CRUISE!!

Brian and I just got back from such a wonderful and relaxing vacation. We had such a great time on our cruise. It was a ten day cruise through the Caribbean. We flew to Ft Lauderdale on Sunday afternoon and stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Brian's sister and her husband are working in the Bahamas and they were able to fly over and meet us for dinner on Sunday night. It was good to see them and catch up on things with them. The next afternoon we boarded on the ship and set sail at about five o'clock that evening.

Our room was really nice, it had a king size bed, a TV, and a small refrigerator. But the best part of the room was the balcony. It was so nice to be able to sit out there and watch the waves or the sunset. It is so beautiful out on the ocean. We could even eat our meals on the balcony if we wanted.

We were at sea for two straight days before we stopped. I gotta say that on that second day I wasn't sure if I could finish out the cruise or not. I wasn't feeling very well and neither was Brian. We took some Dramamine and slept for a few hours that afternoon, and it helped and we were feeling much better. We finally got to touch land when we stopped in Panama on Thursday morning. Then from Thursday on we felt just fine. Later we found out that the waters were pretty rough that second day, and there were a lot of people sick that day, so we were not alone. But with neither of us ever going on a cruise before we just thought all that rocking was normal, but it wasn't.

We got to actually go through the Gatun Locks at the Panama Canal and then we took anchor in the Gatun Lake for a few hours before we turned around and went back through the locks. We docked at a pier for a few hours, and that was when we were able to get off the ship for a little while. I guess panama is kind of a dangerous place, so unless you had a ship approved excursion, you had to stay on the pier. They had a swap meet which was pretty interesting. We got the boys a shark and alligator tooth necklaces. They thought they were pretty awesome!

That night we set sail for Costa Rica. We arrived early Friday morning. We had originally planned on going river rafting in Costa Rica, but it was cancelled because not enough people signed up. (I think the average age on the ship was probably about 70 so I think that explains it) So we just got off the ship and walked around the town for a little while. The land and the rain forests are so gorgeous, but the town was the exact opposite. It was dirty and smelly, and the people there were kind of scary. We were walking trying to find the beach and we took a small road that we thought would lead to a beach, and we were stopped about half way down by a local who warned us that it wasn't safe and we should go back. At that point, I got a little freaked out, and I just wanted to go back to the ship and lay by the pool. So that is what we did.

The next day, Saturday, we were at sea. On Sunday morning we arrived in Jamaica. We went with a group of about 10 other people and we got a taxi to take us to Dunns river falls. It is a waterfall that flows out into the ocean from down the hills in Jamaica. We actually climbed up the waterfall. We were soaking wet, but it was so much fun! We then tried to dry off a little before we drove back into town. We walked around the shopping center for a little while to waste a little time. And during that time Brian was offered weed and mushrooms about five different times. It totally shocked me! The ship had warned us that we may be offered drugs, but I guess I didn't really believe it would actually happen. Crazy huh? And in case you are wondering, he did turn it down. The best part of Jamaica was going to church. We found a little branch just a few blocks away from where the boat was docked. It was such a great experience. The people were so nice and welcoming. The branch president talked with us for about a half an hour after church. They held their meetings in an upstairs room in a little shopping mall. The room was pretty small, but there were about 20 to 30 members there. There was no need for a microphone, and they had small electronic keyboard that the young women's president played the right hand on for the hymns. All the speakers talked about tithing, and it made me realize just how fortunate I am to live where I live and to have the things that I have been blessed with. The people in Ocho Rios don't make a lot of money, but they are working towards a goal of having enough money to build their own church building. They have such faith, they were and inspiration to me. This was also the first time I had ever attended church in a different country. It was also the first time I have ever taken the sacrament in my bathing suit!

We set sail that evening, and the next morning we arrived at Grand Cayman. It was so beautiful there. The water is so green, and so clear. We got off the ship really early that morning because all aboard was early that day 2:30. We had a taxi take us to a beautiful beach where we rented snorkeling equipment. We snorkeled and relaxed on the beach all morning. It was the first time either Brian or I had snorkeled. I loved it !! We saw some really neat stuff. Schools of bright blue fish, fish of all shapes, colors, and sizes. We saw some squid and a barracuda. Some friends we were with saw a lobster. I got hooked, I could have swam all day! It is like you are inside an aquarium, so cool!

The last port of call was Cozumel. Here is where we had our only planned ship sponsored excursion. What we did was ride on a Rhino, which is like a two person ATV. We drove that about 20 or so miles to an ecological park. We had such a blast. Those rhinos go pretty darn fast, at one point we were going almost 50 miles per hour. When we got to the ecological park we got to see some salt water crocodiles. We stood on this pier which was only about a foot or so above the water that they were in. It was a little scary, because if they wanted to, they could totally have eaten me for lunch. I got some really good pictures of them though. We also got to see some old Mayan ruins. It was a lighthouse that was about 1200 years old. Over time a lot of it has been buried under the sand, so you only see the top eight feet, but there is fifteen feet below the sand you couldn't see. It was pretty fascinating. Our last stop was another chance to go snorkeling. We ended up snorkeling for a few miles. We were so exhausted when we finished! But I can't even put into words how pretty it was. We saw thousands of different types of fish. And my favorite was seeing a real sea turtle. It swam right up to us, it was only about one foot away. Since we were inside an ecological park they warn you not to touch any of the coral or fish, but that sea turtle was so close we could have touched it! Overall Grand Cayman and Cozumel, were my favorite ports.

We had such a wonderful time on our trip. We had a good time when we stopped at the ports, but we also were able to relax and take it easy on the days we were at sea. We watched movies, and layed out at the pool, and we ate a lot. The best thing about going on a cruise is that the food is included. Even the room service! And there is a 24 hour buffet. I think I gained 10 pounds, but man was it worth it!