After 12 happy years of marriage, Quality Engineering Supervisor Carmen Labonte and her husband QA Engineer Tech Principal Paul Labonte renewed their vows in the Catholic church on June 22.
Luckily, Carmen’s 10-year Arthrex anniversary coincided with their vow renewal, and the couple took the opportunity to enjoy a relaxing honeymoon cruise on the Norwegian Sky. For 10 days, they sailed around the Caribbean, stopping in Puerto Plata, St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Martin and Puerto Rico.
“It was convenient being able to travel while relaxing on the ship,” she said. “We got to spend our nights in the same place, listening to music and meeting new people.”
In between ports, Carmen and Paul danced the nights away at the ship’s Sugarcane Mojito Bar. Every night was a blast, with live music performances and opportunities to hit the dance floor.
“My husband decided to practice his dancing,” she said. “He’s improving, but he still needs some help.”
The first stop on the tour was Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic where the couple lounged at the Gran Ventana beach resort, surrounded by a beautiful sprawling landscape of lush valleys, mountains and the sea.
Having grown up in the Dominican Republic and gone to school near the port city, Carmen wanted to spend the day relaxing. Drinks, food and other amenities were included in their package, and Carmen was more than happy to spend the day getting a massage and soaking in the sunlight.
At their second destination, Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas, they took the Skyride to the top of Paradise Point where they could look out over the U.S. Virgin Islands’ capital city.
“The view of St. Thomas was one of the best from the trip and the breeze was so nice under the hot sun,” she recalled.
In Antigua, Carmen and Paul got off the ship for a short while but did not stay for very long as the island was still heavily impacted from hurricane damage.
After another day of beautiful views on St. Martin Island, the ship made its final port of call in Puerto Rico.
There, they disembarked the ship on Sunday morning to attend Catholic Mass at one of the city’s oldest cathedrals. And they made sure to sample the local plantain dish mofongo before heading back to the ship.
“We loved it there and plan to go back to Puerto Rico someday,” Carmen said.
But the thing Carmen appreciated most from this trip was being able to spend one-on-one time with her husband and relax after the stress of putting a wedding together.
“We loved getting to connect a little more and to enjoy doing whatever we wanted to do, which was basically to eat, sleep and have fun!” she said.
She doesn’t currently have plans for her next Trip of a Lifetime, but she is interested in possibly taking her mother and sisters on an Alaskan cruise.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude for this incredible benefit,” said Carmen. “Arthrex’s generosity has given us the opportunity to relax and to create unforgettable memories together. It means more to us than words can express.”
For every five years of employment with Arthrex, employees are eligible for a company-paid Trip of a Lifetime to recognize their dedication. Look for more Trip of a Lifetime highlights on the Arthrex Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.