The case to make a cruise and not make the excursions on the ground

Traveling with a 16 year old during school breaks is always a shit shoot, and as I had just finished surgery of the cervical column in the month before our mother-son-in-law planned with Dutch America, I feared that my lack of mobility leads to a bad journey for both of us. Jack and I have been traveling together since the age of three months. We have sailed a lot, but it has generally been on shipping ships that focus on an active adventure. What, I was wondering, is a relaxing cruise of Big Ship as for my very active teenager?

Our seven -day oriental Caribbean itinerary aboard the New Stateddam Stop included in Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas and Half Moon Cay. Without my surgery, we would have done scuba diving in St Thomas. Jack and I are passionate divers, and I had not yet dived on this island. I also thought that kayak, horse riding and a bicycle visit would work for other excursions on the ground.

My doctor, of course, had other ideas.

He explained that I would not be able to do more than “swimming sweet”. Even snorkeling could cause me trouble if another snorkel gave me a kick (involuntarily) in the neck region. Suddenly, our fascinating school break seemed less exciting. We have never been the kind of people to make a cruise and stay on the ship, and yet that was exactly what we had to do – and to our surprise, we loved it.

In praise to relax for a change

Our first judgment was great Turk. Fortunately, the beach was less than 10 minutes from our ship. There, I did my “swimming gently” with Jack. We relaxed for a few hours and then returned to the ship. Since most of the other passengers were still making their excursions, we had the swimming pool for ourselves, which was charming.

To other calls of appeal, we have done small things. We walked and explored the port of Puerto Rico. In Half Moon Cay, a private island belonging to Holland America, we did more “swimming sweet” at the beach. In St. Thomas, we never even left the boat. Instead, we just relaxed. Jack and I are both of the kind to get up very early, but during this trip, we put the disconnection “not disturbing” the day before and we slept.

It was glorious.

We also spent the week sampling the specialized restaurants of the ship. Because we did not make real excursions on the ground, we were able to obtain reservations of dinner early for everyone (we are also the first guests). We sampered Osso Buco and lobster tails in Canaletto. Sea salt, the double sole and the seafood platform were our favorites. At Morimoto by Sea Pop Up, tuna pizza and Japanese curry were a success. In Pinnacle Grill, the steaks – including the lanyard of the Wagyu band and the boneless ribeye – were super tasty.

We also signed up for a spa package, which allowed us to each have two treatments. I had the authorization of my doctor to make the hot stone (as long as they avoided my neck) and Jack appreciated the massage of the deep fabrics.

At the gymnasium, I did yoga and stretch lessons while my son was doing his training for adolescents. He also liked that adolescent meetings (which were listed on the itinerary of the daily ship) generally involved basketball and / or football. The adolescents of the ship became instant friends and I did not have to worry that he was bored by my business.

No excuse required

Even if I apologized in advance for my lack of mobility and excursions to the ground, when everything was said and done, we agreed that it was one of the most relaxing trips that we have ever made.

We had quiet meals, it is ample time to hit the gymnasium and the spa, a lot of time at the swimming pool and appreciated night entertainment (especially the comedy show). The best part? We were not on a calendar, so we never define our alarm. We literally decided every morning what to do that day, so no preliminary planning required.

NOW It is Holidays.

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