Family Cruise

Family vacations should be all about bonding, right? Especially the first real family vacation we took together. My brother and I did it big for my mother’s 60th birthday. She’s endured a lot in her lifetime, we were both doing fairly well (him much better than I), and we wanted her to really feel loved and appreciated and celebrated.

All she asked for was to have both of us with her in Vegas. Maybe a show, nice dinner, paint n sip, escape room or some other activity as well. But her main objective was to spend a weekend in Sin City with both of her kids. Being that I live here, it was a no-brainer for me.

This birthday escalated – quickly. We flew my Aunt in to help celebrate – and surprise Mom. We met at one of the casinos off the strip for ice cream and bingo. We arranged our meet time for about the time everyone would arrive that Friday afternoon – I picked up my Aunt from the airport, my brother drove in from Phoenix, and Mom and Mike drove up from Cali.

My nephew was there, as well as my two sons and daughter-in-law, and one of my closest friends. Mom cried when she saw her sister. None of us won at bingo, but that was ok. We got them a suite in one of the properties downtown. Friday night we did the paint n sip class (all the girls plus my brother). 

Saturday started with an escape room with everyone Mom knew from Vegas plus the family. That night we took her to see The Beatles Love Cirque du Soleil show. Sunday started with a fancy brunch at the Caesars Palace buffet (which also served as Father’s Day celebrations for my brother and Mike). Then we swam and hung out at the pool, followed by dinner at one of the restaurants in the hotel they were all staying in.

At dinner, complete with a homemade German chocolate cake prepared by my friend’s young daughter, we gave her a final surprise; an all expenses paid cruise and airfare for Mom and Mike that December. Plus we were going. My oldest son wasn’t able to get the time off work, but my nephew and youngest son joined the crew.

By the time December came I wasn’t quite where I anticipated being financially. My brother paid for the bulk of the cruise, so I was making payments but not nearly fast enough. Then I got into a car accident. That set me back even further. I wanted to cancel, but he wouldn’t let me. He told me it was for Mom and we would figure it out later. Reluctantly, I agreed.

We sailed out of Fort Lauderdale on the Norwegian Escape. Besides a little bit of family drama between my brother and I, I think that everyone mostly enjoyed the experience. There was so much to do on the ship, from the kids area for my nephew, to the pools, live entertainment, food, cigar bar, and more food. If you’ve been on a cruise, I’m sure you get it.

I loved the ropes course on this ship. We got caught sneaking my brother’s gopro up there with us and had to give it up. I was trying to get content to use in the future on my author site. (It was returned, but we didn’t get the pics we were trying to get.)

In Honduras we enjoyed the scenery and the beach. There was quite a bit of wildlife, including horses, chickens, guineas, and more. We swam in the ocean until it became apparent most of the people were being stung by jellyfish, including my brother and nephew. 

We did get my mom and my son on the horses though. That was definitely worth it, since it was a new experience and they were both a bit hesitant. My nephew loves horses and swimming, so it was perfect for him. Mom got us massages on the beach, as well. That was definitely relaxing.

We got to explore the private part of Belize that the cruise line rents from the country. I talked my mom into ziplining for the first time. She actually enjoyed it, and I was surprised she tried it. She was terrified of heights. We also went through a butterfly habitat where a beautiful butterfly sat on my shoulder right next to the tattoo I have of an identical specimen. It’s one of my favorite pictures of me from the trip.

In Costa Maya, my Mom, Mike, my son and I went snorkeling around a part of the Mesoamerican coral reef – the second largest known in the world. It was spectacular. I didn’t realize until that trip that my twenty-something year old son didn’t like to swim because of the issues he experienced when water got in his ears. My mom gave him some ear plugs and off we went.

I remember swimming next to him and looking up at some point to realize he was just happily swimming along, with his head above the water. I asked if he was looking under the water at all. He said no because it was kind of creepy. After our brief exchange, I encouraged him to look.

As he dipped his face in the water, I did the same. I nearly peed on myself from laughing so hard as I heard his muffled under-water screams. When I came back up out of the water, still laughing uncontrollably, I asked what that was all about.

The underwater plants were terrifying to him. But, as he continued to go under, he found that he was enjoying watching the different brightly colored fish in their natural habitat.

Back on the beach we had pina coladas. He discovered he rather enjoyed those. The beach was quiet and relaxing. I still have a little flower one of the local children made out of some kind of foliage. 

Our final stop was in Cozumel. We had to take a smaller ferry to actually get to Cozumel. Nearly everyone aboard got seasick, including my nephew. Poor kid had it bad. Once we were on land again, he was able to relax. The entire family explored the ancient Mayan ruins together, with the help of a knowledgeable guide.

The structures and the view were beyond fascinating. It was hot and humid, but it was definitely worth the light hike to get to the top. It’s amazing how much is still standing.

We headed back into the little town and spent a couple of hours at a resort with food, pools, drinks, birds, and all kinds of stuff to explore. We really didn’t have enough time to experience everything before we had to catch the ferry back to our ship. Thankfully, the journey back to the ship wasn’t as rough.

Throughout all the ups and downs of the trips, I’m glad we got to experience it. It was my brother, nephew, and son’s first cruise. It was the first time my son got to go out of the country. And it opened his eyes to traveling and experiencing more than the little world we tend to build for ourselves going through the daily grind of our “everyday life.”

The main thing I wish I could have changed would have been for my older son and daughter-in-law to join us. We’ll definitely have to plan another cruise when we can all go.