The Secrets of Cruising

Well, I finally did it! I stepped out of my comfort zone of me being in control of my own adventure. I decided to leave it up to the big "Fun Ships" of Carnival Cruise line to sail me away and show me what they’ve got. Let me tell you, ADVENTURE awaits and is plentiful.

Even though I’ve sold thousands of cruises, attend seminars and trainings I had my own hesitations, but now that I have this sailing under my belt I can tell you all my concerns have floated away.

My biggest reservation about cruising was there wouldn’t be enough ADVENTURE on board. Well duh, there is actually a ship named the ADVENTURE OF THE SEAS!

The adventure for me began as soon as I walked on board and was given a map. I LOVE maps, it immediately lets me know I might get lost and stumble upon a new adventure! Using this map I found some great treats on board. The ‘serenity’ area where no children are allowed, sushi bar, comedy clubs, the spa, the casino, 3 pools, waterslides, movies under the stars, outdoor jogging track and the 15 different restaurants.

Ohhh the restaurants, now there is an adventure! The food was great and within the first hour on board the ship I was faced with my first dilemma…The dessert bar. This has a whole new meaning for getting in trouble at the bar. My dilemma happened when I saw ten different chocolate cakes and pastries and I wasn’t sure how to handle this. I remained calm and decided on three of my choices. I wanted to set precedence for my self right from the beginning and eat healthy. After that thought it was then that I saw the pineapple. I knew things would be okay after seeing healthy fruit. So I put a few slices on my plate and THEN drizzled chocolate on them. Problem solved! Dilemma and adventure go hand and hand. As you can see I was getting the hang of things.

My second reservation was that I wouldn’t have enough time to sightsee while in port.

Silly me! We had two days in Cabo San Lucas where one day we snorkeled and saw the beautiful ‘lovers beach’ and the arch. The next day we had a desert dune buggy and beach excursion. Absolute adventure was everywhere I turned! What was I thinking? We even had a couple of hours left over to walk around the town of Cabo which was extremely clean and safe. Next port of call was Puerto Vallarta which I just happened to have been at a few weeks ago at an all inclusive resort. I was so grateful to be back and try a new excursion. If you are a thrill seeker I highly recommend the ‘Sea safari and hidden waterfalls’ tour.

I was worried about tons of people cramping my style but this company goes where no other companies go so crowds were of no issue. This excursion was packed with ADVENTURE! It starts by getting into a large rubber raft (a zodiac) and zipping across Banderas Bay at 50 miles per hour. Then walking through a small fishing village, getting on your horse named ‘firecracker’ and head up to an amazing waterfall with a huge natural pool to swim in. Not done yet, back on the horses to the zodiac to zoom farther away to snorkel. Mind you I’ve done a lot of snorkeling in the Caribbean and diving in Jamaica but this secluded cove they took us to was crystal clear and met my somewhat high standards. The guide was awesome and brought up sea urchins, a balloon fish and sea stars to show you while you were in the water. Finally, off to a remote beach for a late lunch. It was a perfect tour for the thrill seekers!

My last reservation about cruising was being around 3000 other people. Other than embarkation hour my new best friends dispersed and I only saw a fraction of them on the duration of the trip. I waved to many but they were all in their own little worlds. So much for me worrying that I would have to converse and decline dinner invitations from all of these people.

Another great thing the cruise lines do is to put a newspaper of each day’s itinerary in your cabin. This helped greatly for managing my time. The thought of ‘not enough’ to do on board was quickly erased from my mind. May I suggest staying in a balcony room?

Here you can have room service delivered at no extra cost then go out side to sit on your balcony and plan your day after reading the ‘cruise news’ while watching the ocean slip by.

If you are thinking that you can only relax for so long then you will be pleased to hear about all the exercise you will get while on board. Yes, I said exercise. We chose to always take the elevators and walking from one end of the ship to the other was a work out. Along with running a few laps around the jogging track and visiting the gym I felt like I was in better shape after returning from the cruise than when I left.

With all of this being said I will tell you that cruising is a GREAT way to vacation. Family reunions, company meetings are a perfect fit for this vacation too. The cruise lines can facilitate putting together gathering places for just your group. You could even have your own private D.J. and karaoke if you’d like, for a small fee. Oh and Karaoke, there is another adventure. Call for more details on that!

If you are a cruise rookie and still have hesitations please feel free to call Morris Murdock Travel and we will help you find your happy place on board the perfect cruise line!

About Sarah Wangsgard: Sarah is an Escorted Tours travel consultant who helps clients plan and experience the best vacation possible.

Sarah is no stranger to the travel industry. She began her travel career in 1996. Not only is Sarah a trusted and award winning consultant, she has traveled all over the world, including Hawaii, Bahamas, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, New Zealand, Fiji, Mexico, Europe and China.

As a successful traveler, Sarah works to help other people to achieve the same success. Sarah specializes in Group Travel with a focus on Asia and cruises.