Back in May, Aiden and I were offered to take a FREE Bahamas cruise with our great friends, The Valerios! We had dinner with them one Saturday night in San Diego, Shauna asked if I had vacation time left and if we were interested in going. Of course we were interested! Shauna then said ok I need to know by Tuesday and we leave Friday. Um, as in this coming week??? So I worked some magic at work and Aiden and I were packed and off to Florida, where we started our 7-day adventure on the largest cruise line, Oasis of the Seas, with the Valerios! Not having been on a cruise before, I was a bit nervous of the movement of the ocean and if I would get bored…but we had a great time.
Thank you Shauna, Brian, Xander and Max for the last minute getaway and for letting us tag along on your vacation. We had such a great time (through some tears and tantrums)! We are so blessed to have had this opportunity and for your friendship!
With my beautiful roomie, sister, friend…Shauna! (Cruise wardrobe by Frou Frou hahah)
The Oasis of the Seas is the largest cruise line in the world - it's like a mini city on sea, with things like an Aqua Theatre, FlowRider surf simulators, zip lining, mountain climbing, comedy club, casino and a number of pools to spend your day. We especially like the hot pool, as the kids called it (sauna).
The Royal Promenade was the main area, where shops, bars, restaurants and the parade were held. We spent many 24/7 pizza and sandwich stops here for the kids (along with milk, cookies, pastries, desserts)
Central Park- Not quite the NYC central park, but it was a nice touch. It was nice to have greenery on the ship- in the evenings they had violinists playing, and you were able to enjoy a calm night away from all the ship's activities.
The Boardwalk- we were here everyday, the kids loved it- I think Shauna, Brian and I were starting to get tired of this after the first few days- I think we had gone on that carousel at least 30 times.
The boys- Xander, Max and Aiden
Unlimited carousel rides, with no line- every kids dream!
Look how sweet Xander is.
Balloons and facepainting! This is where the kids wanted to go right when they woke up- talk about clever placements…they had a ice cream parlor, toy shop, candy shop and donuts around the area.
Shauna and Max
Parade pictures in the promenade- How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda and Madagascar.
Also at the Boardwalk was a playground with cars and ships- it was perfectly placed next to a bar. The boys burned off all their unlimited desserts here.
Breakfast with King Julien- Aiden was a bit frightened at first, but he warmed up quickly.
The boys loved Alex.
First stop off the ship- The Bahamas! We had the choices to visit the Atlantis resort, roam the city or…meet dolphins. Of course, with the once in the life time chance, we decided to meet dolphins and have the kids get up close and personal.
The boys, patiently waiting for our next adventure.
Off to a ferry boat to meet the dolphins. Aiden is super excited.
Shauna and Xander
Brian and the boys waiting for their turn to meet the friendly flipper friend.
How awesome is this guy? What a beautiful creature, so smart and friendly. The kids couldn't wait to get close.
The Valerios are in first- I didn't get a good picture of them with the dolphins- as soon as I have the video, I can upload it to show all of us feeding, dancing, and kissing our dolphin friend. The water was freezing!
Aiden was a bit shy...
The boys all ran to the gift shop to find souvenirs of their dolphin encounter.
And this sums up the rest of the day.
Our next stop was St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Hearing and reading that St. Thomas may possibly have one of the top 10 beaches in the world, we didn't want to miss out in seeing it for ourselves. We piled ourselves in this tourist packed bus (questionable, bus) and headed off to Magen's Bay.
That's our happy driver to the left, collecting our fees :)
Aiden definitely did not mind it- he LOVES the water. With those floaties, he was jumping in the ocean like a pro, without a care in the world. The water was crystal clear, no strong waves and soft sand, definitely a beautiful beach. Brian and Shauna didn't seem to mind the water either and neither did the waterproof case Brian was trying out with his new phone.
Xander enjoyed the water, even with his cast on.
Max was diving in and finding shells.
Shauna and I cooling down with some drinks. Overall, the beach was beautiful, but it was way too crowded due to all the tourists. I am sure if we went down further, it wouldn't have been as crowded but great time in the sun.
The driver was kind enough to stop on our way back to let us all take some pictures of the views of the island.
These little iguanas (sometimes, very big) were everywhere!
Our last stop was at St. Maarten- we wanted to do some shopping and enjoy another beach day. We were warned of the heat, but MAN! it was soooo hot!
We took a ferry from the ship to get to the island.
The port.
We spent our first half of the day walking around town, exploring and shopping. I was so glad that I had brought the stroller for Aiden and Shauna ended up buying one for Max. Xander was such a trooper through the heat and walking…he earned that dip in the ocean!
Lastly, a few selflies with me and my date! So blessed to have spent a week of quality time with Aiden and to have experienced this with him. We are even more blessed to be able to go. Thank you again Valerio Family for the opportunity to go, the memories, the laughter and most importantly, your friendship! We love you and can't wait to go on our next trip together!
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