Cruise ~ Day 6

Our cruise was really only a 5 day 4 night cruise, but since I called my first blog about our trip Cruise ~ Day 1, it has turned into a 6 day event! Day 6 started on the boat! I had been up in the night for some reason or another, and it had seemed to me that we had actually gotten back to port by 4 am (when I was up). And I'm not really sure how you could actually "count" the day as a day on the boat, since you had to be off so early in the morning...

Josh and I got up early enough so that we could catch breakfast before we got off. We had packed most of our stuff the night before and the attendants had already taken our suitcase...

After breakfast we went back to the room to grab the rest of our stuff, and then we headed to our "area" we were suppose to meet in before we got off the boat. We learned there, that there was no reason to be there and that we could just go get in line to get off the boat... So we did!

We were off the boat probably by 8:30... We then went to go get our suitcase, and repack a few things (like contact stuff that couldn't be in our carry on for the flight back home)... Then we set off to find the shuttle to the airport to rent a car :)

Our flight home wasn't until 5pm, so instead of sitting at the airport all day we found a decent price on a rental car, and decided to "see" the city. Our first order of business was to find free internet (since Miami Airport does not have FREE internet). So we left the airport in search of a McDonald's :)

We decided (after we had internet), that instead of wandering aimlessly around Miami or hitting another beach, that we would go see the Everglades... Between the internet and the map we were able to figure out where we needed to go pretty easily... And off we went...

After driving past three "shops" offering Air Boat tours of the Everglades, and going through one very SLOW moving construction zone, we decided to turn around and see how much the Air Boat Tours were...  After stopping twice we decided to go on an Air Boat tour...  It was AWESOME!!!  The Air Boat was so cool!  at first we started off in what looked like a river, but not very deep (we could have stood up in it and only been knee/waiste  deep)...  But soon our guide was going where ever he wanted!  Over the glades, water, lilly pads!  So cool!  The tour of the Everglades was to last about 30 to 40 minutes...  About 20 minutes in it started to POUR!!!  Not sprinkle, but pour!!!  It rained so hard that we were soaked to the bone by the time we got back to the dock...  Thankgoodness it was a warm rain :)

Our Air Boat tour also included alligator wrestleing and a petting zoo of sorts...  The wrestleing was kind of lame, he really just sat on the alligator, but it was still worth it for the Air Boat ride!  After or tour we decided to head back towards Miami and the airport.  We also needed lunch.

We then headed to the airport and to return the car....  Our wonderful adventure was coming to a close...  Two short flights later (OK one LONG and one SHORT) we back in the Springs and the cold (thankgoodness our clothes had dried)!

***Bit of Everglade info ~ Grass that grows in dirt is called BLADES of grass...  Grass that grows in water are called GLADES of grass... Hence the EVERGLADES!!!