Family vacation

I never got around to writing about the cruise we took in February, but I want to make sure I don’t forget it. It was honestly the best vacation I’ve ever been on. (I think its lame when people say things like that and, you have to believe me, I’ve never called any other vacation “the best ever.”) It wasn’t the best because of the specifics of the vacation itself, necessarily, but because it was a whole week of laid back, uninterrupted family time. (I KNOW this is sappy gag-worthy stuff, but it’s TRUE.) No internet. No DVR. No network TV. No babysitters. Virtually no toys. All of us in one room at naptime and bedtime. I thought this would be a recipe for disaster. I fully expected by the end of NINE DAYS where the three of us were never apart for more than an hour, we’d all be so sick of each other we’d be begging them to let us off the boat. Let me go back to work! Anything to get away from my family!

I suppose the low expectations and the hellish week we had before leaving were part of the reason this trip exceeded our wildest imaginations. (The week before we left was the snowpocalypse AND we all got sicker than we’ve been in a long time.)

I didn’t think a cruise was the best choice for a toddler-friendly vacation, but it was wonderful. I’m actually happy Meg was too young for the kid’s camp because we honestly enjoyed being together all the time. There are two things you’re supposed to do on a cruise: eat and relax. I’m pretty good at those things. As I’ve mentioned before, Margaret often eats more than I do and the “relax” part meant that while there were things we could do, there was nothing we HAD to do. The activities available were laid back and it was rarely a problem if Margaret wanted to run around. She loved the pool and so did I (great for a pregnant belly!). Our room had a crib that folded up so we could put it away during the day. There were highchairs available anytime we wanted. We didn’t have to worry about a carseat (we took the shuttle bus from the airport to the boat and back and obviously there’s no need for a carseat for the duration of the cruise). There was even a kid’s channel on the TV. The movies weren’t always interesting to a toddler (they were for kids all the way up to tweens), but we watched The Princess and the Frog and Toy Story 3 several times. I highly recommend it. We’re planning another cruise for the whole family in February 2013.