Cruise Day Six - Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Today we arrived in Ocho Rios, Jamaica around 8:00 AM.  Daniel and I had an excursion booked for 10:30 AM so while we waited for our excursion to start we walked around all the little shops that they have on the island.  Boy let me tell you how pushy these Jamaican’s were.  There is no concept of ‘looking around’ anything you picked up someone was by your side telling you how much it was and asking you how many you wanted. We got a couple things for the kids and then decided to get out of there.  We went into a coffee shop that brews Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee.  We didn’t taste any coffee but the little shop was pretty cool.  After shopping for a bit and killing some time it was time for our excursion.  Beach Horseback Riding.

We had a safari bus take us to Chukka Cove where the horses were at and where we would be riding.  The drive took us through Jamaica and boy was that moving.  To see how all the Jamaican’s live was breathtaking and even though they live in such poor conditions they are the most friendliest people we have met on this 10 day trip.  I’ve posted a couple pic’s below to show you how the buildings etc. were as we saw them driving to the Cove.

Once we reached Chukka Cove we took a quick briefing of the horses and then hopped right on and rode through some beautiful country side, through a couple cove’s and then ended up in a larger cove and got to unsaddle our horses and ride in the water.  That was the coolest thing I have ever done.  Even though I fell off my horse twice while riding in the water it was still awesome!  The water was so blue and so beautiful.  We rode for a good 2 ½ hours (including the time we spent in the water).  I’ve posted a few pic’s below of us riding the horses.

After we got back to the main port area we only had about 30 min. before everyone had to be back on the ship so we just decided to beat the last minute crowd and head back to the ship.  Jamaica was beautiful though (Even though we got a small little rain shower at the end of our horseback riding excursion).  I’ve posted a few more pic’s below to show how beautiful the island was.  Enjoy!

Well tomorrow is our last full day on the ship as we head back to Miami, FL.  Once we get back to Miami on Saturday morning then it’s off to the airport to get back home.  As much as I’ve enjoyed this vacation I’m ready to come back home and see the kids.  I’m starting to miss them SO MUCH!  So Myriah and Garrett if you’re reading this know that Mommy and Daddy miss you and we can’t wait to see you on Saturday.  Only two more days!  Love you bunches and hugs & kisses.  ♥  ♥  ♥

Love,
Daniel & Kim

Cruise Day Five - Grand Cayman

Today we arrived in Grand Cayman at 7:30 AM.  We had to take a tender boat to the port because the cruise ship had to drop anchor a little ways out to not disturb all the coral that in further up inland.  So Daniel and I had a wake up call at 7:00 AM so we could get dressed and ready to get off the ship as our first shore excursion started at 9:00 AM.  The tender took about 45 min. from the time we waited in line, got on the tender boat and made it to the shore of Grand Cayman.  Grand Cayman was BEAUTIFUL.  Water is so clear you can see straight to the bottom in like 30 / 40 feet waters.  We toured the island for a bit before it was time to get ready to go parasailing.

Welcome to Grand Cayman!

So our first excursion for the day was PARISAILING.  Let me tell you this was Awesome!  We got to soar up above the water (approx. 400 feet) and you could see the whole island and the beautiful colors of the water.  We took a few pictures from the air and one of the guys running the excursion took pic’s of us taking off, while we were in the air and when they dipped us in the water.  He gave us a memory stick of all the pictures he took so those pic’s will come later.  Below is some pictures that we took while in the air.

View while headed up in the air!

A little higher...

After we got back from parasailing we walked around the island a bit more and found a Dairy Queen in Grand Cayman!  It was so weird (I thought Dairy Queen was only in Texas)… Daniel and I decided to eat at Dairy Queen for lunch thinking let’s have a burger etc.  Well the only thing on this DQ menu was hot dogs and blizzards.  SO needless to say we had a DQ hotdog for lunch.  Lol

It was now time for our last excursion in Grand Cayman.  Snorkeling over coral reefs and snorkeling over a shipwreck.  This too was AWESOME except for one minor set back…. Daniel got sick.  He snorkeled for maybe 30 min. over the coral reef and started to get a headache and nauseous. So he got out of the water and sat on the boat.  I felt bad for him and was going to get out with him but he insisted I stay in and enjoy myself. So I did and it was AMAZING.  There were hundreds of tropical fish just swimming all around.  A lot of them swam in groups and when they got close to you they just split and went around you.  I didn’t see Nemo though but I think I saw a few Dory’s.  I took some pictures with the underwater camera so we’ll have to wait till we get back to see if any of these turned out.  We snorkeled over the reefs for about an hour and then got back on the boat and headed to a local shipwreck… They said that this shipwreck was from back in the 1800’s when a boat carrying rice cargo got stuck in the middle of bad weather (a hurricane) and was on their way to Cuba but couldn’t beat the storm so they stopped off at Grand Cayman.  They tried to get all their cargo and crew off the boat before the storm hit but by the time they got the ship docked the storm was already there and their boat was starting to take a beating.  Boards and pins were starting to break so they decided to un-dock the boat and anchor it a ways out hoping it could weather the storm and once the storm passed they would come fix the few holes and be on their way.  Well the storm lasted three days and when they went back to their boat the boat had capsized and sunk.  Main reason is their cargo was rice and well what happens to rice when it sits in salt water for three days… (You can figure the rest out).  Anyways once we learned about the ship wreck we got to dive right in and explore.  Daniel tried getting in once more but felt too sick so he got out and I explored the ship wreck.  It was so neat.  You could see the bow and the stern and all the pieces in between.  Small little port holes and the engine with the stamp of the manufacture still imprinted on it.  I tried taking some pictures but the water proof camera stopped working.  It said I had 9 pictures left but wouldn’t do anything.. So we will see when we get back what turned out.  Here is a picture on our way out to go snorkel…  ALSO: Note to self… Next time you go snorkeling put sunscreen on the back of your legs especially by our bootay… because Kim here put sunscreen all over her body except the back of her legs and is now sunburned all the way up to her booty.  Swim suit sunburn lines here we come!  : )

We're headed to the Coral Reef Site.

Can you see the fish?  It's Blue!

Once we were done snorkeling it was about time to head back to the ship as we left Grand Cayman early today (4:30 PM).   Well that’s about our day today.  Hopefully we make it to our dinner tonight.  It’s supposed to be our nice dinner in the ‘fancy’ restaurant.  Daniel’s taken medicine and is asleep now and our dinner isn’t until 8:00 PM (it’s now 4:30 PM) so hopefully he feels better after he sleeps a bit and we can still make our dinner.  We’ll see…  But before I go I have to post the famous Jimmy Buffett’s MARGARITAVILLE picture.  We found this while walking around the island before our snorkel excursion.  Enjoy!

Myriah and Garrett: Only 3 more days until Mommy and Daddy will be home.  I hope you’ve been behaving for Oma and Aunt Tee Tee and that you will be behave for your Nana now.  We can’t wait to see you when we get back on Saturday night.  You better be at the airport waiting for us.  We love you bunches.  Hugs & Kisses from Grand Cayman (Since we are just now leaving at the time of this post).  Love you! ♥

Love,
Daniel & Kim

Cruise Day Four

Hello Everyone!  Today was day four on our cruise trip and it was another day at sea as we head towards the island of Grand Cayman.  Daniel and I didn’t do too much today because we are so sore from the ATV excursion yesterday.  Daniel’s back hurts and my wrist hurts (my bad wrist).  That didn’t stop us though from playing some trivia games on-board today and watching a few shows.  We got to see a Motown show which a singer all the way from New Orleans played music and sang some good ole’ Motown music in which he came down and sang to the audience and what do you know he sang to me. (blushing) lol… I got all our laundry caught up today and then we basically just hung out.  Daniel played in the casino again today and won yet another $160.00.  (Yes he SUCKS).  I told him he needed to stop playing before we lost all his winnings and then some.  We still have 3 more days on this boat however so we‘ll see if I can keep him away from the casino.   : )

Anyways… we are calling it an early night tonight as we have to get up at 7:00 in the morning because we have to take a tender to the port in Grand Cayman tomorrow and the tender takes approx. 45 min. so we need to be in line for the tender before 8:00 AM as we have our first shore excursion in Grand Cayman at 9:00 AM.  We get to go parasailing in the morning and then snorkeling during the mid-day tomorrow.  I’ll let you know all about our day in Grand Cayman tomorrow night. 

Hope my kiddo’s are behaving themselves and Myriah and Garrett Mommy and Daddy love you so much and are thinking about you ALL the time! Hugs & Kisses from the middle of the ocean.  MUAH! ♥  ♥

Love,
Daniel & Kimberly Gibbins

Cruise Day Three - Cozumel, Mexico

WOW!  Today was Awesome!  Today was the first day we were in port and our first stop was in Cozumel, Mexico.  We spent most of the day off the boat on the island of Cozumel.  Before we headed out to explore Cozumel we grabbed lunch on the lido deck (which is buffet) and got all our things ready for our shore excursion.

Welcome to Cozumel, Mexico

When we got off the boat we just walked around the port (called Puerta Maya) and checked out all the shops etc. until it was time for our shore excursion at 2:00pm.  Our shore excursion for today was a ATV Jungle adventure that took us to some Mayan Ruins.  All I have to say is this excursion was AWESOME and boy did we get dirty.  It started out with a 30 min. bus ride to the Cozumel jungles.  Once we arrived we took a quick briefing of ‘how to work an ATV” before jumping on our ATV’s and riding through the jungle.  They let ‘experienced’ drivers go in front while the non-experienced rode towards the back.  SO… Daniel and I were put into the experienced group and rode at the front of the line.  Which also meant you get the most dirtiest as you ride through the mud and waters of the jungle on our ATV’s.  We were on our ATV’s for about an hour and a half which stopped at two separate Mayan Ruins.  Each stop the tour guide explained the history behind the Mayan Ruins.  We did learn that the ‘old saying’ of the Mayan prediction of the end of the world in 2012 is in fact NOT true and in reality it’s just the end of the Mayan Calendar.  They said that the Mayan Calendar is 2600 years and at the end of the 2600 years the Calendar ends and that is 2012.  Anyway… enough history for this blog.  I will tell you that Daniel and I got COMPLETELY muddy on this excursion but it was so worth it because Daniel and I had a BLAST! (See pic’s below of our muddiness)

 Daniel 1/2 way through our ATV Adventure!

Kim 1/2 way through our ATV Adventure!

So as you can see we got extremely muddy so after the excursion ended (around 5:30pm) we headed back to the ship to take a shower and get all the mud off of us.  Once we showered and got cleaned up we ate dinner (again on the Lido Deck) and then headed back out to Cozumel.  This time we just toured the island some more and did a little shopping.  We then headed to FAT TUES DAY’s and had a Daiquiri and watched the sun-set on Cozumel.  It was pretty cool b/c the ship was docked right in front of where we were sitting so we had her in view while the sun set.

Sun Set in Cozumel, Mexico!

We had to be back on the ship by 9:30pm as she was going to set sail at 10:00pm.  We got back on the boat took all our stuff to our rooms and then headed down to the Venetian Palace where we watched a Game Show, Played Bingo and then watched the Main Show of the evening called “The Village Idiots”.  This show was about two guys who where comedians / Jugglers.   This show was so funny and interesting.  They juggled all kinds of things and threw in comedy with it. They juggled bowling pins, knifes, Fire torches etc.  After that show was over we headed to the Victoria Lounge where we watched another Comedy show but this Comedy show was for “Adult’s Only” and OMG it was Hilarious.  So now finally after all that we made it back to our rooms and it’s now almost 2:00 in the morning.  I will tell you that on this ship you do not make it back to your room before 1:00 AM.  There is always things going on until 1:00 / 2:00 in the morning.

Well that’s about it for now.  Tomorrow is another Fun Day at Sea as we head towards the Grand Cayman Islands.  Don’t know what we will do tomorrow yet (still need to check out our Fun Times entertainment schedule), but I do know that I need to get some laundry done so I may do that tomorrow in the AM or late at night.  We’ll see… Until tomorrow!  Good-night!

Love and miss you Myriah and Garrett!  ♥ ♥ ♥

Love,
Daniel & Kimberly

Cruise Day 2

Hello Everyone!  Today was Day 2 of our Carnival Liberty Cruise.  Today was a Fun Day at sea while we head towards Cozumel Mexico.  We just hung out all day, played Miniature Golf and I kicked Daniel's butt the first game... So Daniel had to have a re-match b/c he just couldn't accept that I beat him, and of course he won the second game.  We chilled out by the pool and relaxed a bit.  We also tried out the Casino.  Daniel won $100.00 on the nickel slot machine.  I made him cash out before he lost it all.  I know he'll be back on there later in the week so I better watch him closley.  lol

Well we are getting ready to go to a Comedy Show and it runs until Midnight so good-night to all and I wrote a longer post tomorrow once we get back from our day at Cozumel.

Love you Myriah and Garrett!  Hugs & Kisses from the middle of the ocean!

Love,
Daniel and Kimberly

Cruise Day 1

WOW! What a day.  It’s 1:15 in the morning and Daniel and I are just now coming back to our room to crash for the night and everything is still happening on the other decks.  Today wasn’t that ‘big’ of a day.  Just basically walked all over this MASSIVE ship looking and searching for everything on board.  We had to do the Muster Drill before we set sail.  This is to show us where our ‘muster’ station is in the event something was to happen to the ship aka a Titanic repeat.  lol After that we took a dip in the pool and just chilled out for a bit and then went and walked around this big ole’ boat.  I think after the 5th walk around we finally found everything.  We ate dinner in the Main Dining room.  Daniel and I have our own little table for two that is our table we will go to everyday we sit down to eat in the main dining room.  If Daniel and I don’t want to eat in the main dining room then we can eat on the Lido Deck at a place called Emile’s which is buffet style dining.  We opted to eat in the main dining room tonight.  We may do the buffet tomorrow.  We’ll see…

Anyway, again not much was done today.  We did go see a ‘preview’ of a show in the Venetian Palace.  Saw a mini preview show of the singers and dancers PLUS we got to see a preview of the new Comedy Club that this boat has.  It’s basically stand-up comedy and this guy was HILIAROUS tonight. (and it was just a preview).  Daniel and I may go see a full show sometime this week.  Well I’m about to fall asleep so I better get going.  Here are a few pic’s of the cruise ship and of our departure out of Miami.  Enjoy and until next time….

Deck 10 Looking towards the back of the boat.

A Sneak Peak of inside the boat...

 Good-bye Miami... HELLO Vacation!

Love you Myriah and Garrett.  We miss you bunches!  MUAH ♥

Love,
Daniel and Kimberly Gibbins