As the week of spring break approached, I realized I'd run out of time to adequately plan something. Leave it to Randy to plan a cruise to the Bahamas in one day. We surprised the kids and their reaction was priceless. There was no time to properly freak myself out about traveling with 2 diabetics and a 4 year old across the country. We found cheap airfare to Miami out of LasVegas, so we spent the first day of our trip driving there.
Sadly the pool at our hotel was shut down. The tiny hot tub was the next best thing.
We enjoyed some take out in our room and then ventured to the strip.
Sam was obsessed with the creepy characters. I've really got to get this kid to Disneyland.
We watched the volcano explode and also watched some street entertainers before we called it a night.
I also made a frantic dash to the Gap since I forgot to pack tank tops. Sweet Max went on a marathon search through the hugest mall I've ever seen.
The next day we were off to Miami. Have you ever seen a cuter traveler?
The kids were anxious to get there. Everyone was in great spirits at this point of the trip.
Between coloring and watching movies the flight was fairly painless.
Max handled his diabetes like the stud he is.
By the time we caught the shuttle to our hotel in Miami we were exhausted and starving. It was a bad combination. Luckily we all slept well and woke up in much better moods.
How could we not be in a good mood with this awesome ship waiting for us.
Gorgeous Miami
Once we boarded the ship, it was minutes before the swimming suits were on and the pina coladas ordered. Try figuring out the carbs in those bad boys. Luckily I brought tons of extra insulin.
Max was calling me Ned Flanders because I was ordering white wine spritzers. That kid.
We finally head out to sea, Bahamas here we come!
Chocolate ice cream for every meal, why not.
I love the chocolate on their mouths.
We enjoyed the entertainment on the ship and then passed out.
Sam and I were awake before everyone else and enjoyed breakfast together. Max had a rough night. He was complaining of a stomach ache, sore throat, and body aches. I was hoping it was just a minor case of sea sickness. After some Motrin, he felt like he wanted to get off the ship and explore the cruise-lines private island in the Bahamas.
The water was perfection.
And the sand was as soft as powdered sugar.
The Motrin was still working for Max at this point. We were having a blast.
Sam was feeling the music and couldn't stop dancing. Everyone was dying at how cute he was.
He had a giant circle of adults cheering him on. I love how they put their hat on him. He was by far the most popular kid on the ship.
We lounged in the water for the remainder of the day. I could tell Max was taking a turn for the worse. By the time we boarded the ship and got to the room he was done. At this point he had a full blown fever.
He didn't even want to come to dinner. He slept soundly most of the evening in our room.
Meanwhile, cruise director Hank was making sure he hit all the entertainment the ship had to offer. He studied the itinerary and map intently. I could always count on him to lead the way and he never was without his trusty key. Deal or No Deal was a hit with him and Sam.
I spent most of the night in our room with poor Max. I'd leave periodically to check on the others but my heart was with Mino. I felt so bad for him. When he finally woke up, he felt like eating some crackers. He immediately threw them up. It was really late at this point and I started to panic a little. Diabetes complicates sickness a lot and we were in the middle of the ocean. I brought every supply I needed except for his sick day guideline sheet.
Sarah came to the rescue and was able to text me a picture of it. She did all of this at 2 in the morning mind you. I knew if I followed the protocol on that sheet we could keep the situation under control. Bless Max's heart. He complied with every poke and shot I gave him. Randy was in and out of our room all night as well. None of us slept. I tried to keep it together for Max but I was terrified.
The following morning, I got up and had breakfast with Hank. We debated what to do. The ship had docked in the Bahamas and we had planned on swimming with the dolphins. Since Max was so sick we didn't know what to do. Mr. Tour Director was ready to go! Luckily Max woke up with no ketones and feeling better so we decided to give it a try.
Max put on such a brave face. I know he didn't feel good but he took one for the team. Thank God for Ibuprofen.
Sam was pumped to see a pirate as we got off the ship.
We took a short shuttle ride to the Atlantis Resort.
As you can imagine, swimming with the dolphins isn't cheap so I opted out and took pictures.
They were able to get very personal with the dolphins. It was so cool.
I'm so glad Max was feeling good enough to experience this.
We spent the remainder of the day at the resort until the kids were ready to get back on the ship.
Max and Sam wanted to check out the kids zone for a few hours. Of course Hank wanted to hang with the adults. The people watching was exceptional. We even ran into a young man who was wearing a pump and a dexcom. He chatted with Hank for quite a while about managing his diabetes. Hank was loving all the attention. Later, I took my time getting ready and when I joined the boys in the theater, I saw Sammy Boy on the stage!
He got to read the winning Bingo numbers! His little voice called the numbers out with no fear.
This cruise life is exhausting.
After dinner, Max and Sam were ready for the kids movie night. Hank was our third wheel.
We dared him to jump in the pool with his clothes on.
Done! Honestly I felt like I was watching my little boy grow up before my very eyes on this trip. Hank loves to have a good time and he took the initiative to find out where all the hot spots were. We had so much fun with him.
Poor Max over did it all day and was feeling awful by the nights end. There were many tears and not much sleep. The following day we were back in Miami. Instead of going to the Everglades like we had planned, it became apparent Max needed some medical attention.
After our taxi driver got lost twice we finally made it to the Urgent Care.
Sam started screaming on the way to Urgent Care, saying his ear was killing him. So we decided to get him checked out as well. The verdict...500 dollars later? No ear infections, just a virus that had to run it's course.
This was definitely the low point of the trip. Sitting on the street corner in Miami with all our luggage, waiting for our Uber to pick us up.
We finally made ti to the airport. It wasn't pretty but we made it.
We had one more night in Vegas before driving home. That's a lot of traveling for little kids. We covered over 4,000 miles in a week. In hindsight we wouldn't have scheduled so many back to back travel days. The kids really handled everything well. Max was miserable for most of the trip but really tried to have fun and not let it ruin everyone else trip. It was such a bummer!
This baggie full of needles is a harsh reminder of how inconvenient and lame diabetes is. Randy and I try our hardest to live life as normally as we can but the reality is we have 2 kids with diabetes. I'm proud of how we handled this trip. I'm so lucky to have such a level headed partner. When I panic, he is calm. I would be lost without him. Max and I decided we need a do over cruise! As for Hank and Sam, they had the time of their lives. I certainly don't think this will be our last time on a cruise ship.
