Waterslides

Walter & I went to the Bahamas from June 3 through June 8, 2013 with some of our family and extended family.  I plan to post several of the pictures that we took.  For this post I want to share the water slides that were on the cruise ship.

The grandchildren, Austin and Brandon, wanted us to go down the slides in the worst way.  So after much deliberation and lots of hesitation, we dressed and went up to the pool level of the liner.  Neither of us swim and really are not too happy in swimsuits either.  But we tried not to disappoint them.

As we got to the pool level the skies turned dark and a light rain started falling.  I thought our fate was sealed at that point, but in a quick and surprising decision, Walter said "Let's do it!"  By the time we got to the deck, it had cleared and we could not turn back then.



Austin Goes Down the Slide

The ship had two water slides.  The one pictured above is fast.  The other slide is four stories high and has several enclosed portions.  The boys spent about two hours going back and forth between the two.  They were exposed to swimming early in their lives and have no fear at all of water.  I think that was a smart move on their parents part.  They love the water!

 

Both Slides are Surrounded by About Six Inches of Water

The whale tale is a given on any Carnival cruise ship.  On the left in the above picture, the tall slide is shown.  The boys assured us that it was slower than the blue slide but for me it seemed too confining.  It was too much for me to consider going down it.  Walter did it though.  Although his back was reddened by the brads or rivets that joined the tube in places, he felt an adrenalin rush from the experience.  In fact, he went down the slides several times.  Sadly the camera's battery went out and we do not have a picture of any of his trips down the slides.

Austin Displaces a Lot of Water at the End of His Slide

Brandon Shows Off His Style

The boys told us to hold our noses and lean back onto the slide's surface.  They whizzed down the slides with great gusto.  They even raced each other. 

Brandon Walks Out of the Taller Slide

A Favorite Shot of Austin Amid the Water Droplets

Brandon Watches Austin Hit the Water

I decided to go onto the short slide.  I held my nose as the boys suggested.  I wanted to go down the slide while sitting up.  That is what I wanted to do but gravity and the rushing water thought otherwise.  I started down the slide and immediately was out of control.  I couldn't stop and couldn't stay upright!  My body hurled down the slide and I remember thinking that I would hit the end of the slide with my feet.  I also thought that would be alright as I needed to stop the sliding soon so I could get my breath.  I don't like water getting into my eyes and get panicked when I do.  This was a scary feeling.  I didn't hit the end of the slide by several feet.  I was, however, totally drenched. 

Me Getting My Hair Under Control After Going Down the Slide

After regaining my composure, I was able to feel good that I had faced my fears and gone through with my promise to the boys.  We had a great time on that deck watching the grandchildren run back and forth to each of the slides.  They would have stayed longer, but the time for dinner was approaching and we had to go back to the cabins to dress for our evening meal.

I hope the boys will never forget the day their grandparents tackled something they dreaded and went down the water slides with them.