Unfortunately, the day prior to us leaving, my Mom became ill with pneumonia, so my Dad and her had to stay behind. We were all disappointed that my Mom and Dad were no longer coming on the trip, but it was the right decision to stay home, rest and be near medical help. My Mom's health is priority #1 and hopping on a plane and getting on a cruise ship was not possible with her condition. Thankfully, she's feeling much better now and because they had bought travel insurance, they will be getting a full refund for the vacation.
Keith and I are so lucky that the flight to Florida went well, Breanna and Junior were the perfect little travelers! No crying, no whining and both took naps! We were still nervous about getting on the ship and how the first night in our teeny-tiny room was going to go. The four of us in 170 square feet. You do the math. Not to mention, we had 2 strollers, 3 pieces of luggage and 3 carry-on bags. Packing for 2 kids is so insane. But once we settled into our room, we got creative and decided to make the best of our small cabin. Other than the first night (where Junior woke up at 12:30 a.m. freaking out because he didn't know where he was and the ship was really rocky - this caused Bree to wake up screaming "what's going on?!?!?!"), both kids slept like angels through the night the entire trip. We really packed in our days onboard and at each port, so by 9:00 p.m., the kids were pooped, as were we, so hitting the sac was welcomed by all.
Breanna woke up each morning with a big smile, requesting very politely "can we go to the beach?!". We knew Bree liked sand for our trips to the beach this past summer, but boy did she soak up all the beach time we got at each port. Keith and I are so happy that she's a beach-bum like us (heck, we got married on a beach!)! Breanna also made friends at the Pelican Kids Club, so we ended up spending quite a bit of time there everyday so that she could play with her friends. Her teacher at school told me today that Breanna was talking about her vacation and how she "flew on an airplane" and slept on a "big boat" and how she made "sand castles on the beach". Adorbs.
Junior had so much fun on his first trip! He was the star of our vacation. Not only was he an amazing little traveler, he pretty much had every stranger on the ship come up to us commenting how cute he is. Now, let me point out that on our ship there were WAY more wheelchairs than strollers - so in a nutshell, we really stood out with our 2 strollers and our party of 7 all under the age of 35. Nonetheless, Junior enjoyed the water and the beach, although we kept him in the shade as much as possible (therefore, ruining Mommy's tanning opportunities), and he ate like a King, just like his father - so we got his monies worth!
Although Keith and I didn't get to spend anytime just the 2 of us on this trip, we realized that the time spent together as a family made it all worth it. We had such an amazing time together that we are considering taking one more family vacation in March before I return to work from Mat Leave. Not sure if we'll be able to pull it off, but it would be great if we could :)
Thank you to my sister, Rosemary, and my brothers, Ben and Jay, for helping us when we needed it on the trip and for spending quality time with your niece and nephew. Bree and Junior had so much fun with you guys and it was really terrific to be able to take this trip all together.
Here are some photos from our vacay. Enjoy!
Junior and Mommy arriving in sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida
The four of us taking a photo at sunset on the ship
Breanna and Daddy soaking up the sun in Princess Cays
The four of us on the boardwalk in Princess Cays
Keith and I on the beach in Princess Cays with our ship (Ruby Princess) in the distance
Junior enjoying lunch on the beach in Megan's Bay, St.Thomas
Bree wanting to join her Daddy and Uncle's in the water at Megan's Bay, St.Thomas
Don't you just LOVE her little bum! She is so cute in her little bathing suits!
The four of us enjoying the water at Megan's Bay
Junior and Daddy taking a swim in Grand Turks
Breanna taking in the sunset in Grand Turks
Breanna dumping sand on Junior in Grand Turks
Bree and Junior cuddling watching a movie together in bed.
They are so sweet together. Best friends!
We often enjoyed "movies under the stars" in the evenings on the ship. It was cozy with big wool blankets on the lounge chairs, but it was also windy and a bit chilly!
I love the pictures, especially the one of Keith and Jr. in Grand Turks - holy crap they are both so big!!
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