MIAMI AND THE MALL OF FAME
So our last night on the ship was pretty quiet. For the second time, we went and had some family photos taken while we were all looking nice. We attended dinner in the formal dining room and once again met up with the nice young couple from Indianapolis. Once again we were treated to some singing from the wait staff, and our waiter, Fahim, was as charming as always. He was so polite and a very good critique of which dining choices were superior to the others. Tonight was International Night, and chicken currey was on the menu. So of course I asked the expert from India. Fahim politely said that it was not up to his standards. Nonetheless, he brought me a sample so I could decide for myself. It was fair, but not up to the level of the NY steak I had ordered. Once again, Fahim had directed me to the right dinner choice.
After dinner, Jule and I took turns watching Alyssa in the room after she went down to bed. Jule went out and did some last minute shopping on board. Then I went and tooled around, listening to more crappy karaoke, taking some breathtaking pictures of the sunset, and finally finding the family photos we had taken earlier. I had a feeling that most of them would not be that good. The photographer was a bit impatient and forced us into these weird poses. Meanwhile, Alyssa was continuously getting annoyed and grew short on patience. Thus, by the time we got to doing mommy and daughter pictures, which we really wanted, she had lost all desire to stand still. So the Jule and Alyssa photos came out with Alyssa either about to cry or looking very unhappy. Still, we managed to salvage one nice family portrait out of the ordeal.
So our last night ended and we were up very early as part of the 1st group to depart the ship. By 8:30 am we were outside of the port, with our luggage, awaiting a taxi. By 9am we were at our hotel near the airport and by 10 am we were still waiting patiently in the lobby to find out if our room was ready.
Finally we made the decision to store our luggage at the hotel and catch a cab to the Dolphin Mall - probably the largest mall I have ever seen, and it is not yet completed.
Besides three major shopping wings, one giant food court with a giant play area for kids (that Alyssa loved), this mall had a multiplex theater, a bowling alley, and a Dave and Busters restaurant/pool hall/arcade.
Additionally, they just completed a hotel and are nearly done adding one of those bigger than big Pro Bass Shops. This place was so big, it has two area codes and its long distance to call one shop on one end from the other (just kidding).
We messed around for a few hours and finally headed back to the hotel where we took advantage of the warm sun, clear skies, and hotel swimming pool. Unfortunately, the pool was ice cold, so we settled for the large hot tub, which was at the temperature you would expect the pool to be. Meanwhile, we were surrounded by a bunch of ducks who had taken up residence in the hotel gardens. The hotel bordered this lake or series of lakes called Blue Lagoon. The fences kept those pesky gators out. But the native wildlife otherwise had free reign between the lake and the hotel. This meant ducks for the most part. But a little while later it also meant this bright green lizard that was about 2 feet long.
Our hotel, the Homewood Suites on Blue Lagoon rd near the airport, offered us a kitchenette, a living room, where we put Alyssa's crib, a bathroom and a bedroom. It allowed us to spread out a bit and also order a pizza to our room rather than going out. There really were no restaurants near the hotel, so the idea of having to take another cab in search of food did not appeal to us. Ordering pizza in, however, was a great idea. For as much as food and cabs seem to cost in Miami, ordering a large pizza with garlic bread and a 2L pepsi delivered ran us about $15. By far the cheapest meal we had on this trip - and it was good.l I forgot the name of the chain.. something like Mike and Joes or Frank and Clarence or ...
At this point, it was time for all of us to get ready for bed. Our early flight the next day back to Sacramento meant a 5:30am pick up at our hotel from the shuttle van to the airport. That would mean 2:30am Pacific time.
Good night!
So our last night on the ship was pretty quiet. For the second time, we went and had some family photos taken while we were all looking nice. We attended dinner in the formal dining room and once again met up with the nice young couple from Indianapolis. Once again we were treated to some singing from the wait staff, and our waiter, Fahim, was as charming as always. He was so polite and a very good critique of which dining choices were superior to the others. Tonight was International Night, and chicken currey was on the menu. So of course I asked the expert from India. Fahim politely said that it was not up to his standards. Nonetheless, he brought me a sample so I could decide for myself. It was fair, but not up to the level of the NY steak I had ordered. Once again, Fahim had directed me to the right dinner choice.
After dinner, Jule and I took turns watching Alyssa in the room after she went down to bed. Jule went out and did some last minute shopping on board. Then I went and tooled around, listening to more crappy karaoke, taking some breathtaking pictures of the sunset, and finally finding the family photos we had taken earlier. I had a feeling that most of them would not be that good. The photographer was a bit impatient and forced us into these weird poses. Meanwhile, Alyssa was continuously getting annoyed and grew short on patience. Thus, by the time we got to doing mommy and daughter pictures, which we really wanted, she had lost all desire to stand still. So the Jule and Alyssa photos came out with Alyssa either about to cry or looking very unhappy. Still, we managed to salvage one nice family portrait out of the ordeal.
So our last night ended and we were up very early as part of the 1st group to depart the ship. By 8:30 am we were outside of the port, with our luggage, awaiting a taxi. By 9am we were at our hotel near the airport and by 10 am we were still waiting patiently in the lobby to find out if our room was ready.
Finally we made the decision to store our luggage at the hotel and catch a cab to the Dolphin Mall - probably the largest mall I have ever seen, and it is not yet completed.
Besides three major shopping wings, one giant food court with a giant play area for kids (that Alyssa loved), this mall had a multiplex theater, a bowling alley, and a Dave and Busters restaurant/pool hall/arcade.
Additionally, they just completed a hotel and are nearly done adding one of those bigger than big Pro Bass Shops. This place was so big, it has two area codes and its long distance to call one shop on one end from the other (just kidding).
We messed around for a few hours and finally headed back to the hotel where we took advantage of the warm sun, clear skies, and hotel swimming pool. Unfortunately, the pool was ice cold, so we settled for the large hot tub, which was at the temperature you would expect the pool to be. Meanwhile, we were surrounded by a bunch of ducks who had taken up residence in the hotel gardens. The hotel bordered this lake or series of lakes called Blue Lagoon. The fences kept those pesky gators out. But the native wildlife otherwise had free reign between the lake and the hotel. This meant ducks for the most part. But a little while later it also meant this bright green lizard that was about 2 feet long.
Our hotel, the Homewood Suites on Blue Lagoon rd near the airport, offered us a kitchenette, a living room, where we put Alyssa's crib, a bathroom and a bedroom. It allowed us to spread out a bit and also order a pizza to our room rather than going out. There really were no restaurants near the hotel, so the idea of having to take another cab in search of food did not appeal to us. Ordering pizza in, however, was a great idea. For as much as food and cabs seem to cost in Miami, ordering a large pizza with garlic bread and a 2L pepsi delivered ran us about $15. By far the cheapest meal we had on this trip - and it was good.l I forgot the name of the chain.. something like Mike and Joes or Frank and Clarence or ...
At this point, it was time for all of us to get ready for bed. Our early flight the next day back to Sacramento meant a 5:30am pick up at our hotel from the shuttle van to the airport. That would mean 2:30am Pacific time.
Good night!
Comments
Post a Comment