On day one we boarded and explored the ship. It was very similar in layout to other Carnival ships we've been on, but this one seemed a bit nicer and had a deck area exclusively for adults, which was really awesome. We used that deck area all the time and loved it. The lounge chairs were padded, it was quiet and relaxing, and it included two adult-only hot tubs...such luxury! There was always a lounge chair available and always room in the hot tub, which was something completely unheard of on my past cruises with Carnival. We were in heaven.
Our first stop was in Key West. Our little group (Alex, Kerry, Eric and myself) rented a 4-seat electric car and explored the downtown area of Key West...the beach, Fort Taylor, the southernmost point of the United States, shops, restaurants, etc. Since we were in Key West, I just had to sample the famous key lime pie and limeade, which were both delicious. It was a fabulous day in paradise.
On day three we did absolutely nothing. It was a ship day full of food, mini golf, ice cream cones, sunbathing, reading, more food, naps, and more ice cream cones. We have literally no pictures of this day, so let me give you a tour of our inside stateroom instead. It was handicapped accessible which meant our normally tiny bathroom was gigantic! But that also meant we had half the storage space. It's a good thing Eric packs light and likes living out of a suitcase, so it worked out. Our stateroom was located on the Lido deck, and we were literally 20 feet from the pool and 30 feet from the ice cream cone machine. :) I was worried that being so close to the action would be a bit noisy, but it wasn't at all. Those little rooms are sound-proofed incredibly well. Our location could not have been better. We felt so spoiled...thank you to Peggy our travel agent!
On Day four we landed in Grand Cayman. Here we swam with the stingrays at Stingray City, snorkeled, and enjoyed the most gorgeous beach I have ever been on...seven mile beach. This was our third time to Grand Cayman and Stingray City. The first two times we went (years ago), the place was crawling with stingrays. You had to watch where you stepped so you wouldn't step on them while moving around in the water. This time, however, there were hardly any stingrays to be seen at all. The boat guides were all able to lure in some big stingrays for us tourists to touch and hold, but other than the ones they caught, there were only a handful swimming around the hundreds of tourists. It was very strange. Eric asked our guide where all the stingrays had gone, and he told him they just didn't come around any more. The guide then gave a more detailed reason why, but Eric couldn't understand what he was saying through his thick Caribbean accent. So it is still a mystery...where have all the stingrays gone?
On Day five we explored Jamaica and Dunns River Falls. I think this was everyone's favorite stop. Jamaica and the city of Ocho Rios was absolutely gorgeous with its lush tropical forest, low rolling hills, and crystal clear Caribbean water...exactly my idea of what a tropical island should look like. There were a lot of excursion options at this stop, and we decided to check out the infamous Dunns River Falls. It was the most beautiful cascading waterfall I'd ever seen, and the best part was that you could hike up the waterfall itself, whilst in the water, with the help of guides who work solely for tips. I would definitely recommend watershoes, which we brought, but it was something anyone of any age/ability could do. We loved it and couldn't recommend it enough.
After the falls adventure, which took a few hours, we got dropped off at the downtown flea market and did a little souvenier shopping and sampled their famous Jamaican jerk chicken and coconut rice. The chicken and jerk sauce was the best I'd ever had, and the coconut rice tasted just like Rumbi's coconut rice. Well done Rumbi's.
Day six was another ship day, full of food, episodes of the Celebrity Apprentice, more food, naps, swimming, and more food. There was not much to document on this day either, so let me introduce you to our adorable dining room waiters, Jerricho and Gomer. Jerricho was by far the best dancer of the waiters, and he was always the featured soloist during their musical numbers. He was quite the talented guy, that Jerricho, in addition to be an excellent waiter.
All in all, it was a perfect week. Lots of relaxation, fun, food, and sleeping in. It was a nice change from our normal life with a two-year old. That's not to say I didn't miss my little boy just a little. And I might have forced Eric to make an $8 phone call home to check in on him ($4 initial fee, + 4 minutes at $1/minute). We had been out of contact for 3 days and my crazy and irrational mind was sure that something had happened to my baby and he was lying in a hospital dying, and no one could get a hold of us to let us know, and we'd never see him alive again!? Sullivan was with Grandma Stacey at the time, and Eric assured me that #1, his mom would never let Sullivan out of her sight for him to do something life threatening to himself (which I knew was true), and #2, his mom was a mastermind at finding ways to get a hold of impossible to reach people (quite the hidden talent!). But I still wasn't convinced. I just needed to know he was okay. Which he was. We could hear him in the background, babbling away, happy as a clam. Phew. Crisis averted! $8 well spent (if you ask me...$8 completely wasted if you ask Eric!:)).
Going on vacation after having kids is such a mind game. Before kids, you go on vacation and leave your work and your life behind and you never think a second thought about them. Your mind and body are free as a bird, and it's awesome. After you have kids and you go on vacation, your body is free, but your mind isn't. You worry if your kid is okay, and you think about them, and you miss them, and you have to keep reminding yourself that "they're FINE! Forget about them for a freaking second and have fun!" I'd say I'm pretty good about moving on and having fun and not missing my kid too much, but still, I never had to remind myself to stop thinking about home before kids!? On the other hand, you definitely do appreciate the little luxuries in life more...eating a meal in peace, laying by the pool, sleeping in, reading. And when the vacation is over, it's not nearly as depressing as it used to be, because you have a little someone that you're absolutely crazy about to come home to, which is almost as exciting as the anticipation of leaving on vacation in the first place.
1 comment:
Caribbean cruises sound nice. Hmmm, you've planted an idea.
Post a Comment