Oh yeah, I promised a wrap-up.....
There is a huge difference between a 3 to 4 night cruise and a 7 day.
Dont get me wrong: a 3-4 nighter is better than no cruise at all. But a 7 day? I felt like we didnt miss anything. Plenty of time to enjoy the pool, the spa, the Cove Cafe. Plenty of time to sample all of the restaurants AND go to Palo more than once. Plenty of time to just sit on the veranda, or up on the deck. Plenty of time to hang out in the room with a cheese platter watching silly movies. Plenty of time to get your fill of the boat.
Cruising with people you know is awesome.
I dont just mean Mat and Sarah, though their company really made the little things fun. Sitting on the beach chatting, bouncing around in the water, playing games in the Cove Café are all made more fun when you have partners in crime.
But the thing that really made this journey was all the DISers. That boat was PACKED with us. It was awesome to walk down the halls and spot lanyards and say hi. The fish extender games were great. Secret Mickeys were a blast. And just bumping into people and chatting was a hoot! I loved seeing familiar faces on board and in the ports, and hearing how their days went. Reading everyone elses TR has also been a blast.
Plan ahead! But leave wiggle room too.
Like you didnt know Id put SOMETHING on here about being an obsessive-compulsive vacation over-planner.
Do your homework before you go. For instance, I knew ahead of time which excursions were rated well and which were over-rated. I knew what was worth the money and what was not. Moreover, I knew exactly what we would be spending ahead of time.
When our Cayman excursion got cancelled, I knew that there was nothing else we really wanted to do. I even consulted my Passporter to see if there was anything else that caught my eye, but there really wasnt. So rather than book an expensive last-minute tour, we opted to explore instead. For free. Well, free minus the cost of ten rum cakes. And you know what? We had a great time anyway!
I did learn, however, from the last few cruises that over-planning can be bad too. Book your entire day full of stuff and youll have fun
but youll also miss out on the whole point of a vacation: relaxation. If you HAVE to pencil everything in, just make sure you pencil in some book reading time. And at least one drink of the day.
After two or three days, all the DOTD pretty much taste the same.
Not that thats a bad thing. I like fruity umbrella drinks. But make sure you budget in a Konk Kooler too.
You dont have to spend a ton of money.
Seriously. We budgeted like crazy to make sure we had no regrets, but we also did a lot of the freebies. Like the galley tour. And towel folding. And just laying on the beach at
Castaway Cay. I even saw people up on deck playing Mah Jong one day, so there is no limit to what you can do for free on the boat.
I dont recommend you bring Mah Jong. That stuff is heavy. Cards travel better.
We also took advantage of some cheap things. Like the rainforest room. $15 a day! Even if you dont buy a week pass, go once or twice. Sip the cucumber water on a tile lounger. Use the lovely Elemis lotions and potions they have out to sample in the ladies locker room. Or, check out the port deals at the spa if you want a little more for a little less.
A bike ride around Castaway Cay costs $6 per person. Just saying.
Explore the boat! Look for all of the nooks and crannies. The artwork is amazing and fun to look at.
Take your own photos, or just get one or two at Shutters. We still havent framed any of the photos we bought on our last three cruises. Yet we get suckered in every single time
Anyhow, you make your own fun. You get to decide how much that fun costs.
Get back as soon as you can, even if it takes a little longer than you hoped.
Sadly, we had to cancel our Tortola cruise. Either that, or start selling off some of our possessions. With a wedding cruise coming up in October and a Transatlantic the following April (and a few mini vacations in the US and Canada in the meantime), we just couldnt swing it without feeling the pinch. The good news is, we have plenty of time to save for April 2010. And to figure out how we are going to get home from Barcelona.
So, dont look for a new TR from me anytime soon, though I will of course be around.
And, about the new writing job? I am the new about.com guide for chronic pain. I was hoping to wait until the site went live to spill the details, but I didnt want to leave everyone hanging for too long. Anyhow, Ill post the link as soon as the page is fully functional. Were still ironing out the details.
So, until 2010
See you real soon!!!!!