At some point early on in the week in Destin, Corbin found a travel brochure featuring the Buccaneer Pirate Cruise: a 90 minute pirate themed boat ride. He and Aaron then began their campaign that this would be worth the exorbitant booty we would have to surrender to get our shanty crew on board. I forfeited my opinion and Aaron was beyond delighted to tell the children he made a reservation.
Do you know how I feel about boats?
How about keeping track of 7 children, while out on a boat that’s sailing out on open water? This activity was absolutely not my first choice for “family bonding” and you better believe I had to pray for strength to go! I put on my toughest Pirate wench smile and pretended that this Pirate Cruise was the best idea ever, that I loved boating, wasn’t terrified of a kid falling off the pier that had set rails or safety restraints, and yo-ho-ho’d myself on board. I truly only went because I know I’m a crazy strong swimmer and the odds of everyone surviving were significantly higher than if I stayed home.
I had extremely low expectations, but didn’t need to. It was awesome! Perfect for the ages of our little mates. They loved every minute, except for Sloane, who buried her face into my chest and remained in my arms, wrapped in a security blanket most of the time. The twins got nervous once we left the harbor and headed out to sea. But really, aside from nerves and sea legs, this was so fun. It was basically had a two man show and they had a constant flow of fun for the kids. The kids went on a hunt for treasure below deck, swabbed the deck, got Pirate “tattoos”, danced, played some games, had sword and squirt gun fights, sang a few songs, and pulled a treasure chest from the ocean. Great fun. These kids are so lucky they have such a fun dad who says yes to this sort of thing. It really was worth it and months later is still nearly everyone’s favorite part of the spring break trip!
