Cruise- Days 8-12

We had 2 more sea days that we filled with trivia, games, shows, a massage, and so much good food and company. Our last port day was spent at CoCo Cay, which is always beautiful and relaxing. Cahl had bought us tickets to the CoCo Cay Beach Club and it was the perfect way to spend the day. We had a beach nearly to ourselves, with plenty of chairs and shade. Cahl snorkeled and saw a sting ray and nurse shark, along with plenty of fish. Our tickets also included unlimited drinks and a delicious lunch, as well as a pool. We did a little shopping at the end of the day, but mostly just loved sitting on the beach all day.

We got back to Ft. Lauderdale and got off the ship Sunday morning, and picked up a rental car to drive down to Key West. We took our time on the drive, and stopped at Long Key State park, and a cool farmer's market on the way. Once we got to Key West, we checked into our hotel, then headed out for some sightseeing and shopping. We visited the Southernmost Point, Hemmingway's house, and the St Paul's Episcopal Church before making our way to El Siboney for dinner. 

Monday we packed in as much of Key West as we could- Truman's Little White House, the Maritime Museum, Mallory Square, the Sails to Rails Museum, and of course Kermit's Key Lime Pie! We had one last hour to spend at the beach before it was time to pack up and head north again. A few days in Key West was the perfect end to our trip, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to go!

Cruise- Day 7

Our second port day was in Curacao, and we were also super excited to visit. We had the best time walking through the town of Willemstad- it is one of my favorite port towns so far! Cahl and I bought a lock to put on the Punda Love Heart sculpture, we watched the Queen Emma bridge open to let a boat through, and we especially loved Rif Fort and the floating market. The shops are all so beautiful and unique, and I definitely plan to visit the island again someday!

We spent the afternoon at Mambo Beach. The beach club was very crowded, but we managed to find some lounge chairs in the shade. Despite all of the people, the snorkeling at Mambo was some of the best we've ever done. 

On our way back to the ship, we made one last stop to walk through the Curacao Rif Mangrove Park. We were hoping to see some wildlife, but the tress were really pretty and the boardwalk was nice and shady.

Cruise- Day 6

Our first port day was in Aruba, and we were super excited to visit. Once we got off the ship, we walked all around the town of Oranjested, then rented a jeep and drove to the northern most part of the island to climb a lighthouse. It was a tight climb, but the view from the top was incredible!

After the lighthouse, we drove over to Arashi Beach. It was one of the best we've been to- it was really beautiful, not crowded at all, and perfect for swimming!

Next we drove all the way to the furthest Eastern part of the island in search of a natural pool that we had read amazing things about. We followed several different roads and google directions, but they were all dead ends and we never actually found the pool. But we did run into a big group of wild donkeys. so that was fun! So we gave up on the pool and decided to drive to the southern most part of the island, and spend some time at Baby Beach. It was really beautiful as well, but not as good for swimming. 

Once we were nearing the end of our day, stopped for dinner at a place called Sea Rover, recommended by the girl at the car rental. It was incredible! We shared huge amberjack and barracuda filets and huge shrimp. Then we headed back up to Oranjested to return the jeep and visit the market and local shops before hopping back on the ship. We loved our day in Aruba. We didn't expect it to be so arid and dry, and covered in cacti, but it was an adventure and a day well spent!

Cruise- Days 1-5

Many months ago, Cahl booked a cruise for he and I, to celebrate my graduation. We've been looking forward to it for months, and it was so nice to get away and spend some time together. We took an overnight flight down to Ft. Lauderdale, and got there early Thursday morning. We spent the day exploring the beach and shops, resting, and enjoying a Thanksgiving dinner at our hotel restaurant. Stacey and Andy flew in late that night as well, so we were excited to meet up with them the next day.

Friday we spent doing more exploring, shopping, and swimming at the beach and pool. The beach there is beautiful, and we loved opening our balcony door so we could hear it!

Saturday morning we had breakfast at an amazing little French bakery, then wandered through a farmer's market on our way back to the hotel. Once we had everything packed up, we caught a ride over to the port and boarded our ship- the Oasis of the Seas. Stacey had not been on a cruise in many years, and this was Andy's first, so it was fun to show them around and tour the ship. The crew was busy decorating it for Christmas, and it was really beautiful. 

Sunday and Monday were both sea days, so we really enjoyed not having anything to do and just relaxing. We played a lot of trivia, found a lot of ducks (Cahl even found Jesus!), took some naps, and enjoyed all the food.