Flat Stanley Takes A “Spring Break” Cruise

Hi, kids!  Shauna here to tell you all about the trip Lesley and I took over Spring Break to the Caribbean on a Cruise.  Of course, we couldn’t leave Flat Stanley at home, so we brought him along with us and we all had a great time, as you’ll see! 

Our adventure started out in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  It was here that we boarded the Norwegian Sky, a HUGE cruise ship that was 12 stories high and 853 feet long.  There were about 2,000 other guests with us on the boat, and over 900 crew members.  We didn’t get to see much of San Juan that day since we were exploring the boat, but here you can see a nice view of the city from the top deck.

We sailed all night long and when we woke up we were in St. Thomas, one of the US Virgin Islands.  Christopher Columbus “discovered” and claimed this island for Spain in 1493, then it belonged to the Danes, and then, in 1917, the United States purchased it (along with several other islands) for $25 million dollars!  We spent the day at Magen’s Bay – one of the top ten beaches in the world, just relaxing in the sun and swimming in the sea.  Then, after some shopping, it was back to the boat (ours is the middle one).

Our ship sailed during the night, so every morning, we would wake up in a new, beautiful place.  Our second stop was Dominica, another island “discovered” by Columbus.  Very little has changed since that time and it is said, that Columbus would still be able to recognize the island from the sea to this day.  We went on an amazing hike through the rainforest, ending up at two beautiful waterfalls.  The rainforest also had hot springs that we could climb in and take a nice, warm mineral bath.  Our guide said that we could even drink the water, but we weren’t quite that brave!

Barbados was the third island we visited, and boy did we have fun today!  Barbados was settled and claimed by the British in 1625.  Unlike most of the other islands in the Caribbean that were formed by volcanoes under the ocean, Barbados is formed from limestone and is very flat.  Our day started with another nature hike that led us to a wildlife preserve.  Here we saw monkeys, deer, caimans (they look like small crocodiles), rabbits, and all sorts of colorful tropical birds.  Flat Stanley even got to get up close and personal with this little guy…look closely, that’s not a rock he is standing by, it’s a turtle!

We also met a group of kids on a field trip that were anxious to meet Flat Stanley.

After the wildlife preserve, we went to Malibu Beach.  Your parents might find it interesting that this is where Malibu Rum is brewed, I know I did.  I don’t think that I have ever been on sand so white and soft!  Lesley decided to bury Flat Stanley in the sand since I wouldn’t let her bury me.  Then, it was more shopping, then back to the boat….

Our fourth stop was St. Lucia - arguably the most beautiful place we visited.  Columbus may have sailed by this island, but there is no evidence that he ever stopped to look around (too bad, he really missed out).  We started our morning off with a horse back ride along the coast.  Flat Stanley hadn’t been on a horse before, but he rode with me and did just fine.

We also went to a place called Pigeon Island where we could snorkel and swim.  You won’t believe this, but as we were playing in the water, we looked up and saw an incredible sight…a pirate ship!

As you may know, the Caribbean is famous for pirates (I am sure many of you have been on the ride at Disneyland or World and maybe even seen the movie).  The “pirates” put on quite a show, including canon fire and plank walking!

Day five rolled around and we stopped at the final island we would visit – St. Kitts, another beautiful place.  I just had to take this picture of Lesley and Flat Stanley along the side of the road so you could get an idea of how great it was!

The island is very small, only 69 square miles and it has a population around 30,000 people.  We went on yet another hike through the rainforest and visited a botanical garden today.  We were all kind of sad today because we knew our vacation was coming to an end. 

It’s always nice to come home after a long vacation, isn’t it?  Les and I weren’t so sure, but Flat Stanley was excited because he was going to get to go on a balloon trip with our friends Doyle and Sean, and of course, Tony the Tiger!  I hope you all enjoyed learning a little bit about the Caribbean and seeing our pictures as much as I have enjoyed sharing them with you!

Study Hard!