I don’t know why, but I’ve never really wanted to go on a cruise. I think ‘Titanic’ must have freaked me out a little. Couple that with the idea of being out in the middle of the ocean, or being ‘stuck’ on a cruise ship, and it just didn’t sound appealing to me.
Ben knew this about me, and for our 10 year anniversary, he planned a weekend cruise for us without giving me much chance to participate in the decision making process 🙂 And I’m SO glad he did! We had an absolute blast, and it totally debunked the crazy idea I had built up in my mind about cruises.
We went on a Royal Caribbean Weekend Getaway and it was amazing and perfect for parents who hadn’t left their kids before 🙂 Our ship left from Cape Canaveral, Florida on Friday at 4 p.m., and we were back in Florida by 8 a.m. Monday. We stopped at Nassau, Bahamas on Saturday, and CocoCay, Bahamas on Sunday. Again, SO perfect for a quick weekend trip!
As a first time cruiser, I had no idea what to expect. I thought cruises were super fancy, really expensive, and boring. The thought of being ‘trapped’ on a ship didn’t sound very appealing to me. I was totally wrong on this one!
We boarded the ship around lunch on Friday and spent a while exploring and EATING. Did I mention that we didn’t pay a dime for food? That was included in the price of the cruise and we could literally eat all day if we wanted to. For us, the ease and availability of food made it totally worth it. After dinner Friday, we went to a couple of shows and listened to a few bands and I literally forgot I was in the middle of the ocean. Between live music, comedy shows, karaoke, game shows, and on-board outdoor movies, there was plenty to do.
By Saturday morning, we were almost to Nassau so we spent the morning eating (of course) and checking out the scenery. We bought half-day passes to Atlantis so we caught the shuttle there once we arrived. We had dinner back on the ship, and then explored a little of Nassau before we left at 11:30 p.m.
When we woke up on Sunday, we were already in CocoCay, so we ate a quick breakfast and then hopped off the ship. CocoCay is Royal Caribbean’s private island so the only people on the island were staff and passengers. It was SO nice. The island was beautiful and there was so much to do. They have a water park opening in May 2019 which looked really nice, too. And all of the food on the island was FREE. We could have literally ate ourselves silly. We were back on the ship by 4:30 p.m., and after dinner that night, we went to a few shows and watched the live entertainment. And before we knew it, it was 7:00 a.m. Monday, and we were back in Florida.
It was a TOTAL whirlwind, but we had such a good time. Coming from a girl who was anti-cruising, I’ll be baccckkk (said in my Schwarzenegger voice). There were a couple of factors that sold me on it. For one, the food was FREE. Well, not technically free because we paid for it in the price of the cruise, but we literally did not swipe a card or use cash the whole weekend. And the food was so handy. Rather than getting ready on vacay, and then driving to a restaurant, sitting in traffic, waiting on tables, etc., we literally got dressed and walked a flight of stairs. The longest wait to get a table was about 3 minutes. The food was surprisingly good, and you could get as much as you wanted. Have I said that already?! Cause it b l e w m y m i n d. Ben ordered two entrees one night, and then followed up our fancy meal with a trip to the buffet.
Another factor that sold me was the fact that we got to see so much. If you’ve never been to the Caribbean (like us), this was the perfect way to get to see and do, while still having the familiarity and the structure of a cruise. We did spend some time at Atlantis, which was really fun, but super crowded. Honestly, we liked CocoCay just as much as Atlantis. It was less crowded and felt like just as much stuff to do.
We were only on the ship in the later afternoons on Friday and Sunday, so I never felt ‘trapped’ or ‘bored’. We found lots of entertainment options on the ship. I think it would be really fun for the kids, too. We went this time planning to ‘stake it out’ and decide if it was something we could do with our kids. We would love to get to take them some time!
There were a couple of things I might do differently the next time based on things I learned this time.
- Pack lighter. I packed like I was moving to China for 6 months because I didn’t know what to expect. Our room (as are most other rooms) was really small, and my luggage overwhelmed it. “Formal night” freaked me out but I learned that formal can mean sequined dresses, jumpers, or church dresses. It was literally no big deal.
- Be thoughtful about the beverage package. If you do not have a beverage package, you get free water and juices on board. You can purchase a non-alcohol and alcohol package. We don’t drink, but wanted to indulge in some Cokes and non-alcohol frozen drinks so we bought the package. I can’t remember the cost, but for the amount we consumed, it wasn’t worth it. If we purchased it again, I would make sure I took advantage of it. Walking around 24/7 with a fruity drink in my hand? Don’t mind if I do!
- Get on the ship early. I think boarding time was from 11-2:30 and we got on around 12:30. It gave us time to explore and get our bearings straight.
- Throw your hesitations and reservations out the window! I had a list of reasons I wouldn’t cruise (the ship would sink, I would get nauseous, I would fall overboard, etc.), but honestly, once we got on board, I forgot about all of that! And again, if you are a newbie, I would HIGHLY recommend a weekend cruise to start with. I think that really eased us into going, and helped to calm my fears!
Have you cruised before? Who did you cruise with? Royal Caribbean REALLY impressed me, so I might be a #loyalroyal now!
