“We need a vacation.” My husband declared last winter as we were in the midst of yet ANOTHER crazy week.

“No argument here.”

“Why don’t you see if you can plan something for our 15th anniversary, maybe a cruise or something.”

“Great idea honey.” Zoooomm! Lee is off like a shot fingers flying over the computer keys.

We cruised Alaska for our honeymoon and we will go back, but the timing wasn’t right this time. Besides, I want to take the kids and this trip was to be adults only. We even convinced our dear friends Joe and Charlene to go with us. I did some initial poking, but when it came time to get serious, I knew who to call.

I met Evan Eggers owner of SureCruise.com through business connections when I was an event planner. At one time I tried to plan a conference at sea, but it never came to fruition. Still Evan and I kept in touch over the years. I emailed Evan and he connected me with Ned Skiff. I explained our requirements to Ned (dates of departure, budget, cabin choice – balcony please, and ports of interest) and let him loose. Ned quickly identified several options and with more feedback, we narrowed it to a cruise from Port Liberty in New Jersey to Bermuda. It was nice not having to do the leg work but Ned’s real strengths were his honest answers regarding the merits of the different cruise lines, destinations, pricing, packages and patience answering my endless questions as we prepared to depart. Cruising has changed for the better in the last 15 years.

We sailed on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines’ Explorer of the Seas and it was beautiful. The ship was big without feeling overwhelming. The food was excellent, the service was great. There was a lot to do on the ship, including, ice skating, inline skating and shows. When I first read the descriptions of all the things to do on board, they sounded like fun but when actually faced with the choice of participating in activities versus watching the clouds go by, with a drink and my Kindle. The choice was easy. So, when we were at sea, we spent our time, eating, hanging in the piano bar or sitting by a rail watching the clouds go by. A-Man paid a visit or two to the casino and I found the pool a few times, but slow was our M. O. . We could have gotten cell service and Internet access, but we made a conscious decision not to. Our kids were in good hands with my in-laws, it was time to unplug and recharge our batteries.

Bermuda was beautiful. On day one, we took a tour where we road bikes on the rail trail and visited the Somerset Draw Bridge, the world’s smallest drawbridge. Our tour guide Stefan was a hoot. That evening, we enjoyed The Barracuda Grill.

On day two, we rejoined Stefan and his co-horts to kayak the ocean blue. Our guide lead us as we hugged the coastline and explored the beautiful waters. I am at my calmest when I am on the water. I sucked up every second of the peace. Filing away the tranquility for one of those days gone awry in the future.

Bermuda is a beautiful country and the people are friendly. I would love to go back and enjoy it again. We will definitely cruise again. Hopefully sooner rather than later!

Have you cruised? What was your favorite port? Which cruise lines did you like best? I have to start planning our next get-away 🙂

I received no compensation from SureCruise.com or Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, for this post.  I’m simply sharing my thoughts as a satisfied customer.