Trip Report, Day 3: Port Canaveral

Today, we had breakfast at the Garden Cafe Buffet again and were prepared to go ashore. We were allowed to leave the boat at noon, so we met my cousin Georgie, his girlfriend Paige and her son Garrett. We love them! They rented a car and also took their own so we could all travel wherever we wanted to go because there were 10 of us. We even had a car seat for Jax. It was very nice (and smart) of them.

Our first stop was Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach so we could do a little shopping. I got Sanuk Flip Flops that I love and a small Dakine pocketbook. TK got a hat and a tank top, and we got Jax the cutest shark pail and shovel. We also bought stickers for our cars, and future cars. Georgie bought Jax a Ron Jon surfer van, which was very nice of him. My mother bought Jax a full Hawaiian outfit. It was adorable, I have to admit.

When we finally finished shopping, we headed to Historic Cocoa Village. It is a nice, small, coastal town that has a number of shops and restaurants. It is small enough to walk it all. Our first stop was Ossorio Bakery & Cafe for lunch. I had a lemonade and the Sara Salad. They had pizza, sandwiches, free refills for iced tea and lemonade, and homemade ice cream, so we made sure to get some on the way out. I had Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream in a waffle cone and it was seriously delicious. While eating our amazing ice cream, we took a walk down the street to a cute toy store, a great flip flop store and home decor shops. Paige bought a pair of flip flops because the Flop Shop had some seriously comfortable ones and the prices were comparable to other places I've been. My mom asked one of the store clerks if there was a park close enough to walk to and there was, so we headed there.

We walked a couple of blocks and found a park with a jungle gym, a swing set, a volleyball court and a fountain. Jax played around a little bit and TK and Paige played a game of volleyball with two random middle school girls who were on the volleyball court. Then, Jax found the fountain and made a beeline straight for it. My dad and Uncle George ran with him through the fountain and he got soaked. He wasn't happy that we had to leave, but  I changed his clothes and he passed out in the car on the way back to the ship. Georgie and Paige had to go, so we said goodbye and headed back to our rooms to get ready for dinner.

That night, we had dinner in the Grand Pacific Dining Room, but Aunt Rosie wasn't feeling well, so her and Uncle George stayed in their room and got room service. The Grand Pacific is fancier than the Magenta, but still included in the price of the cruise. That night, I had Red Snapper, something I had never eaten before. That was one thing I wanted to do while on the cruise: eat something I've never eaten. It was delicious and light. I was kind of surprised because I like shellfish and mollusks more than I like actual fish, or so I thought. Now, I will consider Snapper when I am eating seafood.

After dinner, TK and I headed over to Shakers Martini Bar for a couple of beverages, but then decided to head to the Java Cafe in the atrium. Jax made friends with the piano player, Tetiana. She played "Let it Go" for him and he loved it. Eventually, Jax fell asleep and we called it a night.