Why I am Now a Cruiser

Up until a week ago the term cruisin' referred to an immature high school dropout student leisure activity.  And then we boarded the ship.  Now that I am a wealth of knowledge on the subject matter, I think I'll share my take on it.  :)

 { Subtitled: A great excuse to show my vacation pictures}

1. The ship is bigger-than-my-mind-can-comprehend big. Since my husband cannot stand to be stationary for more than 30 minutes at a time, I was a little concerned that he might feel a little cabin fever-ish.  It was never an issue.  There were more floors, doors, and elevators than in my parents' home town.

2. Now I know how kids feel at Disney World.  Everything is fancy, lighted, and clean.  Clean being the operative word for this germ-a-freak.  I felt like a princess.  Which, I am, by the way.
3. You can do absolutely nothing if you prefer. Which I do prefer sometimes.

3. Or you can choose to do excursions beyond your wildest dreams. Which I highly recommend.

We decided to try things that we may never have the chance to do again.  You only live once!

4. The food.  I know it sounds cliche` but it is true.  The food was fabulous.  Fresh fruit every single day.  I think I ate my weight in pineapple and watermelon.  For breakfast and lunch we grazed the buffet; but the evenings were a real treat.  The restaurants were linen-napkin and stemmed glassware kind of nice. No fast food items here. Grown-up and faincy!  Which leads me to number 5.

5. Economic.  How expensive do you think it would be to eat at a 5-star restaurant for six nights in a row?  Once we realized how economic a cruise could be for all that is included, we were amazed.  Don't get me wrong, it's a big chunk 'o change, but if you tried to take a vacation and eat like we did, the cost would be incredible.

  

Our cruise was an amazingly generous gift from my parents who often say they would rather live to see us enjoy their inheritance than wait until they're too busy enjoying their heavenly mansions to notice.  They knew we would never take a 7 day trip alone on our own.  When you are in this stage of life the vacation funds are for family vacations (or new ac units, whichever comes first that year).  They wanted to help us celebrate our 15 years of marriage with something that we wouldn't/couldn't have done on our own.  For that, we are forever grateful.  And exceedingly grateful for their example of a wonderful, lifelong marriage.

6. Details.  The attention to details was unbelievable.  Picture this:  you are watching a movie while reclining in a padded lounge chair under the stars on the deck of the ship.  Just when you think life couldn't get any better, a cute little steward walks up and hands you a WARM just from the oven oatmeal cookie, to go along with the bag of popcorn you've already devoured.  A little chilly from the night air?  There's a blanket at your feet. 

7. Something for everyone.  One of my favorite spots on the boat was on our balcony with a good book (above).  It was private and quiet.  Hubby headed to the courts to shoot some hoops and gave me a little down time in the afternoons.

8.  Excursions.  They are SO worth it! There is something for everyone.  Hubby and I like to stay active, so we chose to snorkel, kayak etc...   Something we learned: book reservations ahead of time.  Several people onboard told us they didn't get to do their top choice of excursions because they were sold out.  Just FYI.

9. And then there's this:
Yes.  Can you imagine?  Tropical paradise.  Falling in love all over again wasn't hard to do.

10. Recharged, relaxed, renewed.  We were so recharged after our trip. We had never spent 7 days away from everyone else we know on the planet.  Totally focusing on each other was so healthy.  We came home refreshed, renewed, and ready to be back in our roles at home.  Although having my bed turned down each night was pretty nice... 

What would be on the top of your must-do list for a cruise?