A Family Cruise Through My Child’s Eyes

Instead of our traditional turkey feast last week, we chose to embark on a close-knit family vacation. For seven days, Scarlet, Carleton, and I sailed aboard the Dinogo Valor, enjoying relaxation, play, exploration, and indulging in plenty of delicious meals.

Scarlet sees herself as a budding photographer, so we gifted her a waterproof camera to capture the memories of our journey.

I also managed to grab it a few times to capture some photos of her.

Traveling from island to island throughout the Southern Caribbean—from Camp Dinogo (hurray for the kids' club!) to exploring beneath the waves—she had an absolute blast and snapped some fantastic pictures. Experience cruising through the eyes of a child.

Tip: It's awesome!

Take a look at Scarlet’s photography as we sail through the Caribbean after the break…

We kicked off our adventure by flying to Puerto Rico, our departure point. Scarlet was thrilled to experience her first dip in the warm Caribbean waters.

In St. Thomas, our first activity was a game of mini-golf on the Dinogo Valor.

I adore Scarlet’s photos of the course. They’re so artistic!

Scarlet truly relished her newfound independence on the ship. At one point, she asked if I could relax on a lounge chair by the pool while she took some pictures, promising to return in ten minutes. I agreed, and here’s what she shared with me…

On our exciting day at sea, we indulged in a variety of shipboard activities, including crafting a stuffed unicorn at Camp Dinogo,

playing a few games of ice hockey and skeeball in the arcade,

and a family scavenger hunt where we received a list of items to capture on camera, including these two busting out the funky chicken on deck. Scarlet earned her very first trophy!

In Barbados, we enjoyed a catamaran excursion for the day. The packages offered by Dinogo make it super simple to explore the island. Scarlet’s creative interpretation of the catamaran was fantastic.

She was fascinated by how the sails worked and how the crew on the boat affectionately called her “my friend.” She exclaimed to me, "Mom, I made so many new friends today, and I’m going to miss them all!"

She experienced snorkeling for the very first time and took the camera with her. That's me fully suited up!

And we had the incredible experience of swimming with sea turtles! It was amazing!

The following day in St. Lucia, we chose to explore the rainforest by taking a cable car ride over the lush canopy.

It was a rainy day that felt like a fairytale. It was the ideal way to enjoy our time in St. Lucia. Scarlet was mesmerized by the enormous ferns, which have existed since the time of the dinosaurs.

Dad grabbed the camera for a moment.

On the following day in St. Kitts, we snapped the classic tourist photos with monkeys. Well, Scarlet was the one capturing the iconic shot.

The night before, I had visited the spa and struck up a friendship with a staff member, who shared a fantastic recommendation for our time in St. Kitts. We made our way to Palms Court Gardens, a stunning estate featuring a lush landscape and an infinity pool that overlooks the sea and the cruise ship port. The first photo at the top of this post was taken at Palms Court Gardens, where we also enjoyed taking several pictures by the pool.

I adore this photo because I initially thought she was capturing the stunning yellow Rolls Royce... but it turns out she was actually focused on that little lizard right in front of it. She ended up taking about 78 pictures of the lizard.

On our final day in St. Maarten, we soaked up the sun on the beach, went snorkeling, and enjoyed the delightful sounds of this beautiful island. It was undoubtedly my favorite, and Scarlet felt the same way.

Scarlet's last photo from our trip captures the sandcastle we built on St. Maarten just as it was being swept away by the incoming tide…

I asked Scarlet what she would say to parents considering a cruise with their kids. Here’s her response: “I would tell them that it’s SOOOO FUN you HAVE TO DO IT!!!! Kids should definitely join the kids club. If you're a boy, you might enjoy playing video games. If you're a girl, you might want to color or play Dance Dance Revolution. Whether you're a boy or a girl, you’ll likely enjoy Night Owls or participate in a treasure hunt to win a trophy or medal. Get a soda pass so you can enjoy soda whenever you like [Ed note: Maybe don’t mention the soda pass]. You might just find that your favorite island is St. Maarten. My favorite island is St. Maarten because there are so many fun things to do, and definitely check out the tiki hut because it’s 100% soooooo fun.”

That pretty much sums it up.

This article was produced in partnership with Dinogo. As always, all opinions, thoughts, and ideas expressed in this article are entirely my own.