Russ corrected me yesterday.  We didn't have two days at sea until after our next port.  My mind has been awful about retaining all this information.  Ha!  Could it have something to do with the chaos of our December?

"Good mornin' y'all!"

Anyway, Millie Janalee woke up with her normal cheerful "Heeeeyyy!" as she popped her little head over the pack 'n play.  She was ready to begin her day at our new destination!  St. Maarten!  I think we all agreed that this was our favorite stop.  The crew warned us at dinner the night before that there would be EIGHT cruise ships docked on this day.  Making for A LOT of people!  I think the Carnival Dream had the same itinerary as we did, because I remember seeing it everywhere we went.  I tried to get a picture of the two ships together to show how huge the Oasis is, but I couldn't get them both in the shot.  The Dream is the largest ship Carnival has so far.

Me, Millie Janalee, and Russ in front the Oasis and the Dream

The girls in front of the back of the ship

I finally got far enough away to capture them both.

Kristin and I decided that we didn't want to finish the cruise without spending some time on a beach.  Since we didn't plan or purchase any excursions during this trip, we had some research to do.  After talking with our servers, some of the crew at guest services, and consulting our maps...we decided to visit Orient Bay Beach.  This is the largest and one of the most popular beaches on the island.  We decided since there were so many passengers on the island this day (from the eight cruise ships), we wanted to be at a large beach with room to spread out.

If you thought the water at St. Thomas was blue, wait til you see this!  Amazing!  Crystal clear and beautiful blue!  I couldn't get over it.  And neither could Millie Janalee.  As soon as I lathered her in sunscreen and changed her into a swim diaper, she was ready to run into the ocean.  Literally.  Pulling us behind her.

You know by now that I only go a certain distance into the ocean water.  Millie Janalee wanted to go further than I was willing to walk, so Russ took over from this point.  She squealed and screamed with every wave and splash that came their way.  They spent a lot of time out in that beautiful blue water while I enjoyed some relaxing sun.

When they finally came back onto the sand, Millie Janalee sat with me to enjoy a little snack before the inevitable nap.  Remember how I said water was the best way to plan a nap?  Ha!  I hate we didn't get a better picture of what the beach actually looked like.  There were beach shops and restaurants lining the sand with beach chairs for days. 

Local artists walked (or paced) the beach displaying their jewelry, dresses, t-shirts, and more.  I love this man who insisted Russ listen to his CD.  Russ didn't purchase the CD, but he admitted that it definitely got him even more in the "island mood." Ha!  It was a classic island moment.

Millie Janalee went down for a good beach nap while the rest of us sorta did the same.  As best we could while so many interesting things were going on around us.  Several different languages, all kinds of people, questionable swimsuits, artists, etc.  I'm pretty sure Daddy slept the entire time we were at the beach.  He woke up right before we left I think.

Millie Janalee napping with Susu

I broke down and obliged one of the local women to a foot massage.  Poor me!  Ha!  I bargained with her for a price we could both agree on, and I offered her a spot on my chair to sit.  She pulled out a GIANT aloe plant leaf.  She massaged my feet and legs with aloe, and it was lovely!  When she finished, she said with a smile "mademoiselle."  Orient Bay is on the French side of the island. 

While we finished up our time at the beach and gathered our belongings, Pawpaw took Millie Janalee for one last walk along the beach.  She loved her feet in the wet sand and the waves rushing up on her feet.  My little beach baby!  And can we take a moment to talk about how cute she is in her Beaufort Bonnet?!  Oh my!

We allowed plenty of time to arrive back to the port so that we wouldn't worry about getting left.  We loaded 11-12 deep in a taxi van for an eventful 30 minute ride back to the ship.  Lee was feeling a little carsick, so he and Kristin went ahead to the ship while the rest of us took time to peek into the local shops at the port.  We also found some fun music and even a Christmas tree in the middle of this tropical atmosphere!

Our time at St. Maarten was coming to an end, so we took a stroll back toward the gangway.

Once on board, we found a great spot on the top deck to watch all the cruise ships sail away to their next or last destinations.  It was so neat watching the ships of various sizes sailing off into the night sky.

 

After dinner we enjoyed a headliner show.  A one man act.  It was very entertaining, and once again Millie Janalee loved it!

Now, THIS is when we prepared for two days at sea.

St. Thomas

After a relaxing day at sea, it was time for a fun day at our next port of call...St. Thomas!  My parents have been to these ports before, but the rest of us have not.  So it was new and we were excited.  The water was incredible!  A beautiful bright blue!

We made plans to take our own "excursion" and found a taxi to take us to Havensight where we could catch an aerial tram for a great view of the city.  When I say taxi, I mean an open air safari-like vehicle.  We loaded all seven of us on the same row!  I hate I didn't get a picture, but things were a little chaotic as the taxi drivers tried to load their vehicles up with as many passengers as possible quickly. 

We walked a very short distance to the aerial tram terminal to purchase all day tickets.  This is where Kristin nearly got her head knocked off by a low hanging flag pole sticking out over the sidewalk.  It's funny now, but I think she is still sore from the incident.  After waiting a few minutes for a brief shower to pass, we headed toward the stairs leading up to our ride. 

"Let's ride, Mama!'

Enjoying the view with my cutie

We loaded the tram at Havensight and rode 700 feet to the top of Flag hill at Paradise Point for some of the best views of St. Thomas and a great overlook of cruise ships docked and other waterways and the city.  The views surrounding our tram were wonderful...even thought I have a fear of heights.  Ha!  When we got to the top, Millie Janalee took some time to stretch her legs before we posed for pictures in front of our view.

Walking those legs a bit

Following the steps to the shops and restaurant nestled at the top, we ran into an amazing bird show.  This lady shared all her birds and their tricks with us.  It was seriously fascinating.  Let's see...two birds played basketball, one rode a bicycle, there was rollerskating, and more!  Millie Janalee was very intrigued!

We made our way toward the outdoor restaurant for something cold to drink, and the views just continue to impress!  Just look at that water!  Can you even imagine waking up to that every day?!

We enjoyed relaxing and experiencing "island time" at the restaurant.  Never a waitress rushing to your table...or ever getting there.  Not a care in the world.  They're on island time!  Ha!  After enjoying the sights and each other, we decided to head back down the mountain and stroll around downtown for awhile.

We found a nice garden restaurant for lunch.  The food was wonderful!  Millie Janalee entertained herself after a little nap with Susu.

Playing peek-a-boo behind the menu

This is also where we discovered we could use our cell phones since St. Thomas is actually a part of the US.  When Russ checked his phone, he found out some pretty exciting news!  He passed his boards!!!

Things got a little wild and crazy after that...

We spent some time window shopping and really shopping throughout the downtown area.  Each cobblestone alleyway was filled with little shops and specialty boutiques.  If we looked hard enough, we could find signs of the season.

Giving ourselves plenty of time to make it back to the ship, we loaded in another open air taxi for a ride back to the terminal.  This time I captured a couple pictures.  And we spread out better.

The second row of our family

Susu and Pawpaw decided they needed room to breathe this time.  Ha!

Walking back to the ship

Hughes and Millie Janalee's first trip to St. Thomas (ours too actually!)

Our time in St. Thomas was fun and filled.  We decided there are plenty of ways to take a cruise and spend very little to nothing once you've booked your reservations.  Exploring the ports are free and entertaining enough for a family with a toddler and pregnant woman.  Ha!

The view leaving St. Thomas was beautiful!  The sun had set, and the lights of the city were twinkling beneath the full moon.  We found a pleasant spot on the top deck to lay back and enjoy the view as we set sail for our next destination.

That night, our dinner dress code was Caribbean colorful.  Millie Janalee and Russ did a great job of representing!  Our server, Frank, carved and created a super cute bird for Millie Janalee out of an apple.  She was quite impressed!

I am honestly racking my brain trying to remember if we had a show this night.  I think this is the night my parents and Rhonda and Michael went to a late night comedy show.  Mama said she laughed so hard, she had an asthma attack.  I don't doubt it.  She loves to laugh.

See ya later, St. Thomas!  We are headed to the open sea for a couple days.

First Sea Day

For those of you who have never gone cruising before, there are always "days at sea" where your destination is further away than a day sailing.  Between our first two ports, we had one "sea day."  Things are so fast paced leading up to your cruise, a day at sea is welcome!  Nowhere to be.  Nothing planned.  Just a fun day of relaxing by the pool, shopping on board, sleeping in watching movies, eating as much as you can, or whatever your heart desires.  There was SO much available to keep you busy on our ship.  Among other things were surfing, a zip line, miniature golf, a rock wall, shows, casino, shops, a carousel, etc.

We spent our day by the baby pool.  I had several people ask to see my tan from our trip.  Well, the baby pool (the only one available for babies who aren't potty trained) was mostly in the shade.  And it was way too fun to leave!  Can you tell?

The kid-friendly pool area consisted of several splash zones and pools.  There were fun sculptures shooting water everywhere along with water guns attached to a few.  It was the perfect zone for kids!  The baby splash zone was a small area with glass walls to keep babies from climbing out.  It had water spraying from two sculptures, and the water was warm.  To say this was Millie Janalee's favorite ship activity would be an understatement.

And she made friends very easily!

Most of her little friends didn't speak English, but she doesn't really either so it worked out.  Ha!  These sweet girls were obsessed with Millie Janalee and loved watching her and playing with her.  Millie Janalee went to introduce herself to each  new baby who entered "her pool."  We also had a few sharing lessons while splashing around.  This may or may not have included her first "time out" experience.

She would have stayed in there all day, but once the sun began going down the wind gets a little cool.  The water was warm, but her lips would be turning purple.  Getting out of the pool was NOT her favorite part.  Haha!  But, every time she got out of the pool, she fell asleep immediately after.  Swimming is a great way to plan a naptime!  Ha!  And we averaged two good naps a day...one in the room and one by the pool.

I'm trying to remember, but I think this was the afternoon we had reservations to see Hairspray in the Opal Theater.  If you have never seen Hairspray...add it to your list!  Kristin saw it in New York on Broadway, and she said this one was just as good!  It was wonderful!  And, y'all.  Millie Janalee sat straight up on our legs watching, singing, and dancing to every single song for the entire hour and a half!  We decided that shows were among her top things to do on this cruise.  Haha!

After the show and a good nap, it was time to bathe and get ready for our casual dinner.  We brought her inflatable tub for the cruise since we only had a tiny shower, but the seal's head apparently is very scary.  This is why Millie Janalee's first shower is now documented.  We spent the rest of our cruise giving showers to our 17 month old.  And she grew to love it.  Ha!  In fact, she doesn't understand why she has to sit down during bath time at home now.

A delicious dinner with our servers, family, and friends...a good Christmas book...and a great night's rest listening to the waves of the open sea outside our door!  That's the way to spend a day at sea.