March13th,2023
It’s finally time to start our first vacation of the year! Eli’s on Spring Break and we are headed to the Bahamas! If you follow my instagram you know I love to travel! It’s one of the greatest gifts of life! This is our first cruise in 5 years, and we are sailing with Royal Caribbean for the first time! We have always sailed on Carnival cruise ships but wanted to try out something new! It is my goal to try each cruise ship out and share which ones are my favorite and why! The greatest thing about cruises is there is something for everyone to enjoy!
When going on a cruise there are a few preparations that need to be made in advance like [documents needed, packing, luggage tags, means of travel ]! I chose to drive to Florida [which is not something I typically do because we love DELTA] but flights were crazy expensive and I love a roadtrip! [my wife does not]. We weren’t leaving until the following day and I wanted to arrive on time !
Tips for travel
- Never arrive the same day you leave ! It doesn’t matter if your flight arrives on time or not there can be unexpected flight delays preventing you to your destination.
- If you’re driving you can get caught in traffic and the cruise ship will leave you if you’re not there on time . Unless you’re a local I wouldn’t recommend
- Make sure you have your travel documents [passport, birth certificate, luggage tags, luggage, mainly the essentials! If you forgot toothpaste you can repurchase even on the ship however if you don’t have the correct boarding documents they will not let you aboard and you will lose out on your trip wasted time and money!
Once we arrived at Port Canaveral we spent the night in our hotel and woke up the next morning ready to aboard the ship! Arrive early because often times there are long lines to aboard the ship. It gives you a head start to your vacation! Be aware there is an additional cost to park your car at the port. Once you arrive onboard you are required to go to a safety class. This class ensures the safety of everyone onboard while you are cruising in an event something bad happens [no pun intended] .
Now let’s get this party started! I know the first thing you want to do is probably eat, drink, get in the pool, get a massage, or enjoy onboard activities! When you arrive onboard make sure to have a carryon bag with you I recommend a beach bag or BoggBag! You may not have access to your room for 2 hours. In this bag I have my travel documents , towels [they provide them if you didn’t bring your own], sunscreen, sunglasses , waterproof lanyard , AirPods, a book, kindle , etc [DON’T PACK YOUR TRAVEL DOCUMENTS in your suitcase]. We were given a sea pass card which keeps up with our spending on/off the ship.
I immediately started the day off with a drink! I charged it to my room with my sea pass card since I chose not to purchase the drink package. My son wanted to check out Sorrento’s pizza as soon as we got onboard since it was lunch time, so we did and we also got our refillable souvenir cups! We did get the soda package and it was really convenient. We couldn’t believe all the fun activities onboard for all ages. There is a kids zone on the ship allowing other children to connect with others kids their age for various activities throughout the day.
After the limited time it takes for them to get everyone’s suitcase up to their room it’s finally time to go see your room! I’ve only ever had a balcony room but this time we decided to try the interior room which is the most affordable room they offer. It was everything I could hope for! We got great sleep in our room and it was dark and no motion from the boat. I have never gotten sea sick but we were on the upper floor deck and it was perfect! Here I took a few photos to show you the room we stayed in! Also each day they cleaned our room we got a new animal made out of the towels and wash cloths!
Nassau🇧🇸🏝️☀️
The second day at sea we arrived the next morning in Nassau, Bahamas! I was so excited to see the capital of the Bahamas! We didn’t plan anything other than to get off and explore the island and the locals . I wanted to enjoy their beaches. We didnt want to walk so we chose a taxi who drove us around to the beach until my card wouldn’t work and I didnt have cash.
Warning ⛔️
I will advise you that your phone probably will not work once you get off the ship. Make sure you have cash since Bahamian matches American dollar for dollar if you are getting a taxi. I learned something new that day that could’ve ended bad! If you got the internet package like I did it doesn’t extend to the island! I forgot to put my card on international purchases and spent 1 hour riding around with the taxi cab going to every atm in Nassau! NOT FUN! Thank God there was a Starbucks that I could connect to their Wi-Fi to turn my international purchases ON! Thank goodness all was settled and I paid my taxi for the ride there and back to the ship!
Once we finally made it to the beach we had a blast! We loved the locals there very friendly but pushy they depend on tourism money to survive !
ALL i need is vitamin sea🐚☀️
Our 3rd day was a day at sea! We just sailed and enjoyed activities on the ship- dining room dinner+game shows! They had so much to offer but we did not take full advantage because let’s be honest this mama was EXHAUSTED lol! We enjoyed the pool most of the day! My son enjoyed kid zone activities, arcade and ping pong tournaments. This is our dinner at Izumi we met the sweetest waitress onboard! Carolyn you’re top tier! Thank you for the amazing service you provided we are forever grateful for you!
Perfect day at cococay
Last day but we did indeed have a Perfect Day at Cococay! This is RC private island. This view is just breathtaking I took it before we got off the ship! We chose to do Thrill waterpark [extra expense] but so worth it! They also offer a FREE side at Chill Island with the beach and infinity pools! When we got off first thing that morning it was FREEZING 🥶. We sat in our towels bundled up for one hour lol. The best part about the island is FREE food on both sides of the island. We also got to do some shopping while there and found some cute tshirts [crazy expensive] . Here are a few pictures from being on the island all day!
Lastly let me know down in the comments if you’ve been to Perfect Day At Cococay and what your favorite part of cruising is?!
I hope this can help you in someway planning for your next adventure!
