Cruising.....On a Sunday Afternoon.....
Cruise travel. For some people it conjures up images of a huge party boat, for others, a floating ship of senior citizens, and still others, Captain Steubing, Isaac, Gopher, and Julie. I recently took my very first cruise and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.
I got the cruise as a Christmas present, and it honestly blew me away. Who gets a cruise disguised as a toaster? This girl. Then came the planning and researching cruise lines, ships, destinations, and prices. After looking at a bunch of options, we chose Carnival Cruise Lines as our ship. We booked and planned it before all of the recent newsworthy events that the company has endured, and decided that even though bad things had happened, we were comfortable going anyway.
We looked at ports close to home and farther away, and decided it was worth it to go to Miami to depart. Charleston, SC is undoubtedly much closer, but after reading reviews on the port and the fact that in order to get to your destination it's a lot farther; combined with the fact that many of the older boats don't go to the smaller regional ports; we figured that decision was a wise one. Most large ships leave from either the Port of Miami, or Port Canaveral. It wasn't that hard to get down there, and not having to pay to park your car in cruise parking plus a 13+ hour drive made it totally worth it.
As we stood in line to get on the ship, we observed other more "seasoned" cruisers. Some had pillows, blankets, totes with cases of soda and bottled water, and we wondered; should we have brought some of those items?? I'll admit I was a little apprehensive as we got on the ship, but I was soon put at ease.
Not having cruised before, I didn't know what the ancillary costs would be, how to set up a "ship" account, and anything else that might come along. I didn't know that your ship's account, which was attached to your room key, was basically the only currency you needed on board. You could seed the account with either cash or a credit card, and add cash to it at any point during the cruise. You use the nifty account to purchase anything on board that is NOT included. Soda, liquor, casino cash, spa treatments, and other things aren't included in your cruise cost. I opted not to purchase a lot that way, as I honestly didn't see the use in paying $9 for an alcoholic beverage every time I turned around.
Our cruse was a 7 day out of Miami with stops in Cozumel, Belize, Honduras, and the Cayman Islands. The first day was a day at sea. It allowed us to get familiar with the boat and explore. Cozumel was like one giant flea market, with people stopping you every 3.5 seconds to try to sell you jewelry. Of course, theirs is the best, (or so we heard at EVERY port). Tanzanite is the gem of Caribbean, and every Tomas, Ricardo, and Geraldo will try to sell you some. Fire Opals and Black Coral are also stones that every store will try to tell you that you can't get ANYWHERE else. Um, not so much. Belize is the home of the Knock Off. Coach, Michael Kors, Prada, Burberry; if you want a knock of bag, go to Belize. We didn't do an excursion there, but I wish we had. I heard that there was some wonderful jungle scenery to experience there, but we passed that up. Honduras, or more accurately Mahogany Bay, had some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. Our final stop, Grand Cayman, was the first sign of "Americana" that we'd seen so far. None of the other ports had nearly as many American symbols of culinary excess; KFC, Burger King, Popeye's Chicken, Smoothie King....All on Grand Cayman!
I definitely learned a lot on my vacation. I know the things to do next time, and the things NOT to do. Bring bottled water. The water on the ship was fine, but if you have to leave every time you want to get a drink, it gets a little old. Be prepared to spend more than you think. Plan for excursions, and don't just get the ones that they have on the ship. Lots of times you can find other options for cheaper when you get to the port. Don't even think about dieting. It's not possible. Bring an extra suitcase for souvenirs. But no matter what I'll do differently next time, I had the most amazing vacation ever and I'm already planning the next one. (This time I'll actually take the kids!)
I got the cruise as a Christmas present, and it honestly blew me away. Who gets a cruise disguised as a toaster? This girl. Then came the planning and researching cruise lines, ships, destinations, and prices. After looking at a bunch of options, we chose Carnival Cruise Lines as our ship. We booked and planned it before all of the recent newsworthy events that the company has endured, and decided that even though bad things had happened, we were comfortable going anyway.
We looked at ports close to home and farther away, and decided it was worth it to go to Miami to depart. Charleston, SC is undoubtedly much closer, but after reading reviews on the port and the fact that in order to get to your destination it's a lot farther; combined with the fact that many of the older boats don't go to the smaller regional ports; we figured that decision was a wise one. Most large ships leave from either the Port of Miami, or Port Canaveral. It wasn't that hard to get down there, and not having to pay to park your car in cruise parking plus a 13+ hour drive made it totally worth it.
As we stood in line to get on the ship, we observed other more "seasoned" cruisers. Some had pillows, blankets, totes with cases of soda and bottled water, and we wondered; should we have brought some of those items?? I'll admit I was a little apprehensive as we got on the ship, but I was soon put at ease.
Not having cruised before, I didn't know what the ancillary costs would be, how to set up a "ship" account, and anything else that might come along. I didn't know that your ship's account, which was attached to your room key, was basically the only currency you needed on board. You could seed the account with either cash or a credit card, and add cash to it at any point during the cruise. You use the nifty account to purchase anything on board that is NOT included. Soda, liquor, casino cash, spa treatments, and other things aren't included in your cruise cost. I opted not to purchase a lot that way, as I honestly didn't see the use in paying $9 for an alcoholic beverage every time I turned around.
Our cruse was a 7 day out of Miami with stops in Cozumel, Belize, Honduras, and the Cayman Islands. The first day was a day at sea. It allowed us to get familiar with the boat and explore. Cozumel was like one giant flea market, with people stopping you every 3.5 seconds to try to sell you jewelry. Of course, theirs is the best, (or so we heard at EVERY port). Tanzanite is the gem of Caribbean, and every Tomas, Ricardo, and Geraldo will try to sell you some. Fire Opals and Black Coral are also stones that every store will try to tell you that you can't get ANYWHERE else. Um, not so much. Belize is the home of the Knock Off. Coach, Michael Kors, Prada, Burberry; if you want a knock of bag, go to Belize. We didn't do an excursion there, but I wish we had. I heard that there was some wonderful jungle scenery to experience there, but we passed that up. Honduras, or more accurately Mahogany Bay, had some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. Our final stop, Grand Cayman, was the first sign of "Americana" that we'd seen so far. None of the other ports had nearly as many American symbols of culinary excess; KFC, Burger King, Popeye's Chicken, Smoothie King....All on Grand Cayman!
I definitely learned a lot on my vacation. I know the things to do next time, and the things NOT to do. Bring bottled water. The water on the ship was fine, but if you have to leave every time you want to get a drink, it gets a little old. Be prepared to spend more than you think. Plan for excursions, and don't just get the ones that they have on the ship. Lots of times you can find other options for cheaper when you get to the port. Don't even think about dieting. It's not possible. Bring an extra suitcase for souvenirs. But no matter what I'll do differently next time, I had the most amazing vacation ever and I'm already planning the next one. (This time I'll actually take the kids!)
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