Cruisin'

We just got back from a 6 day cruise to Freeport, Nassau, and Key West aboard the Carnival Fantasy Fun Ship. We left out of Charleston, SC and it was so convenient.

and yes, FUN!

So, how did we decide on a cruise?

Last Fall we were joking about our mom turning 50. We asked her if she wanted a fun party and she immediately looked at us and said "no, i want to leave the country!" Enough said. So we planned a family cruise and after the past two years since our last family vaca, we were in desperate need for quality time together. My mom has been the solid ROCK of our family. Since 2008, she has supported me in achieving my dreams of opening my own business and continues to help me, she's given me the wedding of my dreams, and last but not least she has been there for my sister and I during the absolute most devastating time in our lives when our father suddenly past away from a heart attack . [my mom and dad were divorced but still great friends and our family got along great]. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't think "where would I be without my sweet mama?" She truly is our role model, solid rock that keeps us grounded, and the cheerleader in our corner. We were thrilled to take this past week to spend time together. Now, here's a few pics and my three key points of advice from the week.

Arrive EARLY! We had no problem with traffic and even though we boarded the ship at 11:30 am, yet couldn't get into our rooms until 1:30 pm, it was worth it and there was plenty for us to do. Like EAT! Which is pretty much what we did the whole time. I mean, c'mon what else do you do on a cruise?
Carry soft drinks in your luggage. They will let you take them onto the ship and since they have ice and cups in your room, it was nice to have a soft drink (sorry, our family has a Dt. Mtn Dew addiction) without paying $1.95 for it.
Go to the shows. They were great and gave us something to do at night after dinner. We enjoyed the late 8:15 dinner seating because we usually stayed out in the sun until at least 6pm or so.
love that you can see the Cooper River Bridge in the background. Mom was making fun of our "arm out pose"...did we also mention that's where we got our sense of humor?

Here's a few photos from our first night: