Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

Lisa

Our very last excursion was to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. This was a lush rain forest sort of island. When we got off Liam was in full explorer mode. This meant that the current designated parent (that would be me at this point) went exploring too. Liam found the steepest most rigorous trail he could and made me climb it. It turns out that at the very top of that hike was a zip line through the jungle. The view out across the island and into the ocean was lovely. There was a fun bazaar style market at the port. We all enjoyed rummaging through the various stalls. Liam was desperate to buy a pipe; that was not happening. Miles found an overpriced but nice shark tooth necklace that he got. Matt found two lovely carved wood vases. The man kept claiming they were mahogany; which Matt and I thought was cute.

Matt

Our final destination before our trip home was to the island of Hispaniola and specifically to the northern shore of the Dominican Republic. Spanish is spoken in the Dominican Republic and as we pulled into the port we were astounded at the mountains covered in vegetation that filled the horizon with some dotted with villas and further in jungle valleys. The dock was longer than the others had been and there were people that would give you a ride in their bicycle rickshaws. We declined, not just because they were expensive, but because it was beautiful enjoying the verdant landscape contrasted with the deep blue ocean and sky with fluffy white clouds.

The enclave was bigger and had more upscale shops, although we mostly bypassed these and wandered the open air market. All the tropical plants had my botanical interests riveted on the ixoras, plumeria, palms and mimosa growing everywhere. I started looking for seeds to pocket. In the open air market they had an exhibit on Moringa tree oil. They kept trying to sell a bottle to me, but I just wanted the seeds they had on the table. The guy said, "Those aren't for sale, they're just decoration." When I insisted I would pay him because I wanted to grow them in my own garden, he just laughed and said I could have them. I gave him a couple bucks for it and the whole episode reminded me of Anthony Hopkins trying to get secure bread fruit plants from the Tahitians in "The Bounty."

Liam

“I went in Jungle it was fun. I got a Captain hat. That’s a dolphin. The dolphin likes it. I think the Dolphin’s going to get Ellie. Dolphin is friend. I think Dolphin likes Ellie." 

Lisa

For some reason every kid thought it was hilarious that our dolphin guy told them not to touch the dolphin's pee pee. Our group got in the water with Luna the baby dolphin first. Every kid was smiling ear to ear. Liam had some of the most genuine smiles on his face that i have ever seen. He did keep asking if Ellie liked the dolphin. He had a sincere sort of increased vicarious joy that Ellie liked the dolphin too. Every-time Luna came near, Liam was reaching out his hand to touch her.

Matt

We found a pretty waterfall area that was near where we were supposed to meet for our excursion and then quickly boarded the bus. I got to sit next to mom and luckily the bus wasn't too crowded. Liam was on his "I want to go home" litany and it had me a little tense.

As the bus passed the houses and landscape, I noticed some of the hills had some erosion and many of the houses were in poor condition. When we got to the outskirts of Ocean World, we noticed the housing improved. The bus passed under a waterfall and we all clambered out following our guide Isaac. He led us to the parrot show and showed us some of the animals they had and some of the sea life on exhibit in large aquariums. It wasn't as big as Sea World and it didn't have roller coasters, but I actually preferred that. I also preferred the fact that there were so few people there. It made the experience so much better. Ocean World is built on the ocean and the view was spectacular. The grounds were heavily planted and I was on the lookout for seeds to take back.

Matt

The guide led us to the dolphin tanks and we all changed into our swimsuits in the changing area that adjoined it. Since our group was the largest, they had us go first. They laid out some ground rules and then released the dolphin into the tank and had us pet and feed the little dolphin Luna. I was holding Ellie and she was ecstatic! The very thought of having a dolphin she could hug and kiss delighted her. She was so excited she kept saying Luna's mom should come in too.

Miles

 “The next island was made from a mountain. The country we went to was called the Dominican Republic. When we went there we went to Ocean World. First we went to a dolphin. We learned to something to not do to a dolphin. You don’t put your hand in its mouth, you do not put your finger in its spout, you do not touch its privacy, and you do not touch its eye. We fed the dolphin and we petted it. The dolphin’s name was Luna. We went to see a sea lion show. And we went to watch a shark show. Then we went to pick out stuffed animals. I lost mine. I was so upset about it.”

Ian

“We had to take a bus to Ocean World. The bus was kind of cool. It had extra seats that could flap up and down. Once we got there, we saw this cool waterfall. Then we went into the resort. We got in there, and what happened was, there was lots of cool toys. I tried to resist the temptation to buy them because I wanted a Captain’s hat. We went to a parrot play. It was kind of funny and cool. We didn’t get to see the whole thing. We saw lots of lizards all over the place. Once the parrot play was over, we went to the locker room, and changed into our swimsuits. Once we got there the man in charge of the dolphins told us what we should do and not do. The problem was that the water was extremely gross, and I didn’t want to step in it. I thought, ‘goodness I don’t know where it has been’. I mean literally when is the last time the dolphin’s water has been cleaned? But I went in, even though it was super gross. Once we got in we hugged the dolphins and let the dolphins kiss us. I kind of felt uncomfortable with that. The thing was that Ellie loved it. She kissed the dolphin twice even though the guy kept saying to let the dolphin kiss her. We got to pet it and we got to feed it. It was cool. After that we waited for other people to pet it. We got our pictures taken too. Once we got out, we got to explore, but first we had to change our clothing. We changed into our regular clothes from our swimsuits. But before we could do that, we had to take a shower. We then went to see our pictures. It was cool." 

Matt

After the dolphin encounter we wandered around for a little bit. All of Liam's angst had dissipated by the end of playing with the dolphin. He was excited to watch the sea lion, but not as much as Ellie. She and grandma couldn't resist petting him as he walked by. That was something we wouldn't have been able to experience in the U.S. without paying an arm and a leg for it. 

By now, I had scoped out what seeds I wanted to collect. Luckily it was fall, and all the plants were fruiting. I took ixora and a purple fruit that was on a tree I had seen frequently in Florida and the Caribbean. One of the workers actually helped me shake one of the trees and collect them. When I asked him what he called it, he said "Uva." In Italian, this means "grape" and lo and behold, when I looked it up, it was called Sea Grapes in English and the Latin name is Coccoloba uvifera. I was excited to take them home.

Matt

Lisa had the kids do some shopping and then she and her mom went to get dolphin pictures, making Duane fret. It was much cheaper getting the pictures here than it was in Grand Cayman. We got three times the pictures for a quarter of the price, and they were on a disk. We had some overpriced snacks and noticed that most of the people we came with had gone back to the dock. So, we took the next bus and wandered the open air market for a little bit. I went shopping with my mom while Lisa got the kids back to the ship. I ended up purchasing a couple of vases and some pure vanilla. The market was just about empty so I hurried back to the ship and caught up with everyone. We had dinner and downed it all pretty fast. I got two desserts again and so did Lisa. The first time I ordered two desserts Lisa had this outraged look and said, "You cheater!" I just laughed and said we had to get our money's worth, so she joined in as well. I was very excited by the seed souvenirs I had and it was disheartening to think we would be leaving it all and start the return journey home.

Ian

"We had these snacks. I liked it, but I didn’t eat a lot of it. We saw iguanas. I was kind of grossed out and creeped out because I saw the iguana shedding its skin. Anyways we went to see the sea lion show. It was hilarious. We even got to pet them. They told the sea lion to smile and it did. I liked it even if the teeth were gross. It stuck its tongue out and did comedy. It was hilarious. Later on we had lunch. Then we waited for dinner. I loved my dinner because I had my usual cheeseburger and for dessert, I had a chocolate melting cake. Sometimes I had cookies and sometimes I had the melting cake.”

Liam

"The sea lion is funny, he’s playing it.”

Lisa

The sea lion show was very fun; if a little over the top. I felt a little bad for the guys doing the show. They had so much energy and performed at a drama level that was way over the top. I couldn't help but wonder if they were thinking that American audiences were the worst because our participation was mediocre at best. To be fair this was our fourth excursion in four days and we were all pretty tired. They had the sea lions doing some very funny antics. Stealing fish, sticking out their tongues, pushing people into the water, and performing fake CPR. The kids were rolling. The nice thing about Ocean World was that it was very small. This in turn made it a little intimate. For instance right before the sea lion show they came around and let everyone pet the sea lions. At a larger establishment such as Sea World, the stage would be twenty feet away with a barricade and only those paying for the privilege would get to touch a sea lion. This aspect of Ocean World was remarkably attractive.

Lisa

Towards the end of the excursion we sat back and had some overpriced snacks and drinks. There was a large gift shop that all the kids roamed in for a while. Ellie managed to con her way into getting a baby sea lion stuffed animal (her spending money was long since gone), Liam spent the rest of his vacation on a plastic eel, and Miles got a baby sea lion stuffed animal. Ian kept gritting his teeth and chanting he wasn't going to spend money; because he still wanted a white captain cap like Liam got (which they sold on the cruise ship). There was a certain feeling of bittersweet as we finished our final excursion and we knew that we would now be sailing back home to Utah and there would be no more pristine beaches and tropical fish. 

Grand Turks

Miles

 “We went boating. We accidentally went too far out to sea. When we looked down into the sea it looked like it was not deep. That’s just because it was so clear. Which means that no rivers were leading to the ocean. “

Ian

“The next day I went to Grand Turk. We didn’t buy souvenirs because we had to go to the beach first. It was great. Me and Grandma Jamie went snorkeling. It was way better snorkeling in this water versus half moon cay. You could find more fish and more coral reefs. It was really cool what we found. I eventually went back and relaxed. We had a great time. Once we got back on the beach it was fun. Although the food here is ’islandish’ food and there was chicken and corn and stuff. I decided to pass because I like American food fresh from America which is much nicer than the food like this island has. If I was stranded on an island I would not like eating just chicken and coconuts. I like American food better because of the taste." 

Lisa

Grand Turk had a beach that was not nearly as soft sand perfect as Half Moon Cay, but its snorkeling was INCREDIBLE! Due to the coral reef nature of the beaches, they were a little rockier, but as I snorkeled I was blown away by the sheer number, variety, and color of tropical fish that I saw. First I took Liam out snorkeling which was a blast. Liam found a giant clam and dived for it bringing it back. Later in the day, I went snorkeling at one point hand in hand with Matt. This was perhaps the best part of the entire trip. Through the ocean and over coral reefs we went pointing out different fish together in a silent pantomime. We even saw one of those super flat fish swimming along. It was amazing. 

Matt

Our morning at Grand Turk started beautiful, like most of the days on our cruise with a little bit of overcast. The Carnival Conquest pulled right up to the dock and after another hurried breakfast we were off the boat and trudging up the dock to the enclave that said "Welcome to Grand Turk" with shops and booths for the excursions. Today was a family beach day albeit one spent without a villa. Despite this, it turned out to be one of the best days of the voyage.

We loaded onto a bus that took us to our destination. Grand Turk drivers drive on the left hand side, despite many of the vehicles configured like our cars here in the United States. The route to the private family beach took us past some sad scenes of devastation caused by previous hurricanes. The driver informed us that many of the home owners were still waiting for insurance claims to be processed before they could rebuild. Grand Turk was different from Jamaica, Cayman Islands and even the Bahamas in that it was more of a desert island. There were salt pans where pools of salt water had dried up and there were lots of donkeys wondering the countryside and even the streets; their ancestors imported by Europeans for work on the island. A U.S. military base was one situated on the island but even that source of income left when the installation closed down. A huge feeling of compassion for the inhabitants filled me on this drive.

Matt

We reached our destination where a sort of courtyard stood in front of a lunch hall and rec center. We were told that our tickets for the excursion allowed for as much island food as we wanted at the buffet, drinks and water toy rental. We all quickly claimed our beach chairs and umbrellas. I got a picture with the boys on the beach chair similar to the one I took with them four years ago in Jamaica (although that one was done in the surf.) Most of our group immediately broke out the snorkel gear and were well rewarded for their efforts. My impulse was to run into the water.

Ian

"Mom and Liam came back with this incredible find… a giant clam! I heard that clams have pearls and there could be a pearl worth a million bucks in there that could make us rich. I hear that clams are not air breathers. I put him in the water. I got tired of that. I stopped messing with the clam. I took the Tupperware we were building sandcastles with and filled the Tupperware with sea water, put the clam in, and put on the lid. I put it next to the sand castle, so no one would steal it. I had so such fun. I got up on this platform. I rode on this boat and sang ‘A pirate’s life for me’. Dad helped me along. There were these holes in the boat and I was afraid I would sink. Miles and Liam went on this canoe. I didn’t get a canoe. I got a boat with one person (the canoe was for two). I might grow up getting one of these boats and having lots of water fun time. I was able to control it. It is pretty cool to go on your very own boat and use the paddles to go. You should say so yourself. Once I got back to the sand castle. Some was occupying it. I went back to check for the clam, but it was gone. Oh no, I thought someone had stolen the Tupperware with the clam. Someone put the Tupperware with Maga. I asked Maga what she had done with it. She said she didn’t do anything with the clam; she didn’t even touch it. I believed her. We had much more fun. By the time it was the end I realized DAD had thrown our million-dollar clam back into the sea. We could have had dinner with it, but NO he threw our million bucks into the sea. Our souvenir could have been that pearl. We never found a way to open it before dad threw it back. We would need some kind of special fork to open it. I was thinking we should take it back to the boat and use the silverware on the Carnival Conquest to open it. I guess Dad was right if we opened it there may not be a pearl inside. There might be creepy things; which I don’t want to describe. Afterwards we ate dinner.”

Liam

 “This beach is fun. Ellie got sad. Legs and arms got hurt on the rocks. I went in the ocean on a boat with mommy. It was fun. I got to use paddles.”

Lisa

"Part of our package deal with this excursion was the ability to rent various items from them without additional cost. Liam and I rented a two man kayak. I learned from this experience that Liam does not know how to paddle as a team. I eventually learned to sit and let him paddle and when he started to do something that would land us in danger; I would tell him to take a break and take over. This worked much better than trying to paddle at the same time. We had a fun Caribbean lunch. Although it was not spectacular it was still yards better then mildly under cooked hamburgers and mediocre hot dogs of the prior excursion. Best of all was the open bar. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints...open bar means unlimited Diet Coke. This day was incredible. A "date" with Matt, amazing sea life, kayaking around with the kids, and feeling warm Caribbean sunshine on my face." 

Matt

The water was beautiful. Miles and I swam to a large inflatable dock with a round center. He clambered up it and then ran down the gang plank and jumped into the water. Liam joined us shortly afterward and did all kinds of silly things (like pretend to fall in), amusing some of the other tourists that were there. After playing on this for a while, I went and started a sand castle with Ellie and Maga. Ellie started whining for drink and food (mostly because she can never eat enough before we leave the ship to sustain her throughout the day.) I took her inside to pick something from the buffet, but all the food was different to what she usually eats and so she started sobbing. The English lady that had explained everything to us in the courtyard saw her crying and asked if she could get her something. I told her if she had bread and butter, that would be awesome. She managed to find a hot dog bun and butter for her, but even better, she found a bag of mini Oreos which brought a big smile to her face. Miles saw her with them and demanded he get some. In order to divert him from throwing a tantrum about this, I suggested we rent one of the double kayaks and paddle out to the sea. The Oreos were immediately forgotten.

Matt

One of the reasons I like the beach and staring out to sea is the soothing atmosphere that is conducive to reflection and contemplation. There is nothing I find more annoying than loud, blaring music or just as bad, some entertainment organizer with a megaphone. As Miles and I paddled out to sea, the noise quickly receded into the background and I was able to enjoy the beauty of the continuous blue expanse that went out into the horizon. 

Having this beautiful scene in front of me, and the beautiful depths of the ocean below us helped Miles and I have a bonding moment. We tested how deep the water was with our paddles and discovered coral reefs with our paddles. We talked about the tides and how Miles used to be afraid of the water, and now he wasn't. After enjoying this for about twenty minutes, we had to paddle back so that we wouldn't be charged for the rental. Encouraged by my compliments at his swimming abilities (Miles had swim lessons all summer thanks to Grandma Jamie) he swam by himself from shore to the inflatable dock numerous times after we got back. I was very proud of how far he had come and how he was swimming like a fish.

Matt

I took Ian out as well, but we weren't able to use the double kayak because someone else was using it. Instead, Ian got to use one of the smaller single kayaks that fit him perfectly. He was a little nervous about going out on his own, but I reassured him and told him I would swim next to him and help guide him. 

What had once been self-doubt and anxiety quickly turned to excitement and confidence. He had a great time and talked with me about all kinds of things, particularly his clam he had which he was convinced had a pearl. He was very reluctant to paddle back to shore and kept talking about how he wished he could come here every day and paddle in his own kayak.

The day passed tranquilly as we all lounged, swam, snorkeled, kayaked or played in the sand. Lisa insisted on she and I having a "mini' date by snorkeling together. 

Despite growing up in Florida, I had never done any kind of serious snorkeling, and the snorkeling I did had not been very interesting. Lisa insisted, and it was an experience I will never forget. The coral reefs appeared as dark blobs when looking down into the water, but underneath it had a display of beautiful fish and sea life that you just couldn't see from the surface. We saw Sargent Major Fish, blue tang, yellow tang, black tang, Royal Gramma (the purple and yellow fish from Finding Nemo), even flat fish with their eyes in weird spots. They were everywhere and Lisa and I held hands as we swam and pointed our each amazing fish that we saw. It was a poignant experience and reminded me of how so many people walk along in the world without access to the spiritual light of the gospel. As beautiful as the surface of the sea is, and as wonderful an experience it can be, it doesn't compare to that snorkeling experience. You can literally tread the same spot and miss out on so many things, just like those that go through life without their "spiritual snorkel gear" giving them access to experiences even more profound and breathtaking. 

After our thirty minute snorkel, we noticed it was overcast and rain clouds had rolled in. We wandered over to the front courtyard to wait for the bus and it started to rain. It wasn't the cold rain you expect in Utah, but a warm tropical rain that came down hard and then stopped making it more humid than it was before. The open air bus pulled up and it was with deep reluctance we drove back to the enclave. Lisa took the kids to go shopping and so Liam got a captain hat and Ellie got a stuffed monkey and stuffed unicorn. Ian got a wooden sword that the Cruise staff confiscated because it was a "weapon" much to Lisa's annoyance and amusement and Ian's delight (the fact that it was considered "dangerous" only enhanced its appeal). Dinner was a sumptuous experience and involved exotic foods again. At this point I had eaten rabbit and alligator with alligator being the first time I tried it. We all went to bed, a little sun burnt but thankfully due to the diligence of Lisa applying sun block frequently, no one was unduly burnt. All of us were excited for the next day's adventure in Puerto Plata.

Ellie

"My poor little monkey had its back broken wide open. It was so hurt, and then you (mom) fixed it with your little case." 

Half Moon Cay, The Bahamas

Lisa

"The most anticipated day of them all arrived for me. More than any other island or excursion I wanted this one. A glorious day with our own beach house. Frankly it was as wonderful as I imagined. Our very own little beach house complete with two decks, lounge chairs, ocean toys, hot tub, bathroom, dinning area, and a kitchen stocked with snacks. The water was so clear that even at its deepest I could clearly see the beautiful sand lying placidly below. A school of silver fish kept swimming around us like it was a Disney cartoon. The water was perfectly warm and amazing. The only thing I can say is that there wasn't much to see when you snorkeled. The gorgeous sandy beaches and clear waters meant there weren't really any coral reefs and therefore not many fish to see when you snorkeled. I didn't care. I dream about those pristine waters and perfect beaches." 

Liam

“That’s a beach, the ocean, with Maga. I rode the boat bike with Maga. I got sun burnt.  I went in the bathtub. I liked it. It was in the beach house. I like this beach.”

Miles

 “The next day we went to Half Moon Cay. And we had fun swimming and we rented a beach house with snacks. The beach house had a tub; a hot tub. Whenever I got covered in sand I got in the hot tub to wash the sand off. I liked the hot tub. The beach house had an upstairs. And we rode on water bikes when we went into the ocean. There were chairs there. And I found sand stones. The sand stones were fresh from the ocean. The sand stones were different shapes and sizes.”

Ian

“The next day came and we were pretty much off and going to Half Moon Cay. Which was a beach. Once we got there I loved everything there. There was a hot tub and pretty much everything I liked there. The problem is that was before I realized there was a giant spider that gave me a giant fright. I wasn’t really scared of it because I was really far away from it and my siblings were here. Pretty much all my siblings were going on the beach. I started to follow them because I didn’t want to stick around with Mr. Spider here. My worst fear is spiders, but before I can talk about that I have to talk about this. I went snorkeling and saw some angel fish. These are grey fish. I couldn’t keep up with them because they were faster swimmers than I was with my webbed feet and snorkel gear. Later on, I was snorkeling with mom. She was able to find a big school of fish; while I was not. When I went back I went to eat snacks."

Lisa

"At one point I went snorkeling all around with Ian. We did have a little Sergeant Major fish who attempted to swim down my shirt. When we got back Matt plucked a small crab off of my swim shirt I didn't realize that I had picked up. We put him in a small Tupperware with sand and water and kept him as a pet for the duration of our day. At the end of the day we returned him to the ocean. Each time we took a break we could climb into the hot tub and relax. We had sodas, chips, salsa, and fruit. At lunch you could walk over to a great big pavilion and getting some hamburgers hot dogs, and side dishes. Every chance I got I was in that glorious ocean water. At the end of the day when I looked back at our beach from the cruise ship all I could think was...It's not that far I could swim there and make it and live forever in that little beach villa. 

Ian

I went riding on a giant water bike with Maga. I got hungry. Pa, I, and mom went to get something to eat. There was a lobster shack which Dad would have loved if he were there. If he were there he would probably say, ‘I want to go to the lobster shack and get something’. I went to this restaurant where they had hot dogs and hamburgers. I like hamburgers more than hot dogs. So, it is pretty obvious that I went to the hamburger side. There was no bacon there (my favorite is with bacon). I enjoyed a plain cheese burger. We got some mayonnaise and ketchup. Once we went there we opened our packets of ketchup, but the problem is we realized it wasn’t ketchup it was French dressing that we didn’t even want to eat. Luckily Pa shared some ketchup with us. Looks like next time if we go get some ketchup we need to remember this ‘follow Pa and see where he gets his ketchup’. I did enjoy my cheeseburger. It seemed to me the rest of us were hungry and wanted to eat. We told them about the restaurant." 

Ian

"I went to go play at the beach. Sometimes I went to our hot tub. I actually loved the hot tub. It was so relaxing. When I first got in there it seemed pretty hot (the air here is really hot), but I got used to it and enjoyed the hot tub and the hot air. But the problem was we used the hot tub like a bath so there was lots of sand in it. The problem is my mom and dad won’t like this but…I peed in it. They had no idea what they were stepping in. I didn’t bother to tell them; it was gross. That’s when I saw the rules about not peeing in the hot tub, but I decided to ignore it because there were no security guards to protect it. I decided to be a rule breaker. I’m just glad my parents took a shower since they had no idea what they were stepping in. I relaxed. Mom went snorkeling more. When she came back she had no idea what was on her swim suit…a crab. It was a pretty cool find. Anyway, we went back to the Carnival Conquest. I did take a shower because I don’t want to have salt on me but I think I realized that Miles and Ellie also peed in there. I think it was pretty gross in there.”

Matt

The morning dawned clear and beautiful despite previous warnings of bad weather. Our first picture on this post is compliments of Liam. He got up early and sat in the window well to watch our approach to Half Moon Cay. He snapped a picture with the camera of the island. We ate a hurried breakfast at the buffet and then went down to the stage arena by 7:30 and were soon ushered onto a boat. (Unlike our other stops that came right up to the dock, we had to be ferried to the dock with a boat.)

Half Moon Cay is a rather unique place. It is part of the Bahamas and forms a kind of crescent shape. It is owned by various Cruise companies to be used exclusively by their customers. In the past, it was used as a hideout for pirates and a bar was constructed by the Cruise lines as a kind of tribute to that. When we all piled into the boat we brought our snorkel gear that Jamie had bought the kids for Christmas and the play doh cups to fill with sand for sand castle construction and to fill with sand for souvenirs for the kids. The water was beautiful and the boat ferried us through a man made channel that had replica cannons on the tops of the banks. The dock was positioned at the base of a replica fort that had picnic tables with umbrellas, bathrooms and ticket booths for excursionists. We got our tickets for the villa and hopped in an open air truck that took us to our Villa. 

Matt

We were assigned to Villa B, and Lisa had high expectations. All of those expectations were met or exceeded. Reminiscent of the characters from Elizabeth von Arnim's Enchanted April upon seeing the fictional San Salvatore, we looked upon Villa B as the closest thing to paradise on earth. The villa was landscaped with Australian pine and plumeria and had white sand all around. It had a gated porch on the first floor with deck chairs and the second floor also had deck chairs. The first floor had an open view of the ocean with a spacious hot tub the kids called "the big bath tub," and a bathroom with shower off to the side. The second floor had a table and chairs and a fridge with fruit, chips and salsa and soda. It was an easy stroll to the dining area where they had a grilled lunch available in the afternoon. The only downside was that from the pirate bar loud music was playing and an announcer giving updates on the various competitions they had going on.

Matt

The morning started clear and cool with the water devoid of much coral, sea plants or rocks enabling you to see right down to the sandy bottom even when it was fifteen feet deep (or deeper) in some areas. There were lots of Sargent Major fish and angel fish to see and they came right up to us, scaring the kids at first but then the kids got accustomed to them. Lisa went snorkeling with Ian and came back with a crab we put in a Tupperware. Ian and Miles helped me build a sand fortress with a long wall and a central keep. There were plenty of beach floats and toys to have fun with. Miles and I paddled around on one of the floats and went to the opposite end of the beach on it talking about everything we had seen.

Matt

Everyone had a blast. The beach was beautiful and the water refreshing. Maga rented a beach bike for everyone to try. She went out first with Liam and then took Miles out. Then she let Jamie and Ian go out because she was doing most of the pedaling and going out with each kid took a lot of energy. 

Matt

Liam had a great time. After the meltdown of last night he was in sensory heaven. Snorkeling helped him succeed in auditory avoidance and blocking out all the noise and playing in the sand with his toys helped fulfill his tactile sensory needs. More than anything, he finally got private downtime to do what he wanted without an adult micromanaging his every move. I saw some genuine smiles from Liam on this beach that had been sorely lacking prior to this experience.

Matt

For those that know me, I am a terrible tease, and there is no one I like to tease more than those I love, especially my mother. (It's to make up for all those years she used to tease when I was a teenager.) There are five villas on this beach and the ones next to ours look identical to the one we rented. At one point I was on the second floor and I saw my mom start climbing the stairs of the one next door. Now, most people would realize she made a mistake and call down that she was going into the wrong villa. My teasing streak decided to wait until she was on the top floor before I said conversationally, "Hey Mom." As predicted, mom jumped and a look of horror filled her face as she realized she was in the wrong villa. (Walking into someone else's house is one of those things that would mortify my socially conscious mother even if it was an accident.) She quickly turned around and ran down the stairs only to meet the renter of the villa waiting for her with her hands on her hip. To add to her embarrassment someone from the cruise line was walking around checking on everyone. Mom's apologies were so profuse the lady just waved it off and she quickly came over to our villa. I told her not to worry about it (after I stopped laughing) and that it was a mistake anyone could make.

Matt

About midday our group started migrating over to get something substantial for lunch. I had Ellie duty and we walked by a bunch of chickens on the way. Ellie was delighted to see them and said they look like our chickens and that we "need to take them home with us." I told her that our chickens would like to be here with them, not the other way around. She tried catching them anyway. These ones were a little more skittish than ours back home.

Matt

The rest of the day was spent idly swimming, rebuilding the sand castle, playing in the water, snorkeling, grazing on the snacks, or hopping in and out of the hot tub. It was a perfect day, one that we had saved for and enjoyed with some of the best people. My mom was in her element and loads of fun. Jamie and Duane played with the kids and chatted pleasantly. I couldn't have asked for a better time than what we had at Half Moon Cay. So, it was with great reluctance we gathered our snorkel gear and towels for the return trip. We released our pet crab back into the water and gathered some sand in the play doh containers we brought. They filed us onto the boat that took us back to the Carnival Conquest. Dinner was delicious and had some exotic items on the menu. We all went back to our cabins after dinner and went to bed early so we would be ready for the next day's adventure in the Grand Turks.