One Trip, Nine Nights, and One Starfish who is glad we came home empty handed

You know how sometimes you go on a trip with the family, and the stars just align? Everything that could go right, does?

This was one of those times.

And I know the difference, because I have had a vacation that has gone the other way. The kind where everyone is fighting, the lines are long, the kids get sick, the weather is awful, the mom is miserable, and you just want to GO HOME ALREADY.

Oh yes, I know a thing or two about those kinds of vacations. Because we went to Disney World last Christmas. And this year at Christmas, we will be staying home. And every Christmas from now until they end of time.

But not this trip.

Apparently, travelling in November, on a cruise ship, when no one is sick, and the mom is not miserable, agrees with us.

So, we sailed away. On this beautiful ship where the crew made our beds, served our food, cut the kid's food for for them so I could actually eat my own food while it was still hot, brought us drinks, and had KIDS CLUBS open for drop off anytime you wanted ALL DAY LONG. And they were happy to do it. And they knew our names. And they, and their service, were fantastic.

We found a real live star fish in the sparkling turquoise waters of the Caribbean.

The kids really wanted to bring it home, and we had to explain about the US CUSTOMS PEOPLE THAT WOULD FINE US FOR BRINGING BACK SEA LIFE THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, ALIVE! And they still didn't really see why we couldn't just BRING IT HOME, because it was SO COOL, and REAL! But we did the right thing, and left the poor, traumatized little starfish to go back to his family. Because nothing can ruin a good vacation like being detained for removing marine life from another country because you totally disregarded all the signs that said PLEASE DON'T REMOVE SEA LIFE FROM THE REEFS.

And also, the ones that said DON'T TOUCH.

And I know that the clear water looks like a swimming pool, but it really was the ocean. The clear, warm, sparkly sea in all its glory.



And here are the kids in front of The Flying Dutchman from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, because even though I tried to cram in as much time as possible a day doing absolutely nothing on the beach, I can make sacrifices so that my family can see things they want to see.

Like stop walking and snap this picture on my way to the beach.



And yes, the locals saw an American sucker who wanted her girls to JUST BE QUIET ALREADY about the hair braiding and took that opportunity to charge me two dollars a braid and then proceeded to cram about 25 or 30 braids on each of the girls' heads.


But I was on vacation.

And since we put that starfish back, I figured we had already saved a bundle on customs fines right there.