Heading Home (Day 8)

One of the best parts of cruising is all the delicious food.  We were in ice cream heaven for 7 days and I think Tiago may have eaten 22 hamburgers.  Holly got adventurous in the dining room, she tried rabbit, ox tongue, lobster tail, shrimp, swordfish, and many other interesting foods.  We had so much fun on our cruise!  We are all coming home a few pounds heavier, but we've created memories that will last a lifetime.

Fun Day at Sea (Day 7)

Our final day on the ship we spent at Sea and it rained the whole day.  That was alright, the kids all hung out with their new friends and participated in a lip sync show at the end of the night.  Ayzha got to do a pre-show dance competition.

Later that night the older kids played hide and seek with their groups.  In the Circle C group, Alyssa and Holly got an award for being the most well behaved girls and Tiago won for the boys.  We were proud parents!  Reyn and Q both came home with cute little backpacks from their camps.

La República Dominicana (Day 6)

When Ben and I visited 27 Charcos in July we knew we wanted our kids to experience it one day.  That day came...and it was one of the BEST DAYS EVER!

well, maybe they didn't love the hike up

but they loved jumping and sliding down the
waterfalls and through the slot canyons

Q was fearless.  They all were

afterward our taxi driver took us to
see his iguana

St. Thomas (Day 5)

Day 5 started out early.  The cruise director woke us up around 5:00 am with an announcement that the coast guard had asked our ship for assistance.  The MSC Seaside had reported a man overboard and per maritime protocols we spent the next 4 hours as part of the search and rescue operation complete with helicopters.  We read later that it was a 37 year old crewman from the Phillipines who fell overboard from the 7th deck.   He was never found, may he rest in peace.  We arrived in St. Thomas a bit late that day.

 

 The ride to Magen's Bay in St. Thomas was stunning! 

San Juan, Puerto Rico (Day 4)

Our visit to San Juan was a day that our kids got to put their Spanish to the test.   Our city tour guide spoke to us in Spanish, we purchased some t-shirts in Spanish, and explored the Castillo de San Cristóbal.

Before and after our visit to Puerto Rico the kids participated in some friendly competitions.  Holly beat out Q, T, and Reyn and a few other kids to win a 24 carat gold piece of ship in the morning and Tiago's team won thier game in the Hasbro Game show at night.

ask her about the time she held a strangers
false teeth in her hands.

Grand Turk (Day 3)

Snorkeling, Stingrays and Shells...oh my.  The beaches in Grand Turk are some of my favorites.  Soft white sand, warm water.  Delightful!

 

Her first kiss.. NOT!

clear gorgeous water and soft beaches
Love Grand Turk!

Cruise Day 2

Day 2 was Mother's Day and a fun day at sea.  Ayzha and Ben got the V in the volleyball championship!  We also participated in the corn hole competition and the kids enjoyed meeting other kids their age and doing activities at their camp.   In the evening we got all gussied up for a "cruise elegant" evening.

Q and I played in the wind on deck

The kids LOVED the daily towel creations

these 2 were adorable

Cruise Day 1

We had debated between staying at an all inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic and an eastern Caribbean cruise.  In the end the cruise won out and I think it was a fantastic choice.  We sailed on the Carnival Glory and surprise, Grandma and Grandpa Fuller joined us for the adventure.  As soon as we boarded we hit the buffet.  We also got the kids registered for their kids camps, did some karaoke, played games in the library, enjoyed a fancy dinner, and a show.  Soon after departure we had to turn around and head back to Miami.  A guest had a heart attack and passed away in the casino.  Crazy!