Phoenix: Live Love Laugh

My very first cruise was back in 2012, and it started with a simple dream:
I wanted to give my mom a real vacation.

You see, for her, the idea of “vacation” had always meant visiting family or going back to Saint Lucia.
Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that—family and home are beautiful things.
But I wanted her to experience something different.
Something where she didn’t have to cook, clean, make beds, or adjust her plans to fit everyone else’s schedules.

I wanted her to know what it felt like to truly relax—to be pampered, to be served, to be free.
So after a lot of thinking, I decided a cruise would be the perfect choice.

What started as a gift for her, turned into something life-changing for me too.
That first cruise unlocked a passion I never saw coming—and let’s just say, I’ve collected a few more cruises under my belt since then!
(Stay tuned—I’ll be writing about each cruise in different posts!)

Why Real Travel Matters

It’s funny how many people don’t fully understand the value of real travel until they actually experience it.
There’s something about leaving behind your normal routine—your kitchen, your car, your “to-do” lists—and letting yourself just be.

I’ve always been a free-spirited person at heart.
Even if it’s just a staycation or a weekend road trip, I believe in making room for adventure.

And I know—vacations can sound expensive.
But honestly, in today’s world, there are so many ways to travel on a budget if you plan smart.
(Stick around… I’ll be sharing tips and secrets to vacation affordably in future posts!)

The First Cruise Checklist:

• Passports? Check.
• Luggage tags attached? Check.
• Probably way too many outfits packed? Definitely check. 😂
• Nervous excitement? Absolutely check.

It was only a 4-day cruise—but I didn’t know what to expect.
(Please don’t judge me—I was a rookie! 😉)

Little did I know that stepping onto that ship would open up a whole new love for travel, freedom, and memories that would last a lifetime.

We were meeting up in Miami, I flew from Richmond, VA and she was flying out of J.F.K international in NY. To make everything go smoothly I booked a hotel not to far from the cruise terminal 15-20 min drive. I have never cruised before so I was uncertain what to expect, how the entire boarding procedures were but what I did know was I was ready, excited and thrilled.

At the cruise terminal boat sails at 4 pm but there boarding usually begins around 11:00 am, so you know who would be there around 11:00? you know it taxi pulled up just around 11: 15 am. I wish I took some pictures of those moments.

And now after all the activities of the on boarding, eating and dancing and touring were done we headed to our room. Luggage is sent to you room where it’s placed at your stateroom door.

Day 2 Setting sail to Key West, FL our first stop. Great because I have never been to key West before this trip. I was very impressed with Key West as it reminds me of the Caribbean. I saw Roosters, Island trees and the people were just free in living. There were no fashion statements to be made just people enjoying life. I bought a hop on hop off trolley excursion, so we got on and off and wondered about. Enjoyed going around the little piece of the state in only a few hours.

Day 3 We are heading to MEXICO!! Another Excursion I purchased, and another first visiting Mexico. Excursion included Jeep ( I specially asked for an automatic Jeep but long story I gave it up to a rude cruise woman who basically yelled at me in the line – but I wanted to kill her with kindness) we rode with a very nice married couple who were vacationing with their sons. Their sons decided to ride with someone else because we were short a few Jeeps for the tour and had people double up, the husband could drive a stick shift and they agreed we could rife share with them. I have professional pictures that are not on my camera. The Excursion included a ride through town to get to the Tequila factory where we tasted grown and made Tequila from Mexico, also a tasting of real Tequila, and also beach escape.

Day 4 Was a day at sea – we didn’t leave the boat as the trip back to Miami was an all day one at cruise speed. One thing about sea day is the activites that crew members put on. There were so many things to see but for most the times over lap each other. We managed to see some comedy shows, a game show and a musical play.

I learned one important message on my first cruise . do not pay for professional pictures. I spent about $200 on buying all the pictures on the cruise. I actually did it for my mom. She wanted them for her memories and that was my sole purpose of taking her on her first cruise. Don’t worry this was just my beginning.