Saturday, July 31, 2010
We Interrupt the Cruise Posts.........
Day 6 of the cruise will just have to wait because today is Daddy Hunt's birthday!! Daddy Hunt is an amazing guy. He is not nearly as crazy as Mommy Hunt, but that's okay. In times of crisis he is the one we all turn to for our support. He is our rock. When Mommy Hunt is freaking out because the car was in an accident, it is Daddy Hunt who reminds her, "at least nobody was hurt". When Mommy Hunt is freaking out because the house is a wreck, it is Daddy Hunt who always asks, "where do you need my help". When Mommy Hunt thinks the weight of the world is on her shoulders and feels like giving up, it is Daddy Hunt who takes her gently in his arms and says, "I am here for you". And when Daddy Hunt thinks somebody is not being nice to his children, it is Mommy Hunt that just stands aside and lets him take over. Daddy Hunt, thank you for always being there for us. Even through all the eye rolls, the hmpffs, the stares and the stink eyes your love for us is unwaivering. I hope this year is a magical one for you. I love you to infinity and beyond and couldn't imagine like without you. Living with a Polish Jersey Girl isn't easy. Thank you for putting up with me. Happy Birthday!!!!!!!!
Saturday, July 24, 2010
The Cruise Day5
June 24, 2010
Grand Cayman. Probably the most upscale island we visited. I really liked Grand Cayman, but Haiti still won my heart. This was our only port of call that we docked in the ocean and had to be tendered to shore. There were three other cruise ships also visiting that day. We were tendered by local boats that held about 200 people. One of the other cruise lines tendered their passengers using their lifeboats. I found this quite funny. We arrived on the island and once again had no excursions booked. We immediately came upon a little historical area that told us about the history of the island. After reading and taking a few pictures, we headed to town to look at some of the shops. I loved the island feel of the town. There were shops and eating places everywhere you looked. It was really hot out so it was nice to go into the shops to cool down a bit. I did not find the help particularly friendly. Tony managed to find a wooden knife to ad to his weapons collection. I fell in love with a gorgeous ceramic lizard which came home with us. We drooled over the Lladro creations in the stores. We went out and explored the town more and found chickens just wandering the streets. We also explored their post office and discovered huge handcrafted iguana figures all over town. We ended up finding a museum where we learned a lot about their culture and history. That was fun. When we were done exploring, we headed back to the ship to eat and swim! Next up: Cozumel.
Grand Cayman. Probably the most upscale island we visited. I really liked Grand Cayman, but Haiti still won my heart. This was our only port of call that we docked in the ocean and had to be tendered to shore. There were three other cruise ships also visiting that day. We were tendered by local boats that held about 200 people. One of the other cruise lines tendered their passengers using their lifeboats. I found this quite funny. We arrived on the island and once again had no excursions booked. We immediately came upon a little historical area that told us about the history of the island. After reading and taking a few pictures, we headed to town to look at some of the shops. I loved the island feel of the town. There were shops and eating places everywhere you looked. It was really hot out so it was nice to go into the shops to cool down a bit. I did not find the help particularly friendly. Tony managed to find a wooden knife to ad to his weapons collection. I fell in love with a gorgeous ceramic lizard which came home with us. We drooled over the Lladro creations in the stores. We went out and explored the town more and found chickens just wandering the streets. We also explored their post office and discovered huge handcrafted iguana figures all over town. We ended up finding a museum where we learned a lot about their culture and history. That was fun. When we were done exploring, we headed back to the ship to eat and swim! Next up: Cozumel.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Cruise Day 4
June 23, 2010
Ochos Rios, Jamaica. Welcome to Jamaica, Mon. I do not have much nice to say about Jamaica. It was stinky and smelly and I could not wait to get back to the boat! We did not book any excursions for Jamaica. We decided we would just walk around and explore on our own. We no sooner got off the pier and were asked at least a million times if we needed a taxi. We were also asked if we needed any weed. Say WHAT? NO, NO, NO, and NO again was the word of the day. My brother in law joked that he was going to make a shirt and sell it that said, "No thank you , Mon". I think he could have sold a million that day. I kid you not, everywhere we turned we were asked if we needed a taxi. Not far off the pier were shops where we could go and look at pretty much everything imagineable. Some of the scenery was really pretty, but I wouldn't want to get lost in that town. We did manage to find a local who had a donkey and a bunch of other animals who allowed Tony and my Mom to join his show. (Of course for a "donation"!) Seriously, I don't know what this guy was high on, but he was an interesting fellow. We saw some lovely turtles and explored the markets. Tony managed to find a boomerang to add to his weapons collection and I managed to buy a beautiful wood carved and painted bowl from a very nice local woman. My dad also bought me a cute pair of dolphin salt and pepper shakers to add to my collection. Thanks, Dad!!! Oh and I almost forgot Tony got a hat complete with crocheted dreadlocks. We returned to the boat for yet another scrumptious buffet. I went to the top deck to take more pictures of Jamaica while others either went swimming or to the gameroom. Jamaica wasn't all bad, just not a place I would want to go for an extended vacation. Next up Day 5 and Grand Cayman.
Ochos Rios, Jamaica. Welcome to Jamaica, Mon. I do not have much nice to say about Jamaica. It was stinky and smelly and I could not wait to get back to the boat! We did not book any excursions for Jamaica. We decided we would just walk around and explore on our own. We no sooner got off the pier and were asked at least a million times if we needed a taxi. We were also asked if we needed any weed. Say WHAT? NO, NO, NO, and NO again was the word of the day. My brother in law joked that he was going to make a shirt and sell it that said, "No thank you , Mon". I think he could have sold a million that day. I kid you not, everywhere we turned we were asked if we needed a taxi. Not far off the pier were shops where we could go and look at pretty much everything imagineable. Some of the scenery was really pretty, but I wouldn't want to get lost in that town. We did manage to find a local who had a donkey and a bunch of other animals who allowed Tony and my Mom to join his show. (Of course for a "donation"!) Seriously, I don't know what this guy was high on, but he was an interesting fellow. We saw some lovely turtles and explored the markets. Tony managed to find a boomerang to add to his weapons collection and I managed to buy a beautiful wood carved and painted bowl from a very nice local woman. My dad also bought me a cute pair of dolphin salt and pepper shakers to add to my collection. Thanks, Dad!!! Oh and I almost forgot Tony got a hat complete with crocheted dreadlocks. We returned to the boat for yet another scrumptious buffet. I went to the top deck to take more pictures of Jamaica while others either went swimming or to the gameroom. Jamaica wasn't all bad, just not a place I would want to go for an extended vacation. Next up Day 5 and Grand Cayman.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The Cruise Day 3
June 22, 2010
Haiti. Best known for its earthquake awhile back. This was not the Haiti we saw. We went to a private island that Royal Caribbean leases on Labadee, Haiti. Labadee was not affected by the earthquake. Haiti was my favorite port of call. We arrived in Haiti around 7:00am. Stephen had booked an excursion to go parasailing which he absolutely LOVED. Sorry, no pics of him parasailing as we were on a different excursion. The rest of us went on a historic walking tour of the island and we loved it. We learned so much about Haiti and its culture. I was taken aback by the pride the Haitians have for their country. Our tour guides name was Lami and he was amazing. After our tour was over with, it was time to hit the beach. We got our lounge chairs and floating mats. It was pure heaven!!! We spent several hours at the beach. We did not need to return to the ship for lunch because an island lunch buffet was waiting for us on the island!! Yummy! After lunch, we split up. David and I hit the local shops and Jeff, Steve, Tony and Brian went off to do some exploring of their own. We eventually met up with Kelly and Jen. The prices in Haiti were unbeliveably cheap. I wanted to buy a souvenir that was made on the island and I selected this little turtle. Tony decided he was going to bring back a weapon from each country, so he decided on a wood machette. We had to be back on the ship by 3:00. When we got back to the ship we went swimming and relaxed on the ship. Next up, Ochos Rios, Jamaica mon!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
The Cruise Day 2
Monday, June 21, 2010
We woke up bright and early, by we I mean David and myself, showered and went outside. It was the most amazing site to be seen. The majority of the ship was still asleep so David asked if I wanted to just relax and watch the ocean or go to deck 5 and go all the way to the very forward of the ship which happened to be where the heliport was. I wanted to go to the most forward part of the ship and take it all in. Cuba was off in the distance and the sun had just risen. It was VERY windy on deck 5 but I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. I couldn't believe my eyes.
Contemplating life
The ocean was amazing and seeing the ship just cut through the waves was unbelievable. Seriously, I could have spent the entire cruise just watching the ocean. David and I spent many mornings in that same spot and just enjoyed our time being us and one with nature. We had lots of discussions about our life, the past, the present and the future. We made a vow to start planning cruise number 2 as soon as we returned, and have pretty much made that decision. I couldn't believe that my husband was enjoying the trip as much as me! After about an hour, we decided to go back to see if any of the kids were up and were hungry. We once again headed up to the 11th floor for our buffet breakfast. HOLY MOLY, a girl could sure get used to these buffets. I think the best part of the buffets was being able to eat overlooking the ocean every meal. Once again the food did not disappoint. I absolutely fell in love with the hashbrowns they served. Seriously, while everybody else was talking about lobster, steak, shrimp, etc., I was praising the hashbrowns! Day 2 was entirely spent at sea, so all we did was lounge around at the pool. No phones, no emails, no nothing, just me and my family spending time together. It doesn't get any better than this!
Big Bro Little Bro having a blast
Me sis and brother-in-law
The stars of the show my Mom and Dad
We woke up bright and early, by we I mean David and myself, showered and went outside. It was the most amazing site to be seen. The majority of the ship was still asleep so David asked if I wanted to just relax and watch the ocean or go to deck 5 and go all the way to the very forward of the ship which happened to be where the heliport was. I wanted to go to the most forward part of the ship and take it all in. Cuba was off in the distance and the sun had just risen. It was VERY windy on deck 5 but I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it. I couldn't believe my eyes.
Contemplating lifeThe ocean was amazing and seeing the ship just cut through the waves was unbelievable. Seriously, I could have spent the entire cruise just watching the ocean. David and I spent many mornings in that same spot and just enjoyed our time being us and one with nature. We had lots of discussions about our life, the past, the present and the future. We made a vow to start planning cruise number 2 as soon as we returned, and have pretty much made that decision. I couldn't believe that my husband was enjoying the trip as much as me! After about an hour, we decided to go back to see if any of the kids were up and were hungry. We once again headed up to the 11th floor for our buffet breakfast. HOLY MOLY, a girl could sure get used to these buffets. I think the best part of the buffets was being able to eat overlooking the ocean every meal. Once again the food did not disappoint. I absolutely fell in love with the hashbrowns they served. Seriously, while everybody else was talking about lobster, steak, shrimp, etc., I was praising the hashbrowns! Day 2 was entirely spent at sea, so all we did was lounge around at the pool. No phones, no emails, no nothing, just me and my family spending time together. It doesn't get any better than this!
Big Bro Little Bro having a blast
Me sis and brother-in-law
The stars of the show my Mom and DadI had heard all about the cool towel animals that the staff constructed each night and couldn't wait to see what animal was waiting for us. Each night after dinner I eagerly opened our room door to see what was waiting for us. Here is what we found on this night.
My friend "Ellie"
Wow what a wonderful day. Next up Day 3 and Labadee, Haiti.
My friend "Ellie"Wow what a wonderful day. Next up Day 3 and Labadee, Haiti.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
The Cruise Day One
Sunday, June 20, 2o1o
While most of the world treated this like any other day, we were about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. I was so organized with everything UNTIL the last day. Thank goodness for an extra suitcase! The van picked us up at 10 and we were OFF!
I was so glad I stayed awake for the parade. I knew right then and there it was going to be the time of our lives.
While most of the world treated this like any other day, we were about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime. I was so organized with everything UNTIL the last day. Thank goodness for an extra suitcase! The van picked us up at 10 and we were OFF!
It was nearly a two hour ride to Miami, but nobody cared. We were ready to get on that boat! As we approached the Port of Miami, my dad pointed and said, "There's our boat." I about lost it. All these years of dreaming of cruising and that dream was about to become a reality. I was soooooooooooooo excited.
The van dropped us off, we got our luggage and bam!, we were on the boat. The first thing we had to do was get our sea passes which was how we paid for everything onboard. After we showed our passports and got our sea passes, we headed to the 11th floor for lunch. Holy Moly! There was food EVERYWHERE! After lunch we checked out our rooms, threw on our bathing suits and headed to the pools!
It was finally time to disembark so we headed up to the 12th floor to begin our adventure. I felt like any moment I was going to awaken and it was all a dream. It was no dream. Haiti here we come. We spent the rest of the day checking out our ship and trying to get our bearings. There were 14 floors on the ship, so needless to say, we had a lot of exploring to do. We ended the night with a fabulous buffet and just sat on the deck watching the sunset and listening to the sounds of the ocean. But at near midnight, the promenade came alive with a spectacular parade.
I was so glad I stayed awake for the parade. I knew right then and there it was going to be the time of our lives.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)