During my 4-night stay on the boat, I managed to get into somewhat of a routine during the short time I was there. Because I was in bed relatively early at night, I was up by 7am in the morning. I would wake up and head straight for the gym, climbing 10 flight of stairs on my way there. I worked out for about 45 mins every day before heading to breakfast. My breakfast was filled with pastries, egg omelets and yogurt with granola. Oh man did I not feel guilty about eating it all! It pretty much kept me full until dinner.

That pretty much sums up the positive things about the cruise. And unfortunately, they are not enough to make me want to do it again. Not until I can’t walk anyway. Although it was great to wake up in a different place every morning, it inevitably translated into long line-ups to get off the boat or when entering the US, it meant passing customs again. It normally took at least 30 mins to get off the boat and that was easily doubled when we were required to pass customs. Once we were off the boat, it was all good. We had the entire day to enjoy but on the flip side, we were on a schedule because the boat would leave with or without us at a specific time. It meant that we didn’t have time to truly enjoy a place. I felt like it was a very superficial way to visit a city or beach. On the flip side, it’s a great way to see different places and then pick where you would like to spend more time. So anyhow, once we were back on the boat, let’s just say I wasn’t drinking too much because drinks are darn expensive. If you want to party, an all-inclusive option at a resort is definitely a better option. Once dinner had passed, I was a little bored. I’m not much of a gambler or shopper and quite frankly, the entertainment on the boat didn’t really appeal to me. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’m used to traveling to a country and really immersing myself in it. On the boat, you feel like you’re watching american tv which I can do from home really.

I do recommend the boat to anyone who wants to be on vacation effortlessly. If you like being served and paying a lot of $$ for it, than it’s a great option for you. I personally wouldn’t pay that much to pass by a bunch of place. I rather see less but experience more.

Nassau by Night

So what’s on the menu? A flight to Florida for my best friend’s wedding (woohooo!). While I’m there for 3.5 days, the plan is to party in Miami, spend time calming her before the big day and then party some more at the wedding among friends and family. Following the next morning’s brunch with the newlyweds, off I go to the port in Miami and hop on a cruise. I always thought my first cruise would be in the Mediterranean with my future husband or something like that. A lovely cruise in the Greek islands with a few stops in Turkey. But as we know, we can never plan out our life and we shall take the opportunities as they arise. Which means I’ll be spending my first cruise with my parents. A mini family vacation could be fun too! Initially I thought of taking a road trip down the Keys for a few days. But having done so many road trips in the last few years, I decided to opt for a cruise and try something different instead. It was a good deal for a 4-day cruise and I get to visit two new places, the Keys and the Bahamas. Since this is considered an extension to a wedding trip, the option sounded great. I can’t wait to eat all the food and simply relax! In terms of planning, I need to think about buying travel insurance since I’ll be in the US and it’s the last place I would want to get sick. I could consider a single trip travel insurance  in this case since it’s a relatively short trip and a one-time deal.

If I had the choice of planning a vacation, I probably wouldn’t be going on a cruise. I’d be going to Malaysia and Indonesia! Or maybe Ethiopia. Or Mongolia But life is all about trying new things, right? And… there is always next year for the backpacking trip.