Guest Post Stephany from Stephany Writes

I think today’s guest poster was one of my very first regular commenters on my blog. I was never too sure how she came across my quiet little space on the internet a year and a half ago (something like that, already!) but I can promise you that my blog life would have been completely different if she hadn’t! Stephany has been one of my regular reads ever since and one of the bloggers I’ve wanted to meet the most in real life!

Stephany was also the reason I came up with this ‘guest blog every day’ idea, because that’s exactly what she did when she took an amazing cruise earlier this year. When the idea popped in my head to steal her idea, I knew that I wanted her to write something for me about that very cruise that she took. Thanks again Steph!

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Hello, everyone! My name is Stephany and I’m so excited to watch Melissa’s blog while she’s away on her fabulous vacation to Greece!

While she’s away on her dream vacation, I thought it was only appropriate for me to talk about my dream vacation I took earlier this year! In May, my mom and I went on a 5-day Western Caribbean cruise to the Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico. Those five days were the best of my life and I can’t wait to do it again and again and again. I think everyone needs to experience a cruise at least once in their life and here’s why:

1. You get so much for one inclusive price.

Unlike other vacations where you have to factor in entertainment, food, and sightseeing, along with lodging, cruises come with one price that affords you so many things. Not only do you get a place to stay, but you get entertainment, all the food you could want, and a chance to travel to multiple countries. While you do have to pay for alcoholic beverages and some entertainment, for the most part, it’s all free and included. (And, luckily, my mom and I aren’t big drinkers but I imagine some drink tabs were well into the triple digits after five days.) And being able to visit different countries is the best benefit of them all.

2. The excursions are out of this world.

We used Carnival for our cruise and the variety of excursions were fantastic. Everything from swimming with dolphins to city tours to snorkeling to shopping. Not to sound too tour guide-y, but there is something for everyone. You definitely get what you pay for, with some of the excursions being $200 a person. My mom and I tried to stick with excursions around $60-$70 a person. I would wholly recommend doing at least one excursion while on a cruise because they are

worthwhile. My mom and I went snorkeling and swimming with sting rays in Grand Cayman and toured the Mayan ruins in Cozumel. Totally, absolutely, 100% worth it.

3. Don’t let the fear of sea sickness keep you from cruising.

I was quite worried about sea sickness so I bought pills just in case. I had never been on a boat for longer than a few hours, but it turned out not to be an issue. I experienced no sea sickness, probably because the boat was so big that any

rocking was minimal. The only time I really felt the rocking was in the bathroom (showers were fun!) and when we were leaving Mexico, since the waters were choppy. But no queasiness, no sickness at all. I’ve had many people ask me about sea sickness, but I think you shouldn’t let that fear, which can be a non-issue, keep you from cruising.

4. It’s the perfect balance of relaxation and busyness.

You know how when you go on vacations and all it seems is that you are so busy and when you return, you basically need a vacation fromyour vacation? Cruises offer the perfect balance of both. You have days at sea where you can sleep in, relax in a lounge chair, and read to your heart’s content and then you have days at port where you can go on an excursion and have incredible experiences. Sometimes, vacations feel like you pack in some much to do in so little time and while that’s fun, too, cruises offer the best of both worlds.

Have you ever been on a cruise? What was your experience like? If not, would you ever want to go on one?