Girls' Cruise 2016!

I always look forward to this time of year, because I get to go on a cruise with my girls! This was the 6th year, for the three of us (Jen, Karla, and I), and the first year Brandi joined us (though she has cruised before). And we kept it short this year, mainly due to what was available during the time we wanted to cruise - only a four-nighter. Fun, none the less!

Our set sail date was last Monday, December 5th. No 'at sea' days, but rather, we were going to be in a port every day. If I was a new cruiser, I'd of been excited about that. But more on that later. We left out of Miami, and it happened to be a gorgeous set sail sunset behind the Miami skyline! Truth be told, we had great weather for the whole cruise - wish all cruises could be so perfect!

Our first port of call was Nassau. All four of us have been here before, but we each wanted to go into port for something or another. Karla was on a mission for some 'authentic' gifts, as was Jen. Brandi and I were anxious to go get some authentic conch fritters. I think all of us wanted to enjoy a little sunshine... but yet, I don't think any of us got the full amount of sun enjoyment we wanted - our other odds and ends kept us busy!! But I think we still all left port happy... especially since we were in port until almost midnight! But no... we did not party with the locals. This time.

Our second port was Royal Caribbean's private island of Coco Cay. We were supposed to this six years ago, but the weather prohibited it. We got a day at sea that year, but this year, the weather was perfect! We rented a cabana, which was nice, but probably unnecessary, as it wasn't overly crowded. We started the day with some snorkeling in the private cove area, where they have set up some good snorkeling spots, including a small plane and a couple parts of a ship (or ships?). We then had some yummy lunch, and I went off to explore a bit on my own (because that's what I do!). Not as many great scenic spots as Labadee had, but a lot of areas where you can have a quiet time to yourself. Though I do feel like there was more area to cover here... but maybe that was just me, since the entire island is not as developed as Labadee. Either way... I think I liked Labadee a little better. But Coco Cay was still cool.

Our last port of call (before going back to Miami) was Key West. All of us had been to Key West at some time or another, though I think it had all been by driving, not boat. While we didn't plan on spending the whole day in port, we just about did, by the time we walked around, and had lunch and such. We just kind of took our time. And again, it was a beautiful day!

I think we all agreed we wished we had a day at sea somewhere in there. We only had a partial day on the pool deck, and that was the day we boarded in Miami. We all *thought* we'd happily stay on the ship for at least part of that days we were in familiar ports, but we ended up in port most of the time, just chilling out and walking around. No regrets in that, just didn't feel like we had enough time on the ship.

When we got back into Miami on the 9th, we had a good portion of the day, in which we got to explore Miami. Once we finally got our rental car, we drove into Miami and got a gourmet donuts at The Salty Donut. Then we wandered over too the Wynwood Walls, which the other three of my entourage had not seen. We made a good day out of the extra time here, I think.

So all in all, another very successful, very fun, Girls' Cruise is in the books! This is one tradition I hope stays around for a very long time! I think no matter where we are in our lives, or in the country, this is an easy way to meet up, and have some fun!