ENTERTAINMENT, FOOD, NATURE, TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS

Learning the tricks to CRUISING from trusted friends!

February 10, 2020

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“In the end, what you do isn’t going to be nearly as interesting or important as who you do it with.”
~John Green

“Want to go on a cruise with us?” Our friends offered to show us the tricks of cruising. Our pals have been cruising on various cruise lines for many years and were perfect to show us the ropes of cruising! We excitedly agreed! What a great way to explore travel destinations! Cruises stop at ports for a limited amount of time to allow for exploration, excursions, or just staying aboard to enjoy a less crowded ship.

The eight day cruise we selected departed out of Port Everglade Cruise Terminal. We flew into Fort Lauderdale airport then took a Carnival shuttle to the cruise port terminal. Our itinerary included cruise ports of Nassau, Bahamas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; St Thomas, USVI; and St Johns, Antigua.

As the excitement of the trip built, we began planning excursions for the ports and shopping for “cruise clothes.” From new swim wear to fun sundresses and dinner attire, it was a treat to create a “cruise clothing” wardrobe for Galen & I.

Our experienced cruise friends taught us what to pack, what not to pack, the benefits of natural ginger tablets over dramamine, and many other invaluable little tricks. We learned to try to select a room mid-ship on the highest floor reservable and preferably with a balcony. Fresh air in your stateroom is heavenly along with the sounds of the ocean while at sea! Early morning sunrises would find me sipping coffee on the balcony enjoying the fresh sea air with the most inspiring views of God’s beauty waking the sea creatures daily. The broad strokes of God’s paintbrush would paint a picture of perfection each humid sea morning! Sigh! LOVED IT!!

We booked excursions through the cruise company at two ports to snorkel and decided to explore on our own at the other two. We pre-ordered our preferred beverages and supply of water bottles for the week to be stocked in our rooms once at sea too. We did not buy the drink package while on-board, instead bought as we wanted alcoholic beverages as cocoa, coffee, hot tea, iced tea, milk, and fruit juices were included.

Another trick was to embark famished and with a tote bag of sun supplies and sunning clothes to change into easily! After you board the ship you are directed to the Lido deck to await your rooms readiness and allowing time for your luggage to appear. Our experienced traveling friends suggested we change into our sunning gear and dine on lunch to pass time. I would also recommend playing cards or reading books in that tote bag! Sunscreen at this point was a must!

Once settling into our room, meeting our steward was the next item on our list. Slip him some cash and you will have a very enjoyable experience…extra nice treatment follows! Guests are not supposed to tip, but it does make a difference. Daily ice buckets for beverages, extra water bottles, exquisite towel art, additional towels, and many more nice perks.

If you arrive at the dining room and discover that you are not pleased with your table location…do not hesitate to work out your request with the maitre’ d. We ended up with a window ocean view aft table! They are most accommodating!

The opulence of the dining room experience was wonderful. We had dress casual nights, and we had three dress formal nights! So much fun! We danced, enjoyed the tasting bars, experienced “young american” style shows with amazing talent, and thoroughly enjoyed the comedy club. Day time activities around the pool were very entertaining as well! People watching was a constant entertainment!

After spending a solid day at the four different ports, I would easily say that I would definitely consider returning to San Juan, Puerto Rico and St Thomas, USVI for a longer stay to explore more of that area! So beautiful!

St Thomas, USVI was REALLY GREAT! I’d go back to this destination anytime for any amount of time! Gorgeous! We enjoyed a tour of the area and it’s views. We visited a beach for a while and shopped while learning the history of the area. Very, very beautiful!

Puerto Rico was a very friendly, welcoming place to explore too!

San Juan, Puerto Rico was really cool! So much history, beauty and shopping. Colorful, beautiful buildings to wander in and out of…we found a lunch place and enjoyed sitting and people watching! We found a beautiful church and explored it too! We walked the ocean shore for a bit and fell in love! Puerto Rico is a very enjoyable place to explore!

St Johns, Antigua was extremely beautiful. We did take a large catamaran ride and snorkel there on a private beach. We shopped in straw markets and enjoyed the local culture. It was extremely poor. I felt like I wanted to help the people there. It tugged on my heart strings to realize how much we take for granted daily when these people were so obviously in need. I would go back there not to vacation, but on a missions trip to help the people.

Nassau, Bahamas was very beautiful! The beaches were exquisite! We went on on a guided tour of the area and shopped in the straw market. I did meet a pregnant woman there working in the straw market, and I was able to help her in a small way. The poverty made me very sad. We ate lunch at a beach-side restaurant and shopped in the downtown area. It was very poor there as well.

Overall the experience of first time cruising was overwhelmingly amazing! We thoroughly enjoyed the experience of exploring and seeing so many places that we had not visited before this! We are forever grateful to our amazing friends that taught us how to cruise!

Our favorites were probably the dining experience on board, the various entertainment choices available nightly, people watching daily, and the sunshine in vast amounts!

We were aboard the Carnival Conquest. It was a great first experience! Interested in other essential items easily forgotten when traveling that we’ve figured out over time? CLICK here for a list of THE TOP 10 THINGS YOU SHOULD PACK when traveling.

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Inpirationally Yours,

Barbara

BIO: https://www.inspirationaltraveladventures.com/about-us/

ABOUT ME:

A 1993 graduate of Michigan State University, Barbara earned a BS in Social Science Pre-Law. She is a Business Manager/HR Director. Her passion is travel, discovering new places, experiences, cuisine, cultures while enjoying temperate climates. Barbara is a newly transitioning empty-nester who became a travel blogger. She’s a great photographer, talented writer, and has a great family to highlight in her high school/college athlete football sons.

WEBSITE: www.inspirationaltraveladventures.com

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