Host Faith

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]I requested a high-floor room because we wanted to have a great view of the ships in port. What a view![/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

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[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]It took about 5 minutes to get to the [B][URL="http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en/hotels/florida/embassy-suites-fort-lauderdale-17th-street-FLLSOES/index.html"]Embassy Suites Fort Lauderdale[/URL][/B]. I chose this hotel because of its proximity to the airport, and to the water taxi and sun trolley.

The hotel is lovely. A beautiful atrium with lush plants and flowers. When we arrived, porters immediately helped us unload the taxi, and one waited with us as I checked us in. I requested an early check-in ($25 more), and we were able to access our room right when we arrived. I think we got there at about 10 AM. Our view down from the door to our room:

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The room was a good size, on the 14th floor. My Mom and Aunt took the actual bedroom, and Wes and I took the pullout couch. We called down for a crib, and it fit in the living room with us.
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[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]We all met in the Cafe Promenade at about 8:30. They were serving mini danish, croissants, coffee, and tea.

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Because my aunt needed wheelchair assistance, she was directed to head to Deck 4 at 9:15, to wait for a wheelchair. We waited on Deck for for about 20 minutes, and were assigned someone to push the wheelchair all the way through security.

It seemed like they had a lot of people who needed wheelchair assistance, and a limited number of staff. Once we got off the ship, the crew member with us had us quickly walk past everyone else in the loooong line. He had to keep asking everyone to step aside. Honestly, I was grateful because the walk from the ship to the baggage and customs area is very long.

We got through customs and caught a taxi. They're very efficient there regarding taxi's. I think we waited for less than 10 minutes, only because we needed an SUV. If you're using a regular taxi, you'll have one in minutes. A shot of Wes waiting in line for our taxi:

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[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=4][COLOR=Indigo]Sadly, it was time to go. Luckily, we were staying in Fort Lauderdale one more night, so we had a pretty leisurely morning. We enjoyed a couple more moments on the balcony before leaving the cabin.

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[quote name='Arzeena']What a cute little boy!:) And what a great review!:) I enjoyed it![/quote]

Thank you Arzeena! :D

[FONT=Georgia][SIZE=3][COLOR=Indigo]I'm an early riser, so I was able to watch us pull into the port the next morning. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

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Hello All! Just dropping in to say hi. I started WW again about 3 weeks ago. It worked well for me 4 years ago and now I'm back. Had a baby about a year ago and I need to get back in shape.

 

We're going to an AI in Jamaica for our anniversary in October, and cruising next April for my birthday. More than looking great, I want to feel great and have the energy to really enjoy myself :)

 

I've lost about 3 lbs, averaging a pound a week. I have to work out first thing in the morning, before work. I have a goal to do a 5K in May so I'm training for that. There's an app called Couch to 5K that's helping me train, I love it!

[quote name='lakelorain']Great review. What a lucky little boy going on a cruise so early in his life. He'll be Diamond before he starts school. He really is a good baby. You and Wes are very lucky to have him and he is very lucky to have you two.[/quote]

Thank you so much! We are very fortunate. I can't believe he'll be Diamond in a couple years. Wes and I didn't cruise until our honeymoon! Then again we want Isaac to go farther than we will, so at least we're doing that in the travel department so far! :D

[quote name='dreamer976']Hi, Chrystal! So glad you came back to finish this review, sorry you had to suffer through a "bug", but I don't know of very many people, including myself, who have gone through this HORRIBLE winter unscathed.

I know people have made many comments about how Isaac looks so much like Wes, but I just don't see it - I think every photo of him I've seen, I say to myself that he looks just like you (which can't be a bad thing).:D[/quote]

I'm glad you're feeling better! This has been a crazy winter, with the weather and the colds...I know we're all looking forward to spring.

Haha! Yeah I mostly see myself in Isaac too. Really, he looks like my father. You can see Wes in his eyebrows. I like to say God did a copy-paste of his eyebrows onto Isaac. :)

[quote name='niecyd']Hi Chrystal - I enjoyed your review with Isaac's first cruise. I met you through cruise critic 3yrs years ago as you were so helpful answering my cruise questions and also we're NJ neighbors (I live in Ewing) . We are also Facebook friends. One day we can meet in person. I remember you posted on Facebook that you and Wesley are expecting. Now he's one years old. Wow. He is so adorable. May God bless you and your family.
Denise Davis - Ewing , NJ[/quote]

Hi Denise! Thank you so much for stopping by. It's great to hear from you. I just noticed on FB that we have 3 friends in common. I work with Steph and Diana, and Sheila is my husband's aunt. Small world!

Perhaps we'll cross paths on a cruise someday. Happy travels and God bless :)

[quote name='mconthehighseas']Thanks for the update, Chrystal. I LOVE the picture of Isaac playing peek-a-boo. I am looking forward to when our boy is this age!

I have another set of questions for you. How did you clean his bottles while you were aboard and while you were in the hotel? And how many bottles did you pack? Last night while we were preparing bottles for today, I looked at our kitchen counter and all the bottle stuff, and thought "Just HOW are we going to do this on the ship!?"[/quote]

I was happy to discover that the water in the hotel and on the ship (especially on the ship) was scalding hot, so I disinfected the sink (Clorox wipes), rinsed it, and filled it with the hot water. I brought a small bottle of clear detergent formulated for babies, and I cleaned his bottles with a bottle brush. I brought the bottom tier of this rack: [url]http://www.toysrus.com/buy/accessories/the-first-years-spin-and-store-drying-rack-y1863-2747237[/url]. I didn't want to bring both tiers since I knew that would be a little crowded, but it was nice to have one place for all his bottles. I placed the bottle tops and nipples in the center part of the rack.

It fit on the vanity in the ship, and in the kitchen of our suite.

I think I took 8 bottles (4-4oz and 4-8 oz). I keep 4-5 filled at all times.

[quote name='johnstoc13']Great review! It's so nice to see and read about life cruising with an infant. We'll be sailing Oasis next month with our little one. He'll be just over 7 months when we sail. Thanks for doing this review and can't wait to read the rest![/quote]

My pleasure! What a lucky baby to be sailing the Oasis so soon- I'm jealous! :) Have a wonderful cruise!


[quote name='ksawyercruiser']Awesome review. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. It really helps people like me ... who will be sailing on the Liberty for the first time next month. I've already made note of several very helpful tips.

And your son is so blessed to be surrounded by so much love. That is one fortunate little guy. I'm sure you feel the same way about him!

Thanks again.[/quote]

Hi Kim! Thank you so much. I'm glad the review is helpful as you count down to your cruise. And yes, we're sooooo fortunate to have Isaac. He's a blessing. Happy cruising! :)

The key lime pie is always great for dessert. Wes got his usual vanilla scoop. Isaac worked on the wafer that came with the ice cream.

 

 

While we waited for dessert, Isaac played peek-a-boo with my Mom and Aunt, hehe:

 

 

I had the scallops, tomato and baked feta salad, and the steak from the everyday menu. All very good.

 

We went to the Windjammer again for a quick lunch. After lunch, we took Isaac to the Baby Splash Zone one more time. He had a ball and complained when I tried to take him out. I put him back in and let him splash away.

 

 

After wandering the ship for a bit, we got dressed for dinner and met my Mom and Aunt in the Main Dining Room. It was early so there were very few guests there. After a while, a large party (perhaps 10 people) sat nearby. They were so loud that the babies making noise around us could barely be heard. We had a nice, relaxed meal- no worries about Isaac being too loud, lol!

 

It was naptime, but this little guy didn't feel like sleeping, lol.

 

Once he went to sleep, Wes joined him. I enjoyed some time alone on the balcony.

 

On our way back to the room, we noticed that they have a couple children's books available in the library :)

 

We visited the Fisher Price Play Area in Cloud 9 (Deck 14), to let Isaac burn some energy. There were some mats, and toys all around. He had a great time. He was the only baby there at the moment.

 

I got an omelet freshly made, with salsa on the side- total yum. If you want freshly scrambled eggs or eggs with cheese, they can make those for you too. :)

 

 

Thankful that we can always keep him occupied with a book!

 

Wes and I picked Isaac up and went to the Windjammer for breakfast. It was pretty busy so we had to walk to the back of the buffet, but we found a seat quickly, even with his stroller in tow.

 

 

We woke up the next morning to a beautiful sunrise:

 

 

A few minutes later, clouds rolled in and we had a downpour for about 20 minutes. Still beautiful:

 

I turned Platinum with the Crown and Anchor Society just before the cruise. When we got back to the room, my Platinum Pin was on the bed:

 

Tonight, Mom and Aunt Avis agreed to have Isaac spend the night with them. We were looking forward to a full nights' sleep!

 

We moved the Pack and Play to their room, about 4 doors down. It was very easy to move everything, and we didn't have any issues with the cabin stewards. My Mom's cabin steward actually joked that we were kicking Isaac out for the night, lol! Mom watches him every day while we go to work, so we knew he would be in good hands.

 

We originally planned to have dinner at Chops, but we didn't feel like getting dressed up. So we got takeout from Johnny Rockets. Service was quick. I ordered a burger, and the waiter asked if I was sure I didn't want a side or two....so I got some chili cheese fries. They were really good! He packed the toppings for the fries separately so they wouldn't get soggy on the way back to the room.

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner, we went to the Solarium to enjoy one of the cantilevered hot tubs. I think that was around 11 PM. The white party was hopping on the pool deck as we walked to the Solarium. There was another couple in the hot tub when we got there, but they left after about 5 minutes. We had it all to ourselves until they closed it for cleaning. Fascinating that out of the thousands of people on the ship, we were the only two in that very spot. That's what I love about ships of this size. Couples- if you have a chance, enjoy the hot tub in the adults-only area one night. It's a nice way to finish the evening.

We made our way back to the ship after that. We found Gerry, who was waiting for us in the parking area nearby. While we waited in the van for Mom and Aunt Avis to catch up, Gerry serenaded us in Spanish....well, Wes was in the front seat so he pretty much serenaded him. It was hilarious! He has a great voice. Ask him to sing for you if you have him as your driver.

 

I tried a local beer on the ride home (this was my first time trying beer)...I'm not a beer fan. Sorry. LOL

 

 

We had a wonderful day with Gerry. Can't wait to book with him again when we return to Cozumel :)

 

We did some shopping at Los Cinco Soles at the port. I got a little tequila and some vanilla.

 

 

 

Hi everyone! I totally apologize for taking so long to finish my review. Work just exploded, and by the time I get home...I pretty much go to bed the same time as Isaac! :eek::o

 

I had some issues with Photobucket, but I think we're all good now. I'll likely start writing again this weekend. Keep the questions coming, I love to help cruisers anyway I can!

I had to dig this thread up for DH. We took LO for his 12 month checkup yesterday and he fidgeted and squirmed so much DH was like there's no way we can take him on a plane and then on a cruise. I was like no I got tips from Chrystal, LOL.

 

Question, where did you get that floppy hat for Isaac? I neeeed that. All I can ever find are baseball caps and winter hats. LO hates having anything on his head so those strings on the hat Isaac is wearing will help me a lot. :D

 

Hi CruiserTB! I got the hat on Amazon, here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/play-Unisex-baby-Infant-Protection-Toddler/dp/B004VOD6ZM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1393625614&sr=8-4&keywords=baby+sun+hat. We get compliments on that hat wherever we go. So many colors to choose from, too. I can't wait for this summer, I'm going to get some more!