Family Cruise (Circa Summer 2019)

Dress: Modcloth  |  Shoes: Ross  |  Headband: Wallmart  |  Earrings: Walmart

Dress: Homemade  |  Wrap: Charming Charlie's  |  Shoes: Goodwill (Chaps)  |  Purse: Marshalls

Swimsuit: Shein  |  Headband: Target  |  Sunglasses: Five Below (similar on Amazon) 

Dress: Papaya  |  Shoes: Target  |  Earrings: Sugar Fix (Target)

First Port: Cozumel

Swimsuit: Rey Swimwear (old) 

Dress: Homemade  |  Shoes: Ross 

Second Port: Grand Cayman

Third Port: Jamaica

This post is definitely very LATE in coming, but apparently the trend here on my blog is writing/blogging about a trip a YEAR after it happens....LOL! 

However, with all that being said, I thought I would take some time to share about our family cruise we took last summer (summer 2019). This was our first cruise and it was THE BEST VACATION EVER!!! We seriously had soooo much fun and made so many memories that we still talk about to this day!

We planned our Cruise about 6 months in advance and booked our 7 day Cruise with Royal Caribbean along with the help of a travel agent. This was actually a trip that I didn't have a lot of hands on experience planning, since my mom took care of most of it, but the great thing about a cruise is so much is included. 

Our cruise was 7 days and we stopped at 3 different ports: Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica. In each port we planned excursions with a private excursion company who offered more options than Royal Caribbean. There is truly soooo much to share about our Cruise so I am going to share some of my FAVORITE things about it and what we did in each port. You can also watch my Vlog which details every days adventures. 

FAVORITE THINGS:

1) All you can eat food 24/7..... for breakfast and lunch we ate from the buffet which always had so much to choose from and for dinner we had the fancy sit down where you get to choose from the nights menu (and it was all delicious). They also had a pizza parlor that served pizza all day long!!

2) We loved the different shows and entertainment that were offered every night. Our favorite was probably the British Piano player in the jazz lounge who would play any song you suggested. We also went to a comedy show, a dance performance, and a musical and all were fantastic. 

3) Relaxing & reading at the pool! There is nothing quite like sitting on a lounge chair and looking out at a never ending ocean. 

4) I loved dressing up for dinner every night! While dinner was "fancy" attire and one night was formal dress, you can easily stay within the "dressy" category and be fine. 

5) I loved all of the ports that we stopped at and the excursions we had planned (see below)

6) If you like "People Watching" a cruise is definitely your "cup of tea"!

7) Dancing at the night clubs! Ever night they had "nigh clubs" in different areas of the shop and I went to them on two of the nights with my brother and sister and had a lot of fun...definitely not my ideal atmosphere, but it was still a lot of fun :)

PORTS & EXCURSIONS:

Cozumel - Cozumel definitely stole my heart and I cannot wait to go back! I have a whole new appreciation for the ocean after my experience in Cozumel. My mom booked us a private snorkeling excursion in Cozumel and it was amazing! We took a boat out into the middle of the ocean and got to snorkel in the crystal blue water. The crazy thing is that I hardly ever go in the ocean because I don't like not knowing what is around me, but it's so different when the water is clear all the way to the bottom. We got to hold starfish, swim with fish, and it was just amazing! 

After our snorkeling adventure my brother and sister got to swim with dolphins at the local aquarium, and that was super cool. 

Grand Cayman - Our Grand Cayman excursion was definitely an adventure! We booked an jet ski excursion where we all got to ride jet ski's out into the middle of the ocean to a place called "Sting Ray City" which is essentially a sand bar where Sting Rays congregate and we all got to hold a Sting Ray (see picture above). Taking Jet Ski's into the middle of the ocean was a bit nerve wracking, but it was also exciting :)

Jamaica - In Jamaica we booked an excursion to Duns River Falls. We loaded up on a bus with other families from our cruise ship and rode about 45 minutes to the Falls. While the bus ride was long, it gave us a chance to see a lot of Jamaica and hear about its history from our Tour Guide...I have a completely different perspective and appreciate for Jamaica now! Once we arrived at the falls, we got to climb the giant waterfall. After the Falls we had a traditional Jamaican lunch at a local restaurant and got to experience "Jerk Chicken" which is their version of barbecue and it was delicious. 

We are counting down the days until we can go on another cruise, but for now I will continue reliving it in pictures! 

Have you ever been on a cruise?

Have you visited Cozumel, Grand Cayman, or Jamaica?

- Madison