We were so excited to go with the Bowens and the Christensens on a cruise! We'd been planning it for quite a while and it finally seemed like we had everything ready to go. We actually had to switch the cruise and move it up because of my pregnancy. We flew Michelle in to help with our kids and we were off! We flew out on the 16th with Janette and Brad. Paul and Natalie met us a little later on. The boat was really nice that we went on. We headed straight to the buffet and grabbed some lunch. The buffet had great food! Later that night we figured out our dining situation and just hung out. We also discovered the yummy pizza in the back of the boat.
Monday was St. Thomas. We chartered our own sail boat and that was definitely the highlight of the whole trip! We had an amazing time. It was just the six of us, the captain and the first mate. Beautiful sailing weather. They had plenty of water and soda for us. Our first stop was this really neat snorkle spot. We were the only ones around so we had the whole cove to ourselves. While we were out in the water they made a really great meal for us onboard. It was so yummy! They had some great teriyaki chicken and a yummy salad. After we were finished eating, we sailed to another fun snorkle spot. We didn't have as long there because we had to make sure we could get back in time to catch the cruise ship. Definitely our favorite day!
Tuesday was a sea day. It was nice to be able to relax and do what we wanted on the boat. Wednesday was Barbados. Such beautiful beaches there! Brad, Natalie and Paul went scuba diving while Janette, Brad and I just hung out on the beach. I love those days. I don't get too many because Brad doesn't really like sitting around too much. So nice to just chill.
Thursday was St. Lucia. St. Lucia was by far the prettiest island that we saw on our cruise. We decided to take a taxi clear over to the Pitons. It was a LONG drive over, about two hours, and our driver wasn't too chatty. Our first stop was the volcano on the island. We were pretty underwhelmed. I guess it's because it just reminded us a lot of Yellowstone. Not that great. We also swam in a waterfall there. It was pretty, but not something I would have to do again. On the way back we decided to stop at a cafe the driver knew about. We all got the Roti he recommended but I could barely eat it!! They don't take their bones or skin off their chicken. It was basically a whole chopped chicken wrapped in a tortilla. After our lunch stop it was time to head back to the ship.
Friday was St. Kitts. We booked a catamaran to take us over to Nevis. It was a little crowded on the catamaran but not too bad. We were able to stay out on the bungee part. They took us over to a spot to snorkle for a little bit. On the way over certain waves would hit the boat just right and drench us. It was really fun but we had to watch out. After snorkeling they drove us the rest of the way to Nevis where they cooked us a yummy lunch. It started raining a little so we had to stand under some trees. Luckily we finished eating first. After lunch we had a little time to kill so we walked down the beach. There was a Four Seasons resort there and we sat on some chairs for a little bit before going back to the boat. While we were waiting to leave back to St. Kitts Brad discovered that he could find sand dollars. He would dig his feet down into the sand in about three feet of water and find them. He found a bunch. It was pretty neat.
Saturday we stopped at St. Maarten. We didn't really have anything planned for this island, but when we heard they rent scooters we were in. Well, all of us were in except the Bowens. Turns out they got lucky that day. We were having an awesome time. The roads are small and the island is beautiful. We were hitting a bunch of spots they told us to hit. Well, after a few spots we were heading to this beach and almost missed the turn. Brad and I made it but Natalie and Paul didn't. We sat and waited for them and they never came. Well, a car pulled up to us and told us that our friends had wrecked the scooter. Well, it turned into a big fiasco with Natalie and I going to the hospital,then heading to the cruise ship clinic instead. Poor Brad and Paul left the scooter and then it got stolen. Supposedly. They ended up having to pay a bunch of money. Anyway, that island would've been amazing if that hadn't happened. I felt so bad for them that day but they were able to laugh about it a little later on. It made for quite a memory!
Sunday we were back in Puerto Rico. We hopped off the cruise ship and headed to our hotel. We dropped the luggage off and headed into Old Town. We saw the old fort there and walked around seeing some of the shops. Brad and Janette wanted to walk back, but being six months pregnant I was done walking around. Well, after not really finding a cab guess who walked the whole way back to the hotel. It was not a short walk either. My feet were done but everyone else went and checked out one of the beaches close by. That night we went back in for dinner. It was really fun to eat right at the pier. We even saw another cruise ship leaving. I think we were all excited to get home, but we were sad that it was already over. Probably one of my most favorite trips that I've been on!
Side Note: Michael Ballam was on our cruise with the cruise lady. It was hilarious when we found out just because of the fact that he was on our last cruise with us. He was even in our same hotel in Puerto Rico when we got back. Crazy!
