Western Caribbean/Tampa Florida vacation – February 2011
Western Caribbean/Tampa Florida – February 2011
My husband and I got married in February of 2011. We had both been married before and had already done the big wedding thing, so we opted to go to the courthouse and celebrate with a five day cruise! At the time my daughter was 12, my son was 7, and his son was 10. We live in Iowa and were so excited to escape the winter weather for some Caribbean sunshine! We chose a Carnival cruise, largely for the affordable cost (traveling with five people is pricey!)
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I highly recommend comparing flight prices for all airlines and airports within a reasonable distance. We flew out of Omaha Nebraska rather than Des Moines Iowa to save some cash – even considering the extra gas money and hotel cost. This is not always the case, often times the Des Moines airport has affordable prices, but I always do a quick search on Expedia to make sure (every dollar counts!).
We set sail from Tampa Florida and had stops in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and Cozumel Mexico. The ship was full of activities for the whole family and of course more food than we could have imagined. During the “at-sea” days, we swam in the pools, played ping-pong and mini golf, and enjoyed the family friendly comedy shows. After dinner there was always music, dancing, and other entertainment on board each night. There was a gym onboard, spa, and shopping on the ship as well – truly something for everyone!
There were many excursions offered at Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We chose to do a “Swim with Stingrays” experience during our day in Grand Cayman. My daughter, son and I enjoyed touching and even kissing the stingrays! My husband and step-son opted to enjoy them from a distance 🙂 It was a unique opportunity to meet sea life up close! Grand Cayman is such a beautiful island, I would definitely visit again!
In Cozumel, we decided to go off on our own adventure rather than participating in one of the guided excursions. We took a taxi to a nearby beach and played in the water for the afternoon! There were plenty of restaurants, bars and shopping available. The water was crystal clear and the beaches were beautiful! We had so much fun playing and relaxing together!
After our cruise came to an end, we spent two days in Tampa Florida. We visited the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (www.seewinter.com), highly recommend for families!), played mini golf, and soaked up a little more sun on the beaches before we returned home.
We would love to go on another cruise. I definitely recommend them for families. They offer a huge variety of activities for all ages! I would love to share more! If you have a question or comment, please feel free to message me below!
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