Cruel Jewel 100

 I don't know why they label this race a 100. It is most definitely 110 miles, maybe even more. And the name? That name just barely skims the surface as a description for this beast. Cruel is an understatement. I have never in my life been so tortured mentally and I sure as hell hope I will never experience that again. Oh, let's don't forget the elevation... 33,000 feet of mountain gain and 33,000 feet of loss. 94 miles of trails, lots of climbing the dragon spine. They give you 48 hours to finish (this should of been my first sign to pass on this race) and require a previous 100 mile finish to toe the line...

This my friends...

is Cruel Jewel 100.  

I arrived to Vogel State Park Thursday night around 8 pm. I had worked several nights in a row and had a certification class Thursday morning, so I went into the race behind on sleep (I tend to walk around in a sleep deprived state on the daily though). I put up my tent on the campsite with my good friends and got in bed to sleep by 10 pm. The race begins Friday at 12 pm, so I had time to sleep in and get a good breakfast. Sleeping in didn't go all that well and I was up and moving by 8 am. David and Dawn Wilkerson made me exactly the breakfast I asked for! Mrs. Dawn made the most delicious biscuits and grits, David cooked up eggs and bacon on the Blackstone... I was in breakfast heaven. After breakfast, Bekah and I headed down to packet pick up to get my bib and take some pictures. We dropped off my drop bags in the trailers and headed inside. I got a good look at the buckle and things felt a little more real. I was incredibly excited to get a Cruel Jewel 100 hat, that may have been the highlight of the day. We returned to the campsite and I took a little cat nap until time for the race. I got dressed, ate one more biscuit and made my way down to the start line. 

My amazing breakfast!

David on the Blackstone

My excitement for the Cruel Jewel 100 hat!

Tony and JP at the start line!

My girl Bekah- she helped me so much!

 

One would think with a race of this caliber, I would have a pacer and crew and everything all lined up for a successful race. For some reason, I just decided to wing this one. Although, it turned out I would have a little help from friends before it was all said and done.... now, on to the race.

The first leg of this race- from Vogel to Skeenah Gap is approx. 20 miles and broken up into 4 aid stations (although 1 of them is just water and unmanned). I run ultra's from aid station to aid station. I just focus on getting to the next aid station. I think I have said this before- if you look at the race on a whole- the big picture- it is far too overwhelming. Take it apart, break it down and make it manageable... get to the next aid station. 

The first 20 miles are the hardest of the race. Unfortunately this is an out and back.. so the last 20 miles of this race are also the hardest. With fresh legs and a desire to run, you can knock out those first 20 miles a hell of a lot faster than at the end. I had started the race with a good friend and we had a game plan to run the race together in under 40 hours (if we could). And if things weren't working out, then we would just throw the plan away and come up with a new one. I let Rich pace and lead. We sped through Coosa and the Dragon Spine in no time. I laughed when I got home and looked over my Strava data- apparently that Coosa Climb was a PR for me.. aka- I did it way too fast.  I knew as we were climbing that I couldn't keep that intensity up. I was using far too many calories to maintain that speed. I held out as long as I could though and banked as much time as possible in the beginning.  

I left a drop bad at Wilscot Gap, which is mile 25.5 (or so they say.. lol). I had the wonderful pleasure of starting my period the day before the race, so my drop bags came in handy for tampons, wipes and Advil. I spent the majority of the first 24 hours dealing with cramps and tampon changes every 3 to 4 hours. I also had a big box of stuff at the next aid station too, Old Dial. Old Dial is at mile 31 on the way out and it is where all my friends were at! I was very happy to see Bekah, Dan and David. They had a chair ready for me in the shade with my box of running stuff and they got me all taken care of. Water pack filled, trash dumped from my pack, pictures taken, cold red bull... and then they sent me on my way! 

One of the only views on this course , the beautiful north Georgia Mountains

All smiles only 20 miles in

By the time I reached Old Dial it was dark

Me and my Beck!

Rich, Sean (I met Sean that day on the trail) and I at Old Dial

The next section of the course we ran through the first night. Stanley to Deep Gap and onto Camp Morganton- which was the "turn around". This was mile 31 to 58. I still felt good running from Stanley to Deep Gap. We had a nice long section of road to run and it was a good break, especially on my eyes since it was still dark. (When leaving Old Dial you run about 6 miles on the road to Stanley Gap) Deep Gap is an area you pass by 4 times at this race. There is an aid station here as well. At deep gap there is a 6 mile loop called Flat Creek, you do the loop then head out on a little trail to Camp Morganton. Camp Morganton is a free standing building at mile 50. There is a nice warm fire inside and bunk houses if you need a little nap. I had some delicious soup and a quesadilla here and changed into a dry sports bra and shirt. I also picked up my poles at this aid station. I had a hard time deciding which drop bag to put them in and went back and forth on whether to leave them at mile 50 or 75. I decided to go with mile 50. I found Rich and Sean and we headed back out into the night. This was technically the turn around point- although there was a little twist with that statement that would come into play later. We headed back to Deep Creek to repeat the 6 mile Flat Creek loop. I actually like this little loop! It wasn't flat... but it was nice rolling and I knew when I came off that loop for the second time I was headed back home! I also enjoyed this point of the race because the 50 milers had started and we got to see them as they started on their Flat Creek loop. I was very happy to get to see my friend Shannon too as she zoomed by me to a 3rd place finish!

Now... here is where things go wrong. So, so wrong. This is where Cruel Jewel got oh so cruel. I mean, this race is physically tough- after all there is 33,000 feet of climbing. But what really got me about this race was more mental than physical. 

Weaver Creek is an aid station that is only accessed once. It is a spur at the bottom of a mountain- about 3 miles off the course. The trail is single track, very rocky and straight down hill (well until you turn around and have to hike back up the dang thing). I had tried very hard to keep up with Rich the first 63 miles of this race. He was moving with a purpose and I wanted badly to move with the same purpose but I just couldn't do it for another 45 miles. I liked having his expertise on the course- after all he has finished this race 4 times now! But at this point I had to do what my body was begging me to do... slow down. I was very thankful to have had the pleasure of spending the first 63 miles with Rich and Sean, they kept me entertained with conversation and made the miles tick off quickly! 

Okay- back to Weaver Creek... and the crushing of my soul. This out and back was brutal mentally. I mean, physically too. It was pointless... the race was already well over 100 miles. There was no need for this waste of time, 6 miles of hell. This is when I got in my head, Weaver Creek. It was hot, the sun was beating down. The 50 mile runners were speeding by me up AND down the course- almost knocking me down at times and very few gave the right away on the way up. It was so incredibly hard to get any momentum going up the mountain to get out of that aid station that I would get discouraged and just quit trying. I am not sure how much time I lost here on this out and back, but I know for a fact this did a number on my mental game. The first of many to come... 

I finally made my way back to Stanley Gap, this is mile 69 on the course. I was no longer with Rich, and that was okay. It was best for my body to slow down. Looking back, I got in a major calorie deficit early on in the race due to how fast I was moving. I couldn't eat enough calories to keep up with all the climbing and unfortunately I would never come close to catching up. The aid stations are jam up and the volunteers are amazing, but at most of the aid stations- there was mostly just "junk". The real food was usually cheese quesadillas or soup and no real protein. I did find a little protein at a few spots, but like I said.. not enough to replace what was lost. This is where crew would have come in handy... then I could of stayed ahead on calories! There was paved road from Stanley Gap to Old Dial, but the road was not as welcomed this go round. It was HOT. SO SO hot. I slowed down even more on this section and found myself mostly walking. I had also developed some blisters in between my toes on BOTH feet. My feet had gotten wet early on multiple times in creek crossings and I think that is what caused the hot spots. This was another reason I was walking. I remember I kept repeating to myself "Just get to Bekah".. over and over I said it. I knew her and Dan and David were waiting for me at Old Dial and would pep me up and get me fixed back up. I needed a reset. I needed to regroup, regather my thoughts and make a plan to finish.  I was so happy when I finally got there. 

I had gotten really hot on the road to Old Dial so Bekah had put a cold, wet towel on my head to cool me off

She also gave me a miracle hamburger and a Blue Moon! These were game changers!!! 

At Old Dial I made the decision to change my shoes. My feet were blistered and it was only mile 75, I still had 31 miles to go. I decided to put on "real" trail shoes and see how things went. I had another pair of Vibrams in my drop bad at the next aid station if the Altras didn't work out. I rested me eyes for about 15 mins here at Old Dial after I ate my burger and changed my shoes. David knew Rich was pretty far ahead of me at this point and he didn't want me to run the rest of this course alone. He knows the course well and he knew I still had another night ahead of me. So he had decided to borrow Dan's pack and water bottles and meet me at Skeenah Gap to pace me to the finish. I agreed and told him I would see him there. I felt much better after this aid station and the jaunt to Wilscot Gap wasn't bad at all!

My last drop bag was located at Wilscot Gap, mile 80.5. I think the only thing I got out of it was my baggies of Sour Patch Kids. I knew my stomach would need them. I had battled nausea from very early on in the race due to the lack of calories. Every time I would get hungry, it would be followed by waves of nausea. I also dropped off my charging cords for my phone and watch and my battery pack- I knew they were both charged enough to finish and it was just added weight- so I left them all in my drop bag. I cleaned out as much of my pack as I could. The weight of my pack for the last 80 miles had taken it's toll. I was super happy to run into my good friend Marlene at this aid station! I had another burger and beer here and then I was on my way. I left out with Marlene and we tackled the mountains to Skeenah Gap. Overall I was moving pretty well and we were making good time. David had arrived at Skeenah and hit the trail backwards to find me. I was happy see him and so very thankful that from that point on... I knew I wouldn't be alone. 

Things just go downhill from here... well.. with me. Not with the course... there was mostly uphill with the course. Skeenah to Fish Gap became a slow effort. The climbs were tough and I was getting so sleepy. It was dark and it was cold. When we arrived into Fish Gap at mile 90, I was very exhausted. I had plenty of time to finish the race and I seriously contemplated sleeping for an hour or two and finishing after a nice nap. However, I wanted to get the damn thing over with, so I settled for a 15 min cat nap in the chair. I wish I had eaten more food at Fish. It was over 7 miles to Fire Pit and I was so behind on calories. I took a zip bag of snacks, but nothing tasted good by this point so I was surviving on Sour Patch kids and little sips of water. This was NOT efficient enough to sustain the energy needed to climb the dragon spine back over the Duncan Ridge Trail. But it was all I had to work with. 

My little siesta at Fish- I know David was ready to strangle me by this point, but I appreciated his patience and allowing me a few minutes to rest. 

The last aid manned aid station with food is Fire Pit. It is located at mile 97.6 and it is basically 8 miles from the previous station and 8 miles from the finish. So if you do the math... in the last 16 miles you only have 1 stop. Fire Pit. And let me tell you... those 16 miles seem like 50 and those climbs seem to go on for miles and time simply STOPS out there. The last stretch encompasses the Duncan Ridge Trail climbs as well as climbing up and down Coosa Bald. There was a crazy stretch of trail about 2 miles up high on the side of the mountain that had been freshly redone.. paired with a huge rain and trail race... this trail was a mess. Without poles to help balance, the trail was slick and almost impassable in spots. David didn't grab his poles before he met me, so he spent most of his time in this section on his butt! I eventually forced him to take one of my poles because I literally thought he was gonna fall off the side of the mountain. We moved very slowly through this section. I looked back and we had 30 to 35 min miles here. The trail was just too sketchy to move swiftly on in the dark. We finally made it back up and over Coosa and began our approach back towards Vogel. I was in a really bad head space by this point. I knew I was moving at turtle pace- 35 min miles at times, I was so hungry I was crying- literally- crying. I would wait until David got up ahead of me enough that he couldn't hear and I sobbed and cried over the hunger pains and nausea. It was so overwhelming it was all I could focus on. I wasn't hurting anywhere, I mean.. my feet were sore.. but for the most part I just wanted to be done. And I was hungry and I was sleepy. That was all I could think about was being done and going to bed. As we came into Fire Pit, I knew I had to have protein or there was no way I was finishing this race. I was so happy to see Alex at the Fire Pit aid station. I asked if he had any protein to offer and he looked around and found me a spicy bratwurst. I didn't care what it was... I had to eat. So I graciously took it. I was only able to handle about half of it and I felt like puking it back up for about the next 2 miles... but finally the food settled and I was able to carry on. 

The last 8 miles dragged on. I knew we were running the course backwards.. the same way I had come in.. but I think I was so sleep deprived I forgot about sections of it. I felt confused on where I was and how far I still had to go. I kept thinking in my head "surely I am almost back, surely I am almost done". But as each mile ticked by and I didn't see the road crossing to Vogel, I became more and more discouraged. The overwhelming desire to be done with this cursed race overtook my thoughts. Every step consumed me... I had to be done. I needed to be done. I just wanted it to be over. 

Finally, over 4 hours after leaving Fire Pit... we cross the road back into Vogel State Park. We took the trail back into the campground. It was quiet, but day break had already brought in the sunshine. I was so happy I was FINALLY almost done. I looked at David as we approached the finish line and I told him I wish I would of just quit. Then I would of already been in my bed sleeping with a full belly and not still out there, on that rugged course fighting to keep moving one foot in front of the other. I don't know what I would of done if David wouldn't have jumped in to pace me. I couldn't imagine being out there all alone for those last 16 miles of hell. He is definitely a God send and I will never be able to repay him for his kindness that night. 

I have NEVER been in such a place mentally that I wanted it all to end. I have never experienced rock bottom like I did at this race. I have proved to myself over and over again that I am physically tough. I know I have what it takes to finish a 100. But I learned something new out there on that course about myself this Cruel Jewel weekend... there is definitely a breaking point mentally for me. A point where I break down and cry and want it all to be over. It is such a helpless, broken state. No one can fix it, nothing can make it go away.. unless you choose to end it all right there.  Or... you just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Every minute you make the choice to keep putting one foot in front of the other ... until you finish. There is far more satisfaction in finishing than ending it early. I'm not a quitter, I'm a finisher. But Cruel Jewel... man she had me there for a minute... she had me right there at that breaking point. Not this time though... not this time. I continued to choose finishing. I continued to choose putting one foot in front of the other. 

There is no greater feeling than crossing that last timing mat and saying "it is done, I finished"

Final Time:    43:16

Stats: 155 men started, 114 finished. 

          26 women started, only 15 finished

Bekah and Dan were waiting on me at the finish line and captured all those last few moments as I came into Vogel. 

Finally crossed the finish line and received my buckle!

Me telling Sarah Snyder (one of the RD's) this is the worst race on the planet 

and I will never be back 😂

Dan coming to take some pics!

Showing David what we busted tail for!

Literally could not of done this thing without this guy. 

My team! Although they weren't officially crew/pacers.. they were definitely my crew/pacer!

Best pancake and eggs in the world!

It felt so good to get showered and clean!

A little selfie before heading to bed

Finally, over 48 hours later... I got to curl up in my tent and do to bed!

The biggest, heaviest buckle I own!

Cruising on the Sunshine

 We just got back from a glorious 5 night cruise on the Carnival Sunshine. This was my 14th cruise and it did not disappoint. I always have people ask so many questions about cruising so I thought I would use this blog post to help answer some of those questions! I have several other cruise posts with information and they can be found here:

Our kids first cruise-2014 The Carnival Liberty

The Carnival Valor- Aruba, Bonaire and Grand Turk

The Carnival Magic- Grand Turk, Amber Cove, St. Thomas and San Juan

There are lots of other cruises mixed in the year in reviews, but the posts above are just about the cruises. 

Our family prefers Carnival Cruise line. The prices are cheaper, the atmosphere is more loud/fun and the ports are more convenient. This particular boat left from Charleston, SC. Carnival is the only boat that sails from this small port. The same applies for Jacksonville, FL and Mobile, AL. All three of these ports service only Carnival and they are all a 5 hour or less drive from here. This was our first time cruising from Charleston and it went really well. This port has you ride a little van over to the gangway- you can see the ship in the background on our ride over. Fortunately for us, we also live close to Port Canaveral and Port of Tampa. These are both about a 6 hour drive. This particular cruise, we drove up the morning of departure and came back home immediately after arriving back to Charleston. Sometimes we book a hotel and use a park and cruise package- this allows you to park at the hotel for the duration of the cruise and they shuttle you to and from the port. We usually use a parking facility called Park-n-Cruise when we leave from Port Canaveral because the cost is about half of what they charge to park at the port itself. Just do your research and see what works best for you and your budget. There are lots of options. 

 Okay, so now we have arrived. We only had to wear masks while we checked in and got on/off the boat. We never had to wear a mask while on board! The check in process is a little hectic, it always is for me. I am juggling 2 rooms and 7 ID's, 5 birth certificates and all the paperwork. This time it was even harder- we had to have proof of vaccines as well as 7 negative covid tests! Once you get past this part and get on the boat things become less stressful and by the evening- you are enjoying yourself. 

I wanted to take a minute to address money and costs. This is another question I get asked a LOT. For us, we continue to use Carnival because of the discounts they send us as repeat cruisers. We get offers all the time for $25 a person, $100 a person or sometimes even FREE cruises that we just pay tax and port fees on. The dates don't always work out, but check back often on their website and keep looking. You are almost guaranteed to find an amazing deal if you will be flexible with the date/boat/ports. Another way to save money is to check out eBay or Sam's Club. This cruise I bought a $1025 worth of cruise gift cards off eBay for $800. That was a $225 saving!! Sam's club will occasionally offer Carnival gift cards for $5 to $10 off. Kroger sells them as well, and at the very least you can get fuel points! Cruise travel agents are usually pretty good about getting you some room credit for your trip as well, so consider booking through a travel agent. 

Another way to save money is to go ahead and by your drink packages and internet packaged before you leave. They offer a soda package as well as an alcohol package (that also includes milkshakes, fancy coffees, sodas, wine, water bottles and juices). These are cheaper when you buy them on the website before you leave! Or for an even cheaper cruise, just drink the free stuff- water, tea, lemonade, milk and juice! They have several internet options - they all suck. Service is slow and frustrating so be prepared. We usually go with the social media package for $5 a day and use messaging apps to communicate with each other on the ship and occasionally post a FB pic. However, if you want to save money- just ditch the internet for the cruise! A lot of ports have free WIFI, so you can check on things back home when you port. DO NOT ditch your phone however- pretty much everything on the ship uses the Carnival Hub app- menus, activities, reservations, check your bill... all available on the FREE Hub app. Even the drink menus from the bars are accessed via the Hub. So bring your phone and bring a portable charger- trust me, you will thank me later. 

Speaking of things to bring, I have a must have list of "things to bring" that will make your stay more pleasurable! 

*Hooks- I always bring 4 over the door hooks and a 6 pack of command hooks. We use these in our 2 staterooms to hang wet towels/swimsuits, lanyards, and clothes. The over the door hooks I bought years ago at Dollar Tree and the command hooks can be reused over and over if you buy more strips. The command strips can be placed on the walls and the hooks fit nicely over the closet doors. 

|*Over the door shoe holder- We re-use the same one each cruise. I got this one at dollar general years ago. It will hold a multitude of things. There is very little counter space in the ship's room and you will appreciate a place to put toiletries, sunscreen, sunglasses, curling iron, brush, makeup, even shoes- really just about anything will fit in these pockets to help save space and keep you more organized. 

  

*Lanyards- Your room key is also your way to pay and your way to get off/on ship. Make sure you get the one with a detachable clip so you can easily hand your room key off to pay/exit ship/open door without having to take it off your neck. When we first started cruising we used to have to bring a hole punch to add poke a hole in our cards for our lanyards- luckily Carnival now gives you cards with a hole already in it! You can use one of those nifty command hooks by the door to hang your lanyards on so you won't forget it on the way out the door. 

*Power Supply/USB ports- Your room will only have one little outlet for plugging in things. We always bring a little power strip and USB charging hub with us so everyone can plug up their devices and charge! The ship will not allow surge protectors so make sure you just bring a power strip and not the type that has a surge protector on it. 

Okay, those are our must have helpful items to bring along. I usually bring a sharpie, a small pair of scissors and some zip lock bags as well. I keep all those items together in a light weight, collapsible backpack. You will want the backpack as well to help carry things off and on the boat when you port! I have this great little backpack that I bought years ago and it packs really well/is super light weight and holds a ton! I have linked the backpack I have below, which I got on black Friday for $12

Backpack

Other things not to forget:

medications (take some Dramamine just in case!)

Do not pack beach towels- those are provided

Now, let's talk Ports! We have visited so many wonderful places during our cruises. Some offer amazing beaches, some boast historical sites and others are full of boat rides, snorkeling and adventure. We have our favorite ports and ports we skip. We will probably never get off the boat in Nassau again. It has become our most hated stop. The people are so pushy when you get off the boat and the town smells of weed. There are still great things about Nassau, but we aren't interested in stopping there any more. The kids love to have the boat to themselves when we stay on the ship and everyone else gets off the boat. Grand Turk is one of my kids fave ports. This area has a huge Margaritaville, massive pool and beautiful beach all right as you walk off the ship. We also enjoy private islands that offer a quit water taxi from the boat to the island and usually include lunch. Half Moon Cay and Princess Cay are both privately owned islands by Carnival and have lots of amenities. The ocean water at half moon cay is some of the most beautiful Caribbean water you will ever see. It is very calm and crystal clear. We enjoyed visiting Old San Juan, the cultural was wonderful. We walked all over the city, visited the fort, ate street food- overall an amazing day. The cruise line will offer activities called excursions. These usually cost more than average, but they are guaranteed to get you back on the boat on time. I usually research before we leave and plan out what we want to do and have an idea of our plan before we arrive. Most islands have free public transportation to use, which is nice for getting around. Almost every place you visit will have a free public beach. There are a lot of great resources for almost any port available on the Cruise Critic boards. This resource has saved me tons of money in excursions and tips/tricks. 

Okay, now... time for a breakdown of our latest cruise on the Carnival Sunshine! 

This was  our first "post-covid" cruise. There were a few hoops to jump through, but we managed to make it work. As of right now, cruisers are required to have 2 covid vaccination shots. You must also have a negative covid test within 48 hours before sailing. You can upload both your negative test and your vaccination card to an app that you will show at check in. This makes things move along very quickly! We were able to get our testing done at the Walgreen drive through and it was a very simple process. Once we were finally on  the ship, we were able to ditch the masks and enjoy the cruise! We even got to skip out on the usual muster station briefing which was awesome! We always hate the safety briefing drills. We had lunch on the lido deck and enjoyed the sail away party! Our favorite lunch items are Guy's Burgers and BlueIguana Cantina tacos/burritos! 

We never miss the sail away party on the lido deck, lots of dancing and fun.

Blue Iguana taco and burritos are a must. The breakfast burrito is AMAZING.

Our first dinner night, we don't usually dress up too much for the first night of dinner. But we always eat dinner in the main dining room, we love this tradition. 

The strawberry soup and mango soup for appetizers is one of my faves! Another fun tip for dinner in the dining room- you can order as many appetizers, entrees and desserts as you want! Sometimes I order 2 of each. 

This dining room on the sunshine was lit. We have never been on a ship with such a fun, lively dining room. There were conga lines and dancing at every dinner!

Don't miss sunsets on the top deck, always a highlight of the trip. 

Virgin frozen drinks are included in the adult beverage package. The girls LOVE frozen Pina Coladas and Miami Vice's!

I'm the nerd that gets up early and runs on the treadmill... This boat had a HUGE workout facility. The treadmills had virtual paths to run through which was really cool. 

This boat had multiple water slides and the kids really loved the water play area. 

Dinner- night 2. 

Crème Brule is one of my faves!

It is a little hard to see, but this is where the boat docked in Bimini. The island has a free tram that will pick you up at the dock and take you down to the free public beach! It will also bring you back to the ship.

We rode the tram to the last stop, the public beach. It was absolutely stunning. I have never seen such beautiful water! The beach is known as White and Blue Beach. 

The whole family took a little nap on the beach

I had a little snack of pizza and potato salad and watched as we sailed away

The kids spent a lot of time on the basketball court, this boat had a half court. We have been on ships that offer full court, but as long as they have a basketball court.. they are happy. 

Kennedy was the queen of chess and beat me several times. There was also a cool ropes course on the games deck as well- you can see it in the background. 

Jada and Kevin enjoying corn hole. 

This ship had an actual sushi restaurant on board. 

It was delicious. There was an additional charge for the sushi. 

And of course.. we had many ice creams cones every day.. ice cream in 24/7 on Carnival. 

Dinner night 3- crab cakes and steak. Yum!

Maggie studied for her test in the library every day. Usually we visit the library often for board games, however because of COVID (I'm guessing), there were no games available. 

There are always video arcades on each ship. This costs extra but of course the kids love this place. I limit them to 3 or 4 games a day. 

And of course the "big kids" got to play in the casino! Carter and Kevin played the roulette table and they both won a good bit of money!

This was Maggie's first cruise as an 18 year old, so she couldn't wait to try out the machines. 

This is our lovely spread of food from our cabana rental on Carnival's private area called Princess Cays, located on the island Eleuthera. 

We visited her 2 years ago at Christmas time and found the beach to be very crowded and very hot. So we decided to rent a cabana. This was the best idea ever. It came with a table and 4 chairs inside, a fridge with drinks and fresh snack, a shower outside, 2 loungers on the deck and 2 loungers in the sand with an umbrella. We were in cabana number 4 and the location was perfect. There were also towels inside for use as well as snorkel equipment and floats.

There is a great playground and kids pool available for use as well. 

The cabanas were a little further down the beach and we basically had the entire area to ourselves. 

We love to snorkel and saw a lot of fish. 

The beach here is very rocky, but it is great for snorkeling. 

They do have a few vendors set up with goods for sale.

You must take a water taxi to and from the boat to the beach. 

Dinner- night 4

Gotta have those pina-coladas!

Very glad our oldest was able to come with us! 

The main pool on the lido deck. 

All dressed up for dinner. 

She never wears dresses or curls her hair, so I had to get a lot of pics!

Breakfast on the ship before we disembarked. 

We always get a professional photo taken on each cruise.        

Overall we had a great time on the Sunshine and we would definitely consider going back on this ship. The ports are