Food, Freckles, Fun

I spent last weekend in the islands, The Bahama Islands, to be precise. Two of my best friends from college and I went on a three day cruise out of Orlando. It's what I wanted to do for my 30th birthday, but it got delayed a little due to scheduling.

I took an early afternoon flight out of Phoenix and arrived in Orlando late. (Thanks, four hour flight plus a three hour time difference.) It took my forever to get to the hotel due to trouble finding the shuttle, but I made it. Being greeted by these two was spectacular. It was late, but we proceeded to girl talk late into the night/early morning. I laughed so hard I spit the water I was drinking all over myself. These two are some of the few that really understand me and know me enough to get me to my silly state.

We departed for the ship mid-morning. Uber and Lyft are the way to go. My friend gets credit for reservations, but we had nice cars and nice drivers and the price was very reasonable!

We got to the ship in time for lunch and then toured the boat. This boat wasn't as nice as the last one (no sauna or steam room), but it worked. We weren't on the boat that much anyway.

Food on the boat is pretty spectacular. There are options of the main dining room or the buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We went with the main dining room for all three meals, but dinner was definitely the best. You can pick your appetizer, entree, and dessert each night, but here's a sampling of what I had:

Calamari

Spectacular salmon

Tasty duck

Roasted lamb

And plenty of snacks spread throughout

I climbed the rock wall the first morning. It took me three tries since I am pretty weak because of my hand stuff, but I did it!

Then we got off the boat and went for a walk in Nassau, Bahamas. We wanted to see Atlantis resort, but underestimated the distance and exertion of the walk. When we got there, it cost an arm and a leg to see anything. Oh well. We still had the experience.

The next day was all day at CoCo Cay, Royal Caribbean's private island. It was paradise! I waded, went for a walk, and just laid on the beach since being wet is not really my thing. I had some time to actually rest and think, which was awesome.

I wore sunscreen and reapplied, but I still got a little sunburned. I also got a lot more freckles. Oh well, a minor sunburn is a small price to pay for all the fun we had. And I like my freckles.

The most trouble we got into was stamping our own passports. We really didn't get into trouble, either. We just used the stamp sitting on the desk in the empty room and didn't tell on ourselves when the clerk came back.

I had so much fun, and though life has hit me square in the face now that I'm back on land, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything. I am so thankful for the time I spent and so thankful for friends who agreed to go with me. We dubbed this vacation the start of our cruise club, so hopefully they'll be a next time.

Cruise Do's and Don'ts

I read A LOT of blogs before going on my first cruise. Here's my list of do's and don'ts after my own seven day stay on Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas.

(Photo credit: Joanna Paige Designs)

Do:

• Book an interior room. These are cheaper and completely dark for sleeping, which helps when you want to rest.
• Complete activity waivers online before sailing. This saves time when you want to participate in on-the-ship activities, like rock-climbing.
• Research and book shore excursions ahead of time. While the cruise ship will not guarantee these excursions, these excursions are often very much the same as the ones the cruise ship offers, at much-reduced prices.
• Ask previous cruisers for advice. They are full of it!
• Pack your own face wash, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. The ship provides only provides bar soap and a soap dispenser of 2-in-1 shampoo in the shower.
• Pack bug repellent spray and calamine lotion. I got some very itchy bug bites on an excursion despite having covered myself in bug spray.
• Bring along pre-packaged snacks. These are the only snacks you can take on and off the boat (more in the don'ts section). Protein bars are great, but make sure they are not coated in chocolate, as it melts in the hot Caribbean sun. (I learned this lesson the hard way!)
• Tote some of your favorite nuts along for extra protein. The ship provides a wide array of snacks, but few have protein. Nuts help control the sugar rush from all the heavily sweetened goodies.
• Bring workout clothes. The ship has a full gym with treadmills and other cardio machines that look out over the ocean. The view alone makes you want to work out!
• Bring mostly maxi dresses. These are the most comfortable and most practical attire for all of the activities on ship. (I might have had to stop wearing one of my dresses for fear of stench, I wore it so much.)
• Pack multiple cardigans. The ship is like a giant air-conditioned hotel and rooms are often cold.
• Bring jeans or long pants. The ice skating rink requires them.
• Remember your crossword or Sudoku books. There is no free wireless or cell service on the ship, so these help fill time while waiting for shows or events to start.
• Attend on-ship lectures about shore excursions and port shopping. These do contain the cruise line's sales pitch, but prove highly informative for first time cruisers.
• Bring a backpack or tote bag for use on excursion days. You'll need it to tote around your water, snacks, towel, etc.
• Bring along a modest cover up for excursion days. It's easiest to wear your swimsuit off the boat, but you want to feel fully dressed when you leave.
• Invest in a floppy sun hat, even if it's just for this trip. If you work in an office like I do, your skin will want some shade pretty quickly.
• Take a refillable water bottle with a wide-mouth opening. Health regulations prevent filling water bottles directly from the water coolers, but you can fill the bottle using water glasses. Taking water on excursions is a must, and taking water off the ship is a free way to hydrate yourself.
• Go to as many shows on the ship as possible! The shows are very high quality and included with the cost of the cruise.
• Eat in the main dining room for at least a few breakfasts and lunches. The food is amazing and the service stellar, plus, you have more time to meet cool people!
• Make Facebook friends with the awesome people you meet on the cruise. You will want to stay in touch!

Don't:

• Let the cruise line book your room for you. Our room was over a lounge and next to a service elevator, so we had almost constant noise pollution day and night.
• Bring too many books. There are plenty of activities to keep busy on the ship. I had to set aside time to work at getting through one of the four books I brought along.
• Stuff your suitcase with games. Again, the ship has plenty of its own activities.
• Bring too many casual clothes. The only days you really need casual clothes are port days.
• Pack extra hangers. The cruise ship closet has plenty!
• Take produce off the ship. It is illegal to do so! I had grandiose ideas of eating "safely washed" fruit on the beach, but those failed.
• Book the 5:30 pm dinner. It's hard to get ready for dinner after port days, and the later shows are more crowded. You can eat all day at your choice of several eateries, so you probably won't be hungry at 5:30 pm anyway. The 8:00 pm time allows for earlier shows and more time to work up an appetite for the three course dinners.
• Book My Time Dining. You'll miss out on the great friendships you will make with your table mates at a reserved dining time.
• Forget to eat breakfast on the ship before you disembark. It is free and a good time to have one last rendezvous with your cruise friends!