I've got tons of pictures, so this will have to be a two-parter. We'll start with Christmas Eve, which was "Inside".
Inside the grounds of Labadee Beach. This is the private playground of Royal Caribbean cruise lines. We have seen if many times from the other side of the fence. We had access to Labadee on Christmas Eve only through the graciousness of the father of one of Melissa's students, a man who works in management there. A few weeks ago, several tickets were offered to our principal, Angie Bundy, and she was sweet enough to share them with our family.
So on the morning of the 24th, we loaded up and followed the Bundys, along with their family visiting from the States, to Labadee. After a brief stop at the security gate, we drove inside the gates and it was like we were in a different country. Or perhaps it would be more apt to compare it to an American amusement park. One called "Haiti World".
As our group walked into Labadee, Hannah and Brianna held hands, like Haitian friends do. So sweet!
What a beautiful beach! The ship "Freedom of the Seas" always seemed to loom in the background (as you will notice in the following pictures). We were surrounded by hundreds of tourists and it felt good to just blend into the crowd.
Exploring together: Kristina Bundy, Sarah and Melissa.
I really wanted to see the inside of that ship, but I couldn't get much closer than this.
The Bundy kids' little cousin, Simon, was often the center of attention as he experienced his first beach outing. He's a cutie!
Lots of time in the water. Another perfect Caribbean day.
Our host, Givens, tracked us down to make sure we had all we needed. We did - and then some!
There was a little splash park for the young ones, that even some of the older ones enjoyed!
And then there was MY favorite part of the day: the lunch buffet! Oh my goodness.
Melissa seemed to enjoy the corn on the cob.
So many foods we haven't seen for several months: Greek salad, potato salad, grapes, corn on the cob, and BARBEQUED SPARE RIBS. I have no way of knowing objectively if those ribs were as awesome as they struck me that day.
Simon was the only one not impressed with the buffet. He crashed in his father's arms.
The Bundy kids and Gross kids stuck close together all day.
This is one attraction of Labadee we did not get to enjoy this time around: a zipline that begins on the hillside, sweeps over the water and ends on the beach. There's also a rollercoaster that snakes its way down that same hill. Maybe next time!
Samuel made friends with some kids from the boat in the course of the day.
Not only was it Christmas Eve, it was also Brianna Bundy's birthday. Our kids had made little cards and gifts for her to open on the beach. Here she is opening the gift from Sarah: $1.04 in assorted coins and a fake gemstone!
At the tail end of the day, Givens made sure we got to enjoy the floating inflatables. It was only a half hour before "closing time", but that was plenty of time to exhaust ourselves!
As we drove outside the gates at the end of our day in Labadee, there were people selling leftover food from the cruise. We scored a couple of boxes of frozen hamburgers and some American cheese slices. Woohoo!
And as we made our way along the coast, back towards Cap Haitien, the ship seemed to be following us as it sailed on to its next port of call.
Back home, we enjoyed a special Christmas Eve dinner together as a family and then, without a Christmas Eve service to stay up late for ... and exhausted from the day's activities, the kids were all in bed and asleep by 9:00 pm.
What a day! Luxury, relaxation, and no care in the world. But our Christmas Day proved to be the polar opposite of our Christmas Eve. I will tell you about it in the next post...
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