Sunday, November 11th, we started the day early by going to church at a local ward. Even though we didn’t know anyone, it was amazing how we could feel right at home.
After church, we had to rush to the airport in order to catch our shuttle to the cruise ship — it was so exciting! We quickly changed from our church clothes in the airport and then were able to catch a shuttle just a few minutes later. The timing worked out perfectly! When we got to the port, we went through all the security lines and then made it onto the ship. I think we were both a little surprised that the ship wasn’t quite as nice as we expected, but it was still fun and we knew we’d have a great time! It was super windy, so our pictures are a little crazy, but we were excited to finally have made it onto the ship! Our room was really big and nice, and we had a good-sized balcony too, so we knew it was going to be a good time!
We were able to take a tour of the ship first and then grab some food before the emergency testing drills. In the evening, we went and checked out the ship more, including playing some games in the library and taking a bunch of photos, and then we went to the welcome show. It’s crazy what energy there is on a cruise ship and how many different kinds of people cruises attract! It was really neat though to be in the water and cruising out in the middle of the ocean – it was a fun way to start our adventure! Dinner was good, though the two people at our table were interesting. We didn’t have much in common or much to talk about, but the food was yummy. Unfortunately the ship was really rocky (probably because it’s the end of hurricane season) so I got a little sick. Gotta love pregnancy and a rocking boat! 🙂
Monday was a day at sea, so we slept in and then woke up to such a pretty view! During the day, we really explored the ship even more and actually ended up doing something that was very unexpected – buying a new ring from the onboard jeweler! It’s so pretty and I’m excited to wear it. Also, they were having a raffle and giving things away, so we stayed for a bit. Two people standing by us who we’d met a few minutes before gave us their tickets since they wanted to leave, and then go figure, one of their tickets won! I went up to get the prize and they made me do a little dance when they turned on some music. I totally did it, pregnant belly and all, and people were cheering and clapping so loud! It was awesome!
We ate a lot today as well – some of the food was interesting, but randomly some of the things are really yummy and there are thankfully lots of options to choose from! We also spent some time out by the pool even ordered a pina coladas! Definitely part of the cruising experience! We spent some time on this hammock thing playing games and enjoyed being able to relax and enjoy our time together.
In the early evening, we decided to go on a run around the track at the top, and it was such a beautiful evening! Our GPS was being funny though because the cruise ship was moving, so it was tracking us running REALLY fast and far. Lots of people were taking pictures since it was fancy night, but we were pretty committed to our workouts and just ran fast so we wouldn’t be in their backgrounds! The sunset was lovely and I think I’d run more if I could guarantee such pretty weather and a sunset!
We then went to late dinner and ended up being able to switch tables and sit with the fun people we’d met earlier in the day at breakfast. They are great and were telling us about the tour they’d booked for the next day, so we ended up booking the same one! After dinner we went to a comedy show, which was pretty funny. It was a good day and fun to have a day at sea to just relax and chill!
Tuesday (November 13th) was a port day and we went to Princess Cays – it was GORGEOUS! We got up pretty early and enjoyed waking up to the gorgeous blue ocean again! Then we had breakfast and it was super yummy! We then got on the little boat taxi to go to the island, since the coral is shallow near the shore and the ship can’t get that close. The cruise ship company owns the beach, so it was fun to essentially have it be private to those on the ship. We grabbed a couple loungers and then decided to go swim in the ocean. It was so fun! We didn’t go out too far, but it was fun to just swim and the water was so pretty and blue and warm! It was awesome!
Then we had lunch and decided to keep exploring the beach. We walked around and went to a lookout point and got some great pictures — there was even a “Y” cloud that reminded us of BYU! 🙂 We kept walking around and found a remote spot with a couple loungers, so we ended the day there. It was so quiet and peaceful, away from all the crowds. It was so relaxing and nice and enjoyable for us! The boat taxis were leaving up until 4:00, so we were initially thinking we should try to leave a little early (like 2:00) just to make sure we got back. However, everyone else seemed to have that same idea, so we decided to actually wait until nearly the last taxi. It was awesome because the island continued to clear out and that made it even more peaceful and fun! We explored along the beach and saw all these little shell-type animals attached to the coral, and it was so beautiful! I ended up getting a little sunburned, which wasn’t too fun, but it was nice to have some color!
After we got back, we showered and got ready for dinner. Our room steward had left us a couple gift cards for our honeymoon, so that was really nice! Then, since I’d gotten sick the last two nights after dinner, we decided to just eat at the buffet a little earlier and then we played Bingo! We didn’t win, but I sure enjoyed it! So far, we’re loving our cruise experience!
Leave a Reply