Vacation: Day 5

It was another early morning for me, while Abe got a little extra sleep. I wanted to catch the sunrise, but the clouds covered the horizon and it wasn't all that impressive. But it was fun to watch the day begin. Of course I chose deck 6 to watch! It is one of my favorite places on the ship. Right at the front!!

Welcome to the Grand Caymans! It is gorgeous here and the island is very well kept. We booked a small group excursion out to see the sting rays on the sand bar, snorkel nearby, all while hanging out on a catamaran. 

I really didn't want to be in the water with the sting rays. To be honest, they kind of freak me out. But, I did it. I did not feed them! Unfortunately, the guy with the fish kept throwing them at me, so I had a few too many sting rays around me. Abe loved it and fed them a lot. I did quickly pet their bellies to feel how silky soft they are. I personally loved the snorkeling. The water is so insanely clear! It was also fun to jump off the boat a few times. Until I accidentally  kicked a somewhat larger fish, and then I felt bed. Because of Abe's healing foot, he didn't participate much in the snorkeling. He can't kick with fins on and he doesn't like breathing through a tube.

Riding on the catamaran was so peaceful; it was quite and gorgeous.

Once we were done with our excursion we picked up some lunch at a local restaurant. We split a pina colada our meal; it was pricey! It was also delicious. We had the special, which was a jerk pork wrap!

Abe likes my little ringlets I get when I go swimming.

We were pretty tired and caught a tender back to our ship. We showered up, and then relaxed until dinner. Dinner was delicious and the company was great. There was even more laughter tonight and we got to know one another more. After dinner we hung out until the Gary Lovini show. He is an insane violinist that can't stop smiling. He was good, but the show was a little long. After a little more wandering and checking out the 70's dance party, we called it a night

Vacation: Day 4

Today was a day at sea. I got up early, Abe slept. I enjoyed a workout, looking at the ocean from deck 6, a quick shower, and then a sit down breakfast. When I went back to our room, Abe was about to go grab some breakfast at the buffet. I took a book from the library and headed for the top deck.

After Abe finished breakfast we met up and enjoyed some relaxation. I decided to try out surfing on the flowrider. It was tough. It's not like wakeboarding, it's not like snowboarding. I didn't do so well, but I was able to stay upright long enough for a picture or two. After my third time through I was done. I think it would be easier to pick up if I could try it back to back instead of waiting 15 minutes each time. Abe played it safe with his foot, and didn't try it again this year.

The rest of the day we lounged, walked around the decks, and relaxed. Dinner was a lot of fun and we laughed a lot as we shared stories and got to know each other. I really wanted to watch Unbroken on the top deck, but Abe wanted to see the production in the theater. That is what we did. It was good.

We tucked in early tonight so we can have the energy we need for tomorrow in the Grand Caymans.

Vacation: Day 3

Good thing we left a little early for church. It is a small building, originally a different church, that is rented by the church to meet in. It was a little hard to spot. It has a very similar parking situation as San Francisco; everyone is locked in and can't leave until the person behind them leaves. It was probably for the best that we got there right on time.

The congregation was a melting pot of race, language, and character. We had a Portuguese speaker that the stake president translated for, another speaker with a heavy Spanish accent, and a prayer in Spanish. Sunday school also had an array of experience and stories to share.  I was a little sad that we had to leave before Relief Society, but we had to get our car dropped off.

We said goodbye to our sports car, and hoped onto the bus to our port. This was such a great move on our part! Changing the drop off from the airport to this location made things go so much more smoothly.  We got on late enough that we went straight to our room with all of our luggage, dropped it off, and then headed out for some lunch and to watch as we sailed off. We packed light enough that we only had carry on and we didn't need to wait for our stuff to get to us.

Independence of the Seas is the same ship as our last cruise. We feel pretty well versed in the layout, but our room is on a lower level and in the aft. There are a few habits we have need to break when we try to find our room. 

Tonight we met all of our table mates. We have a great set of people. There is Matt and Megan from Baltimore, Shelia from Florida, and Steve from Florida. Shelia and Steve are ASL interpreters. During dinner they don't sit with the ladies they are here for. Matt and Megan are a young, newly engaged couple.

After dinner we went to the Majority Rules game in one of the lounges. Our group didn't win, but we did alright. Because we were tired we called it a night after that, and went to bed.