Tis Me Michelle

Alright, here’s a quick switch up ya’ll. Not a restaurant or coffee shop review, but a review on cruising. I went from never having done a cruise to doing 2 back-to-back. Cruising was not something that I ever was super drawn to because I mean, being on a moving ship doesn’t sound like a great time. I don’t know how to swim so water-based things aren’t what I gravitate towards. Anyways, the first company I worked at had a very popular cruise line and right after I left, my friends who still worked there invited me to join them. Right after we planned that cruise, my new (now old) employer, ended up hosting a weekend cruise for their annual event. It was an eventful few months!

The work event cruise was came first and was on Royal Caribbean. It was a 3-night weekend cruise on their Freedom of the Seas ship taking us to the Bahamas. It was quite a sensory overload. There was so much going on in the ship alone, and of course, I was with my entire local company and the rest of the ship was booked by regular travelers. Then I went on the Disney Wish for another 3-night weekend cruise which stopped at Castaway Cay.

There were activities, general activities the ship would have anyways, plus some work-related things. One plus was that this was completely covered by the company so there weren’t any out-of-pocket costs. I love wandering about and spending time with people, but I’m a small-group person. Being around so many people constantly was overwhelming.

What I learned quick was a cruise is basically an all-inclusive type of trip, which I know people love, the idea of just going somewhere and not having to worry about anything else. I had done an all-inclusive once in Mexico and it wasn’t my vibe. There are plenty of options, but after a day or two it becomes repetitive. I’d much rather find myself wandering down a random street and happening upon a unique one-of-a-kind shop or restaurant. I love having completely different things to do and places to go.

I do want to double down on the fact there are plenty of activities and options. There are games, spas, shopping, honestly whatever you can think of available. We stopped at the Disney owned Castaway Cay on the Wish. I really enjoyed it. I am not the biggest beach person, as mentioned above I’m not a water person, but being a private owned beach my friend and I went over to the adult side of the beach and it was was quiet, clean, beautiful and so relaxing. And I opted to do the massage in the bungalow which was also great.

On Royal, there was a stop at their private island and my friend and I decided to stay on the ship that day since we knew it would be quiet. That was a great idea because there really wasn’t anyone in the pool and we could just do what we wanted without the sensory overload. Then we went to the Bahamas the next day and we did head out. Unfortunately, it is just such a touristy area being the dock of all the cruise ships. We ended up taking a little boat over to the Atlantis Resort, which was nice and away from the busyness of the dock, but I was very disappointed in the offerings for the Bahamas.

I enjoyed the formal dining on both cruises. On Royal, it was the same location with a rotating menu. There were plenty of options and I did really enjoy it. I honestly don’t recall breakfast or lunch at all, but there are places all of the ship for you to grab a bite. Then the Wish’s dinner, on a food level was pretty much on par with Royal, but on an experience level was top tier. Each night we rotated between 3 uniquely themed restaurants and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Overall, I’m glad I’ve finally experienced a cruise. And I was super happy I didn’t get sea sick, I had friends who felt it, but was glad that it didn’t hit me. I won’t say I’ll never do one again, cause never say never. However, it definitely is not something I will go out of my way to do again. By the time this comes out, I’ll have wrapped my trip to France and prepping for my trip to Italy. Both of them will not be cruises. Be on the lookout for the recap of those trips!