Cruise 2009: Day 6

Day 6 was by far my favorite day of the cruise. It was Christmas Day and we were en route to the gorgeous Grand Turk Island in Turks and Caicos. It had stormed that night while we were sailing and the ship was extra rocky. Luckily the rocking didn't bother me and it lulled me to sleep like a baby.

There were still some lingering clouds that morning, but as we got closer to the island the clouds started to part. I snapped this shot off our balcony. If you look closely there is a rainbow coming from one of the clouds.



We didn't know it until we were at the port, but apparently we almost didn't get to stop at the island. The water was still a bit rough and almost too rough to get the ship in. The captain decided to give us all a Christmas present and he and his crew took a chance on getting us in. I know I was one of the thousands that were so thankful that he did!



There were some shops, beaches, and a big Margaritville complete with an awesome swimming pool right off the ship. Our boat was one of the first in that day so we headed straight to Jimmy's to snag seats by the pool. It was hot and sunny and the water was so cool. We were able to get seats by the beach entrance and I lounged on my chair watching Riley splash and play.







The highlight of the pool was the Flowrider. It's a big surf simulator and of course TG signed up. Riley and I went over to watch and cheer him on. Not to brag, but TG was the best in his group. On his first run he nailed all the basic tricks and by his second run the instructor moved him on to spins and other fun things!







Wipeout!


After two hours and lunch at the pool we walked out to the beach. I was hoping for some snorkeling, but due to the ships there wasn't much to see but a lot of dead coral and sand. Matt worked on his tan and Riley and I played in the surf.









Just as we had decided that we were done for the day a storm rolled in. We hustled to the boat for our afternoon nap and were able to get one Christmas 2009 family photo. You can tell that we are all quite tan and very tuckered.



We are hoping to make tropical Christmases part of our family tradition every couple of years! Check back with me on that one in 2012.