cruising day 7....San Juan (the fort)

Waking up on the last day on the Carnival Victory was bitter sweet. It had been a great week with family and we had seen gorgeous places and had so much fun, but like all things it had to come to an end. The good news was we had one more day in sunny San Juan to take in the sites and the 80 degree temps.
After debarking, which was a very pleasant and quick experience, we took our bags to the hotel and then headed back to Old San Juan to visit the historic forts. I was so excited to go and take photos and really thought everyone else was just entertaining me by going along, but it was a place we all loved. My boys were in imagination heaven. They were soldiers and explorers. They found hidden staircases and tunnels. We pretended to be prisoners and be locked in caves.

I really couldn't handle how gorgeous this place was. I was totally geeking out and gasping as I walked down each staircase or stepped around every corner. Amazing water, walls, the lawn......LOVE!

cruising day 6...St. Maarten

On day 6 we woke up in gorgeous St Maarten. It was another of our favorite stops. It had gorgeous views and beaches, super friendly people and one of our favorite things was that we could just walk off the boat and get to a great spot. We walked about a mile to a public beach where we rented beach chairs and an umbrella and spent the better part of the day enjoying the sand, water and views. From the beach you could walk to several restaurants and our favorite was a little gelato stand in a lovely alley.

The boys took full advantage of their last day in the sand by burying each other and making sure they were completely covered.

After one last dip in the water, very sandy little feet, we walked back to the boat via a precious little street of shops and stopped at a street vendor for a pineapple Fanta, Wilson's pick. For the better part of the week we were docked next to the Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas. We love the way it looks to walk up to these two huge boats docked so close together.

cruising day 5...St Kitts

Our day in St Kitts started off like all our other days with coffee on the balcony. After coffee and a slow start we hit the dining room for breakfast before getting off the boat to check out the port and get on our excursion. We booked through Carnival to do a train tour of the island of St Kitts. As far as excursions go this ran very smooth, we waited outside of the boat for a very short time and were soon on a nice air conditioned bus that drove us through town and to the train. The train itself was a little rickety and from the outside it was very loud, but once we were on it was very cute and we had a great time.

The train follows the coast and you get an opportunity to see neighborhoods, fields, forts and beautiful beaches.

Back on the boat for a late lunch we took in the views, played a little putt putt, the boys checked out Camp Carnival, and we had plenty of time to get ready before dinner. It was a totally gorgeous sunset and by this point we are already getting a little sad that it is too close to over.

After dinner my mom and I checked out the casino while the boys walked around outside. We were meeting up for the towel folding show and when the boys arrived a little early Campbell got called on the stage for the end of a magic show and won a trophy (for being cute). I missed it and am still a little sad about that, but he is so proud of the trophy and it was so fun to hear how it all happened from his perspective. When we arrived we all got towels and learned how to make a dog and an elephant.So much fun!

cruising day 4...St Lucia

On day four we woke up in St Lucia. With colorful buildings and lush rolling hills St Lucia was so beautiful even if you only see it from the boat, which we did. While the boat all but emptied my boys and I found a great spot near the pool, hot tub and slide and took in the view of St Lucia from the Lido deck. I think making the most of the ports is really the best plan, but I also think it's important to know your boundaries. Our boys were longing for a day by the pool and to not have any plans so though I would love to have explored the island I think our time was better spent on the boat.

My parents got off the boat and hired a driver for a tour of the island and it's highlights including a view of the famous St Lucia pitons. We were able to see the pitons in the distance as we set sail this night. We also saw dolphins as we left the port, a highlight for Campbell.

Each night at dinner we made guesses about what animal we would have waiting for us in our cabin. Sometimes we guessed the animal or other times we would each pick a letter that the animal would start with. The towel animals and chocolate waiting on our pillow was a defiant highlight for my boys.

cruising day 3...Barbados

Day three we ported in beautiful Barbados. My parents took a taxi to the shopping area in town and said it wasn't the best stop for shopping. We got off the boat and took a taxi, which is really a van that is filled with other people off the boat that are going to the same place or near you. Our travel agent told us about the Boatyard Beach where you pay (i think $12 each) to go on a private beach with a chair, umbrella, ocean trampoline, rope swing, restaurant and one drink included.

It was a really pretty spot and Wilson's favorite of all the ports. I spent the day taking in the view from my chair while the boys rode the waves, swung from ropes, and built sand castles.

My favorite part about this day was the flexibility. We got off the boat slowly this morning and your entry fee at the beach includes a shuttle back to the beach whenever you are ready to leave. We made it back on the boat for a late lunch and more time on the slides before cleaning up for dinner and setting sail.

Every night on the boat we took in the sunset, but this night it was extra special. The water was so blue and the sky so golden.

At dinner this night we looked over our fun times and decided to head to the battle of the sexes game show and that we would stick around for some bingo.