Sunday, February 19, 2017

Chapmans Cruise the Caribbean

Every year we have one big trip and for 2017 it's an eight night Caribbean cruise with the kids! This is not something that I planned months in advance which is unusual for me. Usually I research and book early but we had no idea until recently that we would have two weeks totally free to do as we wished. We always envisioned an Alaskan cruise with our kids but you can't do that during Spring Break and I wouldn't mind some sunshine right now. 



Traditionally our Spring Break plans involve photographing weddings and visiting Ucluelet and Tofino but our photography business is closed and we'll be going to Vancouver Island in July instead. We contacted a travel agent (first time!) and she found us a great deal for a family of five aboard a Carnival Cruise ship; it's an interior room but that helped to keep the cost down. The flights to Orlando were not a great deal but that's the price you pay for late booking.

Gary and I have never cruised before so there is some uneasiness there. I'm not great at relaxing so I hope there is a lot for me to do on sea days (or I learn to relax). It is a kid-friendly boat with a ropes course, waterslides, mini golf and kid's clubs. We don't have anyone who could watch our kids if we wanted to leave them back at home so this way we get the best of both worlds: spend time with our kids yet get a free break when we need it. The kids are most excited about the unlimited food with it's vast array of options while I'm looking forward to snorkeling and beaches. Nya thinks she's going to be swimming with (and kissing) dolphins but I did not book that excursion for her. Gary says he is looking forward to the food, family time and couple time–he's not a big beach guy. Truthfully he said he is most looking forward to me enjoying the trip but I said that wasn't what I was looking for. We will be visiting four different ports and I think that will be a definite highlight.

I am curious what we will think of cruising; it definitely consumes our entire travel budget for the year but thankfully we had some leftover from last year's travel fund. As a family we've flown internationally, taken ferries, done backpacking trips and road tripped. We've stayed in everything from a treehouse to tents to hotels to tipis. Each type of vacation has it's benefits and I'm thankful that we are able to spend time together adventuring–hopefully the close quarters aren't too close. For now we'll watch YouTube videos to prepare and figure out what we'll wear for our "Elegant Evenings" and how much sunscreen we need to bring along. If you have any cruising advice, I'd love to hear it! If you haven't been before, is it something you would like to do one day?

Love,
Louise

2 comments:

  1. I can't wait to hear all about it!

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    1. Thanks, Ali. Totally different from our usual vacation so I'm so curious what it will be like!

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