There are a number of reasons to take a cruise vacation, and many revolve around special life events such as birthdays, anniversaries, and honeymoons. While Josh and I plan go on a bigger adventure for our honeymoon (Asia) we thought we at least needed to go somewhere right after our wedding – if anything, just to relax! So at the last minute we decided to take a cruise right after our Key West destination wedding.
All weddings are stressful, no matter how big or small. And it’s not just in the planning, but in the actual execution of the event. Who wants to worry about planning an elaborate vacation on top of all that? Our wedding was a 3 day destination event down in Key West, Florida. After months of intense planning and a long weekend of fun (with very little sleep), we were absolutely exhausted when the wedding was over.
The day after our wedding we traveled up to Miami and boarded the Carnival Destiny for a 5 day cruise. The itinerary was perfect because we had a couple days to relax at sea, as well as incorporating 2 great ports of call. We scored a great deal on a balcony cabin and enjoyed our private view as we set sail from Miami. When land had slowly faded into the horizon, we were able to take a deep breath and relax for the first time in months.
In fact, the balcony became the highlight of our trip. One evening my new hubby played our “first dance” song on the balcony with our portable iPod speakers, and we danced while watching the sunset together. Afterwards we drank champagne and gazed out at the moon and stars that reflected upon the passing ocean, we even caught a glimpse of a shooting star. On another evening we watched storm clouds roll in over an island that we had just departed. The combination of the shifting clouds, pockets of rain, lightning, and evening sun mesmerized us for a couple hours!
During our days at sea we took full advantage of having a luxury spa on board the ship, just steps from our room. We sank into deep relaxation while having multiple massage treatments, and lounged in the steam room and sauna. We also made sure to enjoy other forms of entertainment on the ship like the hot tubs, swimming pools, water slide, mini-golf, casino, and comedy shows. While at port, we were able to experience great culture, food, and hang out with the locals. Each port of call allowed us to enjoy adventures on land and ocean water activities, which included unforgettable interactions with marine-life.
However, the funniest memory transformed us into celebrities on the ship. “The Game of Love” was a show in the main theater where 3 couples compete by answering questions about each other: a newlywed couple, a couple who’s been married a few years, and a couple married 50+ years. Guess who the newlywed couple was on this cruise? Yep, that was us! We made complete fools of ourselves on stage and had the entire theater laughing hysterically.
Apparently the show had been videotaped and, much to the embarrassment of my new husband, we discovered that the show was looping continuously on one of the ship’s TV channels over the next couple days! For our appearance in the show we received a little plastic award and a bottle of champagne. We plan to display the award in our home so that we never forget our short-lived fame on the ship. Whenever I see it I’ll remember how my husband earned it; by dancing on stage wearing nothing but SpongeBob boxers & a feather boa! Ah, now isn’t that love?!? Throughout the rest of the cruise we would have run-in’s with other guests who recognized us and would comment on our laughable performance.
While we hadn’t initially considered a cruise for our honeymoon, we’re glad that ended up being our choice. The great part about it is that we had hardly any planning to do for this trip; all we had to do was show up. Dinner decisions were easy, entertainment was plenty, and we only unpacked once. We were able to mix adventure with much-needed relaxation and create wonderful memories along the way.
