We took our first cruise this past week and it was incredible! I have always wanted to go on a Mediterranean cruise and Dave and I said we would for our 5th anniversary.... well that didn't' happen (5 years which included having 3 kids, went really fast!!). So now that we live in Europe and we are very close to Venice we jumped on the opportunity to take a 7-night Mediterranean cruise when a spectacular deal came up! I am so glad we impulse booked this cruise!!! We did a lot of research before we went and watched all the Rick Steve's videos of the places we would be going and got the Rick Steve's book on Mediterranean cruise ports. We also watched videos on Youtube about cruises and what to pack, etc. One night we watched a 20 minute video on the food that was on our ship, we were so excited for the endless amount of American food and for INDIAN food!!! I spent the entire day before packing, it is no joke to pack for 4 people (Dave is on his own.....) for 7 nights with various weather! Plus Finley does a great job of interrupting me. Dave was awesome and him and Leo went and ran all the last minute errands I needed done and got haircuts together (and new matching shoes) so I could try and get everything ready. I took some pictures during the packing process to show how nuts it gets! Plus all my kids are between sizes right now so I had to make sure what I was packing was actually going to fit them when we got there. I started using packing cubes before we moved and it is so helpful for keeping things together.
Finely is currently obsessed with her coat and rain boots.
We were SO excited the day of the cruise. We finished up some last minute packing and got the house ready to be gone for the week and we were on our way! Finley forgot her baby doll and we realized it when we were still in our town, we decided not to turn around because she would just forget about it. Nope, she asked for that damn baby doll the entire week! We drove the quick 45 minutes to Venice, hopped onto a shuttle from the parking garage and were headed for the boat, it was so exciting!!
Finley getting ready with me in the morning.
The kids love when we ride shuttles because they don't have to be in carseats.
I don't know what I was thinking it was going to be like when we got there but it was just like an airport terminal. We had to drop off our bags and then go stand in a long line. We finally got to the front and they took our passports and did all the necessary paperwork to check us in. Leo had not napped and was in a great mood (enter sarcasm) and when they needed to take his picture for his ship ID he screamed and cried. The guy just took it anyway and we all laughed every time we left and came back on the ship because Leo was screaming his head off in his picture.
When we booked our cruise deal we were able to get a family suite for a great price so we were VIP status the whole week, it was awesome! Our VIP treatment started at the terminal where we were escorted into a little area with food and drinks and cookies to wait for our concierge. The kids were so happy because they were starving! We met our concierge, Hanno, and he quickly made us dinner reservations at the steak restaurant for that night and then escorted us onto the boat. We were loving our VIP status already! We were all giddy to get to our room and check it out, suite 12008!
When we got to our room (after a bit of walking because those ships are HUGE) we were so excited! Our suite was HUGE and our travel agent had delivered a cake to our room and our butler, Jomar, had left us strawberries and champagne. We could tell already it was going to be a great week. After we disinfected the room with Lysol wipes/spray and I got my diffuser going (these were Youtube video recommendations to try and keep down your chance of getting Norovirus and you all know I am a germaphobe so we did it!) we were ready to have the best week ever (which Quinn did say several times on this trip that it was the best trip ever and even one day that it was better than Disneyland)!!
Finley loved the cake!
We unpacked and then went to explore. We had to do our safety drill and then quickly went to find lunch because momma was getting hangry! They were having a big party by the pool so we grabbed food (and drinks thanks to our unlimited drink package- which is a must when traveling with 3 children!) and waited for the ship to sail out of Venice. The excitement on the first day was the best! The kids were so happy and so were Dave and I, it was awesome. We went back to the room to get ready for our dinner at Cagney's, the steak house on ship and also where we were able to eat our breakfast everyday since we were "VIP" status.
Our room had floor to ceiling windows which was great because with Leo, a balcony could have been a disaster. So I was very happy with the windows. We absolutely loved having them, the kids spent a lot of time sitting by them and looking at other boats and for sharks, we also were able to catch several great sunrise and sunsets out them while we got ready in the room.
Dinner on night one was a success. The kids were decent and the food was great. We loved our server and loved being spoiled! We opted to do dessert and after dinner drinks in our room so we could get the kids to bed and get ready for the next day. Of course, the kids loved the towel animals our sweet room keeper, Madonna, made for them each night. She also made the kids bed (the sleeper sofa). I think it was the best vacation for me because I didn't have to clean or cook or do dishes for 7 DAYS!! We loved the little information pages they gave us for our next day port and the schedule of activities. We quickly decided we loved cruising! The kids all passed out they were so tired after our exciting day and Dave and I spent the evening reading about Dubrovnik, Croatia which was our port for the next day!
Life is good, cruising is good!!
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