I’m back from the coldest trip to Florida I’ve ever taken.

Here’s something I never thought I would see …

all of the Disney World flower beds covered to protect them from frost.

Here’s something else that I never expected to see.

My sister and me in five layers of clothing attempting to stay warm in Hollywood Studios.  I’m wearing long underwear, a t-shirt, a 2nd long-sleeved shirt and not just one, but two fleece jackets.  And I definitely needed all five layers, all day long.  I really wished I had my down parka, but who brings one of those to Florida?

When the sun was out it helped quite a bit, but we didn’t have sunshine every day.

 Despite the cold, we still managed to have a great time enjoying some of our favorites like The Haunted Mansion …

Tower of Terror …

and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.

Your q tip for today, ask for the back row where you won’t get quite as wet.  Especially if it’s only 35 degrees outside!

After four days in Disney World, we headed to Port Canaveral and boarded the Utopia of the Seas for a four night cruise to the Bahamas where things finally warmed up a bit.

The Utopia is a ginormous cruise ship accommodating up to 5,668 passengers, which sounds crazy at first.  But I have to say that Royal Caribbean does an amazing job handling that many people.  Even embarkation was super simple and probably only took about 20 to 25 minutes or so.

The food was great, but with 21 different dining venues there was no way we could try them all.  There were tons of options for recreation as well with miniature golf, a climbing wall, the flow rider, an ice skating rink, water slides, a zip line and five pools.

I really enjoyed the entertainment on board.  My favorite was the show in the Aqua Theatre which included dancers, synchronized swimmers, people diving from crazy heights, and these guys …

They were perched on two bouncy, bungee cords stretched over the water and managed all kinds of flips and spins, all while maintaining their balance on the cords.  Amazing.

Even though the weather wasn’t perfect, I did manage to enjoy a pina colada on the beach at Coco Cay …

right up until those big dark clouds opened up and we had to huddle under our beach umbrella while it poured rain.

Due to the weather, I probably spent a little more time than usual just relaxing in our cabin …

LOL.

There is so much to do on this ship, so three and a half days (counting embarkation day as a half day) is not long enough to do it all.  So maybe one day I’ll take another cruise on the Utopia of the Seas.

But for now, I’m happy to be back home again.  I just placed an order for some of the new I.O.D. transfers and I’m looking forward to using them on some smaller projects.  I also have another miniature project to work on.  So be sure to stay tuned!