Are you still trying to figure out where to go this summer? We travel and we love too and always have, it is the destination that makes all the difference. Last minute plans are often the best, especially when they are ‘sprung’ on you. We received an invite from my parents to take off and go cruising. My parents have sailed every cruise line out there, and probably visited most of the world and for each cruise they are on, they are able to provide me with more and more knowledge of what they liked, the countries and islands and lands that were best and why, as experience is the best educator.
As our trusted traveling companions for cruising, we packed up, and took off without a second thought. Some of the best decisions are those you make quickly and going on a cruise with your family serves up fun super style. When you cruise as a family, you get to have a great time, be nutty, create memories, dine together, traverse the new islands and countries together and of course have someone to hold your bags while you run to the restroom(lol).
Lavishly live cruising as a family out loud as I share my first adventure with you.
Traveling With Family
We love traveling with our families as it makes the trips better so we were off to set sail. Cruising the high seas is nothing short of an adventure and requires nothing more than a want to take on a new adventure. For some, the ship itself is enough of an adventure and they never leave it, for others, it is the ship by night and the land by day.
The adventures waiting for you offshore are as great as the adventures on ship, so either choice will have you creating memories and enjoying yourself. Whether you set sail for 3 days, 5 days, 7 or more, you are sure to sail into the sunset, just know that the ship has to return you to reality (bahhhh).
Cruising as a family provides you together time as well as apart(how far apart can you really be when you are on the high seas?) and it lets you enjoy each other in ways you can’t usually, like wining, dining, watching sunsets and Broadway shows and celebrating just to celebrate life.
Life Stops & The Party Begins
When you cruise, life stops, and fun begins, it is that simple and for those few days you have it’s all about the fun and trust me, we all forget what fun is, because your version versus a cruise version is just NOT the same! Get ready to cruise, mingle and snap those photos because a cruise is waiting for your family. Note our cruise line once again was Carnival, so we must have had a rocking time the first cruise right?
Hanging out on the decks is a great time, we were headed to an island this day. We were planning on snorkeling and swimming in crystal clear waters, which we did snorkel, but the wind kicked up and made the water a bit ‘murky’.
NO problem we partied on. We swam for a few hours enjoying the water, the sand, the beaches and walking. My parents also snorkeled with us and my husband and dad went out a bit further than I wanted to, so they saw a lot more than I did. My mom and I watched the guys from the beach and after a great time on the island, we needed a rest. So we hung out on the deck, enjoyed drinks, and shared thoughts back and forth.
My mom and I were totally silly and we carved out our own ‘time’ to just be mom and daughter, while the guys took off to get some snacks and then came back. See a little space,(lol) even when you are on the ship and together. This always makes me laugh, because no matter how much you are all together a little breathing room is good and you have plenty of it on a cruise ship.
You can be on one side and everyone else on another and it is funny, but there is always an open spot to just sit and relax without someone else being there even though the cruise ships have so many people on them.
My mom and I watched these chefs struggle with the ice sculpture, it is heavy, and it was for the upcoming buffet. Really the ice sculpture was so wonderful to see up close. Other people just walked on by but I was curious to watch the whole procession and even after they disappeared into the walls.
Curiosity and Exploration
I wondered where it was headed, which dining area anyway? This lead to my night time cruising adventure with my husband where we walked all about the dining rooms, and buffet lines to see where it had gone to. Again adventure just for the sake of curiosity.
That kept us busy for a while, and of course we stopped to have a drink with our favorite bartender. We learned a lot about him and we visited his bar every time we wanted a drink (good idea to do, because your staff learns you and they take care of you!).
We had so much fun that by the 2am in the morning, we had lost track of time and we were knocking on my parents door, who had long been asleep ~ Whoops! They thought it was funny the next morning when we told them we had been at there door then and they were so happy we had been having so much fun cruising the high seas late at night.
Appreciate The Short Time
CRUISING: Now as I alluded to, it is not just about the cruising it is about the places you get to see when you are on a cruise ship and we loved all the different islands. The warmth, the beauty, the scenery and the history.
We are there just long enough to get a good look around and suddenly when your day ends you realize that you saw a part of the world that was just awesome. When cruising, unlike in our rushed everyday lives, we take no days for granted and we enjoy every island. Sometimes when we arrive at a port of call, we just let everyone else rush and go, because there is no hurry, at least if we don’t have a scheduled tour.
We take our time, and relish at the scenery and landscape that we have never seen before, and honestly may never see again. We capture photos, slowly of things that we find interesting and sometimes my parents look out from the ship and decide that we need to go to whatever they ‘eye spy’ from the ship, so we go off on our own adventure with them.
My Dad & His Ideas
We have taken the bus tours in Venezuela, and in so many of the other islands we have visited, and other days we just walk. If we want a good view of what the locals see we jump in a cab, and we go for a ride, which we did often.
My dad chats with the driver and the more they seem to chat the better the adventure becomes. We have seen huge banyan trees, trees that are so old that they have lost track of the years and beaches that only the locals know all because of a cab ride.
Traveling in a group is always better, because you remember your time constraints and if something should go wrong(cross your fingers nothing does) there are more of you to get back to where you need to, so your resourcing runs deeper.
The Ship
The travel back to the ship is always with sweet sorrow as we bid adieu to our newly-found country(new to us) or island and we don’t know if our cruising adventures will return us to their port of call anytime soon or ever.
We quickly forget about our sweet sorrow as we get back on the ship, as food and drink are waiting and just what we need. We eat a pick me up snack(ok a plate) and drink a few to toast the adventure and then we are all off to our rooms to get ready for our dining pleasure. Sometimes, if we are too tired when we get back from offshore, rather than grabbing a snack in the buffets, or dining facilities(shops) we just order room service, which is such a great.
As we get ready for the big night of entertainment my mind wanders off to what we might be wowwed with that evening. Cruising offers a great opportunity to be entertained and some of the best shows you will see, or is it just because you are totally relaxed the whole time that everything seems great? The entertainment in the dining room is always superior and it makes the meals taste even better.
Our Days
We discuss our day, and think about our plans for the next day and decide if after the show what we are going to do. Sometimes my parents would go off dancing(to their style of music) and sometimes we would go off and find things to do like hanging with the DJ, or catching a movie, walking the ship, or just watching the cool, crisp dark blue waters pass by. Cruising the high seas lets you see the ocean/sea up close and personal, just don’t let the waters beckon you.
We know we will be greeted by a character in our room and that spurs on discussion of what it might be.
There are no days on a cruise when something eventful does not happen, whether it is the surge of anxiousness you feel when they reveal a buffet line(how it is decorated with food will just amaze you, as they defy normal culinary skills) or a new port of call that was just so bright and beautiful you can’t stop clamoring about it.
Here is something to remember, when cruising as a family: there is always different photo your mom or dad captured that you did not, and someone always can take pictures of you as couples, families, etc. When you are shopping, you have others to help you with the bags(can you tell I shop way too much?).
There are also the nice things too, a moment with your mom or dad, without the outside world intruding, or time with your spouse without worrying about anything else and of course as a family, you learn, experience and revel in fun, making cruise ship vacations the perfect way to spend time away from home, together.
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