This year in late July we got to take a Hunt family vacation all together...17 of us (10 adults/7 kids) + a babysitter. We ventured off to the Western Caribbean on Carnival Cruise line, on the Triumph ship for a 5 day cruise out of Galveston. It was super fun! My second cruise, Todd and the girls first. They were all BIG fans...and I am certain there will be more cruises in our future. We loved having all the food/entertainment options, time with family and the port adventures. Carnival does such a great job of making such a fun vacation so affordable.
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Packed and loaded, breakfast in the car...road tripping to Galveston!
Here was our interior cabin. It had a queen size bed and 2 overhead bunks...all in about 185 square feet. Nice and cozy!!!
The girls were soooooo excited about having "bump" beds...aka bunk beds. Love that they still get excited about little stuff.
The first evening aboard we were at sea...what a beautiful sunset!
The girl cousins all had fun matching dresses...hoping they will always be close!
Todd and his mama...ready for dinner!
Todd's parents, the original Hunts...Burnett & Raynell! Wonderful in-laws!
The kiddos table! They all did really well at dinner every night. We even had the late dinner setting at 8:30 and it worked great for them. It allowed for tons of fun during the day, time for a late nap for the littlest ones in the afternoon...and great dinner time all together in the evening. We would eat together and then bathe the kids and get them ready for bed, and that is when our sweet babysitter Miss Emily (heaven sent) would take over the 10 and under crowd (4 of them). It allowed for the grown ups to enjoy all that the ship had to offer with dancing, shows and the casino. It was a perfect blend of family and grown up time.
Todd's oldest brother Craig and wife Mandy...
Me and my sis-n-law Hannah...Todd's baby sister.
Hannah and her daddy...
Todd's 2nd brother Clay and son Lincoln...
Clay and wife Jenny...
The kiddos were mostly good at dinner time...but we did happen to catch a few funny faces at the table. HAHA, lol! Love their sweet, silly faces!
Cracks me up!!!
Our crew...we had an amazing ocean side seat in the dining room!
The Hunt gals!
Sweet littlest Hunts...Maggie (6), Claire (3), Lucy (7) and Sadie (3)!
My sweeties!
The Hunt men...
Siblings...
So thankful to marry into such a great family!
Of course one of the girls favorite things after dinner each night was coming back to see what fun creature our cabin steward had created. We loved how he incorporated Maggie's glasses into this guy! Cute, huh? They giggled and giggled over this one...
And this one brought us some chocolates, too!
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Our first stop was in Progresso, Mexico. It was so nice to get off the boat and get close to that beautiful turquoise water. We didn't schedule any major excursions this day, as it was a short day. We roamed the town shopping and had lunch on the beach. Here we are just off the boat, at the port of Progresso. Progresso is know for its world record holding longest pier, at 4 miles long. Crazy, right?
My Toddey and Mags checking out the town.
Lunch on the beach...
I could get used to Caribbean living!!!
Little beach beauties...
Progresso, Mexico
Show time before dinner...
And showtime at dinner. Here Mags was dancing with Miss Emily. They would randomly bust out some fun dance music and get the crowd going. The kids and patrons could dance and the wait staff would join in! Not your average dinner! Loved it!
Our next port was in beautiful Cozumel, Mexico. We all agreed that our excursion that day should be an all inclusive beach day. We taxied to Nochi Cocom private beach for snorkeling, volleyball, kayaking, sunning, swimming, eating and drinking. It was by far our favorite day of the cruise! WE REALLY LOVED COZUMEL!
Here are the girls riding in their first taxi. No car seats required. They thought that was pretty awesome!!!
Senorita, Maggie!
Awe...truly heaven on earth!!! Post card, right???
First dip in the beautiful crystal clear ocean.
First time for the girls to be in the Caribbean water.
Cutest beach bum I know!
Me and my sis-in-laws! Love them so!
Just for fun!!! We talked Hannah into a crazy brother picture!
My sweet 6 year old Maggie was a snorkeling machine! She literally snorkeled for close to 4 hours that day. She could not get enough of it! So special to be able to explore and enjoy one of God's greatest creations, the ocean, with my girl! We saw tons of fish, a sting ray, sea snake and a baracuda.
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A view from Grandma and Papaw's balcony. They were sweet to let us come and check out their view any time we wanted. We had gotten an interior room. We just weren't quite confident enough that our little climber...aka Sadie...wouldn't go over board! AHHHH! Peace of mind, was priceless.
Diner time and sun-kissed faces!
More dinner time dancing...
These were our wait staff men! They did an amazing job!!! They really made you feel special...remembering your name and your preferences. They were especially patient and sweet to our kids.
What a wonderful trip and time together as a family. The last major trip we had taken was about 10 years ago to Ruidoso, New Mexico. I hope its not another 10 years before our next one.
A quick poll on everyones favorite part of the trip...
Todd: not working & relaxing every day...and our Cozumel beach day
Leah: hands down, COZUMEL beach day!
Maggie: snorkeling & sleeping on a "bump" bed
Sadie: the endless ice cream cones on board and seeing her cousins everyday
