We just came back from a great vacation! Apparently it was perfectly timed as we missed all of the issues with Sandy (our house was without power for two days) and it was the perfect itinerary since it was one of the few cruises that wasn’t affected by the storm’s path.
We flew into San Juan a few days before the ship left. Here I am in the room getting ready to start exploring.
Wandering around by the old city walls
Visiting the first fort in San Juan
Kaitlyn enjoying her quesadilla at a local Mexican restaurant.
Kaitlyn saw the fountain and wanted to touch the water.
Outside one of the old gates to the city…
Visiting the other fort...
Dinner
We woke up the next morning and it was right outside our room!
The Carnival Victory
Embarkation photo.
First port was St. Thomas.
We walked around a bit on our own in the morning then got back on board for lunch.
Magen’s Bay. So far it is my favorite beach.
We spent a few hours at Magen’s Bay in the afternoon. The last time we were there the water was very calm and gentle. We thought Kaitlyn would love it. This time though, there was a high surf advisory due to Sandy. Kaitlyn was scared, so she played in the sand. Though I did get her to let me carry her in the water for one picture.
Sailing away that evening…
Our first towel animal of the cruise.
And this is how Kaitlyn came back from her first night at Camp Carnival.
The next day was a fun day at sea. Kaitlyn tried her hand at mini golf for the first time. After we showed her how to play she didn’t do too badly. Except she kept picking up her ball to move it into a better position 
Making her Beary Cuddly…
Our family portraits for the year.
Towel animal 2. I love when they make the elephant!
The next day was Halloween in Barbados!
We walked around a bit in the morning, then took a bus tour of the island.
While watching for the pier runners, Kevin and Kaitlyn were excited to see a police car.
By that evening, the entire ship was decorated for Halloween.
Here is my “Elegant Kitty” ready for trick-or-treating and her Halloween party. I can’t believe how old she looks here!
The kids were given maps with the different trick or treating spots on the ship (the pizza place, fun shops, shore excursion desk, etc). At each stop, the kids were supposed to perform the specified trick (scream, walk like a zombie, tell a joke, etc) to get their treat. Of course Kaitlyn wouldn’t do any of it even after practicing “trick or treat” all day! The last stop on the map was the location of the kids’ Halloween party. Kaitlyn made it a whole ten minutes. Then Funship Freddy showed up and she started screaming… “I wanna go away now!”
After the party, Kaitlyn headed off to Camp Carnival for the night and Kevin and I headed off to dinner. Here the waiters are dancing for the dining room,
The special Halloween themed dessert
Spooky moon on Halloween!
The big kids’ Halloween party 
The Midnight Mexican buffet…
Towel animal 3.
The next day we visited St. Lucia and took a bus tour of the island.
Hanging out on the balcony, waiting to leave.
Towel animal 4.
The next port was St. Kitts. This was our favorite island of the trip. We took another bus tour here.
First stop was Carib Batik. They do a special type of dying process there that involves using wax and multiple dying process in each color of the design. By the time it is finished, it takes days and the finished product is completely reversible. The grounds there were beautiful!
The last stop was the fort.
Not quite tall enough…
A little help from Daddy…
Heading back to the ship.
The VIFP (Very Important Fun Person) party. When the waiter realized how much Kaitlyn like the chicken nuggets, he dropped some off for her every time he walked by. The free alcoholic beverages kept coming to Kevin and I 
Kaitlyn’s casual portraits for the year.
Towel animal 5.
My over tired bunny with the bunny.
Our last day was in St. Maarten.
We took Kaitlyn to the butterfly farm.
The fortress overlooking Marigot
Back on board just in time for the chocolate buffet! Kaitlyn and I shared that plate of chocolate 
One last game of mini golf.
Leaving St. Maarten.
We had the best dining room team on the ship! Abdul, Novie, and Luis were awesome!
My little tiger.
Trying to look scary with her new friend.
The next day we were back in San Juan for some last day sight seeing before heading home
