Travel & Vacation: First Cruise Dinner & a Swim in the Pool
Nathan and Brina ready for their first dinner on the cruise! The girls were excited to have some extra time with their cousins.
After getting on the Independence of the Seas, exploring it, and waving goodbye to Fort Lauderdale, Florida we headed to find our assigned seats in the dining room for our first evening meal on the ship. Everyone was excited about the cruise and thrilled that we were off. The kids had a blast enjoying the amazing food and afterward a group of us decided to try out some of the neat pools on board too.
Karlie so excited to be on her first cruise!
Nicko, Becky, and Amber ready for the first dinner on the boat
Always an adventure….Leo being silly….
Amber, Nathan and Brina at dinner
Brina and Brandon at dinner – all smiles
Jeremiah
Someone’s all tuckered out after a busy day! Jake has always been good at getting little ones to sleep!
Karlie and Brina so excited to be on vacation and cruising!
Best way to end the day….according to Karlie….is to go for a swim at night before bed!
Our sweet Brina Bee relaxing in the jacuzzi!
Travel & Vacation: Waving Goodbye to Fort Lauderdale, Florida
One of Karlie’s favorite places on the boat….yes, you guessed it! The LIBRARY!!! I think she read several books from the library and even checked out one to read in the room too.
After getting onto the Independence of the Seas, eating lunch at Windjammers, and exploring a little bit we take a few minutes to sit down and relax in the library. The kids read through several of the books while some of the adults talked and others take a nap in the soft comfy library chairs. Once the kids have picked up library books to read for the week we are off to watch the ship leave the Fort Lauderdale port. It was really neat hearing all the kids comments and seeing the cruise adventure their eyes.
Brina pausing for a moment to read a book at the library
Karlie and Brina enjoying the breeze on the top deck over looking the H2O Zone (which was a very popular spot for the kids)! It was windy as we were leaving but the kids seemed to love it.
Jeremy and Amber’s family…all ready to go cruising!
Our family, super excited about our first cruise together
Watching the cruise ship ahead of us going out of the Fort Lauderdale port
It’s a bird….it’s a plane….it’s both!
The kids were fascinated by the draw bridge at Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Watching the ship leave the Fort Lauderdale, Florida port. You think the ship’s horn is loud on shore, try standing right in front of it when the boat blasts off, it is really LOUD!!! The kids stood on the chairs so they could see a little better as we took off.
Fort Lauderdale Skyline as we were leaving the port
When the sun goes down and the wind picks up near sunset it can get a little chilly on the top decks of the boat. Brina is using Karlie as her human wind shield to help her stay warm, ha!
Travel & Vacation: Exploring Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas
Looking out over the port in Fort Lauderdale. There were several other cruise ships leaving the same day as ours.
Once on the Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas the older four kids were ready to explore everything! We were all over the ship in a matter of minutes from looking over the top deck to walking down the Royal Promenade (aka Main Street). The kids were very excited to check out all the neat places on the ship.
Checking out everything on the upper deck
Are we ready for take OFF? Preparing to leave Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Karlie taking it all in….
Having fun in the Adventure’s Oceans club. Karlie checking out the geographical map (where are we?!) while Brandon, Brina, and Nathan have fun with the hula hoops!
Looking down from the top…..don’t lean over too far!
We refer to this part of the boat as “Main Street” because it is where all the shops, restaurants, and stores are located
The older cousins hanging out on the glass bridge. Wonder if they realize that the only thing between them and the next level is a piece of glass.
Travel & Vacation: All Aboard the Independence of the Seas
On the bus heading to the cruise ship
We took the first bus of the morning to the ship. After all our luggage was piled into a trailer at the hotel we were off to the ship on our next adventure. Our ship was the last one in the port so we had a little time to relax on the bus before grabbing our bags and heading onto the ship.
Hurry up and wait….Nathan patiently waiting in line! We had to go through a couple of lines before we could actually get on the boat. Thankfully the lines were moving right along and the kids did really well waiting.
We made it onto the boat! At least the older kids are really excited!
The kids first meal at Windjammer! They thought it was pretty neat being able to choose from all the great food on the buffets. So excited to go cruising with our family!
The kids wanted to check out the H2O Zone
The four older kids relaxing for a minute in the swing
After a few wrong turns we found our hall! WooHoo!
Karlie taking a picture of her Flat Stanley on the desk
The kids checking out the ice skating rink. Brina was too busy taking pictures to look at the camera.
Brina and Karlie found a great spot to sit down in the ice rink area and watch water traffic next to the boat.
Flat Stanley: His Original Adventure by Jeff Brown
While on the cruise last week I read the book Flat Stanley: His Original Adventure by Jeff Brown to the girls. Before leaving we had them color and laminate their own Flat Stanley’s to take with them. Both Flat Stanley’s had a blast on the cruise and were often seen looking out the window in our room at the ports, sneaking a snack from the shelf, and other random places throughout the week.
The book was a really quick read but the girls loved it. One afternoon as we were relaxing for a little bit before dinner I read the entire book to them. They thought it was silly and enjoyed taking their very own Flat Stanley on adventures with them.
In this book Flat Stanley wakes up one morning flattened by the bulletin board that fell on top of him during the night. The book goes through the adventures that encounters while being flat from being a kite for his brother to being mailed to a friend and even helping in a museum robbery investigation.
Whether you read the book to the kids or they read it on their own it will be a fun one for them.
Brina and Karlie’s Flat Stanley’s waving at them from the window in our room. The girls were tickled pink they could see them from the dock. It definitely made our room easier to spot (I didn’t see any other Flat Stanley’s in any other windows, ha).
Travel & Vacation: Beach Fun & Parasailing in Labadee, Haiti
Hanging out with Grandpa Russell at the beach
After a fun morning at the Aqua Park and many trips down the giant water slide we spent some time relaxing, swimming, and digging in the sand on the beach. The beach was right next to the giant water slide so the kids (and adults) could go down it whenever they wanted all day. We swam, played, and spent some time tossing the frisbee, skippies, etc…. Another family gave the kids 3 little floating rafts to play with the water so that added to the fun. After having a BBQ picnic lunch on the beach everyone went back into the water to play for another couple of hours. It was a great day at Labadee, Haiti.
Aw….what a life….lounging around on vacation at the beach. Karlie is living it up!
Brina digging around in the sand
Little Zach content with his sea shell treasure
There’s just something about digging in the sand…it’s fun for kids of all ages
Nathan and Amber found a bunch of neat shells…..the only thing is some of the cool shells had residents with claws! Although Amber figured out a way to clear the water pretty quickly, ha.
The girls having fun splashing around at the beach with Nicko
Whose ready to go parasailing?
Do you see that little tiny black spot in the bottom middle of the mouth? Yup, that little speck is Josh way up there!
Lee & Becky parasailing together. They don’t look scared at all!
That tiny speck of white in the middle of the picture is the boat that is pulling them. Wow, the boat looks so small and that’s a long rope! Dad, Josh, Lee and Becky enjoyed some time parasailing in Haiti.
Travel & Vacation: Giant Water Slide at Labadee, Haiti
Karlie zipping down the water slide like a pro
After we spent some time at the Aqua Park we headed over to try out the giant water slide! The slide was a lot of fun. If you laid down, put your feet together, fold your arms across, and arch your back you could really get some speed going down it. A few of times you could see an adults arm or leg come over the edge of the slide on the way down. The slide was a hit with both the kids and adults. I know several of us went down it many times. We had a blast zipping down this slide and it was right next to the beach so it was really convenient.
Daddy, Brina, and Karlie heading up the path to get in line for the giant water slide. You had to walk up stairs and a cement path to get to the top, but usually once at the top you didn’t have to wait very long before you were flying down the slide again.
Daddy and Karlie washing off their feet before going down the giant water slide again. At the top of the slide they had a spot for you to wash your feet before going down it.
Oh yeah! Let’s do that one again!
Daddy and Brina coming down the slide!
And it ended with a big splash in the pool of water at the end of the slide.
Brandon all smiles coming down the slide. I am pretty sure Brandon went down the slide the most number of times, he loved it!
Got a picture of Nathan as he was popping up at the end of the slide….he thought it was pretty neat!
Daddy flying down the slide
This was my view as I snapped a quick picture at the end of the giant water slide…the expression of Nathan’s face makes me laugh!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Aqua Park in Labadee, Haiti
Here come Daddy and Brina down the slide!
On our next stop we visited Labadee, Haiti. The place were we stopped was beautiful and relaxing. Our first stop of the day was the Aqua Park. You had to walk down a dock and they had a bunch of huge inflatables in the water from slides to trampolines and more. The inflatables were spread out so you had to swim from one item to the next and if I remember correctly the water was 30 feet deep in that area. The kids and adults had a fun time climbing, bouncing, sliding, splashing, and playing at the Aqua Park.
Karlie getting ready to come down the huge water slide into the ocean! It’s a lot harder then you think to climb up wet bouncy castles and slides!
Aqua Park fun! This one was a hard one to get onto especially for the kids, but Jeremy, Amber, Josh, and Lee had a blast on it! They managed to get it moving and spinning pretty fast.
The big kids had fun playing at the Aqua Park too! 🙂
Brina swimming past me on her way to the next Aqua Park item.
Daddy coaching Karlie has she starts to climb one of the icebergs
Swimming around at the Aqua Park
Travel & Vacation: At Jamaica’s Doorsteps
The older four cousins hanging out together. Welcome to Jamaica!
Well we made it to Falmouth, Jamaica! I guess that should count for something, right!? There are not as many pictures of Jamaica because our plans….well…just didn’t go as planned. Despite some of the hiccups and our change in plans we still managed to have fun that day.
Once on the island of Jamaica this was the first sight that greeted us!
Where should we go first?
It was a beautiful day in Jamaica
The kids sitting while we wait for our tour to start….little did we know….
Buses and taxi’s were coming and going….but “Where, Oh Where” is our bus? Hmmm….
Our Karlie Kool Kat
Our little Brina Bee
What should we do while we wait? Looks like Josh is still smiling, Brina is entertaining herself by cleaning her shoes or checking on her toenail polish…is Grandpa napping? The after waiting for over an hour we were informed that our tour was canceled. The bus that was suppose to take us on the tour broke down and there were no replacements. Guess we were not meant to see Jamaica’s pineapple fields, papaya orchards, historic Jamaica, or a visit with local kids in a rural school. We didn’t have enough time to do another tour because the ship was leaving in a couple of hours so some people decided to walk around the market area for awhile then we headed back to the ship to take the kids swimming. The kids still had a blast and loved the extra time to play.
Karlie and Brina were amazed by these guys…so tall…and thrilled to get a puppy balloon from them
View of Jamaica from our boat.
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Snorkeling, Starfish, and Fun at Grand Cayman Island
Snorkeling off the coast of Grand Cayman! The water was a little rough but there were hundreds of little fish!
First we explored Grand Cayman, followed by a relaxing boat ride out to the reef, next we swam with the stingrays (WooHoo, that was super fun!), and now we get to snorkel, hold huge starfish and more! The kids had a blast at Grand Cayman! So many neat memories and experiences. We were running a little tight on time and the waves were a little rougher than normal so we didn’t snorkel for very long. A couple people ended up getting sea sick with the boat rocking around so much but everyone recovered and were feeling better before too long.
Lots of little fish everywhere. The kids quickly discovered that when you threw food into the water a whole school of fish would come to get a nibble, it was pretty neat to watch all the little fish scramble as fast as they can for the food!
Snorkeling with the fish
Brina holding a huge live starfish one of the guides dove down and picked up for the kids to hold.
Karlie holding a large starfish in the palm of her hand. These babies were big!
Nathan’s got a big starfish!
Nicko was super excited to hold the starfish!
Brandon finally warmed up to the idea of holding the starfish by himself and he even liked it!
Hanging out with Uncle Jo on the boat ride back to the ship
All SMILES after a super fun adventure in Grand Cayman!!!
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
