One Happy Group...

When we pulled back into Dubrovnik, a few folks went ashore. The rest of us gathered together for our final group photos.

We even got the crew into some shots.

Sally and John gave me a shirt that could have been the motto of our cruise:

Keep Calm and Enjoy Croatia.

Last Swim Break...

For our last swim break, the captain pulled into a cove with a beach, but the kids wanted to swim over to a cave instead. Jimmy took these funky photos on the GoPro. That’s the Nikola on the right.

Luckily I was able to borrow Holly’s mask and snorkel so I could make the long swim.

Final Moments Underway...

Our journey back to Dubrovnik was bittersweet as it was as beautiful as usual, but we were sad that we were already heading back. It was the ultimate compliment when folks asked what holiday I was planning for the group next.

Pure Happiness...

These are a just few of the many photos depicting pure happiness. From the moment they stepped aboard the Nikola, there was never any doubt that Ashlynn and Veronica loved the cruise.

To be honest, I was a bit nervous about whether Sally would enjoy the cruise. She’s not a beach person and I suspect that her boys might have had to drag her along. So I was relieved to see that she was having a great time. And John was thrilled that they were able to have some time to themselves over dinners and even a late night listening to music.

Lunch on Board...

Our chef was definitely a miracle worker considering the delicious lunches he managed to concoct in that tiny kitchen. I think everyone would agree that he was especially talented at making fantastic desserts. We weren’t really sure how they’d handle our big split between carnivores and those who won’t eat any four-legged creatures, but we really appreciated how they managed to feed everyone the appropriate animals every day.

There was no doubt that everyone loved our waiter Tom. It was always a pleasure to see his smiling face. His English was good enough for him to tease us, which was great fun.

While everyone else moved around to sit with different people each day, the teens claimed the table closest to the kitchen for the entire cruise.

Game Time...

We also took along several travel games. It was great fun seeing the kids playing Bananagrams, which we first learned about on our last Croatian cruise.

 They also played a variety of card games.

Wreck This Journal...

Some months ago, our girls started working together on an art journal called Wreck This Journal. They had a blast trying new ways to be creative then sharing the outcomes on social media. I was just thrilled seeing them working together so nicely. We decided this would be a fun cruise activity and brought five of the journals and some art supplies along.

Andrew and Ariana had fun doing art alongside Veronica and Ashlynn.

Andrew took this page very literally.

Here’s Veronica’s interpretation of the word summer.