Bon Voyage

I'm really excited about my weekend travel plans. Tomorrow Cory and I embark on a Bahamian cruise, and I've been looking forward to it for a while. As some of you may know, the past few months have been consumed with back and forth travel between DC and NY (which I'll be blogging about soon). We literally haven't taken a moment to breathe since March. It's been like working a seven-day-a-week job, and we're both really excited for the break. Plus, it's the first time in a while that we're not traveling for a wedding or similar event (which we're obviously happy to do, it's just nice to switch it up).

We're going with four others, so we'll be a nice-sized group of six. We'll be flying to Orlando then sailing on Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas, for a three-night cruise stopping in Nassau and Coco Cay. Coco Cay is the cruiseline's private island and Nassau is the capital city of the Bahamas. Growing up in South Florida, I'm no stranger to cruises, and so I've been to Nassau a number of times. As such, I'm looking forward to just lying on the beach, not feeling the need to explore the island further. For anyone who's never been though, I'd recommend the Balcony House, dating back to the 1700s, and Government House, the government building where visitors can watch a British changing of the guard. It's like London lite.

We have an outside cabin, which is a big departure for me. I like to travel as much as possible, and this means monitoring your spending on each trip to make sure there's finances left for the next. In this case, the outside cabin actually ended up cheaper than an inside. We booked through Travelocity, but had to do so over the phone because of some tech glitch. When Cory told the woman on the phone our billing address, she told us DC residents get a break on the price. The total cost ended up being $100 less per person, and that's for an upgraded room. So anyone in the DC, Maryland or Virginia areas should look into that.

Now, I just have to finish our packing. There are a few cruise essentials I've learned over the years to always pack: Dramamine, mini shampoos and a small wristlet. Obviously, there are other important items (sunscreen comes to mind) but these are my tried and true tricks specific to cruising that seem to make life easier. Dramamine for those first nights when it seems the ocean is never going to go to sleep. Mini shampoos, even though I always forgo them and use hotel-supplied shampoo to save suitcase room. But most cruiselines offer very low quality toiletries (from a pump in the wall), and cruising is one of the few times I check a bag and pay the fee so that I can take on all the liquid I like. And a wristlet because as soon as I board, I heave off my oversized purse...for the duration of my trip, all I need is my cabin key hung conveniently from my arm.

I'll be sure to post back as soon as I return, and I'll try to take some pretty pictures of the blue Bahamas water. Until then, I hope everyone has a happy and safe Memorial Day. What are your weekend plans?