Next up were our port days. Our first port was Roatan, Honduras.
This was probably my favorite port day. It was also our most busy and full day.
We got off the ship and immediately had to take some pcitures.
Then we walked through the port and found our tour guide, Ron Rivers. I had booked all our excursions outside the cruise line and so I was a little nervous, but it all went smoothly and we had a blast.
For this port I had booked a zipline course, a sloth/monkey interactions and a beach break.
We started by getting our harnesses on and storing our bags and stuff. Then we hopped on a big open bed truck and started the drive up the mountain to the first zipline.
Here's the whole group before we did our first line.
Grandpa decided he didn't want to zipline but Mimi came and everyone else participated too!
I love that you can see our cruise ship in the background.
Then it was time to do the first line and I got to go first. I've discovered over the years that I'm a bit of an adrenaline junkie and kind of love high adventure stuff.
I loved the zipline and got to try a few different tricks.
Benson and Paige were both to light for the first line, so they got to go together. I love Benson's huge smile. I'm so happy that he was big enough to participate. I would have hated for him to miss this- he had such a great time.
Tanner loved the zipline and had no fear.
Tucker got progressively braver and by the end was doing flips and tricks with the other boys.
Bailey had fun but was totally content to just hold on and go straight across the line.
I did catch a few smiles on my girl though.
Benson also got braver and braver. Even when he had to ride with someone else, he was still trying to do tricks and flips. It was so funny to watch.
Chris had fun but also preferred to just hold on and not do any tricks or anything. He doesn't love heights but he was a good sport. I'm so glad we were able to do this experience as a family.
We got a group shot on one of the 22 platforms. I'm so proud of this crew. Everyone was so brave. Stephanie didn't think she would be able to do the ziplining but she was extra brave and committed to it.
It was pretty awesome to zipline through the jungles of Honduras. It felt a little unreal that we were there, getting to experience it.
Because I was the first one to go, I was always with the kids the longest while we waited for everyone else to come across the lines. I seriously love all these brave kiddos! They were rockstars.
When we finished the ziplines, we walked a little ways to a small interactive zoo.
We had so much fun getting to hold and pet the animals. We saw monkeys, sloths, guinea pigs and lots of birds. It was so fun.
The monkey's were the most fun to watch and interact with. They would just hop for shoulders to heads and all around. The kids were giggling like crazy and it was so cute.
This little guy just jumped on my shoulder and decided to pose for a selfie.
I think my favorite thing was the sloth interaction. The sloths were so adorable and the moved so slowly. I loved it. Bailey did too!
The birds were pretty but not quite as fun to hold.
We had so much fun with the animal interactions. Then we hopped on a bus with out tour guide and he drove us across the island to the beach.
We unpacked and got situated and decided to go snorkeling.
I bought the kids snorkeling masks back at Christmas time and we've been practicing with them on and off since. Because of this, the kids were great at swimming with their masks and we had a great time snorkeling together.
I also invested in a cool underwater case for my phone so I got some great pictures and videos.
I was so impressed with how well all my kids did with swimming and snorkeling out in the middle of the ocean. They had a blast and we were able to all stay together and enjoy seeing the ocean life together.
The fish were everywhere around us and it was crazy. We didn't see anything real crazy, just lots of beautiful fish. It was still super fun.
Chris took the younger kids back to the beach first and Tanner and I stayed a while longer to snorkel.
Tucker really loved the beach. He just loves sand and water so much
Benson also really enjoyed building sandcastles and playing in the water.
We found this awesome massive beach chair and had to get some pics.
I love my crew so much. I love adventuring with them and I love that they are all old enough to do so many fun things together.
After playing at the beach, we eventually headed back to the ship. Our tour guide drove us all the way back to the port. But on the way, he stopped at a roadside stand and bought us some pineapple bread. He just wanted us to have a taste of his culture and city. It was so nice and the bread was delicious. We all loved Ron Rivers. He was the best and took such great care of us all day.
When we got back to the ship it was time to get showered and changed for dinner. It was "Caribbean Night" and so we wore our matching outfits. It was pretty cute. The kids looked adorable together.
That night we watched the ice skating show. It wasn't my favorite storyline, but the talent was amazing.
Tucker really loved it. He loves ice skating and was entranced by the skaters and their incredible talent.
The next day we were at Costa Maya. Again, we took a few pictures as we got off the ship.
Costa Maya is also beautiful and the port is surrounded by beautiful beaches.
Mimi and Grandpa didn't get off the ship in Costa Maya, but the rest of us rented golf carts and drove ourselves to a beach resort.
The water at the beach in Costa Maya was gorgeous and clear.
We loved the beach here and the kids had a great time swimming and playing in the sand.
Tucker and Conner almost immediately struck out in a kayak to explore. They had a great time.
While the boys played in the water, Bailey got her hair braided. It She loved it and it looked so cute. She really loved the pink hair highlights that we had braided into her hair.
We also bought some coconuts so the kids could try them. Some were more sweet than others.
I'm not a huge fan of coconut milk.
Sometimes I don't understand how Bailey looks like she's 16. It's terrifying how fast she is growing up.
When Tucker got back from canoeing with Conner, he enjoyed some coconut milk too.
Tucker, Paige and Tucker made a cute little foot spa in the sand and they played for hours together.
Eventually we ordered some food and it was all delicious.
Tanner enjoyed the food and the drinks.
I tried to get a picture of Benson with the coconut but he hated the taste of the milk and didn't want to drink it or even pretend to drink it.
Benson did love the coconut meat though. He ate lots of that.
While the kids played, I got an amazing massage. I love massages and they are so cheap in Costa Maya. It was $20 for 1 hour. AMAZING!
After my massage we took the kids to get souvenirs. We also had to get a picture outside the beach club where we spent the day. It was called "The Krazy Lobster".
The kids each picked out a small souvenir to bring home with them and I found a Christmas ornament.
The kids really loved hanging out in the hammocks that were hanging all over the beach.
They would lay in the hammocks until they were too hot and then go cool off in the water and then repeat the process.
Benson and Tucker also really loved the swings. They are the cutest.
These kiddos make my heart happy. I just love getting to experience new things together. However, I think we are all happiest at the beach.
Eventually we made our way back to the port, driving in our little golf carts.
We had a great time in Costa Maya and we were sad to leave.
That night before dinner we went up to one of the top decks and watched as the ship pulled away from the port. We also caught a beautiful sunset.
We took a few pictures of the cousins together just because they are so cute.
The kids slept hard each night. We were all tired from our very full days.
The next morning was our last port day and we snapped a picture at breakfast before leaving the ship to explore Cozumel.
Mimi and Grandpa joined us for our day in Cozumel.
It was fun to be all together.
We ended up going back to the same resort we visited on our first cruise.
We really liked this resort and we felt comfortable going back.
So we spent the day at "Chankanaab" and we loved it.
When we got there the kids and I went straight to the dolphin enclosure with Stephanie and her kids.
The husbands and Grandparents didn't want to do the dolphin interaction, but everyone else did.
Even though Tanner, Bailey and I had done this already, we were all eager to do it again. It was so fun the first time, I was giddy at the thought of doing it again.
We met our dolphin and her name was "Reya". She was so smart and we loved getting to play with her. Each of us got to hold onto her fins as we rode belly to belly as well as having her push our feet as we surfed on a boogie board. Then we got to do some other interactions with Reya that included a dolphin kiss and smile. It was perfect and we all loved it.
Again, I felt so grateful that Benson was big enough to do this interaction with us and he loved it so much. I couldn't imagine him having to sit this one out. He was so brave and loved getting to play with the dolphin. It was awesome.
Tucker loved it too. Honestly, everyone loved their dolphin interaction.
After everyone finished their interactions, Reya gave us high fives and did some more tricks for us.
I hope my kids always remember getting to play with a dolphin. It was such a bucket list item for me the first time, but it was just as magical the second time. I loved it and I loved getting to experience it with my kiddos.
After we finished with the dolphins, we went over the pool to get some drinks and play for a bit.
Eventually we ate lunch at the buffet and then watched the sea lion show. It was so cute. I think I just love sea animals.
Then we went down to the beach to play and swim.
Tucker found a small crab inside a shell at the beach and was so excited about it.
Tucker, Paige and Benson played non stop in the sand. They had the best time. It was pretty cute.
We had a great time at the resort. We had to snag some pictures before leaving.
It's crazy that we were here just 4 years previously.
However, this time the kids were way bigger and had so much fun doing all the things.
We had a great time in Cozumel. We did a little shopping once we got back to the port and then we went back to the ship.
That night was our second formal night and so it took a little longer to get ready.
Dinner was delicious, as usual, and we all enjoyed our time together.
The kids all looked so cute in their dress clothes.
It was also lobster night and the kids were pretty excited. They all got their own lobster tails and they all devoured them
Stephanie and I had to get a picture with pina colada drinks. Every night when we arrived at our table, the waiter would immediately deliver them to us. It was kind of comical. We love our fruity drinks.
After dinner we took a few pictures.
Then after pictures we went to head back to our room and when the elevator opened there was a man playing a piano inside. We were cracking up and decided we needed to get in and enjoy the music for a few minutes. It was understandably squished inside, but it was pretty fun.
The next day was our last day and it was a sea day.
We spent the whole day playing on the ship and we did all the fun things we could. We asked the kids what they wanted to do with their last day and then did our best to make all their wishes come true.
I did have to take a few more pictures in our neon swimsuits because I loved them so much!
I played with Benson in the kiddie area for a bit. He wasn't quite tall enough for the big slides. He was only 1 inch too short, but it was enough that they wouldn't let him ride.
However, he had fun playing in the smaller splash area.
Benson discovered he didn't really enjoy the water slides. He did the smaller ones and decided that was more than enough. I don't think he would have like the big ones anyway so it was probably for the best.
Bailey loved the hot tubs and spent lots of time relaxing in them.
I also rode some more water slides with her and Tucker
While the younger kids were doing the water slides and swimming in the pool, Tanner was with Uncle Phillip and Chase doing a guacamole class. He loved it.
It turned out to be more than just a class, they also got to have a full Mxican food lunch. Tanner said it was delicious and they all had fun together.
Tucker requested that we all play mini golf together, so we headed there next.
Then we grabbed more ice cream cones. I have no idea how many ice cream cones these kids ate during our week on our cruise. It was a ton though.
From there we rode the ultimate abyss slide again. The kids love this slide and I enjoyed it too.
However, this time when we rode, it was like it had recently been greased. We flew down the slide so fast. It was crazy!
On deck 6, where the slide ends, the kids played on the climbing platforms again.
Then we rode the carousel again.
The kids went to the kids club for a little while and Chris and I went to the adult only deck for some quiet time. It was so relaxing and we enjoyed the peace and quiet for a bit.
Then it was time to get ready for dinner. Our last night was a causal night and the food was delicious as usual.
But before going to dinner, we took one last picture on one of the upper decks. We loved the views and the water was so beautiful.
I love this crew of mine.
After dinner the kids went to kids club for a while and Stephanie and I went to watch "Grease". It was an awesome production and I loved it. Stephanie had never seen it before, but I sang along to most of the songs. It was great.
The next morning we had a delicious farewell breakfast.
I had to snap a picture of Conner and Benson. Sometimes Benson would get really crabby and cranky- mostly just from him being tired- but Conner was always able to snap him out of it.
We began to rely on Conner's good nature to help cheer Benson up. It never failed and we were so grateful for sweet Conner.
They are cute friends and Benson was so sad to say goodbye to Conner on our last morning.
After our delicious breakfast we had to disembark and it was sad.
We eventually made it off the ship and through the port.
Outside in the parking lot, we said our goodbyes to our cousins, Aunt, Uncle and Grandparents.
We seriously had the best time and we can't wait to go on another cruise together.
It was the best week and it flew by way too fast.
10/10 - would definitely recommend a Western Caribbean Cruise on the "Harmony of the Seas" Royal Caribbean Ship.
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