In July, we joined my parents and sisters for a cruise to the Western Caribbean abroad Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas. We stopped in Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; Grand Cayman; and Cozymel, Mexico. This was Hannah's first cruise, and she loved it! Ever since we've been home, she still talks about the "big plane" and "big boat." The plane trip was also a big highlight!
We set our expectations reasonably, considering we'd have to cater to Hannah's schedule. She impressed us with her independent streak. She loved walking the halls and huge atrium without holding our hands. She said "bye" to anyone we talked with, which brightened quite a few days. I was struck with the attention Hannah got, particularly from the crew. Turns out that most of the crew that stopped us had children around Hannah's age they hadn't seen in months. They'd tell stories that would really tug on your heart. We were very grateful Hannah could provide some smiles.
This was an excellent ship choice for Hannah, complete with a baby pool, toys that could be rented to take back to your room, a kids play area, Dreamworks characters, Character breakfast and parade, and childcare which we utilized twice when we wanted a more relaxing dinner. I had high hopes that the wide array of food would be a great way to introduce Hannah to some different things, but we didn't really find anything new. Her eating habits still are a source of frustration.
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| Hannah loved watched take off and landing! |
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| Mama and Hannah enjoying time together while Daddy completed in the Sudoku Challenge. He brought home the gold! |
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| Hannah enjoyed spending time on the balcony. |
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| Labadee, Haiti |
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| "Hey, who put sand on my beach chair?" |
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| Character breakfast |
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| Excited to see Alex the Lion! |
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| Checking out Alex. |
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| Diva! |
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| Good Hope Estate, Falmouth, Jamaica. |
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| The view from the estate. |
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| Carriage ride at the estate. Hard to capture a Hannah smile. |
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| Hannah liked our guide, Odessa. |
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| Checking out the shopping guide. |
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| Port view at Grand Cayman |
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| Our tour guide dropped our group off at a mall for nearly an hour. We made the best of the situation and found some fountains for Hannah to play in. She had a blast! |
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| Hell, Grand Cayman |
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| At 8 in the morning, no one else is out and about, so Hannah had free reign of the Promenade, which she thoroughly enjoyed! |
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| Because when you have a toddler, camera, and empty casino, you just have to capture the moment. |
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| Hannah found her star! |
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| And she's off! |
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| "Hannah, stop and smile!" |
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| Chatting with Aunt Lisa |
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| Kisses from the sea lions in Cozymel |
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| "You're pretty cool, Aunt Sarah!" |
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| Horsey! |
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| She knew her way around. |
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| Time with Daddy in the pool. |
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| Time with mama reading books. |
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| Beautiful shot of rain over Miami on the left and Ft. Lauderdale on the right. |
