Next Cruise Announcement!!!featured

I think cruises are pretty awesome.

That’s probably an understatement. I love cruises. I’ll try to convince anyone who’s willing to listen why they should cruise. I’ve spent hundreds of hours writing about our cruises to share my love for them with all of you.

They’re pretty great. And besides the obvious (they are a surprisingly cost-effective way of traveling), they’ve also become my favorite way to visit different corners of the world. It’s unconventional, sure, to try to see the world by cruise ship, but I travel on my own terms, not the ones set forth by anyone else. And just look at all of the incredible experiences we’ve had over the past 15 years of cruising:

We’ve lounged beneath shady palm trees in the Dominican Republic

And roamed the colorful streets of Old San Juan

We’ve gotten a birds-eye view from Paradise Point in St. Thomas

And found paradise in an over the water cabana in Haiti

We’ve climbed one of the highest Mayan ruins in Belize at Xunantunich

And admired the ruins we weren’t allowed to climb at Tulum

We’ve done rainforest hikes in Costa Rica

Watched ships pass through the Panama Canal

Swam with the sea turtles in Barbados (which apparently fell during my Hipstamatic phase)

And took a million pictures of the Pitons in St. Lucia (which Stephanie did NOT let me climb no matter how hard I tried to convince her it was not a terrible idea)

We’ve seen the most clear blue waters in Bonaire

And the most stunning sunset from a beach in Curacao

We’ve seen a few sunny days in the Bahamas

…but we’ve gotten caught in even more rain storms

We’ve gone to Hell (…literally) in the Cayman Islands

And wasted away at Margaritaville in Turks & Caicos

…more than once…

Fat Tuesday’s in Cozumel, too

And made the terrible decision to venture out in Tropical Storm Barry to seek refuge at Señor Frog’s. This would not be the first, or last, terrible decision we’ve made at Señor Frog’s but you know, #collegeyears

We’ve snorkeled in Aruba (but only when there were no fish around, obviously)

And hid away at an oasis in Antigua

We snapped a million beach shots in Honduras

And rode through the charming streets of Havana in a vintage car

And even sailed past the Statue of Liberty

And then we added Europe cruises into the mix and opened ourselves up to even MORE great experiences, like when we threw coins into the Trevi Fountain (side note, I really miss my blue hair!)

The time we walked past Checkpoint Charlie and along the remnants of the Berlin Wall

And the time we discovered the provincial charm of Saint Paul de Vence

There was the time we climbed (well, rode the Hop On Hop Off bus) to the top of the old town in Tallinn to catch the best views

And the time we learned about the gladiator fights at the Colosseum

And walked through the Vatican (and managed not to say a WORD while we walked through the Sistine Chapel – a feat for all of us)

There was the time we visited Amalfi and constantly tried to remind ourselves that the scenery in front of us wasn’t a painting on a postcard

And the time we went to Saint Petersburg and spent an evening at the Russian ballet seeing the most exquisite performance of Swan Lake

We’ve eaten pasta in Florence

Done Fika in Stockholm

And drank cappuccinos at the same café Van Gogh painted in Arles

We tried to eat our way through Sicily, but we were too distracted by the colorful ceramics

We’ve climbed up to the Acropolis in Athens

Visited Ephesus in Turkey

And we’ve explored the ruins of Pompeii

We’re still trying to figure out how we feel about Malta

And we’re still getting over the disappointment of getting thisclose to Santorini and not quite making landfall (those gale force winds, man)

Along the way, we’ve sipped tea

Won big (well…maybe not big. But we won!)

Sang along to every song at Name That Broadway Tune (and definitely won big there!)

And made so many friends

But no matter how many cruises we go on, we still can’t get the whole packing thing quite right

We’ve been a lot of places and seen a lot of things. All on a cruise ship. But you know where we haven’t been yet? Well, a lot of places, but in this case, it’s Asia. We haven’t been to Asia. I don’t think most people connect cruises with places other than the Caribbean or Mexico, but when we started talking about visiting Asia, it was the first thing I looked for. And when I saw that Royal Caribbean was building a new ship to launch in the Asia market, at the time of year we typically take our big trip, it was like some kind of meant-to-be fate.

So that’s a lot of words and way too many pictures to say, Stephanie and I are heading off to Asia in May, onboard the so-new-it’s-still-being-built Spectrum of the Seas (no, Mom’s not coming on this one, but she’s already stalking Europe itineraries for us to sail in 2020, and she and I are going off on our own mini-adventure in three weeks — stay tuned for that one!). This is so big that I don’t even know where or how to start planning it, but I’m so beyond words excited, and I can’t wait to take all of you along with us. I’ve been writing this travel journal-turned-blog thing for almost ten years now, and so much of the joy I get in traveling is sharing it with all of you. I can’t wait to experience this together.

If you’re also sailing on the Spectrum of the Seas on May 25, we’ll see you onboard (and I really hope you’ll come up and say hi if you see us!). If you’ve been to Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Hong Kong or Shanghai, I’d love your reccos. And if you have a suggestion on where to spend a few pre-cruise days, I’d love to hear it (we’re thinking Bangkok, but nothing’s set in stone until the airfare is booked!).

I. Can’t. Wait.