I've got tons of pics - so I'll try to group them so I can explain what's in the photos.
The first batch shows Alex at the airport in Buffalo with his own carry on, as well as some pictures of us going onboard and checking out our stateroom and balcony. We got on the ship, had a nice lunch in the dining room and then got to our stateroom and we were surprised to find a teddy bear for Alex from his grandma and grandpa, as well as some beautiful flowers from our family for our anniversary. We'd also signed up for the Vow Renewal Ceremony, and part of that package was another small bouquet of flowers so we just loved having the fresh flowers in our room. Alex loved his little couch (that turned into a bed at night), and we got busy unpacking as our luggage was delivered.
This next batch of photos are from our first full day on the ship. We have Alex enjoying some cold water in our cabana near the pool, as well as some pictures from the first formal night on the ship. Each seven-day cruise has two formal nights, so we all got dressed up a bit and had a lovely dinner. Our dining room steward was wonderful and would often make little origami animals for Alex. The food on the cruise was quite good, with lots of variety. I found it really easy to eat pretty healthy meals - especially as the salads and fruits were so yummy and plentiful.
The next set of photos are from our first port of call - Grand Turk in Turks & Caicos. The island itself was still recovering from a hurricane last year, and we'd booked a snorkeling excursion, so we didn't see much other than the cruise terminal and a lovely beach called Gibbs Cay, where we got to get up close (a little too close at times) with some very friendly stingrays. They ranged in size from small ones that were about 12" across, to quite big ones that were over 3 feet across. They'd come right up and swim against your legs - and even suck on your toes. You could feed them fish from your hands, but I didn't have the guts to do that - but Chris did it. Alex found it a bit overwhelming and stayed on Chris' shoulders most of the time.
We then went snorkeling and I got to go out reasonably far and see some neat fish and coral, as well as a really HUGE stringray that was mostly buried under the sand. it was probably about 5 feet across and it was kind of spooky to see it sitting there partially hidden as if it was lying in wait for you.
Alex loved the snorkeling (we'd been practicing in the bathtub and pool) and he did get to see some fish, but he didn't swim too far from the beach.
The next set of photos are from a relaxing day we had onboard the ship. We were actually docked in San Juan, but it was sooooooooooooo hot, with no breeze and we just felt like hanging out on the ship instead of going onto shore as there were no excursions we could do with a five-year-old, and we weren't interested in shopping or bar hopping. We hung out by the pool, relaxed in the cabana and Alex had fun eating lunch in the cabana. He also enjoyed "cooling down daddy" with the fans we'd been given (doesn't Chris look ever so pleased?)
The next day we were in St Thomas and we went ashore to see the sights a bit and do some souvenir shopping. There were tons of large iguanas near the port, and I was able to get one to pose nicely for a photo. This grouping of photos also has some of the other "animals" we encountered in our stateroom, including an elephant and monkey.
I also included some pictures of Alex after he'd gone to the "Pirate Party" in the Kid's Club. We weren't sure how he'd enjoy the kids' activities, but he really had fun and wanted to go most nights to the different theme parties they had. It gave Chris and I a bit of time a few evenings to go to the casino, or relax a bit, which was really nice.
The next set of photos were from the second formal night. We had dinner most nights in the dining room and were lucky to have been seated with three truly lovely women. They were seasoned cruisers and it was fascinating to hear the tales of their adventures. We had a lot of fun with them, and we hope to keep in touch. As this was the official "Farewell Dinner" (our next day was the last day of the cruise, but was not a formal night for dinner), they did some special things, including serving Baked Alaska and having the staff do a fun parade through the dining room while most people spun their napkins in the air... Alex thought this was tons of fun.
We didn't get to stay for dessert that night as it was also the night when we were doing our Vow Renewal Ceremony with the Captain. Chris and I, along with two other couples, met up in a lovely part of the Crow's Nest for a very lovely ceremony presided over by the Captain. As the next day was our official 10th anniversary, it was truly special to be able to renew our vows in such a memorable way.
The next batch of photos are from the same night, but are a few of the pictures I took of the 'dessert extravaganza' that they put on at around 10:30 p.m. Alex stayed up late that night and got to enjoy some yummy treats in his PJs.
This last set of pictures are from our last full day on the cruise. We were lucky that our itinerary included a stop at Half Moon Cay, which is a private island owned by Holland America. The beach was incredible, and the water was warm and crystal clear. The sand was so soft, with no rocks or plans or anything along the entire beach. I'm not normally a big beach person, but I had so much fun there just floating in the water and relaxing in the cabana we had for the day. This cabana was our own little private space, with loungers, and a fan and even an A/C unit, as well as our own shower, and floating mats for taking into the water.
Alex had a great time playing on the sand and swimming with me and Chris. Even though I'm normally extra, extra careful about protecting myself against the sun because I actually have a mild allergy to the sun, I managed to get a sunburn on my back and shoulders - my first sunburn ever, I think... not fun at all, but still worth it for the lovely day we had on the beach.
This last photo was from our trip home and was taken while we were waiting at the Fort Lauderdale airport. Alex decided to make his own little fort under the bench seats in the terminal and he hung out there playing and relaxing before we boarded our flight home.
