We left Busch Gardens at 8:00 when the park closed and drove two and a half hours from Tampa, Florida to Cocoa Beach. We wanted to make sure and be near Port Canaveral. I did not purchase insurance on our cruise so I figured if we had a flat tire we’d have all night to make it to the cruise on time! Before you think that we spent exorbitant prices to cruise, I found this four day cruise to the Bahamas for $159 per person! I specifically wanted a ship like Carnival that offers children’s activities, but later found four day cruises for as low as $109! The low price was mostly for last minute deals and on cruise ships that did not offer kids activities or maybe I should clarify–where the parents didn’t have to be present!
This was the first cruise experience for all of us. I was so excited. I felt giddy with excitement just catching my first glimpse of our cruise ship knowing that in just a short while my dream would come true. I have always wanted to go on a cruise!
I had a great travel agent who told me to be at the doc at 9:30. She said we’d have to wait for priority, VIP, and wedding party guests, but then we’d be on board having lunch while everyone else was stuck in line. And that’s exactly what happened!
After a long day at Busch Gardens and a short night the kids were VERY tired. That doesn’t exactly make for a great experience standing in lines and waiting in chairs to board a ship. The first thing we did was find a table and look for some food!
No matter how tired these two were they wanted to run around. Save me! Up and down the stairs they went while we all waited for Daddy to come back with plates of food. “I will not worry about the children killing themselves on this ship,” I told myself over and over! It helped…a little!
Click here for the next episode of our vacation: Setting Sail on the Carnival Sensation.
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