Have you had your eye on a cruise lately? I have completed two sailings with Carnival Cruise line in the last few years that have left me booking future cruises. It really is never ending fun for all ages. With the options of dining, clubs for children, spas and entertainment, you have several options of enjoying your cruise.
The sail away party was a huge hit. We had a great time watching everyone dancing, singing and relaxing for the 4 days to come.
My most recent trip, we sailed from Miami, Florida with our first port of call being Key West, Florida. Key West was full of shops and more of a boating tour area with several beaches nearby to enjoy a nice vitamin sea option.
We were able to find several shops with bathing suit cover-ups for a decent price, restaurants were at every corner and we even opted in to a parasailing excursion while there. The best part of our adventure to Key West, was while waiting for our excursion, we noticed dolphins swimming in the cove in front of us!
Before returning to the ship, we snagged a nice slice of Key lime pie from a shop on the south end of the keys.
On Day 2, we arrived at Cozumel, Mexico. We had a VIP dolphin excursion booked for the day but beforehand, we ventured around the shops that were in port. The scenery was amazing! My daughter's name is pretty rare but we found a shop nearby that handmade a bracelet in 10 minutes with her name on it and the shop owner said that her name was now featured for the next time we visit. (: It was finally time for our excursion. Now, I am all for adventures and site-seeing things but off port was a little scary for me. Not because of it being dangerous but the ride to our excursion had me on my toes. People do NOT let others out while driving. You had people cutting off our van and bumper to bumper however, we made it in one piece so the driver knew what he was doing.
We arrived at Dolphinaris in Cozumel where we were greeted warmly. We were taken to a lounge where they provided us with unlimited drinks and snacks by a private pool area overlooking the dolphins below. The anticipation of soon swimming with the dolphins was real! It was a dream come true!
It was our turn for the excursion. We were provided with a life vest because you know, safety first! We entered a huge pool that was full of dolphins waiting for us. Our dolphin was Atlas and she was a 5 year old dolphin. We all lined up and enjoyed our time with her and her 2 other swim-mates. We were able to play with them, swim with them and even received a nice little kiss before we left. Another thing I will mention with our encounter, we learned how to communicate with them. Dolphins are smart animals, they use sign language to communicate while also making noises.
Once our encounter was complete, we had the option to snorkel in a nearby bay where tropical fish were present. It was a small little cove but it was beautiful and neat to see all the different fish that were swimming with you. We were then guided to a restaurant above the coves for a dinner. Of course, I had to have the steak, chips and salsa and a good ole' coca cola! The service was quick and all of it was included in our VIP dolphin swim excursion. If you plan to venture off to Cozumel, I highly recommend this as an excursion!
Once we were done with our excursion, we were offered picture options that were at a decent price and we were able to have them emailed to us rather quickly. We headed back to the port where we went through some of the shops once again before heading back to the ship.
Day 3 was our day at sea, we enjoyed a nice evening on the top deck relaxing, went to the casino and had a nice dinner at the main dining area. While enjoying our dinner, the dining team put on a goodbye show. The service was amazing!
Now here are a few tips that I found helpful during our cruise:
If you're not a big drinker, do not waste your money on the drink package. If you're more of a pop drinker, the bubbles package is for you!
Bring sunscreen and apply it before you get on the ship! The first day before leaving Miami, I was burnt just by sitting on the top deck.
Walk the ship- This will help you find things easier throughout your trip.
Go to the entertainment shows! We played deal or no deal and had a blast. They also offer comedy shows, trivia and more.
Book the steakhouse dinner or the chef's table. We were provided with a nice dinner the first night of our trip and was given a free bottle of wine.
Get the charm bracelets. You can add charms to the bracelet each time you go and they also give free charms occasionally throughout your trip.
Relax! You have a couple days to really breathe and escape reality. This is your time to just enjoy yourself and leave everything else behind.
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