What a Trip! What a Treat!

Mom and Dad Dent just treated us to an incredible Eastern Caribbean Cruise! It was so much fun! All of Ryan's siblings and their spouses were there, along with mom and dad. We ate, we laid on the beach, we laughed, we ate, we relaxed by the pool, we ate, we snorkeled, we danced (thanks to Jeff!), we had so much fun...did I mention the food? For the record, Laurie and I did get up early in the morning and went for a walk around the deck! I loved all the fresh fruit--especially the pineapple! Ryan loved the brownies and the chocolate chocolate chip cookies! Our favorite thing was definitely dinner time! We had great servers, Allan from the Phillipines and Carlos from Peru, who made each meal "Excellent!" (As Allan would say!) The appetizers were wonderful. The fresh seafood was delicious. The main courses all sounded so yummy it was hard to choose--(so we chose everything!) The desserts were incredible. It was a dining experience to remember! Anyone ready to hit the buffet?

We made stops at Princess Cays, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Grand Turk. The white sand and clear blue water beaches were amazing. We went on an catamaran excursion on St. Thomas that sailed us over to a beautiful beach on St. John. We went snorkling there and saw some incredible fish and even a sting ray! When we stopped in Grand Turk, we walked down the beach and found tons of huge conch shells that had washed ashore. It was a shell seekers paradise! My kids would have been in heaven.

The ship was amazing. The Lobby was incredible. There was also a miniature golf course, a basketball court, several pools, and beautiful lounges. One of our favorite things to do was to lay on the beach chairs around the pool and watch the movies on the big screen--especially just as the sun was going down. It was paradise! Our room had a little deck/balcony. I loved sitting there and watching the water. Our last day on the ship we went down to the promenade deck and sat down to enjoy the ocean air--we were so excited when we saw some dolphins jumping out of the water next to us.

We truly had an incredible time. THANK YOU mom and dad for such a wonderful vacation! Thanks also to my parents for coming to New Jersey to stay with our kids. We appreciate and love you too! As we pulled out of our driveway to leave for the airport, our kids were a little teary. Ryan stuck his head out of the window and said, "We'll be better parents when we come back, I promise!" I'm happy to report we have held true to his word! This little break, besides being such a fun and relaxing trip, has increased our patience and improved our parenting skills! It was truly paradise!