Category: 2025 – NYC to MIA and Icon

Apparently our ship arrived in Port around 3:30am. Know this because the lights in the port were bright and we forgot to fully close the blinds. I closed the curtains and fell back asleep. We got up at 6:30 the the intentions of meeting the kids at 7:00 in the buffet and walking off at 7:30am. By the time the kids made their way up to the buffet it was almost 7:30. We enjoyed our last breakfast and met at the Pearl just before 8:00am. Ayva had a $50 towel charge on her account so we double checked that was removed before leaving. They are really good at removing the charges if you catch it before leaving.

Note, always review your account at the end of each day to make sure there are no extra charges. They have no trouble removing charges. We were charged for an orange juice and a wine which were accidentally put on my account.

After leaving the ship, Addison and Ari got randomly selected through security, so they had to go show their passport while Ayva and I had to leave. When we finally found each other, we made our way to the free shuttle to Budget. There was a long line and we had to wait for 3 busses. It took almost an hour before we finally made it to Budget. Luckily, Tavis was able to get the fast track info entered and it was quick to get our car once we arrived.

We were given a white Ford Bronco from Pennsylvania. It was much larger than the Volvo because we fit all the luggage in and you could still see out the back. We got our still set up and we made our way toward the Florida Keys. The sky was actually blue and it was a nice day.

We stopped at the Visitor centre at the first island. I got some information about the Keys. We decided to go to the next island and see Betsy, the huge lobster. It was actually quite huge. We decided that rather than carrying g on, we would make our way back to Miami Beach to see it when it isn’t raining. On our way back, the clouds rolled in and as we pulled into the parkade at Miami Beach, the rain began to pour. The thunder was about 18 seconds away. We waited 30 minutes and the rain was sideways. Streets were flooding as we stood in the parking garage and watched the weather. The lightening was soon 6 seconds away.

After 40 minutes we decided to go straight to the airport and skip our walk along Miami Beach. As we literally drove out of the parking garage, the rain stopped! By the time we got to the airport there was even some blue sky 🙄.

Our timing was fairly good though. We dropped off the vehicle and made our way through security just after 4:00pm. We then found a Chik-Fil-A and had our meal of the day before eventually Boarding our plane at 5:50.

We left about 10 minutes late and arrived in Seattle around 9:30pm. Ari asked to see the cockpit and this time the pilots were still there. They invited him up and let him power the plane down. He had a huge smile on his face when he met us after🤩.

We made our way to the shuttle pick up area and our shuttle arrived the same we did. We were happy to see Eve waiting for us as we arrived at the parking lot. She still had 60% battery. We learned that she only uses 2% battery when sitting idle in a parking lot for 18 days. It was so much more comfortable driving home.

Eve suggested that we get a charge in Blaine, but as we got near, she told us we could make it home without charging so we carried on. Of course, there was a long line up at the border with only 1 booth open. It took 20 minutes to get through, but we were finally in Canada.

Naturally, after crossing into Canada, we hit every traffic light red except one. 🙄. We got home at 1:30am, unpacked the car and went to bed. It was a long day of travel. I can’t believe how quickly the time passed. Now back to reality… until the next adventure.

This was our last day on the cruise and it was fitting to end with the “Perfect Day at Coco Cay”. We arrived at the private island by 7:00am. I was surprised to wake up to seeing people just outside my balcony.

It turns out Star of the Seas was the other ship in port with us. That is the new sister ship to Icon. We got some great photos of the two largest cruise ships in the world next to each other.

We met the kids at the buffet for a quick breakfast before getting off around 8:30am. We didn’t know what to expect other than it was going to be a “perfect” day. It ended up being a great day but not how we planned…

We made our way to South Beach. It wasn’t too busy yet and there were loungers all over the beach with umbrellas. It was a nice first impression. Thy had showers and bathrooms and people coming to take our drink orders. It was extremely hot, so I had a shower before relaxing in my lounger.

Tavis and Ari went to dip in the water. What they found was lots of seaweed, very course sand, and not an inviting experience. They were in and out before I was back. Instead they both showered right away and we sat in our chairs waiting for our drinks.

When our drinks finally arrived, they were not what we ordered and very watered down. It was not a great experience. We stayed a bit longer before Tavis and I decided to check out the island. Ayva and Ari went back to the ship at that time.

There were 2 of the largest ships each with over 7,000 passengers on this tiny island. You would think it was so busy everyone would feel like sardines. This was not the case. There were 2 beaches, a bay, and a pool area and each area had empty loungers. There was also a huge open area restaurant, along with several food stands and bars in each area. If you don’t plan on spending g money, that is all you have to choose from.

As we walked around the island, we found several gated off areas that required a fee to enter. Many of these beaches were empty. There were also cabanas you could rent for $1,500 to $4,000 on the water. Those were actually full. There were 6-8 waterslides that you could use if you paid the $200pp entry fee. They even had a zipline and a hot air balloon. It was most definitely not a perfect day at Coco Cay for us. However, we went back to the ship by 11:00 and had a great rest of our day! The waterslides were empty and we had our pick of loungers.

The kids’ cards stopped working so I went to guest services to get new cards for them since no one wanted to walk all the way to deck 5. While I was there, I requested that they remove the gratuities for the kids so we could give cash to crew members instead.

At 6:00 we met the kids at the Dining room again for dinner. We were rushed though because we had reservations for the Aqua Show. Ayva and I left before dessert was served to save us seats. Ari also brought his girl friend and they sat on their own. Tavis and Addison handed out our gratuities and and came a bit later with our dessert 😊. Unfortunately, they informed us that due to technology issues they had to alter the show. It ended up just being a lot of dancing in water with none of the diving or stunts. 😢. It is a good thing we saw the show earlier in the cruise.

We were really sad to pack up our bags that night before bed. Hard to believe our family vacation is coming to an end! One last sleep on this huge ship.

Today was our last Sea Day on Icon of the Seas. We spent the day relaxing and enjoying the ship. Tavis and I went on the waterslides after breakfast. Apparently 10:30 was a great time because there were no line ups.

We also found some loungers in the shade and spent a few hours chillaxing. We skipped breakfast and had a light lunch. The kids did their own thing.

We all met in the main dining room at 7:00Pm. We were seated at a different table than the previous nights. Our waiters were great. They reminded me of our Alaska cruise. We ordered our meals and they brought those plus more. Tavis and Ari even got 2 lobster tails! Ayva was starting to feel better and enjoyed having her appetite back.

After dinner, we met Ayva and Ari in the Theatre for a live show. Ari brought a girl. We watched The Effectors. It was not a great show. The music was so loud that it was somewhat bearable when plugging your ears. A lot of people left part way through. We decided that the music technician must have had noise cancelling earphones or was deaf. Ayva, Tavis, and I didn’t make it to the end. I am definitely leaving negative feedback because even my watch chirped the entire time alerting me the volume was too loud.

After the show, Tavis and I made our way to the adult only area upstairs to relax in loungers. We were rebels and took a day bed without paying the $500 reservation fee 😝.

One of the things I am most disappointed in with Royal Caribbean is the number of up charges they have onboard. $500 for a day bed, $1,500 for a cabana, $40 for a 2 minute ropes course thing. All of which should be included at no charge. Instead, they just have these areas that aren’t been used. Day beds go empty and cabanas are rarely used.

It was a nice day, but tomorrow we go to Coco Cay for a perfect day.

Last night we kept our blinds open because we knew it would be an early morning. We woke up at 6:30 and the sun was not up yet but the sky was getting bright. It looked like it was going to be a rainy day. By 7:00am we made our way to the Windjammer. Addison wanted to join us. We couldn’t get a hold of him but by 7:15 he finally responded saying he slept in. The other 2 had no interest in seeing St Thomas.

After a quick breakfast and filling our water bottles, the 3 of us made our way off the ship before 8:00. The shuttles to town were $6/ person. Usually we arrange the free shuttle with the shopping team but we didn’t do that this time. Instead, we decided to walk the 2.5miles to town. It was interesting walking through the local neighborhoods. The French Quarter reminded us more of the US. It was much different from St Maarten. Still some poverty but not as bad.

It took us an hour to walk to the base of the gondola. I thought we were going to hike up but the boys were not interested. Instead we turned around and started making our way back. I stopped to chat to a person at a bus stop. She informed me that the bus cost $2/person. We didn’t have change so we decided to check out stores in the nearby Port Mall. Apparently, there were no scheduled ships today at the other port so everything g was shut. We did meet some nice locals though and I used the facilities which were in decent shape.

We walked back to the bus stop and chatted with another guy. Eventually the bus came. Really they are just pick up tricks with seats on the back. It was cool. Everyone just gets on. Then when you get off you give your dollar bills to the driver. When we got the store near the terminal we got off and gave the driver our $10. He gave us $4 back in change. Everyone we met in st. Thomas was super nice.

We were back onboard by 11:00am Ari had wanted to go on the Flow Rider but he need us to sign his waiver. We met him up there. The line was quite short. Tavis and Ari got in line while I changed into a better bathing suit and put my rings and necklace in our safe. It was actually a lot of fun!!

After we each had a turn, we grabbed some food at Windjammer and got some work done. Then we sat in loungers until we left St Thomas at 2:30pm. We have 1 more stop at Cocoa Cay.

When I went to check on the slide maintenance: they were finishing cleaning up. I just happened to be in the area just as they were opening so I sent a family chat. Tavis arrived just in time and we went on the racers. It was quite refreshing, especially when there was no line. Unfortunately, the closed slide will not be opening this trip 😢.

Tavis and I went to the buffet but we always manage to get there as it is opening or closing so there wasn’t much to choose from. Instead we went to the staterooms and had a nap. When we woke up we went to an Astronaut Training. We confirmed that we are terrible at mind puzzles 😂. Ayva joined us part way through but she is quite sick and really not feeling well. Atleast her skin has cleared and now all she is battling is a cold. I do feel bad for her but atleast she can say she got a cold on the largest cruise ship in the world 🤷‍♀️.

We decided to do a buffet dinner instead of the dining room. I grabbed some pizza on the way up and we met Addison and Ayva. I got them each a drink. Ayva wasn’t there long but I am hoping she went to bed.

After dinner Tavis and I went to the love and marriage show. We weren’t in the show but we did the test actually got the same score as the middle couple… 8/10. The couple that had been married the longest were married 55 years and got 10/10. It is always the same but also entertaining.

At 10:30 we went to the Crazy Quest game with Addison. It was humorous to watch so many people make a fool of themself. We just watched. Our team came in 3rd. At 11:30pm, we gave Addison our internet and went to bed.

This morning we were up before 7:00am so we could have our beverages and cinnamon rolls before meeting the kids in the Windjammer.

At 7:30am all the kids met us at the buffet. We enjoyed a small breakfast before getting off the ship. Ayva was hobbling because she smashed her ankle on the waterslides yesterday. Apparently, she knows that the best thing to do when you are sick, on antibiotics fighting a bacterial infection, and can’t walk is to continue to stay up super late. We all told her to rest but what do we know 🙄

We met again in the stairwell on deck 3 at 8:15. Ten minutes later we were making our way off the ship to meet someone from The Scooter Rental company. Our 6 seater scooter met us at the entrance and took us to the rental place. Ayva was not in the best spirits but she was relieved to learn that we rented a buggy for the day.

Our first stop was to fill it with gas. The cost was 2.22 /li which came to $33😳 I was relieved to find out that was under $19 usd. But I think it was cheaper to drive the Volvo 😝. I feel like we paid for someone else’s joy ride because it was still full when we returned it 🤔

By 9:00am we were on our way to explore the island. Our first stop was down a path that I didn’t think was a path. We passed 2 vehicles that had been abandoned and parts removed. We also went through a very narrow path with bushes lining both sides and no view of the other side. Of course I was a bit nervous but on the other side was beach. Not a nice beach. There was a lot of seaweed and it didn’t look inviting. Tavis went to turn us around and back tires had sunk in the sand 🤦‍♀️.

Everyone but Ayva got out. Tavis and I pushed while Ari drove. I also got some sticks under my tire. With a bit of effort and time, we got unstuck. Addison was our next driver. He drove us to the next stop which was a lookout.

Across the road from the beach where we stopped and looked at the view, Addison spotted someone on the hill. Obviously that was our next destination. Ayva stayed in the cart while the rest of us hiked up an unknown hill without any trails. We did our best to avoid cacti and sharp bushes. We also kept our eyes open for dangerous critters but all we’ve seen so far are iguanas. The view from the top was good and the breeze was refreshing.

When we got back to the scooter, we agreed that Tavis should drive the rest of the time. We continued around the island. Our next stop was a gorgeous beach in the French side. We drove through many towns with tiny rundown buildings. It wasn’t super inviting. Another stop was a ruined fort on a hill with another great view.

From there we made our way to Maho Beach back on the Dutch side. This is the beach next to Princess Juliana airport. We arrived around 11:30. We parked the buggy across the street from the parking lot and found a table at the open air restaurant next to the beach. We ordered a few drinks and relaxed while we waited for the big planes to arrive. The largest plane was a KLM flight which might have been an A330 arrived 30 minutes early at 12:30. Most of the large planes were early and by 1:30 we had seen 3 large ones. We decided to start making our way back toward the cruise port.

On the way back we drove thrown Phillipsberg. It was a very long street with lots of traffic. About half way through the one road town we turned off and bypassed the rest. We dropped the kids off at the cruise port then Tavis and I dropped the buggy off. When we got back it was really hot and we realized that telling the kids we would meet them at a store was not a great idea because Addison had Tavis’ cruise pass. Luckily Ari was thinking and stayed at the gate to wait for us. We wandered around looking for Ayva and Addison. Eventually we found Addison who informed us that Ayva started toward the ship. As we walked back to the ship it started to rain and it felt welcoming after the hot sun all day.

We found Ayva sitting at a bench. They had passengers walking on at the front and the back was reserved for disabled. I asked if Ayva was considered disabled as she slowly hobbled along and they let her and I get on without any line ups (and without walking to the front and then to our rooms at the back). The boys were way ahead so it worked out well. Ayva took the elevator up to her room and I took the stairs to mine.

When Tavis arrived we made our way to the pool deck and to our surprise, they were fixing the slide! They had the new pieces prepped and ready. It looks like they are replacing both glass sections with the orange and yellow. It seemed to be an all day process though to remove the broken panels. They finally had it removed by 4:00pm and made a barrier of loungers so passengers couldn’t get through. I guess they will put the new section up tomorrow.

We had a nice snooze on the deck then made our way to the Aqua Show. it was quite elaborate! We took the standby seats but decided when we go for our actual reservation we need to sit in actual chairs at the top of the roped area. We left before it ended to get to our dinner reservation.

There was only 4 of us for dinner again as Addison opted out. After dinner I brought Ayva her medication which was in my bag from earlier. Both boys were already in bed but the sick handicapped one was heading out for the night 🙄.

Tavis and I had a nap to digest before going down to the running track for our evening walk. I think we were in bed by 11:00 tonight. We were tired and tomorrow we arrive at St. Thomas at 7:30am so we wanted to have an early night.

Today was our second sea day. We slept in and got our coffee/chai latte and cinnamon rolls at Pearl Cafe. We skipped breakfast and went back to the room to get some work done. After invoicing was done we went to some trivia. We are not great at trivia. At 12:30 we planned to meet the kids at the scavenger hunt. I even tried bribing with a free virgin Pina colada for the first person to show up. Only Ari showed up. The 3 of did awesome though. In 20 min we got 17 of the 20. There was a group that got 18 but 2nd wasn’t bad.

After our hunt Tavis went to the room for a meeting and Ari disappeared. I went to the waterslides, got us some loungers and explored the slides. Around 2:00 Tavis joined me. We did all the slides, except the broken one that was still closed 😢

I know the ship wasn’t full because it was not difficult to find seating. The lines were a bit long and 15-30 minutes. So we relaxed in the chairs. At 4:00pm Addison and Ayva made their way to us. We had a game of mini golf because there weren’t many people. It was quite deserted on the deck by 5:00 and there weren’t many people practically no lines. We went on 4 slides in 30 minutes.

We had a very relaxing day. It was cloudy in the afternoon but still warm. We had a great day. The aqua show was cancelled so we stayed at the waterslides until 7:00pm then we relaxed back at the room until dinner at 8:15.

Dinner so good! I ordered a strawberry lemonade and the waiter was so funny. She thought she gave me the wrong drink with alcohol but I don’t think she did. I also had steak which was cooked to perfection. Tavis and Ari got chicken Parmesan which they couldn’t even finish half of because they were huge. Dessert was really good too. We all felt like we needed to be rolled out of there we were so full.

We relaxed in the room to digest a bit. Then Tavis and I did a few laps on the jogging track so I could get my 13km, then we went straight to bed!

What a great day on Icon of the Seas!

This morning we slept in until 8:00! Tavis and I went to find coffee and discovered that the only coffee shop open before 9:00 is on deck 6. They also had really good cinnamon rolls though.

We met up with the kids at 10:00am at the skating rink. It was small but it was also real ice with real ice skates. The ice was in rough shape, but the skates were quite sharp. It was pretty cool to be ice skating on a ship in the Caribbean.

We learned that apparently at 1:00am, the crew starts scanning kids cruise cards and if they are under 18 they get sent to bed! Haha, so us parents don’t have to set a verge, the cruise ship does that for us. Ayva and her gang learned how to dodge them and Addison is old enough that it didn’t affect him. It will be interesting to hear what Ari does tonight.

At 10:45 we went to the buffet to get some breakfast. It was quite busy but Ayva managed to get us a table.

After breakfast we went to a Math Trivia and a Murder Mystery game. We weren’t all that great at either of them but it was still fun. After our trivia we went for a nap before meeting the kids to try and sneak into Wizard of Oz without a reservation. We reserved for tomorrow but none of us were doing anything so it was worth a try. Apparently they stop scanning tickets about 10 minutes before the show starts. We had no trouble getting in and finding seats. The show was almost 2 hours long! It was pretty good.

While we were at the show Addison got a call in his room from Giovanni’s saying we had a complimentary dinner for 2 at 6:00pm from our travel agent. What a nice surprise! We told the kids they were on their own for our 7:15pm reservation as we enjoyed our early dinner at the specialty restaurant. Goldi was our waiter and the entire staff was super friendly. We had really good rolls and Tavis got calamari for his appetizer. For entrees, Tavis ordered veal and I ordered lasagna. Goldi also brought a filet mignon which we happily shared. For dessert, Tavis got a cannoli and I ordered the chocolate ravioli. We also got complimentary limoncello which I discovered was a very potent liquor. Tavis enjoyed both of ours 😂. By the time we finished, we both felt like we should be rolled out like bowling balls.

We had a nap after dinner and just after 8:00 we checked in on the family chat. Ayva got seats at the skating show (Starburst: Elemental Beauty) and told us to come. Our reservations were for later in the cruise but now we understand that you don’t need reservations, it is just a way to thin out the crowd. The show was actually quite amazing. The lights and costumes were unbelievable and so was the skill on the ice. We all enjoyed it.

After skating everybody split. We tried to catch the comedy but we were a few minutes late and the doors were closed so we met Addison, Ayva, and her friend Andres up on deck 16 for a game of mini golf. The difference on a new ship is that the mini golf course is still in tact and it was well done. I definitely want to play some more games. I also like that they use soft golf balls, which is nice incase anyone gets nailed in the forehead (hasn’t happened this cruise yet😂). It was also not busy at all.

Tavis and I wandered along the decks and sat in a chair after while we waited for the late comedy show at 11:30pm. We learned that they scan everyone but it isn’t for reservations… it is for the age requirement. There is no sneaking kids in on this ship. Oh well. The last comedian did a bit on teenagers and he had us in stitches. It was hilarious.

We got back to our room at 12:30am and showered and finally got to bed. It was a long day but it was great. I definitely love this ship. There are a lot of people but it really isn’t that crowded. We haven’t had too much trouble finding places to sit or eat. The trick is to not go during the rush.

We have officially reached the second half of our vacation today, and it is the day the kids have been waiting for since Christmas. Here is how our day went.

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This morning it was so cool to wake up at 7:30am in Miami to the sound of roosters 😁 I got up, showered, finished some work, completed our online checkin for the cruise and ate some watermelon before getting the kids up at 9:30.

By the time we had everything packed up and were out of the house, it was 10:45. We put in a few gallons of gas at a nearby Shell for 2.85/gal.

We arrived at Budget around 11:15 and quickly emptied the car. Everyone was limited to just their carry-on and backpack again. All we had to carry was 3 sandwiches. When we dropped the car off, we had 11,560 miles on the odometer. We are sad to report that we were not able to spot licence plates from all 50 states. In the end, we concluded after extensive research (8 days) that people from Wyoming, South Dakota, New Hampshire, Arkansas, and Alaska just don’t travel. 🤷‍♀️

We waited a while for our shuttle to take us to the cruise terminal. The shuttle driver was nice though and when we offered him our 4 sandwiches he gladly took them.

Even though our embarkation time was 1:30pm, we arrived at the terminal before noon and it wasn’t too busy we went through security and we were on the ship just after 12:00pm. Wow, what an impressively huge ship! We separated from the kids on deck 9 when we went to our stateroom. The kids carried on to deck 12.

The doors were closed to the staterooms until 1:00 so we did what any seasoned cruiser does… we opened the doors and went to our stateroom to drop off our luggage. Our room was the only one closed so we knew that had finished. We dropped off our bags and started toward the kids room.

The kids did not know the trick and informed us they couldn’t go to their room until 1:00 🙄. We told them to drop off their suitcases. We saw them in the halls so I went with them to ensure they put their luggage in the right spot. Their room was still being cleaned so we told them to keep their backpacks with them.

We all went to our muster stations, then we went to guest services to switch Tavis and Ayva’s room. You can’t book a room unless you are 25yrs so we book girls in 1, boys in the other, and do the switch once inboard.

By the time we got the new cards it was 1:00 so we all went to our rooms to unpack. The kids were surprised to discover they had a balcony room. At the time of booking, it was only about $10 more for the balcony so we chose the upgraded room, but it was the first time they didn’t have an interior. We also got them the soda package which was also a surprise.

After unpacking, we got some food at the Windjammer buffet and went off to explore the ship.

The day seemed to pass incredibly quickly. Before we knew it we were at the spa raffle at 4:30 and the ship was leaving the port. None of us won anything so we all split up. I got Ayva a strawberry daiquiri which apparently she spilled all over herself. She spent the next hour scrubbing the red out. Apparently a combination of hand soap and laundry detergent did the trick.

There was so much to see on the ship and it was huge. I kept getting lost, but I eventually found Tavis. We spent some time reserving tickets to some of the shows and we also booked skating. We went to the art auction, then had a short rest before going to the show. It was a juggler/comedian. Ari and I thought he was great. Addison wasn’t impressed, Ayva and Tavis both liked him but didn’t find it outstanding.

After the show we all met for our dinner reservation on Deck 3. Dinner was really good. We all ordered the prime rib. Ari and Tavis enjoyed their escargot. Ayva and Addison had appys as well.

After dinner we were all stuffed. Everyone did their own thing. We walked around and checked out the dueling pianos. Tavis was tired so we went to fill our water bottles and get ready for bed. the ballon drop was at midnight so at 12:55 we went down to see the balloons fall. It was packed downstairs. Tavis got a night cap of sambuca and we went back to bed. It was crazy how quickly the floor cleared out after midnight.

It was another great day and completely different from the rest!

I woke up this morning just before 7:00am with a glimpse of the sun rising through a crack in the bedroom curtains. we have been very fortunate with the weather so far.

Tavis and I went out around 8:00am to find coffee. By chance, we found a cute little bagel shop and we got a coffee, hot chocolate, and 6 donuts. When we got back, I cut up the rest of our watermelon and Tavis made sandwiches. By the time we ate and packed our bags it was just before 10:00.

Tavis had found an Urgent Care close to the house so our first stop was only 5 minutes away at Professional Urgent Care Services to get Ayva’s skin looked at before going to Miami. Apparently she had a bacterial infection. Our entire visit was 45 minutes. That included the time it took to fill out the paperwork, wait to be seen, get examined, have coupons printed for the prescriptions, and for the staff to help us locate the closest Walgreens. They were so nice. We do have insurance but this location doesn’t accept it so we had to pay the $160 out of pocket and we will get reimbursed later.

While we were in the clinic, the skies opened up to torrential downpour and the thunder and lighting began. When we walked to the car the rain was gone.

Our next stop was Walgreens. We arrived shortly after 11:00am. It actually took longer to set up an account (since we were Canadian) than it did for them to actually fill the prescription. We were quite impressed with the medical system.

While we were waiting, we decided to purchase some vitamin C and cold medicine which was on sale. The thunder was very loud and we could hear the rain on the roof.

The boys stayed in the car. They said the thunder and lightening was so close it shook the car. Within minutes the roads and parking lot were flooded! When we came out 30 minutes later, the rain had stopped and only a few large puddles remained.

Just before noon, we finally made it to the Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge that Ari had been talking about for the past 2 months. It was the only reason we drove to Tampa Bay. it cost $3.75 to drive over but it was quite impressive! Along both ends was a super long fishing pier and a rest area with facilities, water, and vending machines. We discovered that the fishing pier was the old bridge that collapsed in 1980 when a freighter collided with it in a storm. The current bridge opened in 1987. We stopped at both rest areas to take photos before beginning our long drive.

At 2:30pm Tavis took the last exit before Alligator Alley (I-75) which is a 50 mile tolled interstate that runs through a nature park. It was 100 degrees out but Tavis found a place to park in the shade in a Dunkin parking lot. We used the facilities and stretched our legs before driving the final two hours to Miami.

About 45 minutes outside Miami we could see a wild fire in the distance. We could also see a wall of dark clouds infront of us and blue sky with puffy clouds beside us. We made it near the Miami airport before the rain started, but it only lasted moments at a time. When it rains here, it rains hard!

We arrived at the tiny house around 4:15pm. The house is actually in the back yard of another house. We drove down a tiny alley/driveway as I waved to a chicken sitting under a tree. We drove around another tiny house before arriving at our tiny pink house. By the time we parked, it was pouring and no one wanted to get out of the car. Addison was our hero who got out first, punched the code to get the key, and unlocked the door. Then Tavis and Ari went in. I was the next and Ayva was the last one to leave the car because she was waiting for the rain to stop. About 2 minutes later it did.

We made a quick dash to get all of our luggage out of the car and into the house. Just as we got everything inside it started to pour again.

Our Airbnb was a cute tiny house. The door opened into a living room with a couch, tv, and dining table. There was a stove and fridge at the back and a small bathroom with a shower. The kids were in the first bedroom with a queen bed, a bunk bed, and a tv. Tavis and I had the next bedroom with a king bed and tv. It was small, but all we really needed, and a good transition to the small staterooms we will be moving into tomorrow. The house was also very well stalked with things that you don’t normally travel with. It was literally the opposite from the last place. Everyone connected to wifi, found their bed and had some downtime. Our host had put 5 bottles of water in the fridge for us which was very thoughtful and appreciated. I also asked if we could extend our checkout by an hour and Cesar was very accommodating😁.

As we were resting, we listened to the rain pour down. We could tell when it stopped because we heard the roosters as they roamed around the house.

Just after 7:00pm we finally convinced everyone to come out and explore Miami. The weather was still raining off and on but it was our only chance to see the city. It was not raining so we walked around the back yard and checked out the area, then got in the car. As we drove to Miami Beach it rained almost the entire drive. Tavis navigated us to Raising Cane’s for dinner. We found a parking garage a few blocks away. As we parked, the sun was peaking through and it was a very cool sunset between the buildings. The entire sky had a yellowing glow as if we were all wearing tinted sunglasses. It was a nice dry walk.

When we arrived at Raising Cane’s, there was a long line up and it was very loud. They had a live DJ and you could barely hear each other. Dinner was really good though!

After dinner we walked back to the car checking license plates along the way. We stopped at a couple souvenir shops. When we left the parking lot we drove along Miami Beach and were surprised at how lively it was. There were outdoor restaurants and eateries and hotels across from the beach. There were a lot of people lining the streets. It was a neat vibe. After leaving Miami Beach, it started to rain again briefly.

We returned home just after 9:00pm and for the first time this trip we all sat on the couch and watched TV. We introduced the kids to Columbo before we all went to bed 😁.

The beds last night were comfy and it took some time to get everyone out of bed. Tavis was up just after 7:00am. I was up at 7:30, and I woke the kids up at 8:30, 8:40, 8:45, and 8;50 when they finally started getting ready. Everyone got ready, packed up their suitcases, and filled their water bottles. Ari helped Tavis pack the car while I emptied the trash, threw the towels in the wash, and locked the doors.

By 9:30am we were in the car and on our way. Addison found a place to buy Georgia peaches about an hour away so that was our first stop. We pulled into Peach World excited to have peaches for breakfast. We were quite disappointed to discover that the peaches were lined with gold (because a small bucket was 16.99) and also they were freshly picked and would take 3 days to ripen. When we went into the store they had free samples of peach lemonade and peach cider which both tasted amazing. We opted for a gallon of peach lemonade. After taking some photos of the resident turkey and some silly photo cutouts, we were back on the road.

It was shortly after we were back on the highway that we realized we had forgotten our sandwiches 🤦‍♀️. We totally made a rookie mistake and left today’s lunch and our garlic butter in the fridge. I messaged the host to let him know and apologized for our error. He was really good about it though, probably because it wasn’t his lunch that was missing 😞

A few minutes down the road we passed a Buc-ee’s. It was too early to stop again but we altered our route slightly to ensure we would stop at one along the way. At noon, we pulled into the Buc-ee’s just outside of Jacksonville. For anyone who hasn’t been to one you are absolutely missing out. It is a chain of the largest gas stations I’ve ever seen. They probably have 100 pumps. Then a store the size of Walmart that sells everything from toothpaste to hand made sandwiches and toffee to art work. It is impressive no matter how many times you go. We were introduced to it when we lived in Texas. Anyways, everyone bought a sandwich and I got freshly made chips. With out tummies full and the car topped up with cheap fuel (2.59/gal) we were on our way again.

We had beautiful blue skies until about 20 minutes after passing through Orlando. Within a 30 minute span, we saw an ominous dark cloud infront of us. Then we were caught in a huge storm with thunder and lightening. The wipers could barely keep up. The visibility was so bad that cars slowed to a crawl. It delayed our ETA by 30 minutes! Just before arriving in Tampa, the skies cleared and we were back to beautiful sunny weather. It was like nothing happened. The weather is crazy!!!!

We arrived at our Airbnb around 4:30pm. This was an actual house with its own driveway. The house is for sale so it was easy to spot. We walked in to a big open family room and decent size kitchen. On one side was the master suite with a king bed, walk-in closet, and huge ensuite. On the other side was the kids area with 2 bedrooms (queen bed and 2 singles) and a large bathroom with tub. At the back of the house was a family room with a laundry room/bathroom on one side, and a back door on the other that led to a private pool in the back yard.

I think I was unpacked with my bathing suit on and lounging in a chair by the pool within 10 minutes. It was so nice after a long drive. Eventually, everyone else came out to join me.

At 6:00pm, Tavis, Ayva, and I drove to Walmart for groceries. We spent $50 and we got pork steaks, potatoes, sandwich meat and cheese, buns, butter, a watermelon, and ice cream sandwiches.

When we got home we cut up and devoured half the watermelon. Then we drove to Sunset Beach on Treasure Island. We paid $2.50 for 25 minutes of parking. It took a few minutes to figure out the web app, but Tavis got it sorted while the kids searched licence plates. They found Idaho! This leaves 4.5 remaining. We walked out the beach not sure what to expect. What we found was amazing! 😳😍

It reminded me of long beach. You take a walkway out to a long beach of white sand the consistency of hardened cornstarch! I don’t think there were any grains of sand. It took a few minutes to reach the small waves of the ocean which was over 80 degrees. It literally felt like stepping into a bath but it was ocean water. The wet sand felt like magic puffy under your feet. If you try to dig through it was like sand, but if you let your feet slowly sink into the sand they would sink. It was the craziest feeling.

The sunset was amazing because there was a funnel of clouds in the sky. You could see rain pouring in the distance but it was blue skies around us. The kids each did their own photo shoot as we took some photos of them.

When our parking expired after the sun went down, we made our way back to the car. We rinsed the sand from our feet at the showers outside the restrooms. As we got back, there was a group of maybe 100 people on electric scooters, bikes and unicycles that came down the path toward the beach. Some of them had neon lights and 1 person had music and a bubble machine!

We drove back to the house and around 9:00pm started making our gourmet dinner of bbq pork steaks and potatoes with garlic butter. it was very yummy. We also enjoyed our mint Klondike bars. After digesting a bit, we all went outside for a family game of Marco Polo in the pool.

Tavis and I came in around 10:00 to shower and get ready for bed. At 11:00 we got the kids out of the pool. That is when we noticed that Ayva’s spot on her face that she got at Outer Banks had grown significantly and was spreading. It was like a bug bite that wasn’t a bug bite. Now it was the size of a dime. Since we are going on a cruise ship in 2 days, we might get that looked at tomorrow.

It was another late night, but we really enjoyed the house here at Kenneth City, Florida. I see why people come here to vacation. It doesn’t seem possible, but the beaches just keep getting better! We had an amazing stay and it is bitter sweet that tomorrow we make our way toward the final destination of our road trip.