First Stop San Juan, Then Out To Sea

After breakfast on Sunday, Arabella and I were able to drag Jay to the beach so we could enjoy the warm water and great weather in San Juan before we headed to the cruise terminal. It was nice to not be rushed to get there since the ship was sailing at 10 PM. We were able to spend a lot of time playing in the waves and enjoying the sand.

After the beach, we headed back to the hotel to collect our bags and then took a taxi to the ship. Once we got through all of the preboarding check in, we were finally allowed on the ship. I think it probably took us about an hour to get checked in and through security, and that is only because we had Arabella in her stroller. I think they gave us special treatment since we got to cut ahead some very long lines. I jokingly told Jay that she was going to stay in her stroller until she was 8 if we kept getting to cut ahead like this. (Note: We also got to go through a special line in Montreal at the airport for security as well as Customs...and it was nice since the regular lines were pretty long.)




We are officially on the Carnival Victory!

Once we got on the ship, we headed straight to our room to drop off our carry on luggage and then we headed out to check out the rest of the ship!

Arabella loved to run in the halls, she knew exactly which way to go!

Checking out the view from our room window. It was nice to have a window this time - last time we had an interior cabin. A balcony would be nice, but I was too afraid with Arabella.

And our room was a very good size, larger than I thought it would be. Even after our suitcases arrived, we still had plenty of room to move around.

We had dinner, attended the safety briefing at our muster station...it still don't see how they will cram 150 people into each of the life boats...and then went up on deck to watch us leave San Juan. It was to pretty to see Old San Juan lit up at night. Jay and Arabella went back to the room shortly after we left, but I decided to stay up on deck for a little while and enjoy the Sail Away Party and the warm evening air. But then it was time to hit the hay since we would be arriving in St. Thomas bright and early the next morning and it would be time for more adventures!

Old San Juan at night when we were leaving Port.
The Sail Away Party on Deck.
Arabella fell asleep on deck as we were pulling out of the Port.
Checking out one of the 4 pools on the ship!

Cruise Vacation 2010 - Day 1

For our first official family vacation, and by this I mean, we actually went away and did not visit family, we decided to go on a cruise! Jay and I had taken a cruise 5 years ago and we loved it. There are quite a few reasons that I liked being on a cruise - we visited more than one country, I only had to unpack once, you could be as formal or casual as you wanted, there were plenty of dining options (especially for someone as picky as me) and besides what is not to love about being on a boat and enjoying the warm sunshine and beautiful blue water. So when we began to plan our vacation, we thought a cruise would be a great option for us, and it was! We ended up booking the cruise with Carnival, not necessarily my first cruise line choice, but since Arabella was traveling with us and they cater to families and kids, we thought it was best to book with Carnival. (In another posting, I will post my take aways from this cruise).

So bright and early on October 9th (I was up at 4:15 AM), we packed up the car and left the chilly autumn in Montreal and headed for the HOT sunshine in the Caribbean!


Arabella was so excited and couldn't wait to get on the plane!

First stop, San Juan, Puerto Rico. We arrived a day early since we did not want to chance missing the boat if our flights we cancelled or changed. Arabella did great on our two flights (we were on the planes for about 8 hours) and she had a good time. And getting in early allowed us to relax a little and check out the beach near our hotel in San Juan. Once we checked into the hotel we headed out to dinner and then to the beach, it was dark, but Arabella was still able to run off some energy and dip her toes in the very warm water of the Atlantic! And after the beach, we even went to the pool at the hotel. After the pool, it was time to hit the hay so we could get up and go to the beach in the morning before heading over to the cruise terminal!

Ready To Go

Before we left for vacation, Arabella was helping me pack and she loved to hide in the suitcases. She had a lot of fun and I was able to grab a quick movie.

Happy Birthday Jay

Happy 35th Birthday Jay! Tonight we celebrated Jay's Birthday - it was pretty low key since we will be celebrating our anniversary and both of our birthdays next week during our vacation. But Arabella still made sure that Jay got a card, some yummy cake and then a few little presents that she picked out for him all by herself.

Thursday's Thoughts

Hearing: Arabella's sweet, little giggle as I chase her around to get a handle on "Smelling"...see below!

Tasting: Havarti & Olive Cheese.

Seeing: Bright yellow and orange leaves in puddles on the ground from the recent rain.

Smelling: One of the joys of Motherhood, a very stinky diaper...and it is getting worse as I chase Arabella around since she won't sit still and let me change it!

Feeling: Excited, yet overwhelmed, for our Caribbean vacation! I am looking forward to the sun, sparkling blue water and sand, but I know that I have a lot of packing and preparing to do before we even set foot on the plane to leave.

Breakfast at Cynthia's

I spent this morning with a wonderful group of women celebrating the upcoming arrival of a new bundle of joy! Laura is patiently awaiting the news that the child she is adopting is ready to come home. So this morning, we surprised her with a Breakfast at Tiffany's themed baby shower. She was so surprised when she arrived at Cynthia's thinking that we were having a clothing swap, little did she know, that we were waiting for her all glammed up in black cocktail dresses and loaded down with pearls. (We were even able to get her husband to raid her closet so she had something special to change in to.) We had mimosa's, coffee with Baileys, quiche, fritata, scones, coffee cake, french toast and other yummy breakfast treats. Carrie made and decorated a beautiful cake, as well.


The guest of honor!

I even made a "dipper" cake, a/k/a diaper cake!













One of our friends, Sheila, even stopped by to take some amazing photos of us. You can see more of the photos here, on her blog, http://www.photohousemontreal.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=120%3Aoctober-a-baby-shower-for-laura&catid=10%3Ablog&Itemid=100&lang=en

It is so hard for me to believe that I have only known this group of women for less than a year, it certainly feels like we have been friends forever. It was a perfect day spent celebrating friendships and the common bonds that hold us together.

Skating Lessons

Today, Arabella had her first ice skating lesson. It is a parent and tot class and I went on the ice with her today since Jay doesn't have ice skates. Not only did Arabella do great, but I didn't fall and bust my butt! She was very excited to get out on the ice when we arrived at the arena and after getting her skates and helmet on, we headed out. I was amazed at how well she did, even when she slipped and fell down, she still got back up and was a good sport throughout the 1/2 hour class. I have a feel that she is going to do great over the next 10 weeks and she will be having a fun time doing so!