Things to Remember About Our Honeymoon

The view from our balcony in Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos Islands

We were incredibly fortunate to have been able to take a wonderful honeymoon cruise to the Bahamas! We left early on Sunday, May 27th and drove to meet our ship in Baltimore, MD after a quick pit stop at home to drop off a few items and pick up our suitcases. The drive down was peaceful and we were able to talk about the day and enjoy the drive.

We arrived around 1pm to the cruise terminal and quickly passed through the initial gate. We sat in line for about 20 minutes while the very experienced staff guided us through all the necessary steps, got our suitcases unloaded, and got us parked. We watched the bustle of activity around the ship as food was loaded, balconies were cleaned, and the lines of people were guided to the right spots. As someone who loves a good process, this entire situation was fascinating to me! When we finally made it into the terminal and got checked in, it was about 5 minutes until we'd boarded the ship! I'd anticipated longer lines, a more frustrating process, and grumpy people, but we didn't experience any of that! 

Once we boarded the ship we quickly went to find LUNCH! And lunch we found. We decided on the fancy taco place on the Lido Deck right beside the pool called the Blue Iguana. We found out they deep fried their own tortillas for taco bowls and that basically stopped us in our tracks! We each got a taco bowl and then made our way over to the toppings bar where they had homemade salsas and delicious other toppings. We decided to sit in comfy chairs by the pool and open all the windows. It was the first moment of rest for the two of us after all the excitement of wedding week. 

Once we finished lunch, it had started to rain a little so we decided to check if our room was ready....and it was, and our luggage had already been delivered. We unpacked everything and then sat on our balcony to watch the bustle of the parking lot. We watched the guys loading so many suitcases on to the ship. SO MANY SUITCASES! Our balcony was on the port side of the ship so we also had a nice view of I-95. The rain really picked at one point and we watched the hustle and bustle of the emergency crews helping redirect traffic from an accident. Once the accident was cleared up, we watched one cop car drive up I-95, turn into the cruise terminal lot, turn around, drive backwards for a while, pull into a parking space, then move again. It was so weird, and we thought it was so hilarious. We talked for a long time trying to guess what he was up to. We got called to the Muster Station Drill just as things were getting good, and by the time we got back to our room the car was gone. 

After that, we walked the entire ship just to figure out where everything was. I'm still amazed at how efficiently they utilize space on a cruise ship, and still things don't seem cramped. 

The rest of our trip was filled with sunshine, good food, entertainment, spa trips, sleeping in, and the best book I've read in quite a while. Below, a random list of things I hope I never forget about our honeymoon.

PS - if you're hoping you'll find images above is the ONLY one I took. Soak it in, people! :) 

1. We left Baltimore around 5pm on May 27th, 2018. It was raining the good kind of rain that makes you feel SUPER relaxed and cozy. 
2. We had two full days at sea and it was fun to watch the color of the water change as we headed further south. At one point, I looked out the window and the color of the water looked like Cookie Monster. hahahaha! Our side of the ship housed the emergency boats which were orange and white. I know the color of the boats are for safety reasons, but those rafts against the color of the ocean were so beautiful. 
3. Speaking of emergency boats - I had to drag Kyle to the emergency meeting they have before you leave. I'm a rule-follower for sure. 
4. We ate brunch every morning we were at sea. The first morning we decided to do brunch we ended our meal with the best cheesecake I've ever eaten. It was SO LIGHT and FLUFFY!! I could eat a million more pieces right now!
5. Our first full day was a little overcast so we were a little lax with the sunscreen. Bad idea. We ended up being two crispy critters on day one. hahahahaaa!
6. Our waiters for dinner always commented that we kept getting more and more lobster-like each evening.
7. Our second day at sea was full on SUN all day! We sat by the pool, watched a hairy-chest contest WHICH WAS HILARIOUS! We read and just enjoyed the weather. 
8. Our first stop was Grand Turk and the weather was PERFECT. We got off the boat, found a secluded place on the beach under a palm tree, and relaxed the remainder of the day. We walked down the beach and I found so many HUGE abandoned conch shells. My park-superintendents-daughter came out in me and I thought it was probably illegal to take any shells from the beach, but I don't think it was. HA! 
9. We ended up heading into the water a few hours later, and we were surprised to find that once you get into the water it is SO ROCKY! We probably looked like a comedy show holding on to each other trying to walk deeper into the water. It was even worse trying to get out because I kept falling. hahahahahahahaha!
10. We ended up getting 2 massages, each on the trip. I never want to have a vacation without massages now! 
11. Our waiters kept calling Kyle, Mr. Mike. He is actually Michael Kyle Hart and filled out all the paperwork for the cruise under that name. I obviously thought that was hilarious and still haven't let it go. I'm a delight. 
12. Our second port was Half Moon Cay, an island that is owned by Carnival. It is gorgeous with white sand, and clear water. It was absolutely beautiful. This was our longest port day and Kyle scheduled an excursion for us! We sat out stuff down on two chairs and headed to the building to go kayaking! It was a BLAST! The guide took us across a giant, clear lake and we ended up in a shallow area to explore for a while. Our guide pulled jellyfish out of the water, which we were able to hold without getting stung. We saw ENORMOUS starfish, a sea cucumber, a conch in it's shell, and a giant hermit crab. 
13. We made our way back to the shore and something happened that I know I will never forget. Kyle lost both of his crocs in quick sand trying to pull the kayak up to the shore. 
14. We ended up having to walk a very hot path when we got back to shore to find him other shoes. I will gladly tell anyone this story in person because it is hilarious. :) 
15. I tried to drink a Jamaican Coffee drink which was 2% coffee, 98% hard liquor and it tasted like cough syrup to me. 
16. I read an autobiography about the food critic at The New York Times called Garlic & Sapphires. I literally couldn't put it down. She had to make reservations at restaurants she reviewed under a false name and in disguise. It was quirky and adorable. I highly recommend it! 
17. We tried alligator fritters. 
18. I drank coconut iced coffee several times. It now reminds me of that week! :) 
19. We ate about 900 ice cream cones. 
20. We were selected to take a tour of the kitchens and do a food tasting with the head chef. It was an amazing experience! 
21. We watched hours of the boat's channel that logged where we were, how fast we were going, wind speed, etc. We were so intrigued! LOL! 
22. We met a couple from WV that lived about 3 minutes from us in Half Moon Cay. 
23. We ate chocolate at a chocolate party. PRAISE! 
24. This was probably the most relaxing vacation I've been on. It was such a blessing to get to go!
25. The food every night was phenomenal! We ate adventurous things...and normal things. 
26. Two desserts every evening at dinner! 
27. We met the sweetest ladies who were mother and daughter over breakfast one day. The mother told us about her life and family. She gave us good advice, and they both guessed we were honeymooners. :) We saw them almost every evening heading to their table at dinner and they greeted us every time!
28. I ate sushi for the first time and I'm craving a spicy tuna roll right this very minute! 
29. It was so nice to just be the two of us. Yes there were so many people on the boat, but no one knew us!
30. Our massage therapists were named Jenni and Sue #nottheirrealnames and they were AMAZING! We had our first massages on Tuesday right after dinner, and I left the room feeling blissfully relaxed. It was so nice! 
31. We met a guy in the spa named Rein from South Africa. This was his last cruise before he retired, and he was headed home to train for the Olympic Weight Lifting Team. SO COOL! He was incredibly nice and talked to us for a long time about South Africa. 
32. Our second massages were Friday before dinner. I was so sunburned, and I showed up to dinner with all the massage oils in my hair. I didn't care at all! 
33. Freeport was a little disappointing, but it is a REALLY busy port. I think 3 other cruise ships showed up during our time there. It's crazy how you can fit so many ships into one tiny area. 
34. That day we hopped off the boat to grab a souvenir and then got right back on to enjoy more relaxing by the pool. 
35. Our Cruise Director was a guy named Leigh, and I want to know everything about his day-to-day life. 
36. We had about 1 million questions for the captain. I want to know how they run a ship like that on a day-to-day basis. It's pretty impressive. 
37. Our waiters knew it was our honeymoon and they sand a song to us and brought out a special chocolate mousse cake. The catch? They sang a song to us, but we had to kiss the whole time. If we stopped kissing, they stopped singing and would start over from the beginning. hahahahaha! 
38. Iced coconut coffees! Somehow they tasted even more exotic and beach-like in the Bahamas.
39. The Lord's provision and favor were SO evident to us even on our honeymoon. ! It's truly a wonderful season of life. 

Thanks for reading! :)