Madi and Quinn heading to the beach on the ferry at Labadee
Madi finds a star fish at Labadee
Dunns River Falls Ocho Rios
Grand Cayman kissing Blondie the Stingray
Cozumel X-rail Excursion…looking a bit dirty!
We are off to the fabulous Freedom of the Seas, sailing from Port Canaveral. Our transfers were all pre-arranged and everything was very efficient from the pick up at the Hard Rock Hotel to drop off at the pier. I must say that I had my “dreading the embarkation” moment as we were transferring over… yes I am a bit spoiled from the smaller ships, I admit it! It’s always a challenge when you have to wait in line ups with a 7 and 8 year old. We were pleasantly surprised though when we were whisked through embarkation within 20 minutes of arrival… perfect. Royal Caribbean does a terrific job of moving people.
First on the list was our swim and play in the water park, such a fun feature on the Freedom class ships. The kids registered in the kids club right away as well and loved it throughout the week. It was a challenge to be able to spend some time with my son who always wanted to be in the club with his new friends. We enjoyed the food and entertainment on board. The kids put on several shows through the kids club throughout the week and it really is a great product for all ages.
We had perfect weather for our cruise, which in the middle of hurricane season, with 2 or 3 hurricanes the week before and 2 the week after, we were very fortunate. Our day on the private island of Labadee was terrific. We played in the water park there when we first arrived, with its rock climbing, trampolines and slides it was great fun. There is a nominal fee for this but well worth it for the hour. Then we did exactly what you are supposed to do on a beach day, nothing at all… we just hung out, played in the sand and ocean. The beach BBQ was fantastic as well. A wonderful day.
I hadn’t sailed into Ocho Rios for many, many years (like maybe 20!) and I was pleasantly surprised with the infrastructure there now and we had a great day climbing Dunns River Falls and river tubing. We ended the day with a visit to Margaritaville where we did the water slide and enjoyed a few bevies before heading back to the ship.
We then sailed off to Grand Cayman where we had pre-arranged a sea doo tour to swim with the Stingrays… absolutely amazing! We had our own private guide and sped off across the ocean on sea doos to engage in one of the most surreal experiences. My kids loved the sea doos, not so sure about getting into that water with those big “portabello mushroom” creatures… but they were finally convinced and loved it.
We arrived into Cozumel and enjoyed a wonderful day on an X-rail Buggy Tour. The company, Wild Tours was very well organized and I would highly recommend this tour if you like adventure and getting mud covered from head to toe… although I am sure you wouldn’t have to get quite as dirty as we did since we did tend to aim for the puddles! The trail is very rough and rugged with lots of rocks and tree roots along the way, not recommended for those with bad backs. It takes you through the jungle to the Jade Cavern where you can take a swim to rinse off. We had a total blast.
We then enjoyed our final day at Sea before heading back to Port Canaveral and then back home to reality. This package, available through Encore CruiseEscapes, is definitely a great way to go for your families looking to spend time in Orlando and then on a cruise. They do offer a 3 or 4 night cruise on the Monarch Of The Seas or the 7 day sailing (Eastern or Western Caribbean) on the Freedom of the Seas and it is a great “one stop shop” way to offer it to your clients because you can also package in the air.
We had a great time and it was so much fun bidding for it at the Winterboob event. Be sure to sign up now for WinterBoob on Feb 10th... it’s a great cause and a super fun day! This year, all Canadian travel professionals are invited to place their reserve bids on a whole selection of trips and prizes in the online WinterBoob auction … click for details.
Karen Scott Caplice, Director of Business Development at Cruise Strategies, purchased the RCI and Universal package at the 2010 Winterboob auction in support of Breast Cancer. This is part 2 of the series on the trip she took with her husband & 2 children (8 & 7).
