Category: Caribbean

Today started very early for River. We played shuffleboard on deck so that the rest of the family could sleep in a little, and watched the ship pull into port. After breakfast we visited the Dutch side of St. Marten. It’s a tiny little island, half French and half Dutch. We decided to just take…

We didn’t have an island stop today, so we spent the day on the ship. Bill and Willow had a special daddy-daughter date for breakfast in the formal dining room. After breakfast we went ice skating. willow found a gem that matched her jacket! River is not quite ready for skating and needed a lot…

We hired a driver named Chris to take us around Barbados. We started in Bridgetown and drove up the coast through Holetown and Speighttown. The scenery was gorgeous, with palm trees and turquoise water. We turned inland to the Barbados Wildlife refuge. We started at Grenade Hall, which is part of the refuge. They gave…

We arrived in St. Lucia at 9, just in time to get our rental car. Cars are driven on the left hand side of the road, so the driver sits on the right. Bill bravely volunteered to try it. The road was steep and curvy and surrounded by lush vegetation, and around every turn there…

Today we went to the island of Antigua. We hired a driver named Cynthia to take us around and give us a tour. First we went to the donkey sanctuary. They rescue donkeys on the island, as well as cats and dogs. Caroline showed us around and told us about the animals and how they…

Our first day off of the ship was on St. Kitt’s. It was colorful. The kids were excited to hold a green monkey! It even sat on River’s head for a photo. Willow and I got our hair braided. We walked around the craft market and bought some locally made Christmas ornaments. We went back…

Today we boarded our cruise ship, Freedom of the Seas from Royal Caribbean. The morning was mostly packing and transportation, but we did squeeze in some Monopoly before leaving our Airbnb. Grandma and Liam are sharing a room with a balcony. The rest of us are in a room The ship is huge, over 1,000…

We spent our third day in Puerto Rico exploring Old San Juan. It is apparently the oldest inhabited city in the US – it was built in 1521. It’s an interesting mix of old stone streets and new asphalt construction. We started at the old fort, San Cristobal Castle. The views were stunning. It was…

On our second day in Puerto Rico, we went to the only rainforest in the United States. Shockingly, it was raining when we arrived. We were glad to find some of the trails open despite the government shutdown. Our first stop was La Coca falls. We drove in a little further to Yokahu tower. Willow…

We spent all day yesterday flying to Puerto Rico. Our Airbnb is nicely decorated, clean, and comfortable. We arrived late but the kids still ran around picking bedrooms. We woke up today to the sounds of roosters outside. There are lots of chickens and roosters, and even more feral cats in the neighborhood. They seem…