Spring Break ~ Day 5 ~ Grand Cayman

Wednesday morning we got to Grand Cayman about an hour earlier than scheduled, so we had a little extra time to catch a tender (little ferry boat that takes you from the ship to the dock, since there is not an actual port) that took us to Georgetown. We walked through the shops while we waited for the bus that took us to the boat that took us out to Stingray City.

Stingray City was the most incredible experience! It is a big sandbar 7 miles off the coast of Grand Cayman, where tons of stingrays congregate. The water is shallow enough that you can stand and shuffle through the sand, while the stingrays swim all around,and you can also snorkel. The tour guides will hold a ray, so you can pet it, kiss it, and have your photos taken. The rays are so patient and gentle, and it was the best!

After our time was up at Stingray City, we headed over to Rum Point Beach for some beach time and lunch. The beach was beautiful and shady, and the perfect spot of lunch before the boat took us back to catch the bus back to the port. 

Spring Break ~ Day 4 ~ Cozumel

We docked in Cozumel early Tuesday morning, and after we had breakfast, we headed into port. After browsing the shops, we found a taxi driver who was happy to drive us for the day. Our first stop was San Gervasio, which are the Mayan ruins on Cozumel, and a sanctuary to Ixchel, the Mayan goddess of love and fertility. The ruins are much smaller than the ruins on the mainland, but it was an amazing experience to walk along the stone paths, and see the buildings. Our awesome taxi driver, Arturo, volunteered to give us a tour or San Gervasio too, which was great and he taught us so much! San Gervasio is also an iguana sanctuary, and there are green, grey and red iguanas there. The red iguanas are native to the island, and have been there for centuries.

After San Gervasio, we headed downtown to do a little shopping and sightseeing. Our last stop of the day was the Tortuga Beach Club, were Arturo knows the owner and hooked us up with free snorkeling gear. Cahl and the kids all had an amazing time snorkeling, followed by a wonderful lunch. We made it back to port with plenty of time to pick up some souvenirs before re-boarding the ship. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening climbing the rock wall (Brinley made it to the top and celebrated with cookies, cake and ice cream!), and meeting King Julian before coming back to cute little penguins on our beds. 

Spring Break ~ Day 3 ~ At Sea

We spent Monday at sea, cruising toward Cozumel. It was a nice, relaxing day, and we spent it exploring more of the ship, at the arcade, meeting Alex the Lion, and attending our first formal night. We also came back to swans on our beds!