I've always been wary of cruises.
The idea of being out in the middle of the ocean PETRIFIED me. However, when
Royal Caribbean said they would sponsor a trip to
Cozumel, Mexico, I stopped to re-think. I figured if thousands of people sail each day,
why not me? To play it safe, we agreed to only do (4) nights instead of seven, just in case we didn't enjoy it.
So I told my husband all the details & before you know it, we were off to
Ft. Lauderdale where we boarded the
Vision Of The Seas ship. This is a relatively BIG ship, so we were excited!
This is the 1st photo I shot of the ship as we walked toward the check-in area. It was like a dream come true seeing the actual ship in person, it was MASSIVE. When we boarded, they directed us to our balcony stateroom -
Oui, monsieur...... which was toward the front of the ship on the 7th floor. A balcony room is the way to go – the view is breathtaking all hours of the day....if you don't get a balcony, most rooms will tend to have a
tiny porthole, or no windows at all.
I'm claustrophobic, so that doesn't fly with me! NO WAY.
As the ship took off, the land seemed to get smaller & more distant; it was very surreal, since I'd never been in the middle of the ocean with water surrounding me on all 4 sides. It was a lovely cruise with lots of food, entertainment, and plenty of interesting activities to get involved in or watch. We sat down for a FREE comedy show one night and that was really fun. Most of the cruise was spent either sunbathing, or just relaxing in our room. There are 3 meals a day served, either to your room or in the main dining area + 1 housekeeper for each room, so your room is always clean.....keep reading below....
When we finally got into our state room, they had this beautiful fruit salad waiting for us - and look at our prvate balcony, so beautiful and serene.
I immediately took a shower & put on my robe - loved the cute little bathroom. All stocked up like any luxury hotel, with fancy shampoos, conditioners & lotions! It was a small bathroom with a shower, but still very comfortable with lots of shelf space for our toiletries. That was a plus since I tend to travel with lots of toiletries.
My husband always asks "do you need all that?" - My response, "Ummmmmmm, yeaaa"
We spent the
Fourth of July on the ship, and even though we didn't see fireworks, there were plenty of events. After a delicious formal dinner there was a beautiful red, white & blue balloon drop in the atrium, super cute! The sunset was amazing that night too. In case you shoe-addicts are wondering, my shoes are from
ShoeMint & my dress is from
Mango.
The next day was gorgeous, blue skies all around us......if felt as if the sky never ended. God's presence was certainly bountiful.
Because it was so windy, I ended up having to braid my hair. I used this really cool product by
Oscar Blandi called '
Braid Paste', which helps keep braids neat.
This was the main dining hall, with a ton of huge round windows running on each side of the ship....and lots of amazing views. We also had a chance to try out the three specialty restaurants (check out
my Instagram for lots of pics) - I really liked the ambiance at the Asian spot,
Izumi, but Mat was especially fond of the steakhouse,
Chops Grille (
thanks to Franz, the Hotel Director, for the recommendations). They even had lots of
gluten-free and
dairy-free options....perfect for me.
Good morning! This was probably one of the most AMAZING breakfasts we've ever had....because of the beautiful view. Don't you agree?
We stopped to enjoy Cozumel, Mexico for the day - It was beautiful & probably the hottest place I've been in a long time. The humidity was SO thick - so when we arrived back to NYC humidity, we weren't complaining.
The sunsets were also a favorite of ours, it was very romantic and unlike any other sunset.
After that experience, you can bet we will be taking another cruise again! And definitely the experience aboard
Royal Caribbean was really top-notch...the crew was so friendly & helpful, and there's so many choices of ships, locations and activities. Best of all, there's something for everyone to do –
eat, spa, sunbathe, swim, exercise, sight-see, gamble, or just relax – and no shortage of it. Thank you RC.
-images by jen ramos
-the trip was sponsored by
Royal Caribbean
- Want tips on how to save on a cruise? - visit
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