quickly checked that off the list, moved on to water slides, and ended the afternoon with the Flowrider.
Brooke and I opted to wait until the next day to try the Flowrider, but we had fun watching the boys do their thing.
On the Royal Promenade, we caught the "Welcome Parade," which wasn't quite as amazing as I had remembered in the past, but it was still entertaining.
Then it was back out to the hot tub, the soft serve ice cream stand, and the sport court. I wasn't kidding when I said that the kids were just SO excited and wanted to do everything!
When we went back to our room to get showered up for dinner, the bunk beds were all ready. Brooke and Colby didn't waste any time in trying them out. Colby's mattress was awful, but even after calling, the best they could do was give us an extra blanket to put underneath him. Thankfully, he was a good sport and just rolled with it, but it really was an awful mattress with springs you could feel.
Once we were all showered up, we checked out the view on deck 4 before heading to our dinner reservation.
Our original table was on a lower level and right next to a big pillar, so I'm glad we requested to be moved to a different location. I was also really glad that it was just the four of us at our table. I didn't want to feel obligated to make small talk with strangers, and it was such a fun way to end each day with the littles.
Brooke and Colby ordered their own food, and Kevin and I enjoyed watching them do it. They are just so big now, and it was fun seeing them decide what they wanted for an appetizer, main dish, and dessert.
It was no surprise that they both ordered cheesecake.
We hustled down to the jewelry shop after dinner to be present for their raffle. Brooke and I each had a ticket, along with extra tickets from Kevin and Colby. And guess what?? I actually won!! I think my extra ticket was the one from Colby, so he tried to tell me that HE actually won the necklace, but I assured him that he had no need for it. Brooke was pretty jealous, but it seemed fitting since the prize was a sapphire necklace and that's my birthstone. I seriously have only won raffles twice in my life and they've both been on cruise ships. Maybe I should've tested my luck at the casino, haha.
Such a great way to end our first day on board!
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