Back in the fall we began discussing where we might want to go for Christmas and we opted for somewhere warm and tropical. Last year was fun in Colorado - skiing and snow - but this time around let's focus on sun and sand.
We've talked for a while about checking out the Cayman Islands after hearing many great things. So off we went, the four of us plus Holly's parents, for a week of relaxation in Grand Cayman.
The flights were relatively short, each two hours (Chicago to Atlanta and then Grand Cayman). A quick highlight on the journey there included Kari and Grandmo using Kevin's two first class upgrades. They sat two rows in front of the rest of us and enjoyed the pampering experience of first class.
Once we landed it was a 40-mile drive to our residence for the week. In the dark, we quickly learned that roads are not well labeled, and many times you just had to rely on your inner compass to know you were going in the right direction. Holly found a beautiful 3-bedroom, 3-bath house on the beach with its own private pool that the kids would frequent daily. The house was perfect, newly built with nice furnishings and two of the best hammocks ever created. Our house was one of five identical houses that all shared the pool, but created this great little community. We were able to meet so many interesting people throughout the week. Bryce hit the jackpot, having two 7 year old boys throughout the week to play with. One of those families were 15 year Cayman residents by way of Toronto, Canada who came for a stay-cation by for a couple days away from the more hectic life on 7-mile beach.
Gathering and cracking open coconuts was a highlight. Actually drinking the coconut water was not.
One of our outings included a nearby trip to Crystal Caves. Because the Cayman Islands are created out of limestone and coral reef, natural caverns and caves have formed. Crystal Caves has only been open to the public for 12 months, so we felt pretty lucky to be on this relatively new island experience. Kari and Grandpo particularly liked this tour.
Can you see the mortar and pestle?
Gigantic ficus roots at the entrance of the caves.
The weather was ideal virtually the entire trip, other than some gusty winds the first two days. Every day it was 82-85 degrees and 76-78 at night. Really, it was never too hot or too cold.
A nap in the hammock was on the daily agenda.
The hustle and bustle of 7-mile is where the vast majority of tourists and locals are. The restaurants, hotels, condos and shopping is there, but we wanted to be in a more tranquil setting and found just that.
We were close to a place called Rum Point that offered boating and recreation as well as a nice restaurant. Holly and her dad did a bio-luminescent tour one night loved it. The entire gang got in a glass bottom boat and went our to snorkel and swim with the stingrays. Even Minerva made it in to touch the stingrays!
Grandmo concentrating on the horizon, trying not to get sea sick.
Other highlights included fresh seafood, spending lots of money on groceries (the Cayman dollar was valued equivalent to the Brittish Pound) and learning to drive our little "mini-van" all over the island on the left hand side all the while getting 50-miles per gallon on a whopping 8-gallon tank.
Dinner at Rum Point, only a few miles up the road.
The few lowlights centered around a flu bug that Kevin brought with him and generously passed on to everyone except Bryce and Holly. They, however, were fortunate enough to get it once we returned home.
It was a wonderful week of relaxation and warmth and one the family will remember for a long time!
So we just returned from a truly Magical family vacation. Yes, yes it sounds hokey and feeds right into what Disney preaches but seriously it was fantastic. We opted to do our first Disney Cruise rather than a week in Orlando standing in lines, sweating and potentially not having as much fun. The kids were not made aware of this venture prior to arriving in Port Canaveral. We told them it would be a week in Florida (partial truth) but that’s it. Their imaginations filled in the gaps in the meantime.
Hey! Everyone loves Jesus in Florida.
Saturday morning we had some time to kill before our designated boarding time, and we still had time left on our rental car, so we thought we'd drive over to the shipyard to see how close we could get. Surprisingly, we were able to pull in and park within a stone's throw of the ships which made a great backdrop for the reveal.
The look was more of confusion than excitement.
Their initial excitement was drowned out by the confusion of what the huge ship in the water would actually be like compared to a beach house that they’re more accustomed to. Once they saw the large water slide at the top of the Disney Fantasy they were much more excited. We ended up spending an entire week on this monstrous vessel and sailed from Florida to Tortola, to St. Thomas and finished with a restful day at Disney’s private Bahamian island Castaway Cay.
The movie screen where Disney movies were shown all. day. long.
The week was filled with all kinds of great memories. From the fantastic food to stupendous sunshine to the action packed kids club or outdoor fun in the pools and waterslides, the kids AND parents had a blast. There was an amazing crew on board that made sure to do everything in their power to convince us to book another cruise before debarking. And they almost did.
On our balcony
First night at dinner in the Enchanted Garden
Exploring our surroundings. We took the stairs 95% of the time.
Bryce's favorite activity on the ship was playing shuffleboard, but Kari was an absolute natural! We made the rules up as we went.
Holly and I had ample time to ourselves while the kids did crafts, science projects, cooking classes, or playing four square indoors in the kids club. The kids – when not in the club – wanted to play shuffleboard, swim, go down the slide, play mini-golf or even play basketball. Then at night there was amazing productions of Aladdin and other shows. Plus if you wanted to catch a Disney movie – ANY DISNEY MOVIE – you could in your room, two different indoor theaters or poolside.
This is a copy of our Navigator we received each evening for the next day. It's easy to see why we were never bored! There was something to do for all ages, all day long!
Pirate Night was a huge production on the ship. I had done a little reconnaissance work and secretly packed pirate appropriate attire for that night. Each guest was provided a bandana.
The food and wait staff was incredible and certainly people the kids will remember for many years to come. The crew which set up our suite each night made different animals out of the folded towels and tucked the kids stuffed animals into bed while we were at dinner. So many wonderful things took place it’s hard to capture them all in a relatively reasonable blog post.
The towel origami became more elaborate as the week progressed.
The room was quite spacious for a ship. The couch- like a futon- folded down to a bed, and the bunk would be unlocked from the ceiling and prepared each night while we were at dinner. A privacy curtain separated the kids for the adults.
We went snorkeling in Tortola, BVI. Surprisingly, the biggest fan of snorkeling was Kari! Bryce and Kevin pooped out fairly quickly, and eventually the waves got to Holly's stomach, but Kari stayed out the entire time.
In St. Thomas, USVI, we had a leisurely outing riding a gondola to one of the highest points on the island. As imagined, we were rewarded with great views.
This was the hottest day so far, so exploring St. Thomas wasn't a high priority. And really, most of the shops were selling jewelry, watches, and other duty free goods. Interested we were not. Instead, we decided to head back to the ship early and give the kids time ride the Aqua Duck with shorter lines. After observing several groups heading out for runs on the island, I was intrigued. I quickly changed, grabbed IDs, and disembarked again. Not wanting to venture too far from the ship, the recommendation was to run up the road to the lookout point from where we had just visited. After that run, ahem, walk to the top, I can quickly say the gondola ride was some of the best money we spent on that entire trip!
Kevin and I had dinner reservations to Palo, the adult-only restaurant that evening. Earlier in the afternoon, our head server Witt, knew our dinner plans and called to see if the kids would want room service before going to the Kids Club. Kari ordered for both of them, and they were tickled to eat in the room before heading out for an evening of fun.
Day 6 was Castaway Cay (pronounced key), Disney's own private island in the Bahamas. This was the only day it rained, and even then, it wasn't too bad. The island is its own mini functioning city, despite probably 90% of the island is undeveloped. About 120 people work on the island full time. Kevin and I kicked off the morning running the 5k while the kids happily played in the supervised kids area. Afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious outdoor BBQ lunch. Kevin and I promptly fell asleep under an umbrella in the light and refreshing rain while the kids played in the knee-deep bay. Talk about relaxing.
This is called the Bridge, for all you land-lubbers. This overhangs on both sides of the ship, providing unobstructed views for the captains to back in and out of port.
As the ship was leaving Castaway Cay, some of the workers waved goodbye with their Mickey gloves. This was just one of the countless Disney touches we encountered throughout the week.
Our last dinner was at Animator's Palate, and I'm glad it was the last night, because I don't think the entertainment could have been topped. As we sat down, we were given sheets of paper with boxes to draw stick figures. We weren't totally sure what would happen, but during dinner, all the stick figures were collected and then put into a movie of sorts, making our stick figures dance. It was to demonstrate how animation works, like a flip book. It was beyond impressive.
Our servers, Rex and Iryna, were with us throughout the week, so we feel like we got to know them well.
I don't remember what afternoon this was, but the entertainment staff were many times in red-and-blue striped shirts. Today, one was leading a dance party with all the Disney characters. I'm convinced this is the type of job former Boiler Gold Rush Team Leaders and Res Hall staff take after they graduate from Purdue. It takes a certain personality to be "on" 24-7.
We finished the 7th day with a quick 13 hour trip to Magic Kingdom. We purchased our tickets on our phone in transit to Orlando and hit all of the main attractions. We all enjoyed multiple trips on Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Splash Mountain, and also got 20,000 steps in on our fitbit. Needless to say we returned back to West Lafayette with great memories and one wiped out crew.
Taking the train to the Magic Kingdom
The spinning tea cups. Holly chose to sit this one out.
