Our Eastern Caribbean Getaway

We just got back from a wonderful 7-day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean, full of beautiful scenery, fun, and TONS of food. We wish we could go back already!


This was our first stop: Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. Yes, the water really is that color (or prettier) and the beach is fine white sand. That's our cruise ship behind us: the Carnival Triumph. We spent most of our time either playing in the water (swimming, snorkeling, etc.) or laying out on the beach trying to tan our obviously white skin!

St. Thomas was our second stop on the tour of the Caribbean. This was our favorite port we visited. We first rode a sky-ride gondola to the top of a mountain in order to get this shot. Below (where our ship is) is the main harbor. The shopping (essentially consisting of a million jewelry stores) lines the harbor in the distance. Here, we enjoyed a free sail and snorkel excursion (thanks to winning a raffle on the ship), where we snorkeled with sea turtles and a bunch of fish in crystal clear water.

Here is a shot at our table with our new friends, Carlos and Kendal. Carlos, the headwaiter (standing) is from Colombia and Kendal (sitting next to Heidi) is from Haiti. They were awesome and served us some of the best food we've ever had. Also at our table (though not shown on our blog) were Mike, Peggy, and Silvia from Kentucky, as well as Rogelio Sr. and Rogelio Jr. from Mexico (yes, I had a great time speaking Spanish with them). It was a lot of fun getting to know each other.




Speaking of food, here is a TINY example of what we were eating all week long. Granted, this was fancier than most of our meals because it was the 'Grand Gala Buffet', but you still get an idea of what we were FORCED to consume while on board. I think I gained around ten pounds and don't regret a single minute of it!

Our next stop after St. Thomas was San Juan, Puerto Rico. This was a totally different atmosphere than the other three ports. San Juan is very historic, with several huge forts, cobblestone roads (in parts) and a lot of old Spanish architecture. This picture is from an excursion we did in San Juan in El Yunque rainforest. We took a shuttle tour throughout the forest and saw all kinds of cool plants, etc. There was also a tower at the very top that gave you a stunning panoramic view.




HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! Aren't we a sexy bunch?!? This was definitely a different Halloween than we were used to, but we couldn't let it pass us by without costumes! We had a blast at night on the ship, partying away with a bunch of other people in costume. I can't begin to describe the discomfort of being in a mask and suit in the middle of the Caribbean (it was just a LITTLE warm), but it was worth it for the memory. I only wish I was this stylin' at home!

Before I get to the next picture, I need to mention that our last stop was in Grand Turk (Turks and Caicos). We didn't have a lot of time there due to a previous medical emergency that forced us to go back to San Juan for a little while, so we don't have the best pictures in Grand Turk. It's another great beach area where we dove for conch shells (we brought two home). We also did our best to brave the really chopped water, sent our way courtesy of tropical storm/hurricane Noel.

I got to hold Snappy!! Once we got off the ship back in the port of Miami, we had all day before we needed to be back at the airport. So, we decided to do an Everglades excursion in Miami to have some fun and pass the time. We flew around on an airboat (the ones with the big fans on the back of them that you see on CSI Miami, etc.). We saw one gator in the water, and then were able to go to a show where they fed about five of them. After the show, I had the chance to hold a baby gator named Snappy (it's about the 20th one they've used, and they always name him Snappy).

NOT SNAPPY!! This was an added bonus to our Miami excursion. Once the show ends (and you hold Snappy), you are able to spend the next half hour or so walking through the park and looking at the alligators and crocidiles that are fenced in, much like a zoo. However, since the park is attached to the Everglades, we were treated to a HUGE wild gator that decided to come say hello. This guy is over 50 years old (the guide guessed) and was by far the largest we saw. In this photo, the gator is no more than fifteen feet or so from the sidewalk we were standing on! Once the guide saw how big and how close the gator was to an all-you-can-eat human buffet, he ran the gator off back into the water. It was intense being so close to such a large and powerful wild animal. I believe the guide estimated this gator at about 13 -15 feet long.

After the Everglades, we headed back to the airport and we're happy to be home safe and sound. It was an incredible experience and we're glad we had the chance to do it. Now, we can focus on recovering from all the food we ate, and we're hoping that we'll stop rocking back and forth in a day or two!