Vacation Time for Mom & Dad

Chad and I were fortunate to get some time away on a very well deserved break. We set sail on the Carnival Liberty Saturday 2/26/2011 and enjoyed nothing but sunshine (seriously, not a drop of rain the entire time) for 7 full days. Our adventures were shared with our good friends, Mike and Tracy Lee.

We had food at our disposal, service at our call, naps when we choose, and best of all…we did things when we wanted to do things. I cannot remember the last time we had the availability to just do anything without a schedule.

We had a few “fun” days at sea and stops in Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Ocho Rios Jamaica. We had a great time in each port:

Cozumel: we booked a dune buggy tour. It took us all over the island, stopping so we could snorkel, swim in the ocean, and shop in a few villages. We were prepared a delicious lunch on the beach…and I mean delicious!!! Our dune buggy was stocked with adult beverages (we even made our tour guide purchase more adult beverages…twice). Then a quick stop at a local tequila plant, where we paid a dollar each to enter and have 7, yes 7 shots of tequila. I have never had such good tequila and did not know there were so many different flavors!

Grand Cayman: we visited the local turtle farm where we saw the largest turtles I have EVER seen. Not only were they HUGE, but there were hundreds of them. After the turtle farm we headed to the famous Seven Mile Beach, where we soaked in some rays and enjoyed the ocean.

Ocho Rios, Jamaica: we booked an excursion through the ship. The tour was to a trip to Dunn’s River Falls and a ride on a Jamaica bobsled. I was a bit leery of Jamaica as many people told us time and time again…be careful, there is a lot of theft, robbery and drugs. But once on the island, I never once felt unsafe. The Jamaican’s were happy, outgoing and full of energy. And what an absolutely beautiful island, with greenery every where. Dunn’s River Falls was quite the adventure. We climbed 900 feet up a waterfall as rushing water ran past us. If you ever go to Ocho Rios, Jamaica…Dunn’s River Falls is a MUST! After our climb to the top, and after Chad was offered some wacky tabaccy…we headed towards the second part of our excursion; the Jamaica bobsled. This was AWESOME. We were strapped into a bobsled on tracks and the ride took us through the jungle. Twist, turns and abrupt stops. It was GREAT! And soooo beautiful.

Oh…I almost forgot, we tried and purchased the best rum I have EVER had in Jamaica…Appleton Rum, made right in Jamaica. Very good…totally recommend it.

As you can see we had an amazing time. Before the trip began, I thought we would miss the girls terribly…but knowing they were in good hands (thanks Grandma Karen and Grandma Shelley), our minds were at ease. The girls did miss us and for a few days after our trip wouldn’t leave our sides.
We had such a GREAT time, I’m already thinking of our next trip…probably not for a couple years though!