Day 8 - Beneath the Pale Moonlight

Our ship turned toward Miami, and we spent a day at sea.

Grace, Ethan, and I were finally able to try the rock wall. Grace and Ethan ran up the walls like the spider monkeys they are. I managed to hoist myself up the easiest wall, and halfway up the hard one. The wall was so much taller than the ones we have climbed before, so that was actually really fun.

The girls and I played a round of mini golf. I think I played with each member of my family, just not all together. It was a tiny little course, so it worked out pretty well.

Michael made sure to grab one last ice cream cone. The unending ice cream is sorely missed by many members of my family. I'm pretty sure our blood sugar and cholesterol are thankful, though. We don't seem to have a lot of self control when it comes to constant food.

And of course, we made time to eat one last family meal in the dining room. This was a really enjoyable part of our cruise. Each night we were able to gather for dinner and no one had work, or homework, or events to rush off to. Instead we were able to just sit and enjoy dinner together for an hour each evening. It didn't hurt we ordered dessert, every single night, and sometimes more than one. 

After dinner, we caught one last show. We attended "Flight" as a family. The children were getting a little tired of shows by this point, and a musical about the history of flight sounded boring to them. We made them come with us anyway.

It was actually amazing. The singing was really good, the dancing was great, and the special effects were mesmerizing. The play started in the future and ended with the Wright brothers' flight.

Aboard a space station.

The moon landing.

Breaking the sound barrier.

And the grand finale. Orville Wright climbed into this plane and it flew out over the audience, just a few feet above our heads. The whole show was pretty spectacular.

After the show, it was getting late, and we thought about heading to bed. We at least thought about it. 

I took the younger kids to play shuffleboard. This was Grace's first time playing, while Sam was well on his way to mastering the game. We were never quite sure if we were playing correctly, but we felt we couldn't go on a cruise and not play at least a few games of this sport. Sam was quick to point out that I always beat him because I was old, and being old is a prerequisite for shuffleboard.

Our last night aboard ship. We were tired and ready to go home. We also enjoyed a gorgeous night, and one last pristine ocean view.

Unexpected expenses:

• Zero! Two days running!
• Total: $1,109 + 0 = $1,109