5 Year Anniversary Caribbean Cruise Part 1

We decided about a year ago that we wanted to celebrate our 5 year anniversary a bit early with a Western Caribbean cruise. How did our past selves know we'd need a vacation so much at this very time?? Robbie was starting to come out of one of the hardest years yet at work, and I'd been under a lot of stress and anxiety with the kids and life in general. We needed this! It came at such a perfect time and it was the most wonderful trip. Robbie convinced me to have us go all out and do a 7 day cruise. I had a full year to gear myself up to leave the girls for that long, and I'll admit the first couple of days were really hard for me, but it was so worth it and we made the most of every moment we had just the two of us. Our girls were in the very best care possible and spent the first half with G&G Simons and the second half with G&G Bean. I did a lot of  prep work beforehand with freezer meals and such, which helped me feel better leaving. I wanted it to be as easy for our moms as possible, but Bob joked that they had to buy another fridge to accommodate all the food I gave them. Ha! Our parents are absolute saints and the girls had the best week with them. I LOVE OUR PARENTS.

We came back feeling peaceful, rejuvenated, relaxed, and more connected with each other than we have been in a long time. It was a heavenly trip, I tell you. And a cruise was the perfect option for us this time around. Lots of opportunities to relax and do nothing, while still balancing that with a few fun excursions and activities. We loved not having a schedule and it was a very much needed break for our brains.

We loved our excursions, but we loved even more reading (I got through two books!), watching shows and movies, sitting on the sun deck for hours on end, playing games (Phase 10 and SkipBo were our two favorites), and just being together. The food and dining options were awesome (ice cream cones and chocolate cookies every day) and so delicious. We did the buffet for breakfast and lunch, and one of the dining rooms or specialty restaurants for dinner. Now onto some pics!

SATURDAY we put the girls down at G&G Simons' and headed to the airport. We got into Florida late that night and when we got to our Marriott, they told us they'd overbooked and they'd be sending us to a different hotel down the street. Of course, right? The only (and I mean only) good part of this grungy hotel was the beautiful view. We had a good laugh. Also, we had our first experience with Lyft on this trip, which we liked, and used it the whole time.

SUNDAY we slept in after a long travel day. We had lunch at Cheesecake Factory and boarded our cruise ship shortly after. We explored the ship for a couple hours and were at the perfect spot when it took off from the port. It was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip.

 ^that face tho

 ^my life with Robbie summed up in one picture

MONDAY we took a tender to Princess Cays and spent a few hours in our clamshell reading, relaxing, and walking along the beach. We ate dinner at the Crown Grill. Robbie had the best steak and chocolate dessert of his life, and we loved our waiter and the entertainment.