Cruise Day Five

 4 years ago we were in Grand Cayman and we had an awesome tour on a private boat to snorkel with the sting rays. When we found out we were going to be in Grand Cayman again, we decided to book the same tour. We were lucky enough to get the same driver and the same boat captain that we'd had 4 years ago! 

 The water is so beautiful here. It seriously looks like someone put food coloring in it. 

 There was some amazing snorkeling along the reefs here. We saw some incredible fish.

 We loved spending time with the sting rays again. They are fascinating. 

 Ken is actually feeding a sting ray in this picture. You hold a squid in your hand and it comes and sucks it right out.

 This is Sandy with our boat captain, Orneal. The sting rays are so soft to the touch, really very gentle animals. 

After being in the water and sun all day, we took a little nap on the way back to shore. 

 On our way back to the cruise ship, we decided to buy a coconut to share. On our way out they were selling them for $4 each. As we came back in they were yelling out, "2 for $5!". So I went over and asked how much for just one? "$2 for one". Sounds like a deal to me. 

 After getting back on the boat, Holly asked me to help her curl her hair. This is half way through. Salon Carlile is open for business. 

Cruise Day Four

Day 4 found us in beautiful Jamaica. We hired a driver to take us to the Blue Hole. There we met our guide. They both tried to tell me I didn't need to wear sunblock or bug spray. I appreciated their thoughts, but went ahead and applied both. Our guide helped us hike up the falls and down the falls and showed us where we could jump into the pools. Some of the jumps were pretty mild, but some were crazy. 

We had to use a rope to hike down these falls until we reached a safe spot to jump. 

 At the bottom of that jump there was a hole that you could climb through to get under the falls. It was a little precarious going in, but once you were under there it was really neat. 

 I typically avoid rope swings due to my lack of upper body strength. I managed to not embarrass myself too bad though. 

 The final jump was around 22 feet tall. I wasn't going to do it. I was literally walking away. Then our guide told me, "You will regret it, ya mon" So, what can you do? I jumped. I'm so glad I did!

Afterwards we asked our driver to take us to some local places. Sandy really wanted to go to a bakery, so he took us to one in his neighborhood. Sandy bought us all a yummy coconut pastry.

 Then we walked to Juici Patties for lunch. As we walked through the Farmer's Market, we had locals asking to take our picture because we were so white. It was pretty funny. 

This local food was spicy and very hot to the touch, but delicious. It was really fun to explore some local Jamaican culture. 

Cruise Day Three

On Day 3 we stopped in the port of Labadee, Haiti. It is Royal Caribbean's private beach. It was SO beautiful. 

 We spent the day snorkeling, eating good food, and relaxing on the beach. 

 Polka Dot beauties!

 Our ship, Freedom of the Seas

 After we got back on the boat, Ken and I were chatting with the Bacon's in their room when Holly came in. One thing led to another and Greg and Ken were doing Holly's make up for her. Sandy and I just sat on the bed and watched them and laughed. I'll have to admit, for a couple of 40 something guys, they made her look good!

Some fun picture opportunities after dinner.