Western Caribbean Cruise 2016

On Mothers Day of last year Shaun surprised me with an AMAZING gift... a cruise (for just the two of us!)! It was scheduled for October and was to be our usual 4-day cruise to Catalina and Ensenada, but in our first-ever SUITE! Well, plans changed as a result of Shaun snagging an awesome deal and it ended up being a trip of many more 'firsts' than just that.

On November 12 we set sail on a 5-day cruise from New Orleans to the Western Caribbean on the Carnival Triumph! Though Shaun and I have been on many cruises, this was a whole new experience for us. It was our first time sailing out of New Orleans, our first time on the Triumph, our first time cruising to the Caribbean with Carnival, our first port stop in Progreso (we ended up staying on the ship though) and most significantly, our first time staying in a luxurious ocean suite.

It was a long time to be without the kids. Truth be told, had the trip not been a surprise, I probably wouldn't have gone along with the idea. And while I'm being totally honest, I literally made myself sick from the stress of all the logistical preparations for this trip. (Not that it was that stressful... I just live a pretty stress-free life otherwise, so my body doesn't handle even small amounts of stress very well!) The good news is... it was all worth it, and we had a FANTASTIC vacation!!

The kids spent half the time in Corning with Steve and Cindy, and the other half at home in Clarksburg with my parents. Thanks to Facebook's new video chat feature and Carnival's social media at sea package, we were able to check in and "see" them every day of our trip, which made it a whole lot easier for this Mama to kick back with a cocktail and enjoy the suite life at sea. :) It was five days of fun and relaxation, and one of my favorite cruises ever!

Since my cousin Valerie and her family recently moved from Houston to New Orleans, we asked if we could pay them a visit since we planned to fly in the day before our cruise. Not only did they offer us their guest room for the night, but they also offered to pick us up at the airport AND drop us off at the port the next day. We were so thankful for how easy they made our stay in New Orleans, and even more grateful for the opportunity to catch up before we headed off on our cruise.

The Kennedy Family!

Shaun with Colt and June

Enjoying a cup of coffee in the VIP lounge before boarding the ship--a sweet perk for being a suite guest! We also got to board the ship before everyone else.

Once we were on board, naturally, it was time for a drink!

...and our first Guy's burger of the cruise!

View of the New Orleans skyline from the of the cruise ship

...and our view of it from our balcony, as we sailed away down the Mississippi.

Goodbye New Orleans!

Our suite was SWEET! (Tired of that pun yet?) Here's a few pics...

All the extra room inside was nice, but this enormous balcony was what it was really all about!

Livin' the dream!

I spent many, many hours in this very spot throughout the week :)

Elegant Night selfie at our dinner table on Night 2

Relaxing at the Ocean VIP Club in Cozumel on Day 3. Here we each rented our own jet ski for a half hour, which was one of the highlights of our whole trip!

Photo op before getting back on the ship in Cozumel

A pic in front of our ship, the Carnival Triumph. It is only the 3rd Carnival ship I have been on, but by far my favorite!

Cozumel sunset

Dancing with some new friends on the last sea day ;)

I was very surprised when our waiter delivered this plate to us on our last night of the cruise, even though Shaun and I considered this our anniversary trip (our actual anniversary is in June). Since our 10-year anniversary trip next summer is likely the next time we will get away on our own, we enjoyed every relaxing minute of this cruise. It was a great trip!!