Some families plan their cruises months in advance. We booked ours ten days out and frantically figured out what to pack for a Caribbean trip when all our warm-weather clothes were in various stages of "is this still clean?" somewhere in the Airstream.
2023 was like that. Crazy busy. Crazy good. And the cruise was one of those spontaneous decisions that ended up being exactly what we needed.
Why a cruise?
I know. Cruise culture and nomad culture don't seem like natural allies. We're the family that boondocks in the desert and showers with a camp shower. A floating hotel with a buffet and a water slide feels like the opposite of everything we stand for.
But here's the thing: sometimes the opposite of everything you stand for is exactly what you need. We were exhausted. James's back was acting up. The kids were in a phase of constant bickering. And the idea of someone else cooking all the meals, making the beds, and entertaining the children while we sat on a deck and stared at the ocean? Sold.
The islands
We hit four stops: Curacao, Aruba, St. Lucia, and Puerto Rico. Each one felt like a different world.
Curacao had the best beach. Kokomo Beach, specifically, which is one of those places that looks Photoshopped in real life. Turquoise water, white sand, palm trees. Calvin snorkeled. Millie ate sand (she was three, so this was still in the acceptable range of beach behavior).
Aruba was windy and beautiful and felt like a place we could have spent a week exploring. We had six hours. That's the trade-off with cruises: you see a lot of places, but you see them in fast-forward.
St. Lucia was lush and mountainous, and we took a drive up into the hills that made James grip the steering wheel with both hands while I tried not to look at the cliff edge. The views were worth it. The road was not for the faint of heart.
Puerto Rico was our final stop, and we explored Old San Juan on foot. The Castillo San Cristobal became Calvin's obsession. He spent an hour exploring the tunnels and guard towers, and we had to physically remove him when it was time to reboard the ship.
The kids on a cruise
Calvin could not have cared less about the islands. He wanted the pool. The pool, the kids' club, and the pizza station. In that order. We could have sailed in circles for a week and he would have been happy.
Millie was enchanted by everything. The elevators. The ice cream machine. The fact that people bring you food while you sit by the pool. She kept saying "we live here now?" in a hopeful voice that suggested she was ready to permanently relocate to the Lido Deck.
What we learned
Cruises are a different kind of travel, and that's okay. We didn't connect with the islands the way we would have if we'd spent a week in each one. But we got a taste. A sampler platter of the Caribbean that's now a reference point for future trips. We know we want to go back to Curacao for a longer stay. We know Puerto Rico deserves at least a week.
We also learned that it's okay to take the easy route sometimes. Not every trip has to be an expedition. Sometimes you just need someone to make you a towel animal and bring you a drink with an umbrella in it. That's allowed.
Would we cruise again? Probably. After a particularly rough stretch on the road, the idea of all-inclusive pampering holds a certain appeal. Would the kids choose a cruise over camping? Absolutely. Are they in charge? Absolutely not.
