Our Cruise

Kelly & I were lucky enough to get away...just the 2 of us...for 10 wonderful days. We flew to Ft. Lauderdale then got on a ship for 7 nights to the Western Caribbean. Beware...there are lots of pictures. Jenny & Lanny Campbell were on the cruise with us. We had so much fun and are so glad we went with friends. The night we got into Ft. Lauderdale Jenny and Lanny picked us up from the airport and them we went to eat. We ate at the BEST seafood place. I really want to go back just to go there again.

This is our ship...we took this picture when we were in the Cayman Island.

We are on top of the ship by the waterslide.

We are at dinner the first night.

Fun Day's at Sea

Kelly going down the water slide. It was only opened one day, but it was so much fun.

Kelly with his coconut drink

Kelly and Lanny after spinning class...yuck

Here we are with Jenny & Lanny. (I really don't have a big mark in my armpit, it was just the flash.)

Kelly got into karaoke. He did it once and was addicted. He did a great job and it was fun to watch him up there.

Jamaica

In Jamaica we had so much fun. I didn't realize that it is like one big hill. It felt like we were in the jungle. We hired a driver through Marva Shaw at knowjamaica.com to take us around. Our drivers name was Grace. She was so awesome. 1st when we got into Jamaica it's a little crazy, there are a ton of people and everyone wants you to go with them. We had this nice lady help us find our driver. Grace told us a lot about the history and we were able to do so much with her. She took us up into the mountains and stopped by a little stand where a lady told us all about the fruits and spices they grow there. We were able to try a fruit they call Sour Salt...it was so yummy. She also showed us a small lemon...the size of a cantaloupe. I can't believe Jenny & I both forgot to take pictures at the stand (Kelly rolled his eyes everytime I asked someone to take our picture...he was pictured out).
This is right on the port to welcome us to Ocho Rios.

We climbed this waterfall...this is just part of it.

Here we are in the water at the falls. We had so much fun...thank goodness Grace told us to leave everything that we didn't want to get wet. We were soaked. Our nice guide took us up the falls and kept our camera dry!

This is where Grace took us to get Jamaican Jerked Chicken. We thought it was okay, but it's fun to try new things.

Kelly and Lanny really wanted to parasail, so Grace found someone to take them. She wouldn't ride in the boat. We found out why...the waves were 5' and it was really windy, but the guys loved it. Jenny & I were too chicken...maybe next time.

Grand Cayman

Here we are visiting the Cayman Island. We went on an excursion with a company called Native Ways called Rays, Reef, & Rum Point. It was so awesome.
Here Kelly & I are on the boat...look how beautiful the water is.

Here I am...can you see the stingrays in the water? The boat took us out in the ocean and then there was this sand bar where the water was 3 feet deep. There we were able to swim with the stingrays. We were also able to hold one and feed them too. It was such an amazing experience. I will post pictures of us holding it later.

Here I am holding a starfish. One of the crew members on the boat dove down into the water about 20 feet and picked up this starfish and 2 others so we could hold them. When we got to the snorkeling they put them back in the water and I was able to watch them turn themselves from their back to their front...it was so cool, you think they are hard and it would be difficult for them, but they bend their legs and turn right over...it took about 2 minutes.

Kelly on the boat as we are headed to the beach called Rum Point...I think this was the prettiest water of all the islands we went to.

Kelly at Rum Point. I would love to go back here and visit for a while. It was so beautiful and the water was shallow...it would be great to bring Tyler and Kaysen here.

Cozumel

Actually, the port was in Cozumel, Mexico, but we took a ferry over to Playa Del Carmen on the mainland for our activity. We were able to take a jeep to these caves.
We had to wear hard hats...thank goodness, we bumped our heads a ton. The ceiling got really low when we were walking inside, but then they opened up.

Here we are in the water inside the cave. If you look you can see stalagmites growing from the ceiling...underwater there was some too, that were from before there was water in the cave. This is the main drinking water for Mayans that still live there.

We then went to the beach where we had yummy Mexican food

Then we got to swim in the beautiful water.

On our way back to the ship they had this cow seat...I thought it was only fitting that Kelly get his picture with it!

Last night on the ship

This day was really cold. Everyone had on jackets and only the really die hards were outside. The waves were huge and the pools were closed. We still had fun though!
This is the map that showed us the path we took. The path was red until and then once we passed that place it would turn green.

Here we are on our balcony (I think this was actually the 1st night because the waves weren't 10' tall)

Every night they would leave us a new towel creation.

Kelly and Lanny loved to go get french fries at midnight. I was so good...I didn't even have one!!!

Miami

Kelly & I got to ride on this airboat in the Everglades. It was lots of fun and our guide thought it was fun to fish tail (which I didn't like so much...I didn't want any chances of meeting an alligator face to face.)

At this spot in the Everglades the water was 5 inches deep...amazing you can take a boat in that deep of water.

Kelly holding an alligator

Me holding an alligator...by the time I got around to holding it he was tired and was moving all over the place.

We watched the super bowl at the hotel...GO Cardinals!