On December 17th, my family will be starting a Cruise aboard the Carnival Panorama Ship, down the Mexican Riviera for 7 days of fun and sun.  Three years ago, Rachel said,  “let’s plan a family vacation.”  So I started thinking about what would be a good trip for the family, and after Tonya and I did a Christmas cruise last December and I was watching all the kids enjoying themselves on the ship, I thought this would be a great family vacation.  So I proposed it and they all thought it a good idea.  So we started planning in January, booked it in February and paid for it in September.   The group is made up of 33 individuals; all my girls (Rachel, Rebeca, Maegen, and Michelle) and their families; two of Tonya’s boys (Eric and Kyle) and their families; Tonya, myself and grandma.  Since the cruise is around Christmas, it is considered a Holiday Cruise, so the ship will be decorated for Christmas.  As a Grandfather, having my children and their children on this trip is very exciting, as all my children can attest to, having had to listen to me talk about it all year.   It takes me back some 28 years ago, when my Dad did a similar type vacation, not a cruise, but a Bus Tour.

As you all know, Dad (Grandpa) drove a tour bus for a number of years.  He would take bus loads of people on various tours throughout the western United States and Canada.  So, he came up with an idea of purchasing the use of the bus for a week and doing a family vacation to Southern California.  He got all our buy in, so we could coordinate our vacation time.  He and Mom started planning the tour.  This group included Mom and Dad as the tour guide and bus driver; Rich, Kathy and family (Kim, Heather, Rachel, Rebeca, Jill, Greg, and Michelle); Doug, Jean and family (Lee, Cory, Brandon and Curtis);  Terry, Ann and family (TJ, Siri and Chelsee); Lance, Debbie and Hailey.

In all, the tour group was made up of 25 people.  Dad planned the trip to include Sea World, Disneyland and the beach.  I believe there were other stops, but honestly I can’t remember all.  He set up all the hotels and places to eat.  He, with Mom’s help, scheduled it all, and all we had to do was get the kids on the bus and go along for the ride.  This was his dream and during the whole trip, you could see him beaming with joy because he had is family with him and could show them the sights he had taken others to visit.  The logistics of the trip were not easy, but he made it all happen.  For the parents, we didn’t have to worry about where we were going or what we were doing, he had it all planned.  We just had to keep track of all the kids.

The whole trip ended up being a great success, especially for the kids.  For those that were older, they still remember it as a good time.

I am now about the same age that Dad was, when he planned the bus trip for his family, and can fully appreciate the excitement he felt during that preparation and trip.  Having his family around him and enjoying their company was something that he enjoyed immensely.

I would like all who read this to comment on what they remember from that trip.  It would be nice to get all the stories and memories documented for all to read.