If you haven’t already, I HIGHLY recommend taking a one-on-one trip with your mom.
In January 2019, my mom & I started the new year off with a 4 day cruise to Grand Cayman & Cozumel, Mexico.
Several years ago, when I was still in high school, we took a cruise to Alaska with Carnival Cruises. It was both me & my parents first cruise.
Alaska is CRAZY BEAUTIFUL. Domestic travel is where it’s at if you cannot afford to travel outside of the country.
America is so beautiful and each state has it’s perks.
The only complaint I have with the Alaskan cruise is that most of the on deck amenities are wasted on you as it is too chilly to sunbathe, and most of the pools are closed anyways.
In 2019, we cruised to Grand Cayman and Mexico with Royal Caribbean cruise line on the Brilliance of the Seas. Not going to lie, they won me over.
The service is world renowned and the ship is so clean. I mean literally, SO CLEAN. There was a team of janitors whose job was to wipe down all touchable surfaces all day long. That meant hand rails, floors, columns, doors & doorknobs, cabinets, countertops, chairs, and so on.
The food was impressive too. My mom and I spent most of our time in the WindJammer buffet style restaurant. Then at night, we would venture to one of the fine dining establishments.
Up to this point I’ve only talked about food… whoops 🤷🏼♀️
Now on to the meat & potatoes (another food analogy, really Bethany???)
Okay, okay, I’m done.
We boarded in Tampa, Florida. For the next 36 hours we were headed out to sea. Our on board activities consisted of the above topics, laying by the pool making friends with other passengers, & bingo.
Our first port was Grand Cayman. Something we learned talking to our friends on our day at sea was the importance of booking an excursion. It’s the safest way to tour your port & saves you money in the long run.
We booked the dolphin discovery excursion. It included a 1.5 hour opportunity to swim with the dolphins and then a 1.5 hour time to relax on a privately owned beach thanks to Royal Caribbean. Food, drinks, and a lounge chair were included. After your excursion, the van took you straight back to the port where you were able to tour the buzzing town of Grand Cayman before boarding your ship.
Our second port was Cozumel, Mexico. We however did not stay on Cozumel for more than 30 minutes. We boarded a speed ferry for a 45 minute ride to the mainland, where we advanced onto a 2.5 hour drive to the Chichen Itza Mayan Ruins.
This is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
You may not be there long, but I promise – it is worth the 8 hour day.
They feed you lunch, allow you an opportunity to shop & grab a hot dog and a Corona before reloading the bus, and the tour comes with an interactive iPad & pre-tour with your guide on the 2.5 hour ride so that when you arrive – you see the most you can in the small amount of time you’re there. In my opinion, this is a beautifully planned out excursion.
It is safe. I know thats a concern right now, but the guides take extra precautions by even providing you headsets to keep in touch with them and picking you up & dropping you off at your correct ferry.
We loved our adventures in Mexico, and we would absolutely do this excursion again!
The B Word 