Can't say thank you enough!

To my wonderful aunt Joyce for sending us on a much-needed, fun and relaxing-filled vacation to the Caribbean! How can we possible say thank you enough? We love you and are so grateful for your love and generosity.

Thank you from Tom, Kristi and Lilly Grace!

3rd Port of Call - Ocho Rios, Jamaica

When we arrived at the Jamaican port, we found a policeman guarding a road. We asked him if he knew of an honest taxi driver who could show us around the island. He made a call and soon arrived Noel, a funny and knowledgeable native who gave us a great tour!

Noel, our personal tour guide!



We fell in love with the landscape of Jamaica! It was so lush with greenery and beautiful HUGE banyan trees. Noel took us through Fern Gully, Dunns River Falls and Mahogany Beach. He treated us to Red Stripe beer and Jamaican beef patties. We met many natives along the way, some posing for pictures, others selling items from little huts nestled among the winding roads. We bought some nice pieces of wood working from the gentleman pictured below.

2nd Port of Call - Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

Rather than touring the islands, we chose to do the turtle and dolphin adventure excursion when we arrived in Grand Cayman. We boarded a tour bus and got to see downtown Grand Cayman on our way to the adventure facility. Once arrived, we started with the turtle exhibit. Some of those turtles were HUGE! Notice how Tom and Lilly are brave enough to touch the smaller turtles - I volunteered to take pictures!






The exciting part of this excursion was the dolphin encounter. What an experience! To be so close and personal with such a lovely mammal was quite amazing. Lilly wasn't afraid at all (which surprise us a little!) - The pictures speak for themselves!

1st Port of Call - Cozumel, Mexico

When we stopped in Mexico, we took a bus to Playa Mia, a private beach resort. We had such a lovely day. We first visited the white, sandy beaches and the pristine waters.



Lilly made a friend named Bella, who is also 3 years old! Tom and I hung out with her parents while they played in the sand!




Lilly had her hair braided and beaded by a local! She wanted 3 braids across the top of her head, and she picked out her own blue and pink beads!




Lilly is not a big fan of the beach. She likes the water but does not really enjoy playing in the sand. So here we are taking a dip in Playa Mia's freshwater pool!



Next, we played with all of the games and toys on the beachfront playground!





My favorite part of our 5 hour visit to Playa Mia (besides the unlimited margaritas!) was when Lilly held a huge McCaw (bird)- We bought the picture because we were so excited that Lilly actually let the bird grab ahold of her arm and sit there for a photo opp! I wish I had a scanned, because it's a great picture! After we saw how fearless our little girl could be around strange creatures, we decided to sign up for the dolphin adventure in Grand Cayman.

After we return to the ship and got cleaned up from a day of beachside playing, drinking and eating, we went back to the port for some authentic Mexican ambience! We had a wonderfully fun dinner at 3 Amigos, which while I think it might be a chain, was the best Mexican food I've had in a long time! We were serenaded by mariachis, made balloon hats by a "Day of the Dead" skeleton clown and enjoyed nice scenery for photos!






We return to ship at sundown and saw the most beautiful sunset! As souvenirs, Lilly picked out a maraca, Tom bought a silver ring, and I bought a beautfully embroidered dress for Lilly (that she will never wear because I wouldn't want juice all over it!)

Fun Ship Days!

We had 3 days aboard the ship when we were not at port. Most of the time was spent at the pool, riding the elevators and taking extended naps. We tried to keep LG on her regular nap schedule, so Tom and I would take turns staying with her. On my days, I spent the two hours at the pool with margaritas; Tom's days were spent in the casinos! Here are some photos of us on and around the Liberty!

Here is the beautiful ship Liberty!



Here is Lilly taking in the views as we left port!



Lilly LOVED the elevators! They were glass elevators that spanned 11 floors in the middle of the gorgeous lobby! She loved to ride allllll the way to the top and see the piano bar down below! This picture actually shows the poolside and slide on the outside deck of the pool. (I rode on the slide, by the way!)



Waiting for the elevators!



Time at the pool!







In the arcade!




And, sshhhh, don't tell anyone, but one afternoon, Lilly went to Camp Carnival and Tom and I won $100 on the casino's slot machines!



Lilly's favorite place to hang out was the window in our room. It was just the right size for her to either sit or stand and watch the vast ocean surrounding us. She would often just sit on the ledge and watch the water, telling us that she was looking for fish, dolphins and Spongebob Squarepants.