What a fabulous time we had in the Caribbean this past weekend as we cruised out of Miami with our wonderful friends Dave and Carrie (San Jose)! After flying to Miami, we met Dave and Carrie at the airport and set out for our hotel right on the beach. That night, we had our first experience riding in a limo as the restaurant sent one to pick us up at our hotel. It may not have been the finest, but it was definitely a lot of fun!
After spending the night, we boarded the ship on Sunday morning and set sail later that afternoon on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas, the largest cruise ship on the waters right now. There were 4000 passengers and 1400 crew members on board the fourteen story ship.

Rowland and I Getting Ready to Board the Ship

KeKe Excited(?) to Hit the Ship

Carson Enjoying One Last Cell Call
Our first port was San Juan, Puerto Rico, which was “okay.” William’s favorite part of the day was running up and down a beautiful grassy knoll where the fort for the city is located. The adults’ favorite part of the day was sitting in a little courtyard enjoying a nice cold beer! The shopping left much to be desired, as did any beach activities. All in all, it was rather uneventful. After going to bed at 8:10 that night, I was ready for the next port, St. Thomas, early Wednesday morning.

Carson Overlooking a Cemetery & the Ocean

The Adults Enjoying a Cold Beer

Narrow Bricked Streets
(Carrie and I: “Ready? Okay!)

Jia Holding and Feeding the Pigeons - GROSS!
The waters of St. Thomas are absolutely beautiful, and I must say that this was all of our favorite port. We went to Magen’s Bay, voted one of the top ten most beautiful beaches in the world. Rowland and Carson rented a kayak, then gave me a turn with Rowland. It was my first time in a kayak, and Rowland was a great teacher. We paddled over to a deserted area and climbed around in the rocks until we realized that our kayak was being swept to sea! The younger kids laughed harder that day than I’ve heard them in a while. They jumped the waves over and over again, while Carrie and I swam out well above my head. Having always been a little afraid of the ocean (too many Shark movies!), it was my first experience going deeper than thigh high. I felt like a little girl as we swam and did flips in the water. I must admit that the margarita that the bartender made me seemed to give me a little shot of courage!! What a beautiful, wonderful time we had!

Carson and Rowland in the Kayak
Our last port was St. Maarten, and it was a beautiful little town. As we rode in the taxi boat over to the shopping area, the driver was playing reggae Christian music, Luciano. Fabulous!! We did end up finding a few bootleg copies and are hoping to find some more on line. After shopping in the jewelry stores (yes, Rowland dropped some money on me once again! Lucky girl I am!!!), we had a the best burger EVER on the beach before heading back to the ship.
On the ship, William learned to boogie board on the Wave Rider. He and Carrie were brave and quite talented. Of course, Carrie’s biggest challenge was keeping her bathing suit on!! We all sat and cheered them on as they rode the waves. Kitty made two friends, both from Albuquerque, NM, and stayed at the Kids’ Adventure Club from 10 p.m. until 1:30 a.m., 12:45 a.m., and midnight. Obviously, the girl is major social!! Jia stayed close to me the whole trip, feeling a little nervous on the ship, but she had a blast playing in the water in the water park on board. She also fell in love with Dave and even practiced her flirtatious moves and giggles with him! William swam a lot and ate a ton of pizza while Carson saw every show in the big theater and saw every movie in the on-board movie theater. The boat had an ice skating rink in the middle, and while none of us actually skated, we did enjoy the fantastic show.

Kitty Fresh Out of Kids’ Adventure
Of course, Rowland worked out each morning while I caught a few extra ZZZZZs before breakfast. He and I enjoyed our late night dining with Carrie and Dave in the formal dining area and often had a glass of wine after dinner in one of the many bars on the ship. We definitely enjoyed too much food, too much drink, and lots of never-enough laughter with our dear friends.

Vintage for Our Nightly Before Dinner Wine

Farewell Party in the Dining Room
Once we departed the ship and hugged our friends good-bye on Sunday, we headed to the Jungle Park in Miami where we met TONS of the most beautiful birds I’ve ever seen. William and Kitty were able to participate in one of the shows, which was a real treat, while Jia sat next to me and took pictures. Carson was able to get lost even in the Park (as he was most of the time on board the ship) and enjoyed the animals as well. The monkeys were entertaining, as they always are, and the petting zoo was full of goats. One goat ate holes in my shirt, giving me the opportunity to go shopping for a new one!
At the end of a long day, we settled into our Miami hotel to sleep for a few hours before getting up at 3:00 a.m. to catch our 6:00 flight. We came home to fresh snow, mounds of laundry, and our cozy beds. Tonight, it’s great to be home. I love vacation, but I always long to come home to Colorado, my favorite place in the whole world!


















