Western Caribbean Cruise, June 16-23 2013

We traveled in a group of 9 and we also met up with additional family onboard to make our group 14. It was Ken's dad and his girlfriend, the girlfriend's daughter, Ken's two cousins and their boy-/girlfriends and kids, Ken's sister and two of her kids, and then the three of us of course.

The main reason for this cruise was to get together and have a burial at sea for Ken's grandfather that passed away last year at 103. His wish was to have his ashes spread at sea. The cruise line really did a great job in orchestrating this, and we got a private tour of the off limit areas when we walked to the so called "mourning deck" where the ashes were let go off. Then all the blood relatives dropped a white rose in the ocean. It was a very nice ceremony and I think he would have been happy! :-)

We had a great time on our cruise. It will probably take some time to process all that we did and saw. The ship itself, Allure of the Seas, was a destination. The largest cruise ship in the World. SO much to do, so many great things to experience! The shows! Wow! The quality was outstanding, they even had a full Broadway production of Chicago!

 Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has teamed up with Dreamworks to give the younger cruisers and the once young at heart, an interactive experience with characters from all their different movies such as Madagascar and Shrek. They also show 3D movies from their big playlist, such as The Hobbit and others.

The FOOD! Oh my goodness... How I managed to only gain 1 lb I have no idea, for it seemed we were eating something left and right. Ken and I had the chance to visit the fanciest dining venue onboard, 150 Central Park. This was an Amazing experience for sure! I Instagrammed the entire meal, so for anyone interested in seeing that amazing meal, check me out on Instagram under SWEFLO.

For our stops we had Haiti, Jamaica and Mexico. Haiti was very beautiful with its high mountains and tropical, lush atmosphere. From what I have heard, most of the island is however deforested and not as lush as to what we experienced. We spent the day mainly on the beach here, relaxing.

In Jamaica we took a taxi from the port in Falmouth to Montego Bay, about 20 minutes away. It was interesting to see a bit of the area outside of the city. Very poor and in bad shape, but at least all the droves of GOATS we saw running around loose looked happy!

We spent the day at an all-inclusive resort with a water park all day. It was heavenly and we had a very nice day.

Our last but also our favorite spot was however Cozumel, Mexico. We have been here before, so we kind of had already toured the island. This time we took a taxi to their famous Marine National Park, Chankanaab. The water around this island is so clear and it is considered one of the best places to dive. At Chankanaab there is no real beach, rather you climb down from the rocks directly into deep water ... and you are SURROUNDED by wildlife immediately! Wow! It was like being in an aquarium for sure. Sarah absolutely LOVED it! At some spots it was 20-30 feet (6-9 m) deep, but it was so clear it was not scary at all.

 We did so much so I think I will just show the highlights in pictures and videos (you can click on the pictures to make them bigger):

Small clip from one of the Dreamworks parades, this one called the Move it! Move it! parade.

 Ken and Sarah, we just arrived in Haiti

 We were in a beautiful cove, surrounded by mountains

 

 We visited a local Haitian marketplace, they had some really nice handmade items there

 Sarah and I with the mountains in the background

 Now we are in Jamaica. The waterpark at the resort had a swim up bar, which was great!

Ken and I with Pina Coladas in hand

 The beach was not so nice in Jamaica, this was at the resort we were at, Hilton Rose Hall

 Jamaica

 These type of houses seemed very common, not more than just a shack but with large families living in them.

 Sarah and I at the very back of the ship, watching the wake.

 Family picture in Ken's dad's cabin. They had a Loft Suite which was very large with a huge balcony and a nice view!

Sarah and her aunt Karen waiting for the not so kid friendly The Quest to start, an adult scavenger hunt of sorts. It was fun!

 Sarah diving at Chankanaab, Mexico

 Our spot for the day at Chankanaab

 Chankanaab

 Chankanaab

Chankanaab

 

 I got an awesome drink at Chankanaab... Sarah liked the look of it!

 Saw a nice Trunk fish bottom, left

 

There were lots of Sea fans, I especially liked the purple once.

 

 Ken surrounded by fish

 

 There were fish everywhere!

 No wonder Chankanaab is so popular among snorkelers...

 Pucker up!

 

 Chankanaab

 Chankanaab

 A lagoon behind the area where we were sitting

 We found this huge iguana wandering around the lagoon

 Waiting for a taxi to leave Chankanaab.

 Sarah and I went to a GLOW party...

 We had breakfast with some of the DreamWorks characters, Here its Fiona from Shrek

 Sarah and her favorite, Puss in Boots!

 Sarah and Po from Kung Fu Panda

 They had the cutest vacuum cleaners named Henry on the ship!

 In Central Park, an outdoor park onboard the ship with over 20,000 live plants. Amazing!

 In Central Park

 In Central Park

 At the Aqua Theater watching a DreamWorks show with water acrobats, aerialists and song and dance. Even better with a tropical drink, of course!

 Here we are at a Cirque du Soleil type of show called Blue Planet

 Last night of the cruise! Sarah and I on the pool deck. There were 5 big pools on the ship!

 What did we do our last night? We hung in the Jacuzzi!