Going on Cruises

 My wife and I have gone on 12 Cruises to the following locations:

1. Mediterranean Cruise out of Barcelona Spain
2. Hawaiian Cruise out of Honolulu, Hawaii
3. Alaskan Cruise out of Vancouver, Canada
4. A Bermuda Cruise out of Baltimore, Maryland
5. Eight Caribbean Cruises out of either Ft. Lauderdale or Miami, Florida

We always get an inside cabin so that we can spend more money on excursions, although, after COVID we decided if we ever went again, we could get a balcony cabin in case the ship quarantined its passengers.

We spent a week on Symphony of the Seas when it was the largest cruise ship on record, knowing that a larger ship, Icon of the Seas, was in construction.  I mention this only because, we had our best time aboard this larger ship even on SEA DAYS.  We always awake early so we don't miss anything, so getting up early to get deck chairs where we wanted was not a big deal for us.

We always got our chairs in the shade and never around the pool or on the deck above the pool because there was very little shade up there.

After our first cruise which was a delayed wedding present, we quickly realized that you did not have to bring dress clothes for dinner even on those nights where it was announced the dress would be formal.  However, many still dressed up but there were also many that did not.  Nobody was refused in the main dining room.

We also realized that we only needed half the clothes that we had taken, allowing us to take one large suitcase or two smaller ones.   Instead of wearing different outfits for each evening dinner, we brought 3 outfits that we wore twice.  The first dinner was so casual that many people wore the short they were wearing when they boarded the ship that morning.

After going through the boarding process and before getting lunch, we always checked with main dining to confirm our dinner reservations.  Confirmation is a MUST DO, even though you have already selected a eating time, otherwise, you will wait 30 minutes or longer for an empty table.

We also always brought coffee cups and large drink cups from home, rather than use their glasses or coffee cups especially on SEA DAYS.  Drinks from the buffet are available free of charge all day long, so unless you are hooked on SODA, you don't need to pay extra for a beverage card.  Plus, you are able to bring aboard 1 liter per person of soft drinks whenever you stop at a port.  There is always some place in town that sells these large bottles to locals.

There is so much food available that it is easy to gain 10 or more pounds in a week.  We always followed the three-bite rule whenever we ate.  Get whatever you want but only eat three bites of it rather than the full serving.  You still get the flavor but not all the extra weight.  Walking around the deck after the dinner meal helps as well.  There is always an outside walking deck on every ship.

We love cruising and think that a cruise vacation is the best way to spend your money and see a lot of different countries.