The Ship

For the last installment of our trip, I have a few pictures of our adventures on the ship. The biggest highlights were the dancing, the food and the pools. They had ballroom dance classes available - although we only made 2 because they kept landing during naptime or breakfast - and plenty of opportunities to dance.

One night, the kids were the only ones on the dance floor, and the band played this special song just for them. The kids went up and requested it with another band later, who also managed to play enough bars to keep the kids happy.

Sam, once again, was famous on the ship by the end of the trip. It seemed at least 50% of the crew members and guests knew him by name. Not only was he well-known for his high-fives and hugs, he was also widely recognized for his limitless energy. One man suggested to me that I rent Sam out to people who want to burn off some of the weight they gained on the trip: not a bad idea....

The ship had a few nice areas for the kids. There was a small play area and a splash pool that they could play in (as long as the boat wasn't rocking too hard). There was also a room for 3-7 year-olds where we could drop Elena off. She loved playing there with the other kids and she brought home a lot of crafts! Sam could go as long as we stayed with him, but he was pretty jealous that he couldn't be left there with Elena. Here she is with the babysitters our last night on the ship.

I don't know what we would have done without Seth's parents along. They were a huge help with the kids, and it was a lot of fun having them along for our vacation. The kids loved having Grandma and Grandpa along, too!

Next stops: Columbia & Panama Canal

After Aruba, we spent a day touring Cartagena, Columbia. Highlights were touring an old Spanish fortress and the former home of St. Pedro Claver, who fought for the rights of the African slaves in the 17th century. He baptized over 300,00 slaves in his lifetime. Adjacent to the house was a chapel built in his honor where we could view his remains.
Then we ran back to our cab as quickly as we could so we wouldn't miss the ship (they don't wait for anyone) - we were the last group on. Phew!



Next we were able to witness the workings of the Panama Canal. Our cruise ship is the only one narrow enough to fit through the canal. It was really interesting to see how the locks worked. Basically, the ship needs to go from sea level up 85 feet to the elevation of Gatun Lake so it can pass through to the other side, where it is then lowered. We went through 3 locks, where the ship is enclosed and then gradually raised with water until it is high enough to move onto the next lock. It's hard to describe here, but here are a couple of pictures of the neighboring ship before and after the water in the last lock has been raised. (You'll notice that our ship is also higher in the 2nd picture)

Beaches

I'll put up pictures from our trip in small doses. Our first day we spent in Florida, waiting to board the ship. Within about 5 minutes of landing, Elena turned to me and said, "Mom, where's all the snow?"
Needless to say the kids thoroughly enjoyed the sunny weather from the start. Here they are sunning themselves after a swim.

We were able to visit with Stacy, a high school classmate of mine who lives in the area. Later the owners of our hotel gave us a bag of bread and pointed us toward a pond where we could feed ducks and turtles. The kids had a good time, but the ducks were a little too friendly - if we took too long to throw more food, they would just come and grab it from our hands. Sam spent much of the time holding onto my leg and yelling "Go away!" at the ducks.
Our first and last stops on the cruise were Aruba and Jamaica. On both islands, we spent the day at the beach, which I think was the kids' favorite part of the trip. These were all taken in Jamaica - I didn't come away with many good Aruba photos, but they look pretty much the same.

You can pretty well measure how much fun the kids had swimming based on how much they sleep and eat afterward.

Sam, napping after swimming.

Elena, scarfing down a hamburger after swimming.

And....We're Back!

I know I didn't mention anything about this before leaving, but we've just returned from a 10-day cruise to the Caribbean. We stopped in Aruba, Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica and Jamaica. I just thought I'd check in for those of you who were wondering where we've been - I'll write more later once the unpacking is done.