I feel disheartened to even sit and write this post, because it really means that our long awaited vacay is over. You save up for so long, get so excited, and then it's gone... like it never even happened. Not that I could ever be on a cruise boat for very long (I would eventually run out of Dramamine), but I think I could suck it up for an extra week or two :) Not to mention that M and I would eventually probably kill each other living in a 12 foot by 12 foot box...
Our cruise was da bomb... I would venture to say that it was quite possibly more fun than our honeymoon, but that's a close call. I like the feel of a resort, but I loved that there was always something to do on the boat if you wanted to, and it helped that we had fun friends there with us! I would however trade our 11 hour car ride to Ft. Lauderdale for a nice 2 hour plane ride next time... I am not the most pleasant of car riders, but I'm better than Heather :)
It was the perfect celebration for M's graduation, my graduation, both of our bdays, and our 2 year anniversary. It was completely worth every dime we spent, the final amount I'm completely unaware... I don't like finances or knowing how much money things cost... ha
We drove to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, stayed at a snazzy 4 star resort that M found on hotwire for $50, way to go M. Sunday afternoon, we boarded the boat and spent most of the day exploring the ship... and eating, obviously.
Monday, the boat arrived in Princess Cays, which is the private island Princess owns.. hence the name. We spent the whole day relaxed on the beach, and I finally got to read something completely for fun! Every night we would go to the dining room for dinner, and we became quite attached to our waiter/waitress (is that politically correct now?) Ciska. She was from South Africa, and has been in the cruise business for 8 years! We absolutely loved her, she was hilarious, and I told Matthew that I thought in real life we would be friends :) She also never failed to poke fun at my husband for his outrageous ordering habits at dinner. At the beginning of the week I was thoroughly embarrassed when he would order 3 appetizers, 2 soups, 2-3 entrees, and 2-3 desserts. Yes, it's true. Why he needs to eat that much food, it's beyond me. His response, "I paid for it". Towards the end of the week, I would laugh it off and pretend that it was funny... but seriously, who needs that much food?!
I'm sure as a shock to all of you, Matthew is a huge fan of attending the nightly shows on the boat. Fortunately, Russ was also a closet show lover, and we went most nights to some sort of show, comedian, magician, etc...
Tuesday we spent the day at sea. Great opportunity to hit up the all you can eat lunch buffet, all you can eat soft serve ice cream, all you can eat pizza, basically everything was all you can eat...
Wednesday we came to Ochos Rios. We had friends honeymoon here, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that they didn't experience the "real" city itself. We went to Jamaica on our honeymoon, and LOVED it, but I'm not gonna lie, this port was SHADY. I'm sure if you're at a resort, it's just as nice as any other resort, but where we docked...different world. My guess is that I'd be dead within 6 hours or at the mercy of some drug lord. We convinced a taxi driver to cart us around for a fairly reasonable price. He said he could take us to the "free falls" or Dunn's River Falls which cost $15 a person. We opted for the "free falls", but after seeing that these "falls" were more like a "dribble" than a fall, located in some man's backyard, Heather, Aimee, and I quickly decided that the $15 was totally worth safety :) I kept hearing my mom saying, "Be aware of your surroundings". Believe me... I was COMPLETELY aware. We actually got to the see the falls for a lot cheaper than if we had booked it through the cruise, so it was actually a pleasant experience. We also met newlyweds Bryce and Mandy in Ochos Rios, and basically spent the rest of the cruise hanging out with them! Thankfully, they are from Atlanta, only 2 hours away!
Thursday we hit Grand Cayman. We had previously booked an excursion to swim with sting rays and snorkeling. It was so much fun. I got to hold a stingray in the ocean. He was cute as a button, and I wanted to bring him home with us. Then we snorkeled on the reef that is right off the coast of Grand Cayman, the water was beautiful, best snorkeling experience ever.
Friday we arrived in Cozumel. Matthew and I had booked a Mexican cuisine cooking class to take by ourselves. Heather, Russ, Aimee, and Geoff spent the morning shopping. Matthew and I took a bus to a private beach where our cooking class was held. It was the best excursion I have ever been on. We got to cook a legit Mexican appetizer called a huarache, main course included grouper wrapped in banana leaf, and a rice strawberry pudding for dessert. Delicioso! Unbeknown to us, we were allowed to hang out at the beach afterward without having to pay.. apparently in Cozumel, the beaches aren't free. So, M and I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the beach while I lamented the fact that I had left my book on the boat.. I get bored laying out.
Yes, it was as relaxing as it looks.
Last Night.
That was our week. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it was most likely better than most of yours, not to brag or anything. Don't worry, we're back to the real world of job searching, NCLEX studying, cereal for dinner, and interviewing. Here's to our next vacay... whenever/wherever that may be!
