Our Caribbean Cruise

We have been home since Sunday, so I thought maybe I should take the time to sit down and fill you all in our super fun trip! We left on Friday the 13th for Ft. Lauderdale. Luckily we were able to fly from Ontario, so we didn't have to deal with traffic on a Friday going to LAX. We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale around 10:30pm, went directly to our hotel and went to sleep! On Saturday morning we were all excited to get up and get moving!!! We had breakfast and showered and we were off to the pier at noon. I was amazed at how quickly we got checked in. From the time we got dropped off at the pier, it took us about 15 minutes to check in and get into our room.

Our cabin was right next door to Danny and Jennifer's so we were able to share out balconies, which was absolutely amazing!!! We set sail that night and spent all day Sunday at sea. We enjoyed the day of rest and relaxation in the sun. Sunday night was the ships first formal night. I just love getting dressed up, however, I was a bit disappointed that my hair was possesed by the Caribbean humidity all week! It had a mind of its own, which didn't really go with my dress, but oh well!

We spent all day Monday in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. As soon as we got off the ship, we got a taxi and went to climb Dunn's River Falls. We were the first group to climb that day, so it was really beautiful! After the falls, we headed to the beach where we enjoyed the crystal blue water and white sand all day! Stephen and Danny enjoyed their Jamaican VIP treatment, while Jennifer and I pulled our beach chairs into the water so we wouldn't get too hot. We finished out day in Jamaica with some shopping and ice cream. Yummy!

Tuesday was our day in Grand Cayman. There isn't really a lot to do in Grand Cayman, so we booked a trip to Sting Ray City, which was an interesting situation to say the least. Jennifer made if very clear that she did NOT want to be anywhere near sting rays. Well....Danny pretty much told her that if she didn't swim with the sting rays in the Cayman's...she couldn't swim with the dolphins the next day in Cozumel. It was very windy that day and there were a lot of waves, which made it difficult to keep your feet on the ground. The waves did not keep away the sting rays though. They were everywhere!!! We got a few good pictures, and we even got to feed them! After Sting Ray City, we made a quick snorkel stop and then back to the boat for room service, a nice nap, and dinner!!

Wednesday was our day in Cozumel. This is by far our favorite port on this trip! We got off the ship early, and took a taxi to Chankanaab National Reserve. We went here last year and enjoyed it so much that we wanted to go back. Jennifer and I were very excited to swim with the dolphins!!! We got there and got all registered while Stephen and Danny scoped out the perfect beach chairs. Jennifer and I had a blast swimming with the Dolphins. We got to ride on their dorsal fin, get pushed by our feet, and swim and play in the water with them. It was well worth the money for both of us!

We spent a lot of time sitting on the beach, while our waiter friend Alejandro brought us all the food and drinks that we wanted! We did a bit of snorkeling, but I was done with that when I saw the largest baracuda that I have ever seen!!! I swer this fish had teeth the size of a lion!!! Stephen turned around to talk to me and I was half way back to the shore!!!

Stephen and Danny spent the afternoon scuba diving while Jennifer and I napped in the sun! We did a little bit of light shopping before returning to the boat, and then enjoyed our balcony again before cleaning up for dinner.

Thursday was a "Sea Day" so we enjoyed some of the onboard entertainment. We went to a culinary demonstration, had lunch, watched a family fued gameshow, and even played bingo. I was two numbers away from winning the $2,500 jackpot. I was disappointed to say the least! Thursday night was our second formal dinner. We got all dressed up, took lots of pictures and enjoyed a delicious lobster dinner! After dinner we went to a magic show where I was called on to be the "lovely assistant". I was a bit embarassed because this guy was a few cents short of a dollar, but it was funny! For the rest of the trip, random passengers kept calling me "that girl in the purple dress from the magic show."

Friday was our last fun day! We were stopped in Princess Cays in the Bahamas. We tendered to shore and got some great beach chairs. We sat in the sun, swam in the beautiful water, and of course took lots of pictures! It actually started raining around 1:00pm and you would have thought that the island was being hit with a huricane. I have never seen so many people in swimsuits run from water so fast!!! It was a very light sprinkle, and people were grabbing their bags, and their kids and running for the ship! We held out and about 15 minutes later, the sun was out and we were getting tan once again!

Friday night we had to pack our bags, eat dinner, and then we enjoyed some craps in the Casino. We didn't win, but we didn't lose, so I can't complain! Overall our trip was really fun! There were a lot of older passengers on the cruise, and it was obvious that the entertainment was more geared for them, so we were a bit bored at night, but we still had a blast! I think for our next trip though we want to fly to just one place and stay for awhile....We are hoping Hawaii this summer, but we will see how things look on the job front!