Updated: Sep 30, 2022
That's right...we're already going on another trip! This one has been in the works for 10 months but has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. We started planning early because I was hoping it would help friends be able to join us, which worked! We have a group of 12 people (including us) going on this Caribbean cruise so it's going to be amazing!
Why is it on my bucket list? I've always had a phobia of bodies of water & I've never known why. I grew up in a landlocked state (Oklahoma) & my family always vacationed in the mountains or forest, so I didn't even see the ocean until I moved to Los Angeles when I was 19. My family very rarely even went to the local lakes, so I think my phobia is partially rooted in not being exposed to water much as a child. I've thought a lot about it (especially after moving to LA), & the ocean is just crazy to me. It covers most of our planet's surface & holds so much life, but is also indifferent & just so powerful. Far more powerful than any (or even all) of us. Did you know humans have only explored 5% of the ocean?! 5%?! That's crazy.
Before you ask, YES, I can swim. My phobia is not about being eaten by a shark or something. I think it's more about not being in control, which is why I want to let it go.
So to my young self, the natural solution to overcome this was to go on a cruise. In the Caribbean. That would fix it. Because why not? 😆
So as my 30th birthday approached, I knew I wanted to do something special, & inspiration randomly struck while I was out walking one day. I'd finally go on that cruise in the Caribbean & maybe I could convince a friend or two to come with me because it would be for a milestone birthday. Little did I expect that not only did Adam agree to it immediately, regardless of whether or not anyone else would go with us, but 10 more friends joined up too! I feel so fortunate to know such awesome people.
THE DETAILS
Here was my criteria when I started looking for a cruise:
7 nights (because less than that just didn't seem like enough)
Reasonable price (fare had to be less than $1000 per person)
Started & returned to a place that we could get to easily & inexpensively
Took us to St Lucia (I started saving photos from different islands & felt drawn to its landscape)
With a reputable cruise line
Cruising on my actual birthday
We ended up with Royal Caribbean's ship Explorer of the Seas, sailing for 7 nights, starting & ending in San Juan, Puerto Rico. One of the best parts...it's putting us IN St Lucia ON my birthday! It just felt meant to be.
The itinerary is pretty packed though, with a new island every day & no days at sea. We'll be visiting:
Puerto Rico
St Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands
St Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands
St Maarten
St Lucia
Barbados
St Kitts
… & then back to Puerto Rico!
We even decided to fly in a day early & stay an extra 2 nights in San Juan around our cruise. There is SO much to do & see!
A few highlights from the activities we'll be doing:
All of this in one week! Not to mention the cruise ship itself, which will have karaoke, mini golf, an English pub, an adults-only pool & hot tub with a bar, & a dinner menu that changes every night!
It will surely be a trip we will remember for the rest of our lives.
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