Life Aboard the Diamond Princess

On December 22, 2009 we boarded the Diamond Princess Cruise ship that would be our home for the next two weeks.

The ship was HUGE!  However, it didn't take long for the boys to find their way anywhere they needed to go.  (Alison and Grandma were a different story, and sad to say even at the end of the cruise still never knew where they were going!)

Even though there were many places on the ship the boys could go, they had their favorite spots where they could most likely be found.  Tyson spent most his days that the boat was at sea in the kids club, and also many evenings as well.  Every day they had planned activities for the kids including sports, crafts, games of all sorts, and of course lots of parties involving FOOD.   His favorite activities were "Pirates Night" where they even provided him his own snazzy pirate attire, pizza and pajama movie night, Wii Super Tournaments, and of course he never missed the ice cream socials.  By the end of the cruise Tyson had loads of new friends aboard.  Here he is with his favorite Kids Club director. 

Unfortunately Preston was just 2 months short of being able to attend Kids Club.  However, they did allow him to join the group if he was supervised.  Thanks to a great team of parents, grandparents, and brothers, each of us were able to enjoy a bit of Kids Club ourselves with him!

Another favorite for all the boys was the tennis/basketball court.  A perfect place to release some energy with some good competition.

And as far as the older boys.....there was basically two places they could be found in their free time-- Deck 5 playing cards in the lounge, or Deck 7 playing cards in the lounge!  Thankfully Dad, Grandma and Grandpa were ALWAYS up for a good game of cards as the boys were relentless, and CONSTANTLY begging for another round!  Congrats to Grandpa who won the self titled "IWCRC" (International World Champion Rook Competion) as well as the overall "Hearts" winner!  There was some serious card playing going on over pina coladas, fresh baked cookies, and diet cokes in the lounges to say the least.  Kudos to everyone who remained patient with Parker and his outrageous bids during any Rook games---enough said! 

As far as other activities we enjoyed onboard?  Who needs activities when there is constant FOOD?

And more about FOOD... thanks to our wonderful Filippine waiters who treated us like kings and queens in the beautiful dining room.  They were patient, efficient, charming, showed incredible service, and the food was absolutely DELICIOUS! 

The few minutes in our day we were NOT eating, we enjoyed activities such as ping pong, swimming, and we even participated in a gingerbread house making contest.  We didn't win the big prize, but our team (G&G, Alison, and Tyson) whom we named "The Three Generations of FUN," had a great time anyway!

And after a very hard day at sea, it was always nice to come back to our comfy cabins.  Tyson was lucky enough to be roomates with Grandma and Grandpa which he just thought was the greatest.

With Good Family, Food, and Fun what's not to like about life aboard the Diamond Princess??!!