After spending a week on our feet at Disney World we were ready to rest and relax on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas Cruise Ship. As soon as we boarded the kids found their way around and were soon in their swimming suits soaking in the hot tubs on the deck.
Our first day at Sea was really windy and not super warm but that didn't stop the kids from having a great time.
Jordan and Sadie loved the rock climbing wall at the back of the ship. They both managed to climb to the top without falling.
Of course we can't go anywhere without Carson sniffing out the basketball court. He spent most of his day on the court at the back of the ship. It was funny to watch him play while moving on the ship. Needless to say his shot was a little off at times. He would just laugh!
Grandma and Grandpa joined us for the cruise. They had just got off of another cruise the week before and they hooked up with us to enjoy another week of cruising.
The kids soon learned that dressing up for dinner was one of the best parts of the day. Even though they had to dress up it was worth it. The food was delicious and we had such a great time every night at dinner!
Jordan and Daddy waiting for their meal!
Carson and Sadie
Me with my big kids - Kailey and Carson.
Grandma and Kailey
Carson loves chocolate milk. He thought he had died and gone to heaven when he figured out the waiter would bring him non-stop chocolate milk. (Funny how they make you pay for pop on the ship but not chocolate milk!) The first night Carson drank so much chocolate milk that when his meal came he couldn't eat it. He was so disappointed because it was prime rib and it was delicious! Every night after that we had to remind him not to fill up on chocolate milk before the meal came! It was like keeping alcohol away from an alcoholic. I guess there are worse things he could want to be drinking!
This is my favourite guy on the ship - our waiter, Rodson from India. He was hilarious! The reason why I loved him so much is because he fed my family and cleaned up after them for an entire week and I didn't have to lift a finger! The best thing for me on this vacation was not to have to think about what we were going to eat and yet we enjoyed amazing meals all week!
Here is a picture of all of us at dinner one night! We had lots of laughs and great times at dinner.
This is Darcy and Kailey on the 5th floor. Main street is behind them. This was a street down the middle of the ship that was just amazing! It had shops, and little restaurants. They had Dreamworks parades and all kinds of things going on.
This is Jordan's favourite car on Main Street.
Our first stop was on a private island in Haiti.
The kids loved the white sand and the sun and the
warm water.
Jordan and Grandma searching for snails. There were a whole bunch of them along the beach.
Jordan loves to climb palm trees and he is really good at it. He could just about live with the monkeys!
After some time on the island it was time to head back to the ship. The kids loved the all you can eat soft ice cream on the main deck.
Sadie and Jordan practicing their snorkelling on the ship.
They were ready to go snorkelling in the open water later in the week.
Next stop was Jamaica. All Jordan wanted to do was drink from a real coconut. We asked him if he wanted to meet some of the Jamaican basketball team.
When he saw them from a distance he couldn't believe how tall these basketball players were.
Of course they were on stilts and Jordan thought it was pretty funny when he got up close enough to realize that they weren't really that tall.
We found what Jordan was looking for! A real Jamaican who chopped the top off of a real coconut with a real machete and stuck a straw in it for Jordan to drink the milk.
Mmmmmmmmm delicious! I couldn't believe how much milk there was in that coconut! It filled Jordan and I both up and there was still some left for Daddy!
Next stop was Grand Cayman. While we were waiting to go snorkelling and swim with the stingrays we had to check out the candy shop.
Rice Krispie square anyone?
How about a gummie bear?
Check out this Nerd!
Succccckkerrrrrr!!!
How much will you give me if I eat this whole gummy worm?
Who could resist a kiss like this?
The kids wanted a conch shell and not one from the stores in the streets. While we were on our boat swimming with the sting rays (pictures of that adventure to come later), this guy dove off the ship and brought up a bunch of conch shells. He served up fresh meat from the shells during our boat ride home and then cleaned up the shells for the kids.
Here is Jordan with a fresh conch shell right from the ocean!
This was Darcy's favourite meal of the week. Seafood night! All you can eat!
Grandma and Carson at dinner discussing which watch they should buy on main street when dinner was over.
My beautiful girls!
Jordan ate so much that he cannot see straight!
Our Family
Last stop was Cozumel Mexico. It was a windy raining day and we were not able to go snorkelling because the weather was too dangerous for swimming in the ocean. The weather didn't stop us from having fun shopping. The kids learned the art of bartering really quickly.
Fun times as a family! We were all sad to come home. We missed our dinners and our waiters once we got home!
