My husband and I are not really the type who like spending an entire week on vacation just lying on the beach or by the pool. Now, don’t get me wrong, we enjoy a good beach or pool day, but when we go away on vacation we love to be able to experience so much more. That is why cruising quickly became one of our favorite ways to vacation together! What other way can you visit multiple destinations on one trip, that includes all your food and drinks, at a reasonable price? Prior to the world shutting down in 2020, we went on a cruise almost every year. We haven’t made it back yet, because when they finally opened up for everyone without vaccine/testing requirements, our oldest child was in school and then I was pregnant and now we have an infant. We are planning on going again next summer, hopefully once my husband returns from an overseas deployment.
When it comes to cruising we are Royal Caribbean loyalists. We want to take the kids on a Disney cruise one day, but financially Royal Caribbean is generally more affordable, especially now as a family of 5. Royal Caribbean offers something for everyone, whether young, old, or in between. We have enjoyed Royal Caribbean as a couple and as a family! It’s hard to decide my favorite thing about cruises as I love the food, the entertainment, experiencing local cultures at different ports, the list goes on.
There are so many options for food on a cruise! We are fans of eating dinner nightly in the main dining room, which has a different menu every night and we always do the timed seating. Eating in the main dining room each night with the timed seating, gives you the same table every night and the same wait staff. Some of the best interactions with staff we’ve had on a cruise have always come from dining. When we took my daughter on a cruise with us when she was 2, they always spent time to stop and entertain her. They would also have fruit waiting for her when she showed up by day 3 of our cruise since she had ordered it the previous 2 dinners. Generally we eat breakfast and lunch in the Windjammer, which is Royal Caribbean’s buffet style food that offers countless options for all meals. My husband and I usually avoid speciality dining, just because the thought of paying an extra fee for dining, when it’s already included, just doesn’t seem worth it for us. We enjoy all the options so much. That being said, I once went on a cruise with my mom on the Oasis of the Seas and I was craving Mexican food one day so we ate lunch at Sabor and it was amazing! They literally had the best fresh made guacamole I’ve ever had in my life. It was so good we went back a second time on that cruise!
The nightly entertainment on board in the theater ranges from vocal groups, to comedians, to broadway level musical productions. Several of the bars on board also have live music. Like to gamble? You can hit up the casino! Be sure to check out the casino on the first day of your cruise, they offer gaming lessons at no cost. A cruise is where I learned to play Craps, which is now my favorite game in the casino. Like to go dancing? There are multiple bars/clubs on board where you can go to dance the night way. A fan of karaoke? Most ships have karaoke several nights of the week and the Oasis Class ships have a karaoke bar! The options are countless.
Let’s not forget the pool decks! Going on an adults only trip? Hang out in the Solarium during the day, with it’s pool and hot tubs. Taking the whole family? Hang out in the main pool deck, with multiple pool and hot tub options. Some ships even have water slides!
Don’t want to hang by the pool all day at sea? Your daily cruise planner will give you an itinerary with multiple events occurring around the ship. Catch a game of trivia, play a game of trivia, go to a liquor tasting, hit up a game of dodgeball, basketball, or ping-pong, the options are abundant. Some ships even have ice skating, others have bumper cars and rock climbing.
The bigger the ship you are on the more options you will find, but rest assured even the smaller ships have plenty of options. I have been on some of the smallest ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet and also the largest. There are things I like about both. To be honest, you can’t go wrong when it comes to ship selection. We usually pick our cruise off of the destination/ports-of-call, instead of by the ship. Although, our next cruise I really want to go on the new Icon of the Seas, that will start sailing out of Miami early next year.
Have I convinced you yet to take a cruise? If not join me for my best blog, where I will tell you about some of my favorite ports-of-call and excursion options.
Until Next Time!
Your Bibbidi Bobbidi Bestie,
Holly
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