Three weeks after getting home from Austria, Dallin and I found ourselves back on the evening train to the Salt Lake airport. Our destination this time? Long Beach, California. We Ubered from LAX to the hotel we shared with my brother Adam and his girlfriend Hannah. I was sick with my fourth cold since August, so while everyone watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, I passed out. The next morning we walked around town a bit, got breakfast, and then were picked up by the rest of our family, who had drove in from Arizona. My mom mixed up time zones and accidentally had everyone leave two hours earlier than planned, which turned out to be quite lucky since one of the cars broke down halfway. But everyone made it safely, and soon we found ourselves scanning our passports and heading up the gangplank to our giant cruise ship, the Carnival Miracle.
Between the immediate Lundgreen family and all the SOs, our group was huge: Mom and Dad, me and Dallin, Rachel and her husband Dick, Adam and his girlfriend Hannah H, Olivia and her boyfriend Tanner, Eric and his high school sweetheart Hannah C, and Sophie. We all had rooms on deck four.
Dallin wasn't lying when he told me to expect a LOT of food on the cruise. The buffet-style cafe made for endless options open for much of the day, and then at dinner time the family joined together at the Bacchus restaurant every night for a three-course meal. We all ate at least two self-serve ice cream cones a day, and the handmade pizza was likely a favorite for everyone. Of course, I'll always chuckle at the drama in the pizza line. For instance, one night Sophie and Rachel were stuck behind a lady who took multiple plates to hand to her multiple children -- understandable, of course, until one of her kids dropped his plate and the mom stole the plate Sophie had been about to take, only for the same child to drop his plate again.
The cruise ship offered many an activity to pass the time -- hot tubs, water slides comedy shows, musical shows and an ice carving show were just some of the things we enjoyed. My parents also brought several games, so we would cram 13 chairs against a table and play Werewolf, among other things. And when we wanted to do absolutely nothing, we found a little rounded patio seat to bask in the sun and watch the water.
