{"id":10869,"date":"2018-10-26T16:12:50","date_gmt":"2018-10-26T23:12:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/?p=10869"},"modified":"2019-08-14T00:35:16","modified_gmt":"2019-08-14T07:35:16","slug":"cruisin-with-my-homies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/cruisin-with-my-homies\/","title":{"rendered":"Cruisin&#8217; With My Crew"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10877\" src=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7089-2.jpg\" alt=\"Boarding The Cruise Ship\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7089-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7089-2-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7089-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7089-2-683x1024.jpg 683w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Recovering + finding your land legs again after the &#8220;best vacation ever!&#8221; is a doozy! But booking the perfect vacation for\u00a05 + all ages is even tougher!<\/p>\n<p>You asked\u00a0+ I&#8217;m delivering: Everything about our 8-day Eastern Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral aboard the Carnival Sunshine (big boat above ^^^)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10885\" src=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7147-2.jpg\" alt=\"Boys on dock\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7147-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7147-2-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7147-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7147-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>The itinerary was P\u00b7E\u00b7R\u00b7F\u00b7EC\u00b7T! 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&#8217;re at each port just long enough to explore!<\/p>\n<p>My first tip? Travel in the off months!<\/p>\n<p>We don&#8217;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\u00a0+ avoid big crowds. Jonah, Rigg,\u00a0+ Jack are easy to track + there aren&#8217;t any lines for activities.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10883\" src=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7133-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7133-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7133-2-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7133-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7133-2-683x1024.jpg 683w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10882\" src=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7114-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7114-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7114-2-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7114-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7114-2-683x1024.jpg 683w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10880\" src=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7103-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7103-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7103-2-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7103-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7103-2-683x1024.jpg 683w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00b0\u00b0\u00b0\u00b0\u00b0\u00b0\u00b0\u00b0\u00b0\u00b0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">SHOP OUR CRUISE ESSENTIALS<\/p>\n<div class=\"shopthepost-widget\" data-widget-id=\"3306230\">\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">!function(d,s,id){var e, p = \/^http:\/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)) {e = d.createElement(s);e.id = id;e.src = p + ':\/\/' + 'widgets.rewardstyle.com' + '\/js\/shopthepost.js';d.body.appendChild(e);}if(typeof window.__stp === 'object') if(d.readyState === 'complete') {window.__stp.init();}}(document, 'script', 'shopthepost-script');<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"rs-adblock\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 15px; height: 15px;\" src=\"\/\/assets.rewardstyle.com\/production\/3e74e522264e075112a228d54d41f19611e1eb60\/images\/search\/350.gif\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10884\" src=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7143-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7143-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7143-2-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7143-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7143-2-683x1024.jpg 683w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">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!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">All 3 boys loved feeling a little like they were off-leash\u00a0+ 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!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I like that they split up the ages because there seemed to be a lot of teenagers\u00a0+ they have programs just for them.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">It&#8217;s an onboard program that takes all the best parts of summer camp + counselors\u00a0to play with your kids freeing the parents up for a break!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">More importantly, this was super handy when Jon\u00a0+ I wanted to have a fancy dinner with just the two of us or get off the boat + explore at the different ports.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">We had to BEG the boys to leave the boat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">It can be scary leaving your kids with strangers for a few hours but you get a cell phone that\u00a0can be used to get a hold of you if a kid gets sick or needs anything + Carnival also has\u00a0a super handy app that lets you chat with everyone on the boat.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">You can also check the app for the boat schedule or get those printed\u00a0+ delivered to your door each\u00a0morning!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10879\" src=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7101-2.jpg\" alt=\"jon and boys boarding boat\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7101-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7101-2-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7101-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7101-2-683x1024.jpg 683w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We planned to make the most of this Cat\u00a0+ The Hat themed cruise so we also:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Signed up for the character breakfast the first day in Camp Ocean<\/li>\n<li>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!)<\/li>\n<li>There are\u00a0onboard parties\u00a0+ dining experiences that also incorporate the theme<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10873\" src=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_6792-2.jpg\" alt=\"Ginger\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_6792-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_6792-2-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_6792-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_6792-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Aside from the many hats one must pack (like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gigipip.com\/collections\/straw-hats-for-women\/products\/faye-medium\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">one above<\/a>), here are some must-haves I recommend if you&#8217;re going on a cruise:<\/p>\n<h3>Cruise Essentials<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2OjXPJJ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ibuprofen<\/a>\u00a0+ <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2Og5okF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dramamine<\/a>\u00a0(if you have severe motion sickness <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2yuNvny\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">these bands<\/a> might be what you need)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2Og4LHI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hydro Flask <\/a>or <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2OhwfwO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Yeti<\/a> waterbottle will save you!<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2yriP6k\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ziplock baggies <\/a>(snacks for later) (I love these <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2OhwmIK\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reusable\u00a0ones<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li>Soda or pack of root beer (we loved adding it to the free soft serve for rootbeer floats)<\/li>\n<li>Portable + Waterproof Speaker (<a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2yv9FG2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ours is linked<\/a>)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2OgWcMI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Caribeaner<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2ywen6p\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">keychain<\/a> to link room cards together<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2ytFxLp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Baby powder<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2ytmReF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gold Bond<\/a> for beach days (it gets the sand off)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2ywbdzF\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sunscreen chapstick <\/a>&#8211; these Zinc\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2OjpgDh\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Zinka sticks<\/a> are super fun colors\u00a0+ totally block the sun!<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/2OfoM10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Towel clips<\/a> (these keep your towel from blowing off your chair on windy days!)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It&#8217;s easy to forget things like tampons\u00a0+ razors (left mine in Florida). I don&#8217;t know about you but being around that many other people always throws my body out of whack!<\/p>\n<p>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&#8217;ll be able to find what you need should you forget something!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10878\" src=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7092-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7092-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7092-2-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7092-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7092-2-683x1024.jpg 683w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10875\" src=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7041-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7041-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7041-2-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7041-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7041-2-683x1024.jpg 683w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10874\" src=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_6993-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_6993-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_6993-2-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_6993-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_6993-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10876\" src=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7088-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7088-2.jpg 800w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7088-2-600x900.jpg 600w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7088-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_7088-2-683x1024.jpg 683w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">All-in-all, we&#8217;re marking this trip a total success! This was easily one of the best vacations we&#8217;ve taken\u00a0+ we will be booking another cruise in the near future.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">To learn more about our EXACT cruise, click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carnival.com\/itinerary\/8-day-eastern-caribbean-cruise\/pt-canaveral\/sunshine\/8-days\/ecc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p class=\"excerpt\">Recovering + finding your land legs again after the &#8220;best vacation ever!&#8221; is a doozy! But booking the perfect vacation for\u00a05 + all ages is even tougher! You asked\u00a0+ I&#8217;m delivering: Everything about our 8-day Eastern Caribbean Cruise from Port Canaveral aboard the Carnival Sunshine (big boat above ^^^)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10871,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[261,271,1],"tags":[259,514],"class_list":["post-10869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parenting","category-travel","category-uncategorized","tag-parrishfambucketlist","tag-family-vacation"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/IMG_6754-2.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5mhS8-2Pj","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10869"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10869\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10995,"href":"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10869\/revisions\/10995"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theparrishplace.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}