More from Cruising
50+ things to do on sea days on your next cruise vacation
Worried there won't be things to do on sea days when you cruise? Well, stop it. Stop it right now. We've taken 18 cruises so far, most with Celebrity Cruises. Not only have we never been bored, there's never been enough time to do everything we've wanted. You can see...
Join us on our first Friends of Postcard Jar Cruise!
Friends of Postcard Jar Cruise UPDATED 7-28-22 Come sail away with us on our first Friends of Postcard Jar Cruise! We only have six cabins left in our original allotment, and we would love for you to join us (Steve and Ann) along with 48 other friends and readers of...
Our honest Celebrity Reflection review
This honest review of our Celebrity Reflection Eastern Caribbean cruise will help you decide if this ship and itinerary is right for you. In this post, we cover our cabin, the ship, itinerary, favorites, and what we think could have made our experience even better....
Is The Retreat worth it on Celebrity Cruises?
Is Celebrity Cruises' "The Retreat" worth it? We see this question asked often online. In our opinion, if the price tag fits your budget, it is totally worth it. The Retreat is ship-within-a-ship concept offering specialized, upgraded amenities and services for those...
Things we consider before we travel during the pandemic
To travel or not to travel during the pandemic? That is the question we’ve been asking ourselves a lot the past few weeks. And let’s face it - deciding whether or not to travel during this pandemic can be difficult. Recently, we confronted the conundrum of whether to...
Nine tips to avoid gaining weight on a cruise
Want to know how to avoid gaining weight on a cruise? Truth be told, we’ve been on 13 cruises and gained weight on nine of them. It wasn’t until we took the lessons we’d learned from the Noom app and the Mayo Clinic Healthy Living Program, that we figured out a way to...
Is cruising safe and will we cruise again?
Is cruising safe and will you get on a cruise ship again? These are two questions we’ve been asked a lot lately, as we've begun our careful transition back into travel. As you may know, we’re big fans of cruising. We had just disembarked from our 13th cruise in...
Cruise ship etiquette: How to not get labeled “that (annoying) guy”
Sometimes people amaze me. On cruises, most folks understand good cruise ship etiquette. Sadly, it seems that each cruise also has "that guy" (or gal) who sucks away the fun just by being there. You know who I'm talking about, right? There's always that one guy or gal...
Gifts for cruisers on your holiday shopping list
As regular readers of our blog know, we are avid cruisers, and simply love every minute we spend at sea. Cruising is a unique type of vacation, and there are some things we’ve found that really help smooth out the seas while we’re on board. We've put together...
Bars on the Celebrity Edge – A well researched guide
There are at least 10 bars on the Celebrity Edge - the cruise line's newest ship. In an effort to provide you with everything you need to know about the watering holes on board before your cruise, we immersed ourselves in extensive research on your behalf. And, we...
12 tips for good elevator etiquette on a cruise
Elevators on cruise ships are constantly in use. Every single hour, elevators carry folks up to the buffet, and down to the theater. They are filled with kids heading up to the pool and adults going down to the bars, shops and casino. And we're here to attest, not...
After two years of waiting, we’re finally going to board the Celebrity Edge!
If you've spent any time with me, you know that if you say the word "cruise," I'm likely to pull out my laptop and start helping you find one to book. I am crazy addicted to cruising, because cruises are, well, the best vacations ever conceived by humankind. To me,...
Steve and Ann’s guide to the ultimate Caribbean cruise
While informative and true, we want you to know that this post was written as an entry for Celebrity Cruises Ultimate Caribbean Cruise Itinerary contest. Winners of the contest receive a cash prize, social media recognition, and a guest post on the Celebrity Cruises...
Our swim in Cenote Ik Kil in Mexico
I had no idea what a cenote was before our cruise to Mexico. In fact, I don't even think I'd ever even heard the word. But I signed up to swim in one, anyway, because travel is about adventure, right? After leaving Chichén Itzá, we made a short drive over to Cenote Ik...
Our first wonder of the world: Chichén Itzá
It may surprise you that despite spending most of my career as a public school administrator, I was actually an anthropology major in college. Yes, that's right, I majored in anthropology and am not ashamed to admit that I'm an archaeology geek. I loved the semesters...
Five things that made our first-ever Carnival Cruise so much fun
When you quit your job after 21 years, the first thing you want to do is get away and have fun. That's why the morning after my last day as a middle school principal, we were in the car headed south to the Port of Galveston for our first-ever Carnival Cruise. While we...
Following our hearts to St. Kitts
Two years ago, I had never even heard of St. Kitts. Then, in August 2015, two incredible young men from this small island in the Caribbean stepped into our lives and into our hearts. We met Michael and Josiah their first week in Crete when they came to our church one...
Plane spotting at Maho Beach in St. Maarten
I've always loved airplanes and flying, so I was really looking forward to our stop at Maho Beach in St. Maarten. Situated at the end of the runway of St. Maarten's Airport sits Maho Beach, a wonderful spot to take in some rays and bob in the waters of the Caribbean...
Cruising the Caribbean: St. Lucia
I have been to tropical places. I've admired the lush forests and gazed at the blue waters. But nothing could have prepared me for the for sights and sounds above the treetops in St. Lucia. The second port of call on our Caribbean Christmas cruise was this incredible...
Cruising the Caribbean: Barbados
The first stop on our Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Summit was the island nation of Barbados. Twenty one miles long by 14 miles wide, Barbados is home to nearly 300,000 people if there are not ships in town. Our ship was one of about five docked there that day,...
Celebrating Christmas at sea
Christmas has always been a really important time for me. I love preparing for and celebrating the birth of my Savior, giving and receiving gifts, singing Christmas carols, and spending time with family and friends. So, it was't easy for me to agree to taking a family...
How to pack gifts for a cruise at Christmas
Yes, it is possible to pack for a cruise at Christmas. I love giving people gifts. I truly enjoy picking out just the right things, wrapping them in color-coordinated paper, and tying them up with fancy bows and name tags. I couldn't imagine Christmas morning without...
Christmas in the Caribbean: Puerto Rico
I never sleep well the night before we fly out early for vacation. The combination of the excitement for the trip, along with a worry that I will sleep through my alarm and miss the flight, often conspire to give me a short night with lots of waking moments wondering...
Five things we’re NOT looking forward to on our next cruise
As you may have heard from our Facebook "LIVE" event, we are headed to Europe for a Baltic cruise this summer. While there are tons of things we're looking forward to (i.e. visiting the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia; exploring Stockholm, Sweden; and...
Postcards from Alaska
We were just thrilled when Steve's parents decided to go on their very first cruise together earlier this year to beautiful Alaska. Steve's dad had been reluctant to try cruising for many years, so when he suggested he might be willing to "look into it," Gayle didn't...
A memorable European vacation
Last fall, our college-aged daughter, Meghan, shared with us that she was interested in doing a summer study abroad in Spain. Since she is a Spanish major (as was Steve), we thought this was a great opportunity and encouraged her to apply. Once she was accepted and...
We’ll toast to that!
National Martini Day is apparently celebrated each year on June 19. I tried to research this holiday and was unable to find the creator or origin of National Martini Day -- but that's not going to stop us from toasting it! While we aren't big drinkers, on the...
A new view of Key West
I'm one of the lucky ones. My grandparents spent winters in the Florida Keys so I've been to Key West many times. I have seen the drag queen lowered in her giant shoe at midnight on New Year's Eve. I've sipped beers in Sloppy Joe's, Captain Tony's and even the Hog's...
Travel Tip #4 – When cruising, book the spa on port days.
I'm not ashamed to admit that I enjoy a trip to the spa. I know a lot of men think the spa is "unmanly" but they only think that because they've never been there. Once you get a good, deep tissue massage with hot rocks, you'll put your pride aside and realize that the...
Inspiring the next step on your journey