My wife Penny and I love to travel! We love to explore new places, experience new people and eat great food. When we cruise, 90% of the time it is to do just that. However, there is the other 10% of the time when all we want to do is relax and get away. Sometimes, we get in the car and drive to a hotel. We go out to dinner, use the hotel amenities and just sit in the sun. Other times, we go to visit the grandchildren. Although it may not be as relaxing, it is still more relaxing than go, go, go (and we can give the grandchildren back to their parents when we are tired). But we find the best way to relax is by going on a destination cruise ship.
When we go on a cruise ship to relax, we look for three things; no phones, no reason to leave the ship, and extreme pampering. Especially living in Florida, there are so many cruise lines with 3,4,5 and 7 day cruises leaving from all over the state. You can usually get away from everything for as little as $600 per couple. When we do a short relaxation cruise, we usually book an ocean-view cabin. It is in the mid price range and we can enjoy the view through our picture window, or go up on deck to be outdoors. We get a ship schedule of what’s happening every night and plan what our days out. We are trivia buffs, so we will usually check out the trivia competitions. For breakfast, I will usually go to the buffet, while Penny will order room service as a wake up call late in the morning. We carry walkie-talkies so we can communicate and meet up (it’s the only telecommunications device we use). We meet up for coffee, lunch, drinks or an on-board event that we’re interested in. We both bring a couple of novels to read and when we feel like it, we find a corner on the ship near a bar to sit and read. Sometimes we are inside, and sometimes we go to the adult pool area. Lunch is whatever strikes us. For dinner, we decide whether we feel like being sociable and sitting with others or if we’d rather dine alone.
The key to a great destination cruise is to have no worries. Don’t over plan your itinerary. With no specific plans, there is no need to rush. This is your chance to move a little slower and reconnect with your spouse. In the day to day madness of life, how often are we afforded the opportunity to sit and gaze into each others eyes and enjoy each others company? Good food is important, but it does not have to be the gourmet food of a top cruise line. If the food is tasty and there is enough variety to choose a fun meal, that’s all you really need! Don’t sweat the small stuff – there’s little chance anyone will go hungry! Use the spa and, if you enjoy a good massage, check out the daily bargains at the spa and let yourself be pampered. If you are not leaving the ship on port days, you can certainly take advantage of these specials.
We were recently traveling with an older couple and who left us with this profound statement: “Wherever you cruise, you will enjoy it if you want to!”
Just relax and let the rolling of the waves on the hull of the ship whisk you away to a land of carelessness and freedom! That is the true destination!
Steve Leichner is a travel consultant for PSL Travel. Call (877) 387-4660 or email him your travel questions at [email protected]!