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Evenings on the ship

Many nights the adults would stay up and enjoy dancing, drinks, time together.  Grandpa Kelly became very popular as the older ladies marveled at his dance moves.  One night an older lady came over to tell him how great he was at dancing. Chad tried to get the older lady and dad to dance but grandpa Kelly turned it on him and convinced the lady that Chad was actually the person she should convince to dance.  She did not give up after that and insisted Chad dance with her. Chad tried to pull Stacy out there with him but she was not buying it.

Robb had my mom as a partner and Chad and his new friend had a great time dancing to "Uptown Funk."

Tina Turner passed away while we were on the trip and near Switzerland where she had lived. Mom and I went to a Tina concern when I was in college and loved it.  When a Tina song came on we felt like we had to dance to it......in her honor!

 

We had so many great dinners together. The boys would head down to dinner early enough to reserve the largest table they had in a back room.  This was ideal as we all got to be together for meals.  Emmy was of legal drinking age, as was Mason, so they sampled some adult beverages in moderation. Her favorite was a strawberry daquiri.

 

Fun on the ship

Bobby and I had the dance floor to ourselves one night and we requested "Neon light" by Blake Shelton. They weren't familiar with the song but they did find it and play it for us!

 I got really spoiled eating fancy breakfasts and lattes delivered to my room every morning.  Luca made the best lattes!  I also loved the yogurt.

We were the only people with children and couples under 50 years!  This meant we often had the workout room to ourselves and could "borrow" the weights to take to our rooms.  The scenery from the patio was gorgeous and there were many castles we passed along the way.  I had a great workout outside a few of the days.

Anniversaries

We toasted Chad and Stacy's anniversary which occurred during the trip and Grandma and Grandpa's 50th for which we were celebrating while on the trip.  The trip crew sang a song to both couples and presented them with cakes.

 

Chef's table dinner

 On our first night on the ship we enjoyed the Chef's table dinner. It was multiple, fancy courses with wine pairings. The kids had their own table and to our surprise ate all the fancy food with excitement!!  We really had the best time that night and it was a good start to our time on the ship.

Family pictures

 Bobby will still wear a matching outfit with mom!

Day 9 Netherlands

A canal cruise in Netherlands was our first trip excursion in this city.  It was beautiful weather and a relaxing ride....we had a hard time staying awake.  We rode past the house Anne Frank and her family hid inside during the time of Nazi and the Holocaust.  They were there for 2 years and the house is now a museum.

Emmy found some boba tea that she enjoyed in the Netherlands "China town." We took a wrong turn on our walk and ended up in the Red Light District.  The kids saw some sights there we weren't expecting to show them!

Another beautiful cathedral

 This day wore our Emmy out...she was napping as we waited for dinner to start.

Cologne, Germany Day 8

With a 2,000-year history of continuous habitation, Cologne is known for its charming Old Town and its fabled 13th-century Gothic Cathedral. Emmy prayed in the cathedral after we went on a bike tour that showed us around the city.

 

Rudesheim continued into evening and Loenig Castle

Perched atop a steep rock hill above the confluence of the Lahn River and the Rhine, Lahneck Castle is a 13th-century medieval fortress in the riverside town of Lahnstein

We sampled a local favorite - Rüdesheimer coffee, made with strong coffee, locally distilled brandy, chocolate flakes and whipped cream and served in an authentic Rüdesheimer coffee mug and saucer