Cruisin’ With My Crew

Recovering + finding your land legs again after the “best vacation ever!” is a doozy! But booking the perfect vacation for 5 + all ages is even tougher!

You asked + I’m delivering: Everything about our 8-day Eastern Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral aboard the Carnival Sunshine (big boat above ^^^)

The itinerary was P·E·R·F·EC·T! We sailed from Port Canaveral to Grand Turk + San Juan + St. Kitts + St. Maarten + back to Port Canaveral. The islands are gorgeous, the weather was perfect + you’re at each port just long enough to explore!

My first tip? Travel in the off months!

We don’t have much cruising experience (our first and only cruise was our honeymoon) haha, but traveling in September seems to be a great time to travel with kids + avoid big crowds. Jonah, Rigg, + Jack are easy to track + there aren’t any lines for activities.

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SHOP OUR CRUISE ESSENTIALS

Our crew had so much fun on this cruise. Finding something to do for young kids can be tough but Jack was totally stoked about Camp Ocean which takes ages 2-12!

All 3 boys loved feeling a little like they were off-leash + able to do their own thing. They get to choose their own meals, do activities that appeal to them + design their own days at sea!

I like that they split up the ages because there seemed to be a lot of teenagers + they have programs just for them.

It’s an onboard program that takes all the best parts of summer camp + counselors to play with your kids freeing the parents up for a break!

More importantly, this was super handy when Jon + I wanted to have a fancy dinner with just the two of us or get off the boat + explore at the different ports.

We had to BEG the boys to leave the boat.

It can be scary leaving your kids with strangers for a few hours but you get a cell phone that can be used to get a hold of you if a kid gets sick or needs anything + Carnival also has a super handy app that lets you chat with everyone on the boat.

You can also check the app for the boat schedule or get those printed + delivered to your door each morning!

We planned to make the most of this Cat + The Hat themed cruise so we also:

• Signed up for the character breakfast the first day in Camp Ocean
• Grabbed a bunch of Cat In The Hat stuff at the Target dollar spot to decorate our cabin (Target is a black hole I routinely fall into!)
• There are onboard parties + dining experiences that also incorporate the theme

Aside from the many hats one must pack (like the one above), here are some must-haves I recommend if you’re going on a cruise:

Cruise Essentials

• Ibuprofen + Dramamine (if you have severe motion sickness these bands might be what you need)
• Hydro Flask or Yeti waterbottle will save you!
• Ziplock baggies (snacks for later) (I love these reusable ones)
• Soda or pack of root beer (we loved adding it to the free soft serve for rootbeer floats)
• Portable + Waterproof Speaker (ours is linked)
• Caribeaner or keychain to link room cards together
• Baby powder or Gold Bond for beach days (it gets the sand off)
• Sunscreen chapstick – these Zinc Zinka sticks are super fun colors + totally block the sun!
• Towel clips (these keep your towel from blowing off your chair on windy days!)

It’s easy to forget things like tampons + razors (left mine in Florida). I don’t know about you but being around that many other people always throws my body out of whack!

Word to the wise: They have a little market on the ship but tampons + other feminine products are good to pack just in case!!! Onboard prices are high, but you’ll be able to find what you need should you forget something!

All-in-all, we’re marking this trip a total success! This was easily one of the best vacations we’ve taken + we will be booking another cruise in the near future.

To learn more about our EXACT cruise, click HERE.