Ya Mon!

Randy and I just returned last night from a 7 night cruise to the Western Caribbean. When I mentioned to Randy a few months ago that I needed to go on a vacation, he told me that he would take a few days off so we could work on the yard/house. Obviously, working on our yard/house was what I was trying to escape, so I quickly moved him in a different direction. 

It was actually R's idea to go on a cruise. Neither of us had been before, and since snorkeling is Randy's thing, hitting Grand Cayman and Cozumel, along with Jamaica and Royal Caribbean's private island on Haiti, it seemed like the best way for us to get away. 


The only thing we were really concerned about was my eating. Since I eat gluten and dairy free, we weren't sure what we would find on the ship's menus. I have been trying to gain weight for the past 3 months, but when you are forced to eat healthy, it's really hard to gain weight!


We found that a majority of the food on the ship had either gluten or dairy (of course, right?) and that made for a somewhat frustrating time for me. I basically ate the same thing each day for breakfast and lunch, and then the chefs created gluten and dairy free dinners for me. They even made a  dairy and gluten free dessert for me each night. 


Royal Caribbean boasts some of the world's best shows, and we were not disappointed. We watched a magician who was formerly on America's Got Talent (he rivaled David Copperfield), and listened to the Nelson twins (that's Ozzie and Harriet's grandsons) sing a tribute performance to their dad, Ricky Nelson. 


We ice skated, played some mean ping pong, worked out, learned how to play Craps, hopped in the jacuzzi, got our picture with King Julian (DreamWorks characters were on our ship), visited 4 different countries, and had some great conversations with people from all around the world. 
Did I mention that R tried his hand, or should I say his legs at surfing on the ship? We didn't even make it to the rock climbing wall...


We enjoyed ourselves and no work for a week, but are thankful to be home (I guess we are anyway). Here are a few pics of our trip:  As they kept telling us in Jamaica. "It's all good mon".

The Chef's did beautiful fruit and veggy artistry

First formal night

R attempting to surf on the Flow Rider

View from our private island in Haiti

The beautiful water in Jamaica

Second formal night: Lobster tails

After snorkeling in Cozumel

Our hanging monkey

The peacock was made by our waiter, Aries

Last Day at Sea: Beautiful Ice Sculptures

On the coast of Florida before dinner on night 7

This needs no caption!

With our waiters, Aries and Julianna