Cruising Close to Home

My first cruise was in 1988 with my husband, Ed, on Carnival Cruise Lines, Carnivale, from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas. (I often joke that this ship would be the lifeboat tender on today’s super cruise ships!) I was hooked! Ed and I enjoyed several cruises together after that. We sailed the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Caribbean and Mexico. Ed enjoyed the cruises and the onboard casinos, which left me time to enjoy the nightly onboard entertainment. I have many great memories of our travels together, whether they were on land or sea.

In 2013, Karen and I became travel buddies. She shares my love of travel and cruising. We’ve been to the Bahamas, Jamaica, Alaska, Cuba and probably a few more places! We have tons of pictures to remind us of how fortunate we are to be able to experience these travels. We will be doing a Fall Foliage cruise this year from New York City with ports of call in Boston, Portland, Halifax and St. John. (Let’s hope the fall colors are fabulous!)

Karen and I try to do special trips for our birthdays and Christmas. A perfect example is our cruise to Cuba in 2018 for Karen’s birthday. Yet another country I never in a million years thought I’d visit! Another excellent example is our A Very Christmas cruise on the Disney Dream in 2015 which was pretty special!

I’ve cruised on most of the major cruise lines, choosing the itinerary over preference for a particular cruise line. Of course that just means that while I am a seasoned cruiser, I really don’t have many special perks with any one cruise line – except Carnival – the fun ship! Looking back, I can see that I have cruised most on Carnival, with NCL and Royal Caribbean tied for second place for our United States area cruises.

Cruising can be fun, relaxing, exciting and it can be whatever you want it to be. Larger ships are better fitted for those with mobility challenges. The ‘motion of the ocean’ is rarely problematic due to the ship’s stabilizers. It may make more sense to book a cabin mid-ship, as then you have easier access to both the front and back (forward and aft) where dining and entertainment venues generally take place. And if you are a foodie, a cruise is perfect with the large range of choices for your culinary explorations. If you require a handicap-accessible cabin, it’s best to talk to a travel professional.

I can easily recommend starting with a more ‘local’ cruise experience for your first time, just to see how you like cruising. Take a short cruise down or up the coast. Bring your sense of adventure, whether you plan to stay on the ship or explore the ports.

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”

– Jacques Yves Cousteau