The Last of the Cruise Photos

Our cruise was made possible thanks to these two lovely people.

Thank-you so much, mom and dad!

"Movies under the stars"

Every night on the ship they played a movie under the stars. They served popcorn and ice cream. In this photo we were watching "How to train Your Dragon" with my nieces.

The whole Pyne clan posing for a pic after eating a lovely dinner on Italian night (the 2 guys in stripes on either side of the family were our waiters every night).

Mom & Dad with all their grand kids

Our cruise was a wonderful vacation that I recommend everyone experience at least once in their life. It's a great way to sample different places. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of the Bahamas, which we really liked. We were too busy playing around and teaching Gavin to snorkel to stop and take pictures. I would definitely like to return there someday. Arabella did great on the cruise, and Gavin had the time of his life, but I would recommend going on a cruise without kids or only if your kids are 3 or older so they can go to the kids club on the ship (which is free, unless they stay after 10pm). Because we had Bella we weren't really able to enjoy the nightlife or do any shore excursions (like swimming with the sting rays in the Caymans or snorkeling in the under water city in Cozumel), but that's ok because we still had a really great time.

Cozumel

We had a fabulous time in Cozumel, Mexico. We did some shopping and then discovered an awesome beach (I forget the name) that had pretty much everything you could need or want. The last 2 photos are of us holding some parrots that were trained to do some interesting things like lay in your arms like a baby and hang from your finger by their beak.

Jamaica

standing in front of the waterfall

helping Gavin climb the waterfall

didn't realize my mom was taking pictures of us


Tiffany & Tommy (& Arabella) in front of the waterfall. They were kind enough to help out with Bella while we ventured up the waterfall.


My mom & my brother David's 4 cute girls



Gavin & his cousins posing with a donkey
(left to right: Ashlee, Gavin, Caitlin, Christina, Kathryn)



Here we are in Ocho Rios, Jamaica! The main attraction here is to climb up the Dunns River Falls. Tony, Gavin and I climbed up most of it (the last portion of the climb was a little too hard for Gavin). We did some shopping and hit the beach for a short time. It was drizzling on and off so it wasn't a great day for hanging at the beach. I have to say, this was definitely our least favorite stop during our cruise. The main reason for that was that, as a tourist, you are constantly hounded by peddlers trying to sell you their wares. And they are extremely aggressive about it; putting things in Gavin's hands, asking him his name and immediately carving it onto whatever it is they want us to buy. It became infuriating. But we couldn't help but feel for them because they are so poor there. Needless to say, I don't think we'd go back to Jamaica.

Grand Cayman Island

This photo was taken on a boat from our ship to the island. It would have been the perfect photo if you could see the whole sign Gavin is sitting in front of, which says, "Welcome to the Cayman Islands" (with sharks, just like the swim trunks he's wearing).

Can you believe that water!

Arabella snoozing on a lounge chair in the shade of an umbrella. Every beach we visited we had to make a shady spot for the baby.

These photos were taken during our visit to the Grand Cayman Island. It was our favorite island because it was beautiful and comfortable. The sand and water were gorgeous (no reef/rocks to maneuver around while in the water like in the Bahamas). It's obviously a very wealthy island (unlike Jamaica), which I have to be honest is so much more appealing. We definitely want to go back soon! Loved it!

Our Caribbean Cruise!

The Emerald Princess!

Tony & Gavin playing in one of the 4 pools on the ship.

Grandpa Don, Caitlin & Ashley (my nieces) playing in the pool. Typical Dad fashion... giving the "hang loose" sign.

Tony & Arabella all dressed up for dinner on one of the dressy nights on the ship. Some people get very dressed up (tuxes & gowns). That's not our style.

Me & Tony sitting at our nightly spot in the dining room. They fed us very well. I'm now accustomed to having my own appetizer and desert with my meal every night. Now that I'm home I've gotta get back to eating healthy and light.

We had an amazing time on the Pyne family reunion 2010! The whole family set sail on board the Emerald Princess to the western Caribbean for 7 days. We visited the Bahamas, Jamaica, Grand Cayman Island and Cozumel. Pictures from each island are coming...

St. George

These photos are from our annual Pyne family reunion last week. This year we met at my parents vacation home in St. George, Utah. We had a great time relaxing at the house, hanging out at the pool (the weather was about 102 degrees every day), and hiking in nearby Zion National Park. Gavin had a wonderful time with his four adorable cousins: Christina, Katherine, Caitlin and Ashley. In fact, he had so much fun running and jumping around that he ended up hitting his head on one of the stone fireplaces. We rushed him to the emergency room and he ended up getting 2 stitches under his right eye. It was very scary, but Gavin was such a tough little trooper about it. I hate to admit that this was the 2nd time we have been to the emergency room in St. George. The 1st time was about 6 months ago when Gavin fell on a cactus. Needless to say, I hope to never see that emergency room again (or any other for that matter).