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!
Travel & Vacation: Swimming with the Stingrays, Grand Cayman Island
Our family holding a stingray, what a neat experience! He was a slippery guy!
After arriving at Grand Cayman Island and exploring a little bit we had a relaxing boat ride out to the reef. My Mom found a really AWESOME tour where we went on a boat out to a reef and swam with STINGRAYS!!! We could see the stingrays in the water even before the boat had anchored.
Pretty much any time you were looking down you could see a stingray swimming by. The stingrays were HUGE, most were several feet wide. It was pretty common for them to swim right underneath you and take you feet out from under you or you would feel one brushing up against you as they swam by. It was a really neat experience! Brina was a little scared at first because they were so big but she did warm up to them and even touched them several times. Karlie absolutely loved it and would giggle whenever one came next to her. This is one of my favorite activities we did on the trip!
This guy took the feet right out from under me while swimming. Can you see his little eye? I think his looking right at me, probably wondering why I didn’t hand him some food! Our guide was hand feeding them while we were in the water swimming with them.
This one’s coming right at Karlie (you can see her reaching her hand out to pet it as it glides by)!
Two stingrays swimming side by side right in front of me. The girls were absolutely fascinated at how clear the water was in Grand Cayman! They loved being able to look down and see everything, including fish, stingrays, and even people!
Brina up close and petting one of the stingrays. Glad she got to touch it but most of the time she was more content staying a safer distance away from them.
Stingray! The stingrays were a dark gray on the top with white and speckled gray on the under sides. Beautiful creatures, so cool watching them glide gracefully through the water!
Silly Karlie girl! This picture was taken underneath the water and looking up at Karlie. She is holding her nose and breathing through the snorkel. She has a grand time swimming around looking at the fish and stingrays. We even saw a HUGE fish, several feet long but wasn’t able to snap a picture in time!
Large stingray swimming by
Little Sis had an absolute BLAST swimming with the stingrays! Karlie LOVED it and probably could have stayed in even longer if she could!
Another huge one swam right under me, they literally rub up against you and take your feet out from underneath you! Such a cool experience!
Travel & Vacation: Wish You Were Here at Grand Cayman Island
Jojo & our tour boat for the day! The boat was named “Big John” and it had “Wish you were here” written on the back!
Once on Grand Cayman Island our tour guide Mario took us out on his boat “Big John” to swim with the stingrays! It was a beautiful trip out to the reef. The water was pretty and we got to see a lot of neat houses along the Grand Cayman canal. There was even a dolphin swimming around the docks as we were loading up the boat. Of course, I didn’t get my camera out in time to get a picture but the kids super excited to see a dolphin swimming right beside us as we were heading out.
Beautiful and peaceful in the docks at Grand Cayman
Brina and Karlie ready for the boat ride out to the stingrays
Beautiful house along the canal going out to the ocean near Grand Cayman
Cute row of houses along the Grand Cayman Canal
Watching a sailboat as we head out to the reef
B & B hanging out together on the boat ride….wide blowing through their hair.
Passing another boat coming from the reef
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: Visiting Grand Cayman Island
Look Out Grand Cayman…..ready or not here we come!!! All 15 of us riding the ferry boat over to Grand Cayman Island!
Our first stop on the cruise was Grand Cayman Island! The kids were so excited to visit Grand Cayman and were really looking forward to exploring and swimming. Our ship did not dock on the island so we had to take a ferry boat over to the island. We arrived at Grand Cayman a little early so everyone had some time to shop, relax, and explore before we headed out on our tour.
Karlie and Brina are ready to go swimming!
Zach’s ready to go too! Relaxing on the boat ride over!
We made it to Grand Cayman Island! Where should we go first?
Hey Brina and Karlie, have you seen any pirates on the island yet? 🙂
Brina and Karlie hanging out on Grand Cayman Island! Their favorite store was the candy store! They had giant sized gummy teddy bears, a huge box of nerds, and more (we didn’t buy anything but it was cool to see some of the neat stuff they had in the store).
Hanging out with my favorite chickies!
Busy Grand Cayman street. Did you know that there are over 600 banks on the little Grand Cayman Island? Guess it is a popular place to have an “off-shore” bank account!
We found a great spot on a balcony to hang out for a few minutes together before going on the tour. You can see our ship from Grand Cayman Island, it is the one in the middle.
Dad and Jojo talking on the balcony. That huge boat on the left….yup that’s the one we went cruising on for a week!
Vacation: “Cruise Adventure” on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas
Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas Cruise Ship (the back of the boat) As I reflect back over the cruise vacation we took on Royal Caribbean, Serenade of the Seas, I am thankful for the opportunity to experience a fun and relaxing trip full of new memories. Over the last several weeks I have been sharing tidbits about our time exploring the various Caribbean Islands, however, today I want to focus a little more about the actual ship we spent our evenings on together. We gave some facts regarding the ship in an earlier post but I want to share a little more about what we did on the cruise in this post.
The seventh day of our cruise was the only full day we were at sea. Every other day of the trip we were visiting an island in the Caribbean. Ever day was packed full of a variety of activities. There were a lot of fun things to do on the ship, here are just a few:
- Breakfast – you could chose to have it delivered to your room, eat at the Windjammer (buffet) or eat a sit down meal at Reflections. We did a mix of the Windjammer and Reflections throughout the week depending on the activities for the day.
- Every day evening after dinner we would have a new schedule of the next day’s events, information and activities so we could plan out our day on the boat or if we were going onto an island.
- Morning Activities where available throughout the morning and at various locations on the ship (here is a sample of some activities)
- Brain Teasers & Trivia
- Sabbath Service
- Early Morning Stretch
- Abdominal Conditioning
- Indoor Cycling
- Adult Mini Golf Tournament
- Yoga
- Walk for Wishes
- Napkin Folding
- Movie in the Cinema
- Acupuncture Seminar
- View from the Top
- Royal Bingo
- 3 Minute Makeup Seminar
- Secrets to a Flatter Stomach Seminar
- Cake Decorating
- Interview with Olympic Gymnast Lance Ringland
- Swimming
- Rock Climbing Wall
- Shopping
- And More….
- Afternoon Activities (here is a sampling)
- Music (Hot Spice – Calypso Sounds)
- Backstage Tour of the Theater
- Towel Folding Demonstration
- Ice Carving
- Movie in the Cinema
- Slot Tournament
- Men’s Belly Flop Contest
- Informal Bridge
- Learn to Swing
- 3-on-3 Basketball
- Name that Movie Tune
- Blackjack Tournament
- Scrapbooking Workshop
- Detox for Health & Weight Loss Seminar
- Pool Volleyball Crew vs Guests
- Belly Dance Class
- Gotta Dance Class
- Royal Poker Tournament
- Wine Tasting
- Adult Volleyball Tournament
- Core Conditioning Pilates
- Learn to Salsa
- Royal Bingo
- Adult Speed Climbing Competition
- And More…
- They had a variety of Evening Activities to keep everyone entertained as well
- Farewell Movie Night
- Showtime
- Star Bridge Dance
- Mambo Caliente
- Royal Poker Tournament
- Jazz Cabaret
- Paradise Lotto Draw
- Adult Karaoke
- On Board Shopping Deals
- And Much MORE
Our days were busy both on and off the ship. There was always something to do. We had fun, met a lot of wonderful people and created new memories. We look forward to having the opportunity to cruise again in the future. It was great not having to cook or clean the whole week! On a side note, they had food available when you wanted it pretty much 24 hours a day! It was nice because you could eat when it fit into your schedule!
Here is a quick introduction of a few key crew members aboard the ship. The Captain of our cruise ship was Captain Michel Claveau who started his career as a diver. Marc Walker was our Cruise Director from Weymouth, England started out in the entertainment industry as a DJ (22 years ago) then went on to juggle, unicyclist, then onto TV and Radio. Marc has been with the Royal Caribbean family since the late 1990’s and has served on 20 of Royal Caribbean’s 22 ships. Sanjay Dumar was our Hotel Director from Mumbai, India. Marco Marzocchi was our Chief Engineer from Genova, Italy. Cristiana Maruntelu was our Loyalty & Cruise Sales Manager from Romania. Alistair Burnett was our Food & Beverage Manager from the United Kingdom. Noel was our waiter and Janet our head waitress. They did a fabulous job serving, singing, and creating a pleasant atmosphere during dinner every night we were on the ship. I will add that the meals were amazing! We met a lot of other wonderful people aboard the ship. The staff was from all over the world and we enjoyed getting to know several of them during our stay on the ship.
We spent some time in the late afternoon on the last day packing. We were sad to pack but excited to continue our trip home and see the girls. Jake and I walked around the ship on the last night snapping a few more pictures and video clips to show the girls. They always have a lot of questions about the BIG boat! If we could Jake and I would have just keep on cruising! It was a wonderful experience again traveling with Royal Caribbean. We will be sharing a few pictures on board the ship in a post later this week!
A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. 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. Go with a good attitude and looking 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!
Vacation: “Nature’s Little Secrets” – Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Our first view of Tortola, British Virgin Islands, beautiful islands! During our recent trip we were able to stop by Tortola, British Virgin Islands where the licenses plates read “Nature’s Little Secrets”. Tortola is the largest and the capital of the 60 islands. We took a shore excursion called “Tortola Highlights”! The excursion started out in an open-air safari bus (aka a large open taxi). We took a scenic drive through the beautiful island of Tortola. The driver told us pieces of the history and culture as the bus climbed up the narrow curvy roads. We passed many local villages including Trench and Fahie Hill.
Tortola wasn’t always a peaceful island, it is said to be the spot where many pirates such as Bluebeard and Sir Francis Drake used to hide in the coves to pounce on the treasure ships as they sailed past. The old pirate dens are now used for snorkeling, exploring, or relaxing on the beach. British Virgin Islands includes Norman’s Isle which is believed to be the source of inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island”. Pirate Jost Van Dyke’s island is well known for it’s beaches. Virgin Gorda is the place where Rockefeller first promoted the island as an ideal tourist destination.
The island has “range” free livestock – cows, chickens, horses, goats everywhere, there was no place for them to go unless they wanted to take a long swim in the ocean. Tortola’s main source of revenue was sugar cane, however, their primary source is now tourism. You can find plenty of rum distilleries, old sugar mills, and colonial landmarks while exploring the island.
At the top of the island we stopped at the “Sky Top” Restaurant which was the highest point on all the islands. We were able to get a panoramic view of the British Virgin Islands, it was beautiful! The biggest hit for the “Sky Top” restaurant was the view, if you wanted to use the restroom you had to buy a drink (a can of Coke was $4.50), buy an expensive souvenir, or pay a $1 cash to use their facilities. The restroom had a working toilet but soap and paper towels were not available.
Tortola is also known for their white sand beaches and mountains full of fruit trees. We stopped for a swim at the Cane Garden Bay. We traveled around the entire island over Zion Hill for the scenic drive along the Sir Francis Drake Highway and back to Road Town where we browsed through some local shops. The driving was a little bumpy in areas as they recently had a storm that dropped over 4 feet of rain. We got stuck in a traffic jam due to a car accident but we all managed to make it back to the ship on time. It was interesting hearing the highlights from the drivers’ point of view, he was very proud of their schools, churches, and a new hospital they recently built.
If you go to Tortola make sure to bring cash for tips and to use the restroom as well as hand sanitizer! Tortola is a beautiful place with breathtaking views of the other islands. It is worth exploring if you are in the area! We hope to one day go back for another visit! I will be sharing in a future post some of the pictures we took while on the island of Tortola!
Below are some more facts regarding Tortola and the surrounding British Virgin Islands:
- Monarch – Queen Elizabeth II
- Governor – His Excellency Boyd McCleary
- National Anthem – “God Save the Queen”
- Flag – “Union Jack”
- Territory Status – Non-Sovereign, overseas territory of the United Kingdom, internal self-governing
- Legal System – English Law
- Largest Island – Tortola
- Language – English (official), Spanish
- Population – 28,882
- Religion – Christianity (major), Hinduism, Islamic
- Monetary Unit – US Dollar
- Economy – One of the most prosperous in the Caribbean. Highest Income Generators – Tourism & Financial Services
- Sales Tax – None
- Life Expectancy – 70 to 78
- National Flower – Oleander
- National Bird – Turtle Dove
- National Tree – White Cedar
Cruising on “Serenade of the Seas”
We had the privilege of cruising on Royal Caribbean’s “Serenade of the Seas” ship on our last vacation. The first evening we were aboard the boat was full of exploring the ship, our cabin, the schedules, activities and the amazing services they had to offer. It was our second cruise and the “Serenade of the Seas” was a bigger ship as well as a longer trip. We were excited to have the opportunity to explore more islands during our trip. Both of us slept very well aboard our time on the ship as they cruised from island to island during the night. We met a lot of really neat people and was able to spend some quality time with our family. “Serenade of the Seas” is one of Royal Caribbean’s newer ships. Here is some information about “Serenade of the Seas”:Ship Facts
* Maiden Voyage: August 1, 2003
* Passenger Capacity: 2,114 double occupancy; 2,502 maximum
* Godmother: Whoopi Goldberg
* Gross Tonnage: 90,090
* Length: 962′
* Beam: 105.6′
* Draft: 27.9′
* Cruising Speed: 22 knotsShip Highlights
* Rock-climbing wall
* Portofino Italian Restaurant
* Chops Grille
* Latté-tudes,SM a specialty coffee house featuring Seattle’s Best Coffee®
* Seaview Café
* Themed bars and lounges
* Casino RoyaleSM
* The Colony Club, a unique British colonial-style lounge with self-leveling pool tables;
* Beautiful indoor Solarium
* Indoor/outdoor country club with golf simulator
* Adventure Ocean® youth facilities
* Day Spa and Fitness Center
* Sports court with basketball/volleyball courtThese were just a few of the details of “Serenade of the Seas”. We enjoyed amazing food, great entertainment and a fun times. We would go again if we had the opportunity. If you have never cruised before it is an experience worth trying at least once. None of our party got sea sick. The trip was pretty smooth and the service wonderful. Check it out if you are thinking about taking a cruise. Who knows who you’ll meet along the way!
A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. 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. Go with a good attitude and looking 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!
A Vacation to Remember
We watched this beautiful sunset as we left South Carolina! Everyone needs a little time away. Seriously, life gets busy and schedules quickly become overloaded. It is important to take some time to relax, enjoy life and create memories. Every vacation is different some are restful while others are jammed packed with activities. Chose the vacation that suites your family. Try to plan a vacation with your family at some point this year even if it is only a long weekend away with your spouse, family, or extended family. You will cherish the memories you make for a lifetime.
My husband and I recently went on a cruise with my parents, my siblings and their spouses. It was wonderful to escape for a week and have fun together. The kids had a blast staying with friends while we were away and had a little vacation of their own away from Mom and Dad. The neat part about a cruise is once you arrive on the boat all your meals are provided, the hospitality is amazing and your room is cleaned multiple times a day. You truly are spoiled!!! My husband and I had a blast spending time with family, meeting new people, exploring the ship and islands. We always had plenty of activities, food, and entertainment. We were rocked to sleep every night as the ship went from island to island and every morning we woke up to a beautiful sunrise over the ocean. We could have continued cruising through the awesome islands, however, we were starting to miss the kids and figured we should get back to the regular routine.
Over the next few days I will be sharing pieces of our recent adventure with you. Some posts will be just for fun while others include helpful tips when traveling and cruising. It was an enjoyable trip and we hope everyone gets an opportunity to go on a cruise at some point. Go ahead start planning out your next family adventure!
A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. 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. Go with a good attitude and looking 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!
