Caribbean Cruise Sail Away

Jan 19, 2018

Spring Vacation

Hi Polly,

(1)  What are the dates for your spring break?

(3)  IF I could find compatible dates with your break, would you be interested on going on a cruise with me if I paid for it? (my feelings won't be hurt if you have other plans)

Love,

Mom

Yet again, I love my parents.

Mom had been wanting to go on a cruise for quite some time, her last one having been in 1981. Neither Dad nor my aunt were interested in a cruise, so when Mom asked if I'd like to come along - for free - I jumped at the chance. Because I'm saving for Spain this summer, I didn't have any spring break plans. Mom's preferred cruise destinations would have been Alaska or Bermuda, but neither is quite warm enough this time of year, so she looked for a combination of dates that would work with my schedule, and cruise lines she was interested in.

She ended up choosing a 7-night Western Caribbean cruise on the Celebrity Equinox, leaving from Miami, with ports-of-call at Key West, Costa Maya, Cozumel, and Grand Cayman. I used points from my credit card - I've used it regularly since college and hadn't, to that point, cashed in any rewards - to book a flight to Miami at four times the usual cost. (Still - free!) We'd planned to meet at the airport, but my Friday afternoon flight was delayed by an hour and a half, so she checked into the airport Comfort Suites and made our reservation for the morning shuttle to the Port of Miami. 

It was a good thing she'd gone ahead, as the 9:00am shuttle was the only decent option left. When my flight got in, I grabbed the shuttle to the hotel and met Mom at our room. We had fun catching up and I gave her the cruise goodie bag I'd prepped with lifesavers, a waterproof phone case, ginger chews, luggage tags, etc.

We woke up with our 7:30 alarm, grabbed some breakfast, and headed to the port early. Because of the shuttle time, I ended up nixing my plan to get an Uber to Walmart to stock up on water and soda (both are expensive on board, and not included unless you have a beverage package). At the Port of Miami, we checked our bags, then went through security. Entering the cruise terminal, we checked in at the desk, received our Seapasses, and were directed to a waiting room.

We lucked out in our choice of seats - at 11:00, we were the second row called for boarding. After walking up the glass-enclosed gangway, we walked onto the ship and were promptly handed glasses of sparkling wine. We got the tray that was pink and fruity-flavored, but hey - free drink! Heading toward the elevators, we surreptitiously tucked our empty glasses in our bags to use for the two allotted bottles we'd brought on, later.

We started exploring at the top of the ship.  I suggested we hit the Oceanview Cafe for lunch, before since it was still relatively empty. We loaded our plates at the buffet - I had Salad Nicoise, paella, and a mango tart, among other things. After lunch, we walked around the upper decks for a bit. Then we claimed some chairs with a great view of Miami and broke out the Prosecco.

Soon, the announcement was made that our cabins were ready. Mom had reserved a balcony suite, located at the far aft of deck seven. It was a great location - even though it was a bit of a walk from the stairs and elevator, being at the back of the boat meant we had no foot traffic past our room, and being between two stateroom decks meant there was no noise from above or below.

My luggage, unfortunately, was not at our door when we arrived. I checked in with our steward, Jayson - I had an inkling it may have been confiscated because of the power strip in my luggage. In the meantime, we decided to finish off our Prosecco on the balcony, as the ship blasted its horn and started to move from its berth.

Though we didn't spend any time in Miami on this trip, we'd stayed in South Beach for Christmas a few years back, so it was fun to see all the places we'd visited from a new perspective. We floated along the causeway, past Palm, Hibiscus, and Star Islands, lined with palm trees, fancy houses and yachts. We spotted the Floridian, where we'd spent our holiday.

Eventually, we passed South Pointe Park - where I'd watched the cruise ships sail away in 2012 - and then came to the beach itself. A police boat blocked a small speed boat from entering the channel as we exited. Between that and the seaplane that'd taken off earlier, it seems like the channel is pretty busy! We'd been marveling at how incredibly turquoise the water was, but it faded to a deeper navy as we began to sail out past the jetty and into open water.

I got a call to come down and collect my luggage from security (my guess about the power strip had been correct - they held onto it for the week and I got it back once we'd returned to Miami). After unpacking and getting settled in, it was time to get ready for our first evening aboard!