Cruising has become a family tradition of mines for the past 3 years.  It”s something that can be enjoyed by all age groups.  My mom really enjoys it and prefers it; so momma gets, what momma wants!   Since my mom lives in Florida and I live in NY it’s a good way for us to spend time and bond but we’ve had other family members join as well.  This year it was just us 3 ( her, my bro and I), we sailed with Carnival Sensation.  There are other cruise ship companies such as Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Princess, just to name a few (there are a lot).  I might switch it up next year, for a change of ambience.  I’ve typically taken my cruises in October when most people’s summer break is over, so prices tend to be more reasonable.

First stop was Ocho Rios, Jamaica and then Grand Cayman.  There were only 2 destinations on this cruise; it stayed about 6-7 hours in each location.  Needless to say I was in bathing suits most of the time, my favorite. 🙂  I’ll let you in on a little secret: the bathing suit I am wearing is from Victoria’s Secret.  I bought it when I was 21, it to was my first trip out of the country.  I’m hyped that it still fits me, 15 years later! Okurrr *flips hair*

In Ocho Rios we took a shuttle bus to  Dunn’s River Falls,a well-known waterfalls close to Ocho Rios.

Fun fact:  There are very few waterfalls in the world that empty into the sea and this is the only one in the Caribbean.   The hike up the falls took about 1 hour because we stopped to take photos, and there were also little pocket pool areas where we sat and relaxed for a little.

After the falls our driver took us to a local Jamaican restaurant, we wanted to try some authentic Jamaican cuisine.  The name of the restaurant was unknown, the chef’s name is Curry and that’s how people reference it.  I had the jerk chicken, my bro had the curry goat and mommy had oxtails; it was spicy but so flavorful.  We then did some shopping for our last 2 hours before we had to board again.

In Grand Cayman, we chose to live on the wild side lol we went to sting ray city to swim with the sting rays.  Stingray City is a group of sandbars located 25 miles off the shore of Grand Cayman The guides gave us raw octopus to feed them and we swam with them for 20-30 minutes then we went snorkeling.

For lunch we went to a local restaurant called Cayman Cabana, recommended by our sting ray guide Nikki. Cayman Islands are among the best in Caribbean cuisine. We started with the conch fritters, and  after having their fried catch of the day for my main course.  The food was fresh and delicious, a prefect blend of seasoning and spices. I love me some good, fresh food. I’ such a foodie!

When there is a fun day at sea there is so much to do on the boat, such as comedy shows and musicals.  They have a casino, clubs, pool, Jacuzzi’ and movies.  The food served at the buffet and at the restaurant are provided by the main  kitchen which has over 100 chefs, and is all so good.

We were hand-picked by the manager at the restaurant, along with a couple, to do a food tasting prior to the restaurant opening for dinner.  I guess they could tell how much we were enjoying the food lol  We had the chance to go into the kitchen area, meet some of the kitchen crew and talk with the sous chef who gave us a sneak peek at what would be served that evening.  Super dope experience! Everything was delicious, and it was cool to see what goes on in the preparation of the food that is feeding about 3,000 people on the ship, staff included.

I chose this mixed print ensemble for the evening.  Although it’s a pencil skirt, it had some stretch which was needed since I was about to chow down haha.  I bought this shirt for $10 on sale, at urban outfitters. Unfortunately these items are no longer available but I have included a few links below  for similar items if you want to play with mixed prints.  It’s fun, if it is done right, that will be a topic for another post.

I recommend taking a cruise at least once to see how you like it, I personally love the fact that you are in a hotel on water that is taking you to another country.  Would you try it? If not, what would stop you from trying it?