Day 9 - Heading Home

We woke up early and enjoyed our breakfast in the dining room.  Once again the concierge service proved wonderfully worth it.  Only 21 rooms on the ship were allowed room service and it made our morning SO much more relaxed.  We chose to walk off the ship just after 7:30 am.  It was when Rodrigo said the lines would be shortest AND would allow us to get to a hotel earlier to ensure we got a room for the day.  We didn't need to be to the airport til mid-afternoon and wanted to find a place to rest.

Rodrigo was right... there was NO line so we walked right off, got our bags, walked up to the immigration officer to show our passports and then out the door.  It was a rainy, overcast day so we grabbed a cab and headed back to the hotel we stayed at the first night.  It is crazy to think of how much has happened since we were last here 7 days ago.

The front desk did get us a room but it was quite a hike.  We welcomed the space and rested for a few hours.  Eventually the sun came out and Sammy was eager to visit the pool again so she and I headed out while the boys watched a few documentaries.

After lunch we grabbed a cab and headed for the airport.  We are all pretty tired from the early wakeup and the busy week but there are smiles on our hearts.

The first flight was pretty long but in a larger / newer plane than we've flown before.  Our family sat in the same row across the middle and each seat had its own screen with current movies available.  The kids LOVED having access to so many options and entertained themselves the entire trip.

As we began our decent into Grand Rapids, I looked over to see Sammy drifting off to sleep... she was so sweet and peaceful I didn't have the heart to wake her.  But eventually the lights woke her up and we deplaned.

The kids helped with the bags and we loaded the truck.  It was a VERY quiet drive home as both kids snuggled up with their blankets and pillows and drifted off to sleep.

We carried the kids up to bed and decided to wait until morning to unpack.  It is so good to be home!

Day 8 - St Kitts

Good Morning St Kitts!

Today we planned to sleep in since our excursion didn't leave til 1:15 pm.  But of course, Sammy had different plans so she was up by 7:00 am... And woke me up every 15 minutes until 8:00 am when I made the dreaded mistake of telling her I'd get up in 30 mins.  So she proceeded to check in on me every 5 minutes until I finally woke up.  We grabbed breakfast as per the usual and then asked the kids how they preferred to spend their last morning on board.

Sammy wanted to swim and Tyler wanted to stay in our stateroom to watch a movie.  Scott and I split our time between the two.  

While in our stateroom, I completed some paper work for our debarkation and then went in the hot tub with Sammy.

We met back in our room to head for lunch.  Then we packed up and headed to our shore excursion.  

St Kitts is a beautiful island as well!  We boarded a mini-bus for an unscheduled ride to the other side of the island where the resorts are to a great lookout spot for photos.  

Here you could see the Atlantic Ocean to the left and the Carribbean Ocean to the right.  

Then we headed back toward town, almost to the pier, where we turned to go to the Dolphin Discovery.

It didn't take long before we were split into two groups and we met our dolphin Ila (Ee-la) and her trainer Christian.  Scott was chosen first to demonstrate the hand motions to interact with the dolphin.  Tyler could absolutely not contain himself as he waited his turn.  Sammy was pretty nervous about it all - she had been really excited but I think the size of the dolphin intimidated her and she seemed really distracted (or grossed out) by the slimy platform we stood on in the water.

Anyway, we all took turns doing the tricks.  She touched her nose to our extended hand, she danced with is, and gave us a kiss (except Sammy because that's gross). Next we swam out in the water and the dolphin literally hung in our cradled arms.  Though out the program, Christian shared facts about the Dolphins and showed us some extra tricks.

As we climbed out of the water, Tyler shouts, "this is my BEST day EVER!"  It made my day to see a smile that big on his face... And it didn't wear off for quite a while. 

As we arrived back at the port, we unloaded from the bus and paused on the sidewalk to organize ourselves.  A man approached carrying a monkey and asked if we'd like a picture.  He plunked that little monkey down on Tyler's shoulder and that smile came right back... So of course we'll pay for the picture ;)

We got back aboard and cleaned up for the night.  We decided to adjust tonight's schedule to allow for time to pack so we did the show first and then dinner.  He arrived at the farewell show at 5:45 and ordered 2 chocolate smoothies (yes whip, no cherry) and a Coke (with a straw) and some normal drink for Scott.    

The show was the Disney Dreams presentation and surely the best of the week.  Sammy giggled and pointed and clapped loudly as the characters made their appearances.  It was so special when one of the dancers tapped her on the shoulder and waved as the Lion King-themed dancers performed in the aisles.  I cannot believe that in such a large auditorium, the actors have a way of making my girl feel so special!

Since we planned to do the early show, we missed our seating for supper.  Instead we preordered the kids food from tonight's menu in the dining room and ordered our meals from Palo, the adult-only restaurant on top deck.  It was wonderful again and we really enjoyed the quiet meal together.  

Before the meal, we each took a turn praying... Thanking God for some aspect of our trip.  That spurred on a great conversation where we shared our favorite moments and places from the trip.

After dinner, the kids took some down time while Scott and I got our bags packed.  We settled the kids in for bed by 10:00 pm.  

Scott and I wrapped up our last night out on the balcony enjoying the sound of the waves.  

It truly was another magical day! 

Day 7 - Antigua!

I know I'm repeating myself but it was another great day!

We woke up at 7:00 am, got our suits on and waited for room service to arrive with breakfast.  Our excursion left promptly at 8:05 and we were soon in our mini van being whisked thru town by Eustice our driver.

The island of Antigua is mostly flat so it was quite different than the other islands, we have visited.  

We aren't sure why, but Sammy was off today.  She was already reciting Dr Seuss.  But she was the first to see the rainbow on the ride out... Tyler spotted the second!    

We arrived at Sting Ray Bay and were quickly sent out on our boat to the reef.  It was appx 20 min by boat...  A beautiful ride!

We spent quite a bit of time by the reef.  We were in 3.5-4 ft of crystal clear water. As the boats pulled up, the sting ray began to crowd the reef for feeding.  The larger rays, the females, were up to 5ft long!!!  I'll be honest, it was pretty intimidating!  

The kids weren't so sure about the walking and touching part.  Sammy especially seemed really afraid.  After posing for just one pic while Scott held a large ray, Sammy stated to cry and begged me to take her out.  She and I sat on the floating dock watching Scott and Tyler interact with the rays.  Bless his heart, Scott came out to watch Sammy so I could have a turn. 

Tyler was still pretty nervous but we had a very friendly guide come over and share all sorts of facts with us.  Tyler shared what he already knew and the man was impressed.  (His son watches similar tv shows so they chatted about characters etc for a bit). It was just what Tyler needed to feel safe.  The guide even went on to help Tyler feed a sting ray!!!  He was so proud of himself!

After we got out we took another boat ride appx 10 minutes to a dock hidden in the mangroves where we boarded our kayaks.  

We navigated through the mangroves, learned about the ecosystem and held star fish, jelly fish and sea cucumbers.  It was very educational!

Another shower was blowing in as we finished up so we got quite a work out making the last long dash across the water as the winds picked up.

Everyone was tired for the boat ride home and with the rain coming down, it was a perfect excuse to cuddle up under the towels.

Back at the main grounds, we checked out the iguanas and maccaws.  I stubbed my toe really good and had to visit the first aid station.  

Eustice drove us back to the boat and we walked the final leg in a very soaking rain.  We returned to our stateroom around 12:30, ready for a warm shower and very hungry!

After we were cleaned up, we visited Sammy's "favorite restaurant" again and got to visit with Savio, our server for supper each night.  We headed back to our room for the afternoon.

Scott took a nap.  The kids took turns with iPads and movies.  I listened to my book on the patio.

We had off and on showers most of the afternoon. This was a good thing as the island was short of surface water and is experiencing somewhat of a drought.

As the afternoon wore on, I took the kids for a walk, Scott and Sammy went to play foos ball, and Tyler and I played Uno.

We asked that our dinner to delivered to our room again.  It really is lovely and just perfect for our family... still the great food but without the noise and crowd.

We sampled four desserts that were simply heavenly... Banana crime brûlée, bananas foster sundae, Apple pie ala mode, and (the kids favorite) chocolate lava cake.  Mmm.

We decided to skip tonight's show and instead, went up on deck to watch a movie on the big screen under the stars... Ratatouille. 

After getting into the movie a while, we realized they had opened the pool and hot tub so we quick ran back for our suits and finished the remainder of the movie from the water.  It was so relaxing!

Then we made a quick trip to the gift store and back to our stateroom for bed!

The seas are very calm tonight with low winds... It's a very comfortable night to be on deck!

Day 6 - Martinique!

We woke up docked in Martinique!  It is a French colony with a unique European and Carribbean blend. 

Since Sammy and I woke up earlier than the boys, we decided to go out and meet some characters.  Today we found Minnie and Daisy!

Sammy loved them both!  We grabbed Scott and Tyler and headed up to get breakfast.  

You know how autism causes us to have no filter?  Well on the elevator (see the theme here), Sammy declares "look she has wrinkles!" To the 50/60-ish woman riding with us... "she is very old, like my great-grandmother!"  The woman laughs awkwardly and responds "really?"  And we all got off at the floor.  I felt really bad as we followed her toward breakfast.  When she stopped to tell a younger later (her daughter) the story, I decided to stop and explain.  Ready for crazy?  Her daughter has a 9-yr old son with autism... Who has no filter... They dread elevator rides too!  We had a good laugh.

Breakfast was good.  The kids have figured out what they like and look forward to eating at the Beach Blanket Buffet each morning.

Scott started feeling his sinus pressure return so he headed back to the stateroom for a shower while the kids and I wandered around the ship.  We ended up playing ping pong and food ball again.

When we got back to the room, Tyler started watching Star Wars 6, in preparation for tonight's showing of #7.  Sammy watched tv in her room, and I rested on the balcony, listening to a book.  

I slightly lost track of time so we needed to rush to grab some lunch on our way to our excursion.  It was pizza by the pool.  Then we realized it... where's Tyler's  retainer?  We had it at breakfast but no one remembered bringing it back with them.  Uh oh!  We didn't have time to deal with it now, so we reassured Tyler and headed to our meeting place.

Just off the ship, we boarded a large pontoon-style boat.  We had a 45-min ride to reach our snorkeling destination.  

We brought the kids underwater camera, so I will add those pics later.  But let me just say, this was the best snorkeling not experience I've ever done.  First we stopped at Bat Cave where we snorkelled in and around the cave entrance.  

Then we drove past a black sand beach on our way to our second snorkeling spot.  Here there was a beach and the kids preferred we play on the shore.  We did snorkel on the way in and were amazed by the number of fish!

Unfortunately there was a medical emergency taking place when we arrived so the bulk of our 30 mins was spent watching the helicopter drop in 3 emergency responders and medical supplies.  This area was so remote he helicopter arrived at least 10 minutes before any vehicles.

The ride back was peaceful and I enjoyed the wind and views.  The kids both settled in for some snuggle time and screen time.

When we got back on board, Sammy asked me to dry and curl her hair again.  We got all ready for our Pirates party while the boys watched the boat leave port.  

We had dinner delivered to our rooms again.  It's still the same great menu options but in the comfort and quiet of our own space which works well for Sammy!

After dinner, Sammy lost ANOTHER tooth (my goodness). 

We visited the concierge reception on deck 10 for drinks and a fabulous view of the dance party below.  

When it wa stone, we stepped outside to enjoy the fireworks!  Disney is the only cruise line in the world that sets off fireworks from the ship.

The guys had to leave right away to get seats for lStar Wars in 3D.  

Sammy and I went in search of the retainer.  Rodrigo promised he would take care of it... So Sammy and I headed down to do some "shopping without buying".  When we retuned to our room, Rodrigo called to say that the retainer was no where to be found... Shoot!  Sammy and I settled in to my bed to watch a movie.  After a bit, there was a knock on the door and there Rodrigo stoodwoth the missing retainer in hand! 

It was a late night when the boys finally made it back... Almost 11:00.  And we just found out that our afternoon excision to Sting Ray Bay was rescheduled for 8:00 am.  It'll be an early morning for us!