Cruises Are the Ultimate Me & We Family Vacation

While Disney and Universal vacations are AMAZING, can we all agree they can be EXHAUSTING?! How often have you returned from your theme park vacation feeling like you need another vacation just to unwind?

Cruise vacations strike the perfect balance between quality family time, exciting locations and opportunities for the kids to be kids and the adults to be adults.

"We Time" on cruise vacations

Our lives are always happening in fast forward, we feel like ships passing in the night, held together by sticky note reminders and the family wall calendar. Being away together is an important time to reconnect, recharge and leave all the homework, adulting and stress behind. But why does a cruise vacation the perfect way for your crew to vacation?

• Visiting multiple locations and only unpacking once! There is something so simple and so relaxing about having a "home base" at the end of every exciting port day. (And turn down service is AMAZING!)

• There are loads of family friendly activities to accommodate whether it's a multi-generational trip, a trip with littles, teens or adult kids. From Broadway caliber shows, trivia, mini-golf, art classes, shopping-if you can dream it, you can find it. There is truly something for EVERYONE on a cruise.

• Dining! Too often getting the whole family together for dinner can feel like an act of Congress. Your vacation selves will love the amazing food that is everywhere on a cruise. From unlimited ice cream, buffets, room service, elegant dining rooms and specialty restaurants there is no shortage of great spots to break bread together.

  
  

"Me Time" on a cruise vacation

There is zero guilt when it comes to breaking away and doing something to nourish your vacationing spirit because EVERYONE is going to have unlimited fun they are going to want to partake in.

For Mom & Dad, how about a date night?

That book you've been wanting to finally finish is calling to you. There is a lounge chair and a "drink of the day" waiting for you in the adults only section on the pool deck. What about that knot in your neck that seems to never loosen, time to book that massage with the onboard spa team. When is the last time you had a date night and there were no crayons at the table and no overpriced babysitter to negotiate with. There are adult only dining options, themed lounges, bars, night clubs all waiting to remind you why you decided to do life together.

The Kids, they may not want to ever be picked up!

All cruise lines have fantastic Kids and Teens clubs that offer age-appropriate activities, experienced and vetted staff and spaces that you have to see to believe! There will be imaginative dress-up play areas, video games, fun crafts, scavenger hunts, tumble and climb play areas and above all-new friends to be made. Drop offs and pick-ups are super easy, the hours are conducive to work with ALL your plans, day or night. Whether you have crafty kids, imaginative, active or reserved-they will find their niche is in these amazing spaces.

Dining

Regardless of the cruise line, pack your stretchy pants, toss your diet off the balcony, calories don't count on a cruise vacation and the food is AMAZING! Whether you have picky eaters (or are the picky eater) or have a more sophisticated palate, no one will come even remotely close to going hungry.

Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line are the imagineers of "rotational dining." With their unique rotational dining, guests will dine in a different, themed restaurant each night BUT will have their same serving staff throughout their sailing. (Who makes a point to get to know your every favorite on day 1!) There are also "adult only" dining options on each of their six ships like Palo and Remy.

Virgin Voyages

This adult only cruise line has some of the best restaurants serving up some of the best dishes I have EVER had on a cruise ship or on ANY vacation, period. Not a buffet in sight, but 20+ eateries that let you come as you are but go from casual eateries to fine dining. Want to dress up-awesome. If you want to have filet mignon in your flip flops-no judgement!

Norwegian Cruise Line

NCL's freestyle dining and super popular "Free at Sea" promo make them very desirable with cruisers who want flexibility with their dining times and want to be able to indulge in some specialty dining options without having to pay more out of pocket.

Royal Caribbean & Celebrity Cruise Lines

Whether you're looking to conquer the Windjammer or Oceanview Cafe buffets on these sister cruises, use "My Time" to stroll into a main dining room whenever makes sense for your day OR have a midnight slice of pizza at Sorrentos your cravings will be covered in such a delicious way.

How to Choose the Right Cruise Line

Selecting the right cruise line can be daunting. Here are some tips to help you make the best choice:

Determine Your Budget

Before you start looking, decide how much you’re willing to spend. Keep in mind that while cruising can feel a lot like an all-inclusive vacation and can save you money compared to a land vacation, they also come in a range of price points.

Research Itineraries

I do have some guests that just know that they absolutely HAVE to sail with a specific cruise line. The destination, the itineraries are completely secondary to just wanting to experience a particular cruise line. (Full transparency, this is most often Disney Cruise Line.) TOTALLY fine, but in most cases, let's chat first about where you do and don't want to visit on your sailing.

Decide What Matters Most

Are you foodies? Is having the absolute best dining possible the biggest selling point for you? Are you looking for a certain vibe-more family oriented, older skewing, adults only, lots of night life, best pools? Do you want top deck bumper cars, comedy clubs, aqua coaster, ice skating or Broadway style entertainment? Every cruise line has their vibe and the "thing" that sets them apart. You tell me what you're looking for, and I will match you with your dream cruise line partner.

Debunking Cruise Travel Myths

If you've never cruised, it can feel like a strange concept, this hotel in the middle of the ocean and be a little intimidating. Let's bust up those misconceptions...

We will get the Norovirus

Let's get the big, scary one out of the way first; deep down, everyone fears the dreaded stomach bug. Although ships are huge, they are still close quarters with lots of hands touching lots of surfaces. The truth about travel in general, is that you will be exposed to viruses and other yucky things. We have come home with head lice, gotten the stomach bug, been beaten down by Covid and gotten the flu on a Christmas trip...none of which were on a cruise vacation. Ship happens folks, and it happens at home and on any kind of trip. The GOOD outweighs the "what if" by about a gazillion to one. Wash.Your.Hands.

We will be bored; there won't be enough to do

Quite the opposite is true in fact, every day you will have access to your ship's activities for the day which will include tastings, crafts, lessons like how to play the steel drum or make the perfect Mojito, all kinds of trivia, ship tours, casino games, pickle ball tournaments, pool belly flop competitions and more! The bigger problem will be deciding WHERE to be because so much will be happening at the SAME time that you will want to be in more than one place at one time. (And don't underestimate the power of a cruise, at sea day, nap. It hits like nothing else.)

I'll feel claustrophobic

These floating cities have more than enough space, there are quiet nooks, cozy corners, SO many windows, wrap around balconies, large walkways, multi-level atriums, shops, movie theaters, restaurants, even libraries. You will think you have explored every inch of your ship and then on disembarkation day run across a coffee shop or fun game area that you missed the entire week!

Let's Take the Plunge!

Cruise vacations offer something for everyone, no matter who you choose to take the plunge with! They are the perfect vacations to unplug, recharge, reconnect and experience things that may have been out of your comfort zone had it not been for the safety of retreating back to the solitude of your stateroom at the end of every day. What other kind of trip lets you see multiple COUNTRIES while unpacking once?

When you are ready to experience the excitement, fun and diversity of a cruise vacation, I would love to be your FREE trip planning partner!