Else what's a heaven for?

We're back from the Caribbean, safe and sound. Most of the trip was pretty good: Jon and Lucky approved of the cruising concept and both are interested in taking more cruises. I was disappointed because I remember them being more awesome: I remember kids club being more than babysitting (Lucky watched Frozen and Despicable Me multiple times in his 3 days there and came home every day with a toy and/or candy) although admittedly that might be because I never sailed on Princess as a kid. Also, they didn't have lobster night and they had fewer fruit soups. oh well. Below is a list of things we did:

• I think we received a complimentary upgrade to a suite at the hotel the night before because I made the reservation at the same time as our honeymoon reservations, but also because it was just 1 night. There was a spiral staircase and it was roughly the size of our two apartments combined. I asked Jon if I could stay there instead of the cruise.
  
• The food was better than expected, although given that my last 3 vacations have been Bologna, New Orleans, and Napa, it could've been better. I was really impressed at the portion control in the sit-down meals. My favorite thing I ate was probably the jerk chicken the first night, as well as the watermelon and feta soup.
  
• I'm really interested in cruise ship logistics now. I could see how they handled the food, slightly changing the presentation and names so that each restaurant had slightly different food, but essentially using the same stuff. Disney does a better job of moving guests to the right places though.
  
• Jon and I had to develop a whole new lingo for ogling our shipmates. I was a little nervous about wearing my Superman bikini I bought in South Beach, but then a little girl at the pool asked, "Is that a Wonder Woman bathing suit?" with big eyes.
  
• However, I missed a critical spot in applying sunscreen so I spent the rest of the trip with lobster red décolletage.
  
• The best part of scuba diving in Grand Cayman was pictures of us riding a bicycle underwater, followed by the visibility, particularly of The Oro Verde. We saw my favorite fish, turtles, and a nurse shark, but mostly it was just fish, ya know?
  
• We had the worst waitress evuh at Rackam's, which is why we ran out of time to buy Seven Fathoms Rum. The conch fritters were crazy good though.
  
• Cozumel was the opposite. We had an awesome day at Playa Mia, in which we scrambled all over the water playground (way harder than it looks), kayaked, snorkeled, and rode the water slide. The snorkeling was better than I expected: why would a fish want to live on THAT beach? The food was terrible but I charmed the bartenders and had 7 (fortunately small and mostly weak) drinks.
  
• Then I went tequila tasting at duty free. oops.
  
• I've never won adult trivia on a boat before, despite repeated attempts with my father on my last cruise. Of the four times Jon and I played, we won twice. We got a bottle of champagne for winning Ye Olde Pub Night trivia, which was extra-super delicious, and a keychain for the other one. I needed a key-carabiner.
  
• We were not chosen for the marriage match game, which is good because the child came with us and the very first question would've been terribly inappropriate for us. oops.
  
• Jon entered the karaoke contest, which was very silly, and might've won if the last guy hadn't been amazing. However, our first dance as a married couple was to the dance break of "I've Got You Under My Skin".
  
• The final day of the cruise was very hobbit-y: I had first breakfast at 6, so that I wouldn't wake the others; second breakfast in the exact same buffet with completely different food when everyone else got up; lunch an hour or two later; afternoon tea because it was our last day and we hadn't been yet (very disappointing); and then dinner an hour or two after that.
  
• The last day of the trip was very long. Because our flight didn't leave until 6:30pm, we went on an Everglades tour, including air boat ride, alligator show, and Flamingo Gardens. I thought these would appeal to a 9yo, but the day started at 6:30am (after staying up late to watch his dad in the karaoke contest) and involved multiple hours at the airport. Next time, I'll spend the extra $500 to get us home earlier, instead of coming back from vacation irritated.