Day 5- Costa Maya and swimming with Freda (and the time we lost Audrey on a cruise ship)

 This day should be divided into two parts. Part one was the epic experience of swimming with a highly trained dolphin named Freda. Audrey still talks about her. Part two is when Audrey was lost for about 45 minutes, which was terrifying. Only mentioning it for posterity purposes so others can learn from our mistakes. 

First up, Freda. Audrey wasn't old enough to "swim" with her, so I signed the two of us up for an "encounter". Mike, the big kids, and my parents signed up for the swim. Since we were all together they let Audrey and I join their group. It was fun. Those swimming with her learned how to call her and held onto her fins while she swam and then she came and pushed their feet while they sat on a boogey board. Audrey LOVED being able to give her a high five and kiss. Their pictures were the only ones allowed, and they cost a small fortune, but it was worth it. It was pretty magical for the kiddos. 

When we finished up Mike took Audrey and the boys back to the ship and Sarah and I stayed on the pier and shopped for a bit. After a while I got a frantic call from Mike telling me Audrey was lost. My heart sank. Taking kids on cruises is nerve wracking for a number of reasons, and the thought of losing a child is one of them. There are thousands of passengers. Hundreds of rooms. More than a dozen floors. So many places for a toddler to be. We all said prayers and started looking. I went straight to customer service and reported her lost and filled out a form. We then started looking all over. We finally got a call from customer service saying they had her. THANKFULLY Audrey had been found by a kind older couple that was staying on our same floor. Steven had left the room for the flow rider and Audrey had followed after him. He didn't know, so he was quickly out of her sight. Mike and Adam were in separate rooms and each thought the other had her. It was a while before they realized she was gone. The nice couple had seen her and thankfully she went with them instead of continuing to run. Gah! We all said many thanks for her safe return.