Today I am headed down to Tampa, Florida for a 5 night
Western Caribbean cruise. Yes, I am
writing this on an airplane as we speak, I just cannot contain my excitement
any longer. Unfortunately, I do not have
any photos yet of the cruise ship or my adventures, but I can share with you my
packing experiences thus far. For a trip
this large and with lots of activities involved you have to be very conscious
of packing and weight. I took a first
pass at packing and just started to lay out all of the clothes, jewelry, and
accessories I definitely wanted to take.
From there, I took a second pass and laid out outfits for each day that
I was going to be away. This makes the
thought of packing for a long trip less daunting and you are less likely to
forget items. Another great tip goes out
to all you females, be sure to try “iffy” outfits on prior to packing, by iffy
I mean clothes that require special undergarments or fittings. There is nothing worse than forgetting to
pack that strapless bra or cami to go with that cute dress.
For a 5 night cruise, my boyfriend and I packed a large
checked bag and our scuba diving bag. These were our only two major large bags
and then we also had our own carry-on roller bags. I also had a separate
carrying bag for my scuba regulator (the mouth piece you breathe out of for you
non-divers). A good rule of thumb when
packing scuba gear is to purchase a separate bag designated just for your
regulator. This is a very expensive piece
of equipment and you would hate to get any one of the hoses crushed. Another smart tip I would like to add is if
you plan to check at least two or more bags try and divide up your clothes
between each of the bags this will not only help to avoid over-weight
additional charges from the airlines, but also if the airlines just so happen
to lose your checked bag you still have some of your clothes remaining until
the airlines can locate your bag.
Cruising to the Caribbean, I always suggest to pack plenty
of sunscreen. Between my boyfriend and I
we packed a wide spectrum from SPF 15 to SPF 70, it just depends how fair your
skin is and how you normally react to the sun.
It is ALWAYS a smart idea to keep sunscreen on at all times, whether you
are in direct sunlight or not. Along with
sunscreen it is also a good idea to pack a cute hat that covers your face from
direct sunlight. Unfortunately I only
own baseballs caps, so that’s what I packed.
Try to find a cute cover-up that you feel comfortable walking to and from
your room to the pool deck. It is quite
a walk and if you don’t want to have the “looks” then it’s usually best to pack
some sort of cover-up or sarong.
Our cruise disembarks on Monday and our first stop is Cozumel,
Mexico. We will be spending the day at
Mr. Sanchos where
it is all you can eat & drink for $55/person. It is a great price and the best part is that
it is right on the water. This also
allows you access to snorkel. Based on the
videos and pictures this is definitely a great place to start of the vacation.
The next day we are planning on making a stop in Grand Cayman. This is where my boyfriend and I plan to go on a two tank certified open water dive excursion. We are beyond excited and can’t wait to see what one of the top dive destinations has to offer. I hope to capture some great footage underwater using my GoPro Hero 4 camera. I purchased the dive housing and special tinted lenses so the changes in water doesn’t affect the video footage. Next week I will be sure to upload actual pictures and video footage of our excursion.
Once we arrive back in Tampa on Saturday we plan to have a
few days of some down time and a “vacation from our vacation”. The Marriott on San Key is the ideal place
for this. Since I am an avid traveler
for work and frequent the Marriott properties, the decision was easy when it
came time to choose a perfect little hideaway from all of the chaos.
Stay tuned for next week’s addition of photos and videos from
my trip & cruise to the Western Caribbean!
