Labor Day Cruise, DR & US Virgin Islands

We went on a cruise with the whole family for labor day.  We left out of Miami. Our kids are really good at making friends with strangers, especially Chaz who got awkwardly close to some man who was trying to relax in the pool while talking with his girlfriend.
We had a lot of fun on the ship. The boys loved the kids club and the food. Chad and me loved the chocolate lava cake and quasi getting a break from the kids (Felicity was too young for the kids club). We also had a lot of laughs with Chad improv dancing to the onboard camera that aired 24/7 on one of the channels. Can you spot him? Amber Cove, Dominican Republic
We weren't sure what to do with kids in the Dominican Republic, because most of the excursions didn't seem very kid friendly &/or economical with all of us. So we stayed in the port at the free pools and waterslides for awhile. But then we got brave and ventured out to Puerto Plata. We saw the city center (and the cable car that we would've liked to ride but didn't have enough cash...whoops!) We got some authentic dominican food, which Chad really loved. We also spent some time at the beach there. Definitely worth leaving the port for! St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
Remember how we didn't have money to ride the cable car in Puerto Plata. That was in part because we forgot to bring cash and/or a debit card! Not smart. You always want cash for the cabs or some of the excursions that don't take credit cards. There was a little bit of running back and forth, calling & waiting to find a way to get some cash. But Chad was a hero and found a way! (And I was a hero to venture into some souvenir shops with kids...eek!).

We went to Magens Bay Beach. It was beautiful! We were in port later than usually at this stop, so Chad and me checked our kids into the kids club and then we ventured out with Felicity and found a cab to take us to some lookout points to get a beautiful view of the city at night.