The Ocean Is Calling And We Must Go

Cruise vs Resort... Resort vs Cruise

Any chance to be in the Caribbean I wouldn't want to pass up regardless of whether I'm on a boat or on land but, for us, we have decided resorts are our favorite and let me tell you why.

We had so much fun on the cruise we took in December but even a massive ship feels small after a week. At each destination, we had to plan an excursion or we would be stuck wandering around the same diamond/watch/junk stores. Excursions are great but it's also nice to be able to walk from your room to a beach and relax without worrying about planning and being punctual.  Pools are smaller, food (especially fruit) is not fresh, and you don't get to really enjoy/learn about the culture of the island because you are only able to stay for about 10 hours. Some people love cruises... there was even a lady on board our ship that had been on 100+... but for us, the flexibility and amenities at a resort are superior. 

Despite preferring a resort to a cruise, Ben and I still can have the best time no matter the circumstances so now lets get back to our trip.

As a physician assistant, I need to get a certain number of "continuing education" hours every few years to maintain my license. So since I have forced learning that needs to take place, I decided I may as well get it done on a boat in the middle of the ocean. For those of you interested, the company is called "Continuing Education, Inc. University at Sea" and they have hundreds of different conference cruises yearly to multiple destinations. Ben and I had the opportunity to embark on a 7 night cruise filled with a little learning and tons of memories.

Most days, I was woke up early and made my way to the gym for a run with a view you'll never find anywhere else. Our ship would always be a little ways away from our destination and with every step I ran, it slowly came into view. Now we all know running on a treadmill is monotonous and usually I need music or TV to distract me... those days I had something so much better...  I had mountains and villages and coast lines in my view and my mind wandered with excitement to all the adventures that awaited us that day. Before I knew it, my run was over, we were headed to breakfast and then off on the island. 

No day was complete without a coconut mojito... or multiple

Since we went in December, our ship was decorated for the holiday with a beautiful Christmas tree and gingerbread houses.  

We spent majority of our time docked on the islands and headed back around 4pm so I could go to class. Then it was time to shower and get ready for dinner and evening events. We saw a comedian, a hypnotist and a couple's game show - each one making me laugh until my tummy hurt.

We (mostly me) ate at least 3 frozen yogurt cones a day and had the opportunity to meet a couple from Tennessee that I hope to stay in touch with for years to come.

Every island brought different excitement and I've decided to write about each of them individually...  stay tuned.