Cruising with Royal Caribbean

 I have to be honest.

The idea of a cruise absolutely terrified me. Maybe it's because Titanic came out when I was in 7th grade and it scarred me forever. Maybe it's because not having control is hard for me, but when we got back from Puerto Rico last year and Emma asked if she could spend my birthday with me on an island and a cruise, and then we found a stupidly cheap deal, making the whole cruise less than $1500 for all four of us, we booked it without really thinking. 

Fast forward to February and I was panicking about this. Being trapped on a boat in the middle of the ocean... don't get me wring. I love the ocean. I want to buy a house again by the beach. I love boating and being in the water but something about a cruise just didn't sit right. I put on my best face because I was going to celebrate with my kids this year... and I'm so glad I did. Cruising was so much fun and honestly, with the kids, being transported from place to place while sleeping was amazing. Not worrying about food or additional costs was amazing. All of it, was amazing.

Having everything right on the boat is so convenient. We immediately explored and went to the pool to spend the day. We spent so much time just sitting by the pool and it was honestly the most relaxing birthday I've had lately. 

Our trip included a visit to CocoCay, Roya; Caribbean's private island and again, magical. Tyler was obsessed with the wave pool. Nick and Emma went down water slides, and I got to rest with a book. Food was still included on the island so we feasted on chicken fingers and burgers. We did add some virgin pool drinks because you have to, but at $6 each, it was still a great price for a fancy drink. 

Back on the boat, we were able to go down water slides, go ice skating, and even mini golf!

Our boat, Freedom of the Sea is a perfect mid-size ship and our 4 days cruise was just the right amount of time. Anything longer and I think we would have needed a bigger boat but I would love to cruise and explore places like Alaska or more tropical islands. This trip definitely changed my stance on cruises and I can't wait for our next one!