Swartzentrubers Cruise Stop

I said I had a whole bunch to upload - this one takes place before we even left! The day before our flight to the States, the Swartzentruber's cruise made a stop in Grand Cayman. I was so excited to see my sister, brother in law and two nephews. As a bonus, we also got to hang out with our good friends Emily and Grant (who happens to be Garret's brother) and their baby girl Lola. We were told they would be arriving in George Town at 8:00 am, so Brent and I were there waiting at 7:45! We soon found out that the cruise ships had to dock in Spotts that day because the waves were too rough downtown. This left us with some uncertainty - would they take a taxi bus to George Town or wait for us there? We tried calling, but no one had their phones on. Eventually we decided to split up - Brent drove on to Spotts and I stayed in George Town watching buses come in.

On his way, Brent got a call from Garret saying they weren't able to take a tender to the island until 9:00, but at least Brent was headed in the right place. I rode to Spotts on one of the taxi buses headed back that way, and arrived there just after everyone reached the island. I can't say enough how good it felt to see my family! I couldn't stop smiling! It was so weird seeing such familiar faces this separate little world of ours. I was incredibly happy that Jack wasn't shy and seemed happy to see us (I was slightly worried after some unsuccessful Skype calls...). We piled all NINE of us (six adults and three little ones) into the CRV. Luckily you can't drive very fast in Grand Cayman!

photo credit: Sarah Swartzentruber (top) and Emily Swartzentruber (below)

After seeing our apartment and meeting the Lime Tree Bay iguanas, we took the boat for a spin. We intended to go to Stingray Sandbar, but the waves were a bit splashy so we didn't get much further than the canals.


My Sarasie :)


Once we got back we headed to Sunshine Grill for lunch. This is where Brent and I ate breakfast the first two weeks here, so it was fun to take the family. Amazing burgers and award-winning fish tacos!


We walked from Sunshine Grill to Seven Mile Beach, but only had about 15 minutes till we had to head back to the car. My biggest regret is that we weren't able to spend more time on the beach together.

photo credit: Emily Swartzentruber

Originally I thought we would have 7 hours together, but with docking in Spotts and having to be back by 2:30, we really only had 5 hours. It went by WAY too fast. I didn't want them to ever leave! It was a sad goodbye, but made easier knowing we would get to see them in Cincinnati in 3 days.

Such a fun day! I hope they all come back for a longer stay with us!