Let me confess something right up front: I am a cruise girlie. A floating-city, towel-animal, soft-serve-after-midnight, “where’s my lanyard?” cruise girlie. And if you’ve ever wondered why people like me keep booking floating vacations like we’re collecting loyalty points (because… we are), let me take you on a deck-by-deck tour of why I love to take cruises

💼 Unpack Once, Vacation Everywhere

Planes, trains, automobiles… and nine different hotel rooms? Exhausting. On a cruise, I unpack once and my “hotel” kindly sails me to multiple countries while I’m busy deciding between the chocolate lava cake and the cheesecake (spoiler: both). There’s this deep, delicious laziness in knowing my closet’s on Deck 8 and my next stop is literally another country.

 I want adventure without hauling a suitcase over cobblestones like I’m auditioning for an Olympic weightlifting team. Cruising says, “Honey, sit down, sip that latte, and let us do the driving.”

🌊 Sea Days = Permission To Do Absolutely Nothing (Or Everything)

Sea days are my love language. You can lounge without guilt, read in a deck chair like you’re starring on the travel channel, or join line dancing next to a pool shaped like a kidney bean. If I want a schedule—she’s there (trivia, art auctions, silent discos). If I want to pretend the clock does not exist—also available.

Some of my sea day habits include:

• Sunrise coffee on deck (robe optional, attitude caffeinated)
• Breakfast buffet fruit + “accidentally” also a waffle
• Stretch class or a walk on the promenade (so I can justify dessert later)
• Lounge chair + audiobook + people watching
• Late lunch, a nap I didn’t plan for, and evening sparkle time

🗓️Built-In Buffet of… Everything

I am not just talking about food—though yes, midnight pizza is a core memory. I’m talking about a buffet of choices:

• Broadway-style shows AND karaoke with strangers who think they are Broadway
• Trivia, wine tastings, spa days, water slides, pickleball, escape rooms on a boat (?!), and comedians who know exactly how many shrimps you’ve eaten
• Quiet reading corners and loud sail-away parties with confetti cannons

Cruises have the “something for everyone” range down to a science. Prefer yoga. Prefer bingo. Prefer napping. Prefer never seeing a swimsuit and living at the Café Promenade. You do you, boo.

🏖️Shore Excursions: Choose Your Own Adventure

One morning I’m wandering pastel streets with a pastry in hand; later I’m snorkeling over reefs with parrotfish that look like tropical Lisa Frank stickers. Shore days feel like bite-sized adventures—enough to feel like a mini trip, but not so long that I need a personal assistant and a nap to manage them.

Things I try to do when going into port:

• Book one “wow” excursion (zip-lining, catamaran, cooking class with a local) and one DIY stroll day where you wander, shop, and eat street food.
• Screenshot your maps before you lose Wi‑Fi and remember the ship waits for no one (except on ship-run excursions).
• Pack a tiny “portal pack”: lip balm, sunscreen, mini hand sanitizer, local cash, and a snack because I’m me.

🧑‍🍳The Crew Makes It Feel Like Home

The crew members are the heartbeat. They remember your name, your coffee (blonde peppermint white chocolate, extra hot, thank you), and your tendency to double back for more melon. Their kindness is part of why cruising feels like a cozy small town… on the ocean.

😎People-Watching Is a Full-Time Hobby

From matching family T-shirts (“Cruise Crew 2025!”) to the glam couple who treat each formal night like the Oscars, I am thriving in the anthropological wonder that is a cruise ship. I love seeing multigenerational families all vacationing in one bubble where Grandma’s at the piano bar and the teens are quietly ruling the arcade.

👗Theme Nights, Dress-Up Moments & Sparkly Dresses I Never Wear On Land

Cruises give me permission to pack the fancy dress that needs dry cleaning. Theme nights, formal dinners, white parties—yes, I brought the statement earrings. I also love that I can rotate between “I own a steamer trunk” looks and “athleisure for dinner, because stretchy waistbands are a spiritual practice.”

Things I always pack:

• One glam dress that makes me feel like a disco mermaid
• A light cardigan and a hoodie (ships can be chilly inside!)
• Comfy sandals that survive cobblestones
• Portable fan and motion-sickness patches (just in case Poseidon tries it)
• A foldable tote for souvenirs and snacks I pretend are “for the room”

💰Value You Can Actually See

Let’s talk money, honey. A lot of your expenses are bundled: accommodations, transportation between destinations, entertainment, most food, and endless ocean views. Yes, extras can stack up (Wi‑Fi, drinks, excursions, specialty dining, CASINO), but if you plan smart, you can cruise without your wallet crying.

How I save without feeling deprived:

• Book off season (still warm, fewer crowds)
• Set a drinks budget / grab a drink package if I’ll actually use it
• Plan 1–2 paid shore excursions and DIY the rest
• Watch for price drops & re-fare (yes, you can often get a lower price if it drops pre-final payment)

🎉Routine Meets Spontaneity (my favorite combo)

I love a predictable routine with a dash of chaos. On a cruise, I can wake up with a plan (Pilates, pool, pasta) and change it completely (nap, nap, trivia, nap). The built-in structure of the daily schedule makes it easy to say “yes” to things I wouldn’t normally try—like silent disco, salsa class, or watching an ice-skating show… at sea. Sure.

☺️It’s Accessible (In So Many Ways)

Cruising can be a great option for folks who want:

• Mobility-friendly access (many ships are thoughtfully designed; check specifics before booking)
• A way to see multiple places without the constant logistics
• Food options for every preference or restriction (tell your dining team—they’re magicians)
• A vacation that’s as high-energy or low-key as your body needs, day by day

🛜Built-In Digital Detox (Or Not—You Choose)

Bless the spotty-at-best Wi‑Fi for forcing me to look at the ocean, not my inbox. But if I need to check in, I’ll grab a package. If not? I let myself go old-school: I write, I read, I watch the wake and let my brain float right along with it.

🙌The Little Joys I Can’t Get Over

• Towel animals sitting on the bed like they pay rent
• Soft-serve machines that judge no one
• Sunset from the aft deck with a breeze that gets everything wrong with the world right again
• Waking up, pulling the curtain, and seeing a brand new port like a surprise birthday party
• That first sail-away horn (I get chills; don’t @ me)

🪽Cruise Myths I Like to Break Up With

“I’ll be trapped.”
Baby, there are more lounges, bars, outdoor decks, reading nooks, and promenade corners than I have lipsticks. You’ll find your spot.

“It’s all eating and sleeping.”
Look me in the eye after you’ve rock climbed, salsa danced, laughed at a comedy show, and lost at trivia to a team named Ship Happens.

“I’ll get seasick.”
Modern ships are floating fortresses with stabilizers, and there are a million remedies—ginger chews, patches, sea-bands. Talk to your doc, pack the kit, and go.

👩‍💻My Personal “Cruise Code”

• Book early, watch for drops.
• Don’t overschedule. Leave space for ship serendipity.
• Choose cabins for your style: Balcony for coffee-at-sunrise? Interior for pitch-black sleep and extra dollars for excursions?
• Hydrate. Ocean air + sun + “just one more spritz” = drink your water.
• Leave room in your suitcase. Because yes, that flowy dress does come home with me.

🩷So, Why Do I Love Cruising?

Because it’s the perfect paradox: glamorous and comfy, structured and spontaneous, adventurous and deeply restful. It’s sunrise coffee on a balcony and salsa under the stars. It’s wandering ancient streets and then coming “home” to a waiter who remembers I like ketchup with my Steak Frites. It’s permission to be a little extra and a lot at ease.

And if loving a ship-shaped vacation is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

Happy Cruising,

Natalie🛳️