As a middle class child growing up in the east coast, cruises were an easy vacation. Reasonably affordable, and they took us to several places while only having to unpack once. I always wanted to take my kids on a cruise, but it somehow never worked out. Then it came time for my husband and I to plan an adventure for our 20th anniversary. We were planning at the last minute and wanted something affordable and easy that fits into our schedule. A friend was a Carnival Cruise Travel Planner and could get us a good deal. Next thing we knew, we were booked to a 5 day Eastern Caribbean Cruise heading out of Miami to celebrate 20 years of marriage on a couple’s adventure all our own.
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- Cruise Details
- Ports of Call
- Nights and Days at Sea
- Food on the Ship
- What to Bring
- Tips for a Romantic Time Away
Cruise Details
We went on the Carnival Sunrise, which left out of Miami on a 5 day cruise through the Eastern Caribbean. We booked a balcony room in the back of the ship where we had fantastic view of the sunsets over the ocean.
We had the following itinerary
- Departure Day: Leave Miami
- Day 1: Nassau, Bahamas
- Day 2: Half Moon Cay
- Day 3: Grand Turk
- Day 4: Day at Sea
- Day 5: Return to Miami
Ports of Call
Nassau, Bahamas
A popular cruise stop, this was once the holdout for pirates in the Caribbean before it became a stronghold of the British government. The Bahamas gained its independence in 1973 but still retains much of its British architecture, traditions and customs.
My husband has never been to the Bahamas, and I had not been since I was a child. We decided to take an excursion provided by the ship, Taste of Nassau: Local Flavors Experience. The tour took us around Nassau, giving us some history and stopping at various food stops along the way. We had rum cake from Bahamas Rum Cake Factory, tried various teas the island is famous for, drank different rum drinks and ate some fried conch, and then visited a rum factory. Afterwards we were treated to a traditional lunch of ribs, chicken thighs, rice and pigeon peas, and, of course, fried plantain.
Afterwards, we were taken back to the port. We took the rest of the time to explore the famous straw market. While many of the stores had the same touristy trinkets you’d expect, we lucked out and found a woman who had a stall since the market was filled with just authentic straw handicrafts. We bought a handmade straw basket that had exquisite craftmanship. After some shopping and a few drinks, we went back to the ship with plenty of time to watch the runners on the pier.
Half Moon Cay
In the last 30 years, cruise lines have started to purchase and create luxury private island experiences for their passengers in the form of private island escapes. Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas is Carnival’s private island paradise. We chose to rent a clamshell sunshade and chairs for the day to have shade and enjoy the beautiful Caribbean beach. We ate the BBQ prepared by the beach for the passengers and included in the free meals. It’s a shorter stop and we got a few hours on the beach before we boarded a water shuttle back to the boat.
Grand Turk
Turks & Caicos was new country for both of us. While I’ve been on a few cruises, I’d never stopped at Grand Turk. We wanted to know the island, so we booked Grand Turk Flavors, Sightseeing & Lunch excursion through Carnival. We were picked up from the port and taken on a mini bus driven around the island. We saw the memorial to the Friendship 7, John Glenn’s space capsule which splashed down near the island, the old Grand Turk salt mines, and the beautiful properties around the island. We stopped for a quick shopping trip and then lunch before being dropped off at Governor’s Beach. There we got some chairs and sun shade, and enjoyed the clear water and white sand beaches. We saw the donkeys the island is famous for, as well as the fish that swim right around your feet. Then they took us back to the port where we boarded the ship for the last time.
Nights and Days at Sea
While the locations are one of the reasons we picked the cruise, we actually spent more total hours on the ship than off. A cruise ship is designed to be a resort on the sea and that is exactly what it was. Here are just a few of the things we did:
Evening Shows – There were several evening shows to watch. There were bands to watch, different game shows you could watch or participate in, and even some beautiful dancing shows. My husband and I loved the piano bar and stayed several hours listening to requests and enjoying our players’ original music.
Couples Massage – We love massages and decided to use a discount to book a couples massage in the Cloud 9 Spa onboard. We were able to be in the same room, and it was a great massage.
Pool Days – Our ship had two pools. We tended to stay towards the back pool which had a calmer crowd. The other option we enjoyed was the hot tub up on the adult-only deck.
Food on the Ship
Included Food Options
Most of the food on the ship are included in the price of the cruise. This includes buffets on the Lido deck that are open in the center of the ship for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In addition, there are cuisine specific restaurants that had focused dishes. We enjoyed burgers from Guys Burger Joint, Late Night Pizza from Pizzeria del Capitano, and tacos and burrito bowls from BlueIguana Cantina. There was always tea, coffee, lemonade, and frozen yogurt available at all times.
For dinner, you are assigned a dining room. You have the ability to check in and will be brought to a table. You can choose to be part of a shared table, or you can choose to sit as just your party. We always choose to sit by ourselves as we wanted a romantic vacation and finally had some time to ourselves. But I could see how it would be a nice way to meet other families or couples if you are more sociable.
Paid Options – Ships these days have included a number of upgraded paid food options. On the deck there is Seafood Shack which offers seafood, lobster rolls and other delicious treats. In the ship there is JavaBlue Cafe where you can get your lattes with milk alternatives (those are not available in the main dining room), espressos and Frappuccinos, and European pastries. We also got drip coffee which honestly was better than the coffee available around the ship.
In addition, there are three restaurants with paid options. The Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse, Cucina del Capitano Italian restaurant, and Bonsai Sushi for fresh sushi and sashimi. You can make reservations if you want a more upscale dinner and dining experience. We decided to skip these and do something even more extra. We chose to do the Chef’s Table. This is an experience where a small group is taken on a tour of the kitchen and get a multi-course meal where the menu is created and presented by the chef, with wine and champagne. Every single item was spectacular and creative, one of the best meals we had, and the best way to spend our actual anniversary. It was our favorite treat of the cruise. Highly recommend, but reserve BEFORE the cruise to ensure a spot.
Alcoholic and Non-Alcoholic Beverages – Alcoholic beverages and soda products are some of the many ways you pay for things on the cruise. There are packages you can purchase that allow all you can drink packages. There are various packages but in generally you needed to drink at least $70 a day in alcohol and we decided we could not drink that much. We did get the Bottomless Bubbles package which allowed all-you-can-drink soda. Carnival Cruise had Pepsi products, and all the sodas were in cans. One of the things we discovered was that if you buy a bottle of wine in the main dining halls and don’t finish it, they can keep it in the kitchen wine cellar for your next meal.
What to Bring
- Cruise Specific Luggage Tags: One way cruises are different is that you give your luggage to porters before checking in. Your luggage is brought to your room. Your cruise will provide you tags to print and suggest your staple them. I was worried about them being ripped off the bag and my bag getting lost. I purchased these Carnival specific Luggage Tags that wrapped the paper tags in plastic and used a metal ring that can’t easily be removed from your luggage.
- A First Day Bag: You will board the ship sometime in the morning and may not get your bags for several hours or even until the evening. Our First Day bag had our medications, electronics, and a swimsuit so I could get into the pool right away. We just used our backpack for this. We were lucky and got our bags before dinner. I saw them delivering bags until late into the evening.
- Your Passport: You CAN board a cruise in the Caribbean with just a birth certificate, but it makes boarding and disembarking harder. Those with a passport have an easier time.
- Nice Outfit for Formal or Theme Nights: Most cruises have at least one, if not two, formal nights. “Formal” can be loosely defined, but it’s nice to get dressed up. My husband had some polo and button down shirts, and I brought a few fun Amazon dresses.
- An Power Strip/USB Charging Station: They are not kidding about the lack of plugs. There was ONE plug point in our room. We had a 6 port USB charger to charge all our devices, but we needed to borrow an extension cord for my husband’s c-pap machine. I highly suggest a small power strip or USB charging station if that works for you.
- A few cute swimsuits and cover-ups: Cruises are generally all about the pool and beach. Have a few cute suits for variety. I also added a new cover-up for this trip. Note, you will need a cover-up as you can not enter the dining areas in just swimwear.
Tips for a Romantic Time Away
- Book Early: Due to a number of issues, we were not able to decide what we were doing until about 45 days before leaving. But in general, the earlier you book the cruise, the cheaper it is. In addition, you get more choice in rooms, and you can make a payment plan so it’s not such a large cost all at once.
- Arrive the Night Before: You never know what can happen with flights, even red-eyes. The boat waits for no one. Make sure to arrive the night before the cruise. I was able to use some points to book a hotel right near the airport. The hotels all offer group shuttles to the various cruise ports.
- Check In Early and/or Get to the Port Early: The people who check in early get the earlier loading windows. However, if you arrive early, you are able to join a stand-by line to get checked in early if people are available to check your papers. Once you are there, you can get lunch and wander and explore your ship before your room is ready. Get that vacation started early!
- Book Excursions through the Cruise Line: People know that I love booking tours when I’m in a new place. Normally, I use TripAdvisor or Get Your Guide to book something. However, for the cruise, even though I know it was more expensive, we booked our excursions through the cruise ship. When you book through the cruise line, the tour company guarantees it will bring you back in time or they are responsible for getting you to the next port of call. If you book on your own and there is an issue, you are on your own to get to the next port. I didn’t want to take that chance.
- Book Excursions that appeal to both your interests: My husband is a foodie and neither one of us are adventurers. We booked excursions that centered around the history and cultures of the island as well as the typical food. There are options to do adventures, explore the culture and history, or just lounge at each beach you visit. Talk to each other about what is important in each place you see and what you want to do. And book that so you can reconnect over shared interests.
- Consider an Adults Only Cruise: We loved our cruise experience. But we also went in April during Easter and some kids’ spring break. There were a lot of kids and teenagers on the cruise, it made me miss my own. We did spend some time on the adult-only deck, but sometimes I wanted a pool, not a hot tub. Also, when kids are around, I find it hard to turn off mom mode. One day, I looked up to see a kid who clearly didn’t know how to swim well struggle. I found myself helping him to the side and teaching him how to monkey walk on the side. I was glad to do it, but it also took me out of relaxing mode. If you are going with kids, this is a great, affordable cruise line to do it. If you are looking for a romantic trip, try to avoid being where other kids will be.
- Upgrade your room: My husband tends to be claustrophobic, so we sprung for a balcony room. My friend got us one on the end of the boat with a bigger balcony. It was so nice to have that outdoor space and have the ability to feel like you could get air in the room. It was also nice to treat ourselves to a nicer room.
- Take into account if your port has a shuttle vs pull up to the dock: When there are water shuttles, you need to get up early to get a spot on one of the earlier shuttles. If you want to sleep in and figure you will shuttle down, you might find yourself waiting 30+ minutes for a ride to shore and missing an excursion.
- Spa Days are Cheaper on Port Days: The spa services had dynamic pricing and the days that we were at port were cheaper. We were able to do cheaper couples’ massages the morning we were landing in Grand Turk and still make it in time for our excursion.
- Get Home Ready: Now that we have teenagers with crazy schedules, we needed to make sure that whoever was home knew the schedule and had the stamina and time to get the kids to all the various activities. I flew in my dad, wrote up the schedule, made sure the fridge was packed and left a credit card. You can read more on how we prepare the house for a couples get-away here: (Planning a Couples Getaway: Setting Up the Household for Success)
The cruise was a beautifully romantic way to celebrate 20 years married. I loved spending time reconnecting with my husband, lounging and relaxing without having to be mom. It was a great way to see a few places but still get that resort style vacation. Usually we do a “traveling” vacation (going from city to city, tourist-ing all day) or a “relaxing” vacation (stay at one resort, enjoy the pools and beach and do nothing). This was such a fantastic and economical way to combine both that suits both of our personalities. After 20 years of marriage, we are still finding new ways to have adventures that please both of us together.
* Starred Photos taken by Atma Photography
Edited by SKS