You know how we are all about sneak peeks of the wedding and engagement shoots we do, well we thought that it’s high time we do a sneak peek of our new home!
To catch some of you up, we started looking at buying a house the beginning of the year and to make a LONG story short, we finally found the perfect fit for us and closed March 1st! We showed one picture on our moving in blog, but have yet to show the final, moved in, and decorated house! ….
Sorry, that’s not happening yet, BUT we do want to give you a little sneak peek into what we have been doing for the last 3 months to our home (thanks to our FAB interior designer, Colman Interiors). in the middle of our traveling and running a business and having lives, lol.
We are super pumped with how our home is turning out and we can’t wait for the official blog unveiling! lol. It HAS been really fun having a place that we can call our own and do whatever we want to it! Not to mention, actually having SPACE… it’s a beautiful thing and we are so blessed.
amyha - funny thing is, i can name where all those things are just by the little snippets! i should be in a line of work that calls for attention to detail... ;)
MelissaFoscardoAw, man! You should've called this a "teaser"!! Can't wait to see what all of this peeks are attached to :-)
Jennifer HenrySuch a tease!!! When can we expect the unveiling!? I want to come by when I come up to see Little Baby Butcher! Let's plan on a get together then!
It’s absolutely crazy to think that two weeks ago we signed and closed on our BRAND NEW HOME!!! Ahhhh! Where has the time gone? (Oh, right. Half of that time we have been at WPPI in Vegas. More to come on that later!).
We have been married four and a half years and we have been SAVING and living like no one else for this moment… We are going to share that story later as well :) We definitely feel blessed and are excited that this has finally come!
We had everything unpacked within the first three days (minus decor items) before we headed off to Nevada for WPPI. It’s been fun figuring out where to put stuff (we actually have OPTIONS on where to put our dishes! Imagine that!) and we have so far been enjoying cleaning…. weird. We woke up the first morning and felt like we were staying at someone else’s place, but NOPE its ours!! So crazy… We are definitely loving this place and know it was the perfect fit for us. We knew there was a reason the short sale home wasn’t happening!! Thank-you, Lord!
Here are a few pictures!!
This shot was when we had just closed and wrote the biggest check ever for the downpayment… crazy!
Below are fab friends Kristine Neeley (also suh-weet Nashville family and baby portrait photographer as well as our associate photographer) and the manly Andy Johnson with us helping us move out of our apartment.
Below is the fabulous Kate (who we will soon formally be introducing you to her :) carting around our DO NOT BREAK items.
The movers!!! Seriously, this is the best investment of your time & money you can make…
Friends David & Tammy and Heather & Eugene at our new place helping us figure out how many people we can cram in our shower… (thank-you iphone camera).
iPhone photo of us and our new home!
And here is one teaser photo of the inside of our new place!
Yay!! That’s it for now. We are in the middle of ordering furniture and decorating and we can’t wait to show you all!!!! Thanks to you all for your congratulations :) It’s been a long time coming.
Mirelis SanchezBEAUTIFUL home. Wishing you the best. Congratulations!
Feuzayour new place looks AMAZING, cant wait to visit you there!
Thomas LesterHoly gorgeous Batman! I LOVE those floors. Stunning. What an awesome home. Makes me want to move bak to Nashville. Florida home builders build big free standing apartments and call them homes. No character. Your new joint is spilling character all over the place and making a giant mess of things! Ha!
Congratulations!
NEMA PhotographyWow!!! Congrats to you both! We actually listened in to a small talk of yours at the WPPI! Awesome stuff! :) Definitely a blog follower now. You guys rock!
joe dimattiabeautiful place guys! glad to see how the Lord blesses those who live like no one else! Cant wait til you blog more about that!
Betsy, La VidaYAAAAY!!! We're so excited for you guys! It looks just like perfection. Can't wait to see it in person :-)
emilybeautiful!! congratulations. can't wait to see more pics. happy decorating!
Jen JohnsonI want to make out with those floors and that moulding...is that weird?!
Amyoooh so pretty!! congrats on the new place you two! happy decorating!
RyanCongratulations guys!! The house looks amazing! I can't wait to see what you do with the inside, plenty of room to hang photos!
Tira JOh wow! Your new home is so beautiful and a true blessing from ABOVE! Congratulations on the next part of the great adventure! Can't wait to see more! Love you guys!
Zach and I have it built in our budget and placed on our calendar to have a date night every week. It doesn’t always happen, but we try!
We found out early on in our marriage that if you are not intentional about spending time together and connecting, then it will not happen. Our marriage is one of our top priorities over almost everything else, so that is something that we have to fight for if need be and not let other things get in the way of it!
So, we were trying to figure out what to do the other night and instead of getting a movie and not talking the whole night, we decided it was time for some awesome Chuck E. cheese!
We grabbed every quarter we could find and joined the ranks of all the little people (kids that is) that were swimming in a sea of fun and video games and decided to get our Skee-ball on!
(all photo compliments of our little Canon point and shoot)
Zach trying to hide behind my mask of…. (this can’t possibly go anywhere good) yeah, next photo please!
Me ready to get my game on!
Oh yeah! Is that 60,000? What up Jody??!!
We’re rich!!!! We can now get …. a bouncy ball and or tootsie rolls that only cost us $15 bucks and they regularly cost 1 cent! Yay!!
We really wanted one of the cool prizes the wall of greatness had to offer…
… but had to resort to the prizes a little closer to our ticket budget.. ha ha
We ended up getting a killer blue swirly straw and then gave the rest of our tickets to some little kids who were trying to attain something from THE WALL of SWIRLY GUMDROPS!
So, are you taking time and making it a priority to be with your family, friends, spouse or kids? If not, then we encourage and challenge you to go out of your way this weekend to do so! You won’t regret it and you may end up getting a really cool blue straw!!
A lot of you guys have been praying for us for our house and tweeting & emailing your support for us, so we thought that we would give an official update of everything that has transpired in the last week!
Good News: As tweeted last week, we finally heard back from the seller’s bank the end of last week and we got verbal approval of the offer that we had put on the killer townhome we wanted to buy!
Bad News: The seller decided he didn’t want to go through with it once he learned that he was going to have to pay taxes on the difference. *Sighs*
We decided we were done with the hassle of trying to make it work and wait for his realtor to try and convince the seller otherwise..
Good News: In the meantime an opportunity opened up to buy one of the townhomes just a block down that the builder has been trying to sell for the last two years. We have decided to move on it and purchase that one! It’s more than perfect (same floor plan & size though), we now won’t have to do any work on the home, and it’s brand new. No stink from other people living in it :) Funny thing is, we have had our eyes on this place for over 5 months now, and we are finally getting it. We are set to close AND to move out Monday! Yay! We are excited, and everything is good to go on Monday, we are just holding our breaths until it all actually comes to fruition.
Now we are in”go” mode and feel like we’re juggling a gazillion things at once right now, but we are sooooooooooo excited!
Now that we are moving into a brand new home (yay!) there are things that need to be bought, say blinds for all the windows! So we have been making trips to Home Depot & Lowe’s checking out everything…. Last night we were at Lowe’s and couldn’t help but stop and take a photo with a shower design that we REALLY loved…. ;o)
Thanks you guys!!! Stay tuned for the grand tour!! To stay updated as we close, move in and all the other good stuff, be sure to follow us on Twitter!
Lisa H. ChangSo cute! Love the shower pics :) And congratulations!
AlisonCongratulations guys! Sometimes things are meant to happen a certain way, this is one of those times!
MelissaFoscardoThat's wonderful and so exciting for you both! Can't wait to see pictures of the new pad :-)
Matt and LeslieCongratulations guys! So exciting!! Can't wait to see pics!
Jen JohnsonYAY YAY YAY!!! So glad that this worked out...God's timing and provision is so amazing, huh?!
Stephen KnuthYAY!!! I'm so excited for you guys! WOOHOO
nancy m.Congrats guys! See God works his magic in mysterious ways:) Good luck on Monday.
Scott MiuraCongrats to you both on the new place!! I could not be happier for you both, and will keep you both in prayer as you begin preparations for moving, and settling in and for a smooth, safe transition.
Wow, $849 for that small of a shower? hee hee.. thank you for sharing the updates and pictures!! All the best to you both.
AshleyAWESOME! It's great how things work out isn't it? Sorry you had to go through all the hassle beforehand. Cannot wait to see this place to and see where you'll be living!
Sara D HarperYay! Congrats! Can't wait to see it! You have to host a game night or something once you get all moved in!
Fall is my favorite season, but Christmas is my favorite time of the year! I love the crisp air, the Christmas lights, the quiet, blanket of snow that covers everything (ok, well in the North the snow exists), the Christmas tunes that some stations start playing at Thanksgiving (woo hoo!) and there’s nothing like sitting on the couch bundled up in a blanket with no lights on except the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree lights, and no sound but the burning wood in the fireplace cracking and Christmas tunes playing from our iPod… ahhh… Oh, not to mention it’s a time where we celebrate the One who came and gave us life in the first place! :)
So sad that Christmas is over. After our crazy months of traveling Zach and I were looking forward to finally being back home, doing some work, and then RELAXING together in TN, just the two of us! We had a great Christmas just hanging out together and we are enjoying the time we have set aside to relax and chill before we shoot our first wedding of the year this Saturday. Yay!!
In honor of Christmas day being over and everyone going through detox of all the hype, shopping, and presents, which can leave us feeling empty inside, I thought I would post this little diddy that I received from my sister’s mother-in-law, Linda!
Jesus is Better than Santa Santa lives at the North Pole. JESUS is everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year JESUS is an ever present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited JESUS stands at your door and knocks.. And then enters your heart.
You have to stand in line to see Santa JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap JESUS lets you rest in His arms.
Santa doesn’t know your name, all he can say is “Hi little boy or girl, What’s your name?” JESUS knew our name before we did.. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly JESUS has a heart full of love.
All Santa can offer is HO HO HO JESUS offers health, help and hope.
Santa says “You better not cry” JESUS says “Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.
Santa’s little helpers make toys JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions. Santa may make you chuckle but JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.
While Santa puts gifts under your tree JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.
Jesus is still the reason for the season.
Merry Christmas, everyone and happy new year!! Thank-you, Lord for the gift of your son!
And now to leave you with a rockin’ Christmas lights video… It gets really good starting at 0:42 seconds so hold out!
TomlinsonBeautiful pictures of Jared and Ashley's
wedding!
Matt&LeslieSo glad you posted this. It was humorous and accurate. We all sometimes forget what Christmas is really about, and that was a cute reminder.
Tira JThank you for this post and the wonderful reminder that Jesus IS the REASON for this season! Great video too! There is a house in the town next to us that puts on a show like that. Fun times!
Kia GregoryThanks for the excellent reminder of this life we have been given to live. Love the reminder that Jesus is as close as the mention of his name. Good to carry that around sometimes. Thanks, guys!
Mike HallEnjoyed the 'Jesus is better than Santa' diddy, it is so true! Wishing you both a Happy New Year!
It was many moons ago on this day that my studly husband was born!!!!! Who knew at that time the little squawking squirt would become a fabulous man, husband, talented photographer, speaker, musician, great friend to many… and I could go on and on and on…
Thank-you for being you and making my life better!
Happy Birthday Baby!!!!
Leave Zach a little love on his birthday!! Why are you glad he was birthed?
Zach GrayThanks to all for the awesome comments! You guys are the best and made my birthday amazing!!
DarcieHi Zach and Jody - We've never met - well actually Jody I met you at Jacq and Nathan's wedding years ago. I just have to tell you your blog is so FANTASTIC! I have been so excited to see all of the new stuff that you post all the time and can't wait to see the awesome work that comes out of the OC. Travel home safe!
Darcie in MN
Marissa RodriguezJust wanted to stop by and let you guys know that a few days ago I listened to a podcast you did with cameradojo.com a few months ago and I just wanted to say thank you! Thank you for taking the time to do that bit. You guys are incredibly encouraging and listening to your story helped make me feel a little better about being in the beginning stages of starting my business. Thank you so much! You guys rock!
nancy m.Happy Belated Birthday Zach! Hope it was a great one.
Brianna PhelanHappy birthday Zach - hope it was a great day! :)
imthiaz housemanHappy B-day Zach! Hope you guys had a wonderful vaca. :)
Jeff LovettVery Happy Birthday Zach! Thanks for pursuing your dreams and in the process blessing and inspiring many (including Heidi and I) along the way! And while you rock the bowl, I think the soul patch and bed head luck is much better!
KayshaHappy Birthday Zach! Thanks so much for spending the day with us at the workshop, you were awesome!!!
Krystal RadlinskiThat is a pretty Sa-weeet bowl cut buddy! And many moooore!
ashhappy birthday zach!!! make sure you have one of those delicious coffee creations with a bendy straw :)
Jessica RaiHappy birthday to you Happy birthday to you!!! All I have to say is...."Tonight's gonna be a good night, tonight's gonna be a good, good night" :)
MelissaFHappy Birthday, Zach! That picture of you is simply precious! Hope you had a fantastic birthday.
David FangHappy Birthday Zach! I'm glad you were birthed because you have not only influenced my life but that of generations to come. That at you awesome fashion sense
FeuzaOh my, loot at that smile and hair! his face has not changed at al, adorable picture! Happy Birthday Zach, thanks for all you do, God Bless you ~
Matt&LeslieHappy Birthday Zach!! Love the pic. Who was your photographer?
WendySending birthday hugs and wishes from Tucson! Hope it is a happy day and year for you!
allie.mayhappy december birthday, zach!! you have been an inspiration from the time i met you, and i've loved watching you explode into a rockstar photographer :) plus, you take exceptional care of your beautiful wife, and my dear friend, jooooooody! thanks for all you give, happy day!
Tira JHappy Birthday Zach! Looking forward to meeting you in a few hours to celebrate your birthday and to learn great things from you at your workshop!
Brian KaplanHappy B-day Zach!!!! pretty rockin' bowl cut! :)
Toni SmithThe pic is too cute! Happy Birthday Zach!
MichelleHappy birthday! Hope you have a great day!
We hit the ground running ever since we got back from vacation, hence the delay in posting any pictures from our cruise! Sooooooooo, to hold you all over we thought that in honor of all the cold weather the US has been getting (darn global warming) we would post this short video taken on the island of St. Lucia….
Feuzathis is great! love hearing the sound of the waves, makes me want to me very very very far away from here, and love how you guys say nothing only at the end!
Eric FoleyWOW, you must have gained about ten years back on your life after that trip. Good for you guys :)
Matt & LeslieAmazing!! I'm so jealous. Glad you guys had a great vacation.
traceyooooooooo you guys suck. :)
in the good sense of the word suck. xoxo
enjoy yourselves!!!!
ashIt was a well deserved vaca for you guys! Glad it was in such a beautiful place!
Kevin AutryWOW!! Looks SOOO relaxing. Hope you guys had a blast!
The Velvet TrunkGorgeous. SO very thrilled you four got to do this. Can't wait to see pics!! Hugs!! =)
Anyone else out there a Starbucks fanatic? It’s so sad actually. Their coffee isn’t even that good but they offer such a great experience that we find ourselves there often (hmmm… I think we as photographers can learn from that!).
We found ourselves spending a lot of time at Starbucks (aka FiveBucks), so after doing some math we got the genius idea to get our own coffee pot. What a concept.
Low and behold, we present to you – Mr. Coffee!
We heart Mr. Coffee and Mr. Coffee is now a part of our morning routine…
Wake up… grind the beans… brew some coffee…
Zach’s Ideal Cup ‘o Coffee
Name: “Bitter Bangerang”
- Warm up half-and-half in micro
- Add brewed coffee to creamer
- Add a touch of sugar
-Top with loads of whip creme and Cinnamon
Result: Bitter enough so Jody won’t drink it
Jody’s Ideal Cup ‘o Coffee
Name: “I’ll Have Some Coffee with my Creamer Please”
- Pour in half and half until coffee is almost white
- Add vanilla creamer to flavor
- Add 2 little scoops of sugar
Result: Vanilla flavored with a light coffee taste, slightly sweet
Note our cool coffee mugs we bought in NYC. Holla
Now we feel like we are becoming officially old and like those crazy insane people who “need their coffee in the morning”…sighs… is that so bad? Any other coffee lovers out there?
AlisonI live in a state where Starbucks only arrived in the area within the last 2 or 3 years. I am one of the few that can say I have never actually been to one, and I think my wallet likes me more for it! We were given a hamilton beech coffee maker last year which brews inside (no glass to break- yay!) and we love it! Fortunately my full time job comes with free yummy coffee!
MaganHi Zach and Jody! I just found your website/blog thanks to twitter and I'm so glad you did. You have one of the best websites (love the about me section). It makes me really wish I knew you in person! Please make a trip to Austin for some workshops! :) Happy Sunday!
Diana PetersThat's too funny! My husband and I just came from Starbucks! We find ourselves spending way too much money there too.. we almost always hit Starbucks before a big shoot. We do have a local favorite we brew at home though A'roma's "Carmel Nut Truffle".. the best coffee I've ever had!
Jeff LivettI can't believe you guys didn't have a coffee maker! I soo wish I had known that...would have made a great gift.... Yes the smell of coffee brewing in the house in the morning is a part of a nice homey morning vibe for Heidi and I ! Working side by side on the couch with our cups o' Joe and laptops! Heidi "pollutes" her coffee similar to Jody but adds some chocolate syrup to the mix... I like my coffee like my wife.. Dark, strong, rich and full bodied!
Jeff SipperIt's funny, I never really drank coffee until my late 20's, and now I drink it nearly everyday! I like it strong and black, nearly the consistency of syrup! Gridn the beans, heat the water, throw it all in a French Press, and go to town! That, or a triple espresso gets the day off right! :-)
Josh UlmerWe brew our own starbucks as well..the only time we might buy it out is when heading to a cold session! Then it's on! Mine is more like Zach's and my wife's is more like Jody's!
tiffany zajasI am right there with you guys! My husband and I have coffee at home together every single morning. It's a nice time to sit down and spend some time together before jumping into work. :)
Ben FinchI'm gonna have to go with Jody on this one. After I've doctored up my brew it's more like a hot vanilla milkshake rather than coffee... what can I say, I'm a risk-taker!
Alisa WhitleyOh yes! Have to have my coffee. I'm one of those old, crazy, insane people that needs my coffee! I can drink a whole pot by myself while reading the Sunday paper. I drink it black - if it's good coffee. Zach's cup looks like one I would like...mmmm. I occasionally put milk/half and half in it if it's really strong or a little bitter, but usually mine is straight up!
nancy m.Cute post...love the mugs....but DIET COKE RULES:) I agree with Tami, you should start a savings jar!
Jennifer HenryI'm not a coffee drinker, but after seeing the way you do it Jodie... I think I could do that. As long as the coffee taste is EXTEMELY subtle! I'd rather just have some hot chocolate! =) My bad habit lately has been stopping at McDonalds for a sausage, egg, & cheese biscuit w/ a diet coke. I tried buying some at the store, but alas... they are no where near as good as McDonalds are! I have started taking a can of diet coke rather than paying almost 2.00 for the fountain drink...that counts for something, right?!
Jaime DonivanSo happy you heart coffee! I always LOVE an amazing mug with my favorite coffee of the month. There is just so much out there, so you have to try new combinations of lattes! OOH the vices of coffee, but ooh the joy of the cup! haha Yes, I am a fellow addict. Def. need to catch up since PartnerCon! Loved hanging out with you and saving to come see you! Heart you guys!!!!
Tami StaffordSuper cute post!! & a great idea to do coffee at home.. athough.. there is just something about handing over a five spot for 8 ounces of over-priced goodness!!
Goodluck in your efforts! I wish you the best!
* every morning you should put like $3.00 in a jar. now that you are doing the home thing... that would add up quick!! ha. No one ever does that. xoxo
Ok, so we keep on getting more shooters from New Orleans sending us shots from the workshop that we were the subjects for in New Orleans at PartnerCon, so we thought we would share! Not to mention we love bragging on other photographers that are great at what they do.
You may be saying to yourself, “You’re photographers. Why are having images of yourselves such a big deal? You should be able to take pictures of yourselves all the time.”
Weeeeeell, yes we are photographers, but no, it’s extremely hard to take self portraits! We did it once and it took forever and the outcome… um, wasn’t very good to say the least.
So over the past little bit we have had some friends take images of us like the amazingly talented Evan Baines
And then the awesome Keoni K took the below images of us that are a part of our branding
But the biggest reason why we are so stoked about the New Orleans photos is not only because we had extremely talented photographers shooting us but because they were the wedding photos we wish we knew were out there when we got married!
We cannot stress enough how important it is to make the right decision for your wedding photography. You truly get what you pay for and that’s what happened to us when we got married four years ago. We did get some cool shots, but had no idea what was really out there if we would have properly budgeted for it.
So when Jeff & Erin Youngren, (fab photographers from San Diego) asked us to model for their workshop at PartnerCon in wedding attire we were pumped and so excited that we would get a few nice shots, and holy cow we have been BLOWN away.
So we just wanted to take another moment and thank the Youngren’s and all the other awesome photographers for shooting us and providing us with the wedding images we always wanted.
Here are some kick booty images that just came up on Jeff & Betsey’s blog (another suh weet photo duo from California), and we LOVE these guys!!! Not only do they shoot killer images but they are SUCH a fun couple and we heart them much!!!
Seriously, thank-you guys for everything. For more images of us, befriend us on our Facebook and you can see all the additional photos from lots of other stellar photographers!! We have been blown away and are sooooooooooo excited!!
Tammy Molnarawww these photos of you two are incredibly stunning!!! thanks for taking amazing photos of us! we can't wait to get them up hopefully soon. everyone loves 'em.:) you guys rock as always!
CoriOf course it helps that you two are just gorgeous human beings, inside and out!
Betsy, La VidaOh, you guys are just the best!!! Thanks so much for the shout-out! We are so thankful to have met you, gotten to know you, AND photograph you. Love, love, love it!!!
Jim CollinsHey you guys. Just leaving a quick note to let you know I stopped by...
Love these shots of you and love your work too. More than that though, I love the way you communicate you here and on your site. Great work!
Onward!
JC
The Velvet TrunkLOVE love love these pictures of you two. And a shout out to you two for the incredible shoot you did for me. Get compliments on those pictures ALL the time! Love you guys!!
Hugs,
Mel
BethGreat photos! It was soooo great to meet you in New Orleans and I loved your presentation!
For those of you not following us on out Twitter or FaceBook, you might have missed out on the news that we are going on a CRUISE!!!
This year has been super busy and we have been working hard and saving hard and are in need of a long break away from phones, email, internet and work :) A time to get away, refresh and revive is exactly what we need, and it doesn’t hurt that the cruise happens to fall over our anniversary! :)
It all started about two weeks ago when great friends and photographers, David & Tammy Molnar said they were looking into last minute cruises and wondering if we would want to join. We jumped at the opportunity and booked it that day!
Short of Zach, none of us have ever been on a cruise and are not fully sure what to expect, pack, think about, etc. My sister and her husband went on a cruise a bit ago and we have some family members who have been as well telling us some things to avoid, things to bring, things to keep in mind, and their help has been invaluable!
For those of you cruisers, we would definitely appreciate some insight if you have it!
A little bit of info about our trip if that will help you with your ideas & suggestions:
Royal Caribbean is the cruise line and we leave from Puerto Rico. Suh weet!
The islands we will be stopping at are:
- Bridgetown, Barbados
- Castries, St. Lucia
- St. John’s, Antigua
- Philipsburg, St. Maarten
- St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Tips and advice are mucho welcome (we obviously don’t speak much Spanish!)! We are so pumped and excited to go! Yay vacation!
d a v i d m o l n a rhey would you guys want to go on a cruise with us? it leaves on sunday. i could teach you how to snorkel. oh and my dad could ship us some extra snorkel gear so you don't have to rent any? oh and we could probably find great flights to puerto rico where a cool route leaves from. thoughts?
OlegMy wife and I went last year on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas. At the time it was the biggest ship, but I think they have one even bigger now. It was Great. Best vacation we had. Check out the slideshow from our trip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRKA9VE117E
And have fun.
Noelle McCoyBest piece of advice my friends... is avoid being sea sick at all costs! =) You two are the best... the McCoy's {heart} the Gray's and we wish you a supa-fun and relaxing vacation!!!
Tammy Molnarwe can't wait to cruise with you guys...don't know if the boat will be able to handle all of the hotness from us four...hahaha. thanks for posting this...the comments are already so helpful! looks like we have 2 formal nights....woot woot!
Aprilawesome! I lived in Puerto Rico for 4 years. I have been to most of the islands you talked about. If it were me this is what I would do.
San Juan, go on a catamaran adventure. They provide a day on the water, lunch and all the rum punch you can drink. http://www.eastwindcats.com/ I think they have a free shuttle from San Jaun. 2. Go see the old fort in Old San Juan 3.Rainforest? 4. hit the casino at the El Sanjuan resort.
St. Johns is great. Much better than St. Thomas where the cruise ship usually pulls in. If your not into shopping I HIGHLY suggest getting scuba certified and a dive company will take you to beef island where you can dive the Wreck of the RM Rhone...it's rated one of the top 10 wreck dives in the world. We did it as our first on our own dive after we got certified and it was AWESOME!
Barbados...can't remember much about it. Seems like we went swimming with a sea turtle.
St. Maarten This place is awesome. Half the island is french and half is dutch...but they both take American money (or they did) There a bar that is on a big boat, the place next door to it has awesome food. Can't remember the name it's like Joes or Larry's.. It's on the french side across the street from the Royal Palm resort in Cole bay. It's not in Phillipsburg proper...get out of that area it's yucky. We also went wind surfing on the french side. They give you like 20 minutes of lessons and then set you loose in the cove. It was a total blast and a workout.
Pack for 82 degrees... with the most perfect breeze in the evenings.
Have fun! Sorry for the long comment!
Brent DeitrichAwesome! My wife was born in Bridgetown, Barbados and she still has family that lives there. Say hi to them for us!
JenniferNot too much advise.. I was 17 when I went on a crusie with my family so its been a while and I was young. You should have a great time and your going to some awesome ports. I would check on some of the pre deals you can do and also some of pre drink packages you can order because it will add up quick !! But most of enjoy!
AlisaIf you tend to have motion sickness call your dr and tell him you're going on a cruise. He can call you in an RX for a patch you put behind your ear to prevent motion sickness. Other than that, sit on the ship deck and soak up the sun, relax, take a fun shore excursion, and take lots of pictures...oh wait, you were probably going to do that anyway! :) Have fun!!
CharliPI think you guys will enjoy it. My BF and i were first time cruisers this spring. We did the Royal Caribbean Adventure of the Seas Southern Caribbean cruise (Left from San Juan and visited Aruba, Curacao, Dominica, and St. Thomas) We did the 7-day version and we absolutely LOVED waking up in a new place each morning and not having to get bored anywhere. We also spent a ton on pre-booked excursions from the boat and we are SO glad we did. They left our tickets for us in the room for each day's excursion and we didn't have to wonder where to go or who to meet when we got off the boat. (The people who didn't pre-book excursions seemed a little nervous and frustrated trying to do so on the boat.) But we hated being stuck on the boat a lot of the time. Sure there's a lot to do, but it's not always what it sounded like. The casino and the bars were fun, but they got a little tired after two days and the nightlife and variety shows werent as diverse as we'd have hoped. WE STILL had a great time, but most of the nightlife and activities were geared toward a Latin crowd since it leaves from San Juan and 80% of the boat is Spanish-speaking. SO, we felt a little out of our element on the boat. Off the boat we were in heaven. We loved the pool until we jumped in and realized it was salt-water. I never got back in, and my eyes thanked me for it. BUT, i had fun laying by it and drinking. A note: Royal Caribbean wants you to pay for drinks on board and tip. It gets really really pricey so save up now. The food was awesome and there are SO many choices on board. We had a great time getting to know the other couples at our assigned table during formal dinner nights (when we were up for it) and we loved taking elegant pics on board. We met a lot of great people and we'd TOTALLY go back again (just not leaving from San Juan -- we hear the other boats have a more diverse crowd.)
What We're Glad We Packed: Small waterproof pouches, backpacks, and carriers. (You're off the boat all day.)
lots of memory cards (we took like 2000 pics!)
multiple swimsuits -- NOTHING dries
sunburn soothers -- we burned SO badly
lots of towels -- the pool was out
easy things to hold money and room card in
Water shoes -- comfy and you're ready for most things!
What We Wish We'd Packed: A set of friends (glad you guys aren't going alone!)
our iHome for the cabin -- TV sucked
Bathroom spray!
What We Wish We Hadn't Brought:
Too many "formal outfits" and clothing options all together. Nobody really cares about dress codes, and we over did it and our bags were heavy. We repeated swimsuits and covers so much.
Enjoy!! Can't wait to see pics!!
ashmake sure you check what the dinners are - some have more dressy dinners and some even a "formal" night. also, make sure you know what your money is paying for. when i went on carnival, certain things at mealtime were not including, like anything besides water and tea.
MelissaHmmm, not much advice - I've never been on a cruise and I've never been to any of the ports (I did go to St. John, USVI and if any of your ports are as beautiful as that island you guys are going to have a FABULOUS time!)
I will live vicariously - have fun!
