Since the beginning of 2020, travel, tourism and hospitality industry has been decimated by the impact of the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. While countries are still actively battling the deadly virus, societies and industries are now also looking to rebuild and reemerge from the crisis. Companies like Royal Caribbean cruise line went through many obstacles to ensure the health and safety of their crew members and passengers. In fact they were one of the few major cruise lines to do testing as a prerequisite to restarting cruise ship sailings from the United States. Prior to our trip they did a great job with communicating with us about updates and safety protocols for our trip.
Royal Caribbean’s planning and communication, I gave a 10. But I still had nervous thoughts about traveling, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. This would be our first trip as a family and all that I could think about was making sure my family was healthy and safe. Thoughts of “what if Jace tests positive and we can’t take our trip”. Same thoughts my Husband B had, but it was a situation we obviously could not control. So the best we could day is wait and see what would happen.
And I must say, the wait was so worth it!!! Let’s dive a bit further into our first family covid vacation. For those who haven’t cruised during the pandemic, I’m sure the information I share will be helpful. I am super excited to share our experience with you all.
Pre-Vacay: Day 0
Sunday morning B and I woke up around 6am to finish packing and hop in our car rental to drive to Miami International Airport. The car we rented was the Chrysler 300. Talk about speed.
It would take us 5 hours and 15 minutes with traffic to get to the airport. 326 miles to be exact! We first had to drop off the uhaul he rented from Houston before we jumped on the road. Yep, a uhaul. We recently just moved to Florida. After dropping off the uhaul we stopped at Wendy’s to get breakfast. I thought we would have a boring drive ahead of us. but nope…B and I enjoyed each other. Meaningful conversations and lots of singing to our favorite tunes. On the way I did think about the kids quite a bit as they were flying with their Mimi and Papa from Greenville, South Carolina to Miami, Florida.
We ended up taking the turn pike to the airport. It rained quite a bit once we got there. After returning the rental car to Hertz, we headed over to Soutwest baggage claim to meet B’s parents and the boys. The boys were so happy to see us but Jordan did look sleepy. He isn’t a morning person at all. After they collected their bags from baggage claim we met with our driver who had a Mercedes van ready for us that seated 12. Check out the video. The van took us to our hotel at the Hilton. There we were greeted by the bellhop and he took our bags to our private room. We had to take two elevators to get there which was interesting. Our room had a private balcony as well. After we settled in we caught the metro to get something to eat.
Now that everyone safely made it to Miami, it was time to eat after checking into our hotel. We took the metro to a restaurant called Friend’s Market and Bistro close to South Miami. Inside they had a mini market, but they also sold breakfast all day! Be careful on the metro, because there is always someone trying to hustle you for some money. One guy tried to sell me a flatiron lol.. At the restaurant, Jordan and Jace had oreo pancakes. Jaiden, me and B had a double burger with egg. The food was a 6 out of 10 in my opinion. For the price, it could have been better.
B and I went shopping at Target and Marshall’s to pick up last minute items for the trip. Swim shirts and aqua socks to be exact. Took an Uber which was a lot faster than walking and waiting for the metro.
Headed back to the hotel and took a nap while the kids watched TV. Ate pizza around 11pm because the first order with Papa John’s did not deliver our pizza. Showed “preparing” for over an hour. Called the store and couldn’t get anyone on the phone. Talk about some bull-ish.
Next morning check out was at 11:15 am. Driver met us at 11:30 am to take us to the Royal Caribbean Port.
Day 1: Royal Caribbean Check-In *Freedom of the Seas*
We made it to the port!! Arrived by private driver. Staff member tagged our bags and checked them in for us.
Waited outside about 30 minutes before they instructed us to line up against the wall for those who were waiting to get a health screen testing done. Our appointment was at 130pm. Finally the doors open and we came up to several people who were checking ID’S and passports. We also had to show them our covid 19 vaccine card. Once they gave us our orange bands, they instructed us to not tighten it because you cannot loosen them and to not take them off. Thr orange band is to show that we had checked in and that we were vaccinated. Everyone but Jace received an orange band and they were water proofed. Once they let us in the gate, B took Jace to get his covid test done. Jaiden went with them. The rest of us sat in the lobby while Mimi went to the restroom. One of the staff members gave us a hard time about waiting in the check in area but luckily an older gentleman allowed us to wait on the side and we were able to sit. Tried to message and call B to let him know where we would be, but couldn’t reach him because the signal was bad in that area.
After waiting 20 minutes, heard B call my name and he was done with the testing. We didn’t even see him walk by us. He was already at the top of the stairs. Went up there and another lady try to tell us to go in the direction different from my husband. I had to instruct her my husband is already at the booth being checked in. Finally made it over to B and once again we had to show our passports, birth certificate and then we had to take our pictures for our sea pass cards and get a copy of our boarding passes. Sat in another lobby for 15 minutes. B received Jace’s covid test results and they were negative!! We were allowed to check in and board the boat. Everyone from that point was super nice! As soon as we arrived on the boat we had to go to our muster station. We were B7 and Mimi and Papa were B11. There we had to listen to a 5 minute safety discussion. Now it was time to head to our rooms. They left our sea passes outside our doors as well as our bags.
Our rooms were a nice size. We had adjoining rooms and the balconies connected as well. Only thing we did not see was the pull out bed for the boys room. B and I thought Jace had to sleep with us because we didn’t see an extra bed. Called our house keeper and he said the bed was in the ceiling and he pulled the bed out for us. So cool. Check out the video and pics.
Had to finish our safety check in prior to departure. The app we had to download told us how much time we had left to complete the training. The app also showed the different food menus, restaurants, activities, health screening information, excursions, etc. Check it out…
As we were waiting for the ship to depart, B and I took Jace to the water slide. Jace enjoyed the water slide. That boy didn’t slow down a bit. He almost did get stuck in the tube because his swim shirt was sticking to the slide lol. He was perfectly fine though. Laughed the entire time. Boat didn’t depart until 7pm. They had all you can eat pizza and dessert. We decided to eat at Johnny Rockets though for lunch. The boys enjoyed a free chocolate milkshake thanks to Jace telling the staff he was celebrating a Birthday the entire week. Lol!!
While on the ship, we had to keep our masks on everywhere we went. They only allowed 4 guests per elevator unless you were with your party. Non vaccinated guests did not have an orange wristband like the rest of us.
For dinner we ate at the main dining room 3. There was a dining room 3, 4 and 5. 5 was for vaccinated guests only and 4 was for those who were not vaccinated in your party. For dinner I had crab cakes for my appetizer, main course was shrimp scampi pasta and creme brulee for dessert.
After dinner, we walked around for a bit and played ping pong with B and Jace on the top deck. Wasn’t easy because the wind was blowing the ping pong around. Basketball courts were closed at 9 so we had to wait until the next day to play. The staff kept the basketballs locked up. Next time I am bringing my own basketball.
After a long day, went back to the room, took my shower and then headed off to bed.
Day 2: Day at Sea
All you can eat breakfast on the 11th deck which was the Windjammer Cafe. Karaoke was held, but we missed most of it because we lost track of time. Jordan and I were the only ones who went. The lounge was nice and comfortable but they did not have a huge song selection. They did however allowed you to pick any song you want to sing. The sad part, they only did Karaoke one night. What I loved about Carnival in comparison to Royal Caribbean, Karaoke was every night. And if anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE Karaoke.
No one did the surfing in our group but it looked interesting. Jace enjoyed going up and down the big water slides. Played at the kiddy pool area for a bit. Jordan and B played basketball and schooled some youngsters. Afterwards I shot around with Papa, Jordan, Jaiden and Jace. Missed the free throw contest which again was only one time. Jordan and Jaiden went rock climbing after they got tired of playing basketball in the hot sun.
After we got cleaned up, we went to the main dining room for dinner. Took pics but didn’t purchase any pics. I look at those as a waste of money. So expensive just for one picture. Mimi missed dinner that night. Said her stomach was hurting. Think she just had gas lmao. Traveling and not eating right can definitely have your stomach doing flips.
Took Jordan to the club for the first time after dinner. The club didn’t open until 11:30pm boat time. Got on the dance floor and did the wobble, cupid shuffle, danced to some Latin music. Of course I was the first one on the dance floor. Will not have it any other way. We left right after the dance floor became crowded. Too many people, too close to me, in my opinion.
Day 3: Coco Cay Beach Resort, Bahamas 🇧🇸
Woke up around 7am. Headed to the lower level with our sea pass cards to get off the boat. There, we were greeted by our driver where they took us to Coco Bay Beach Club. The view, the weather, the drinks, the staff and most importantly the food were amazing!!! For breakfast we had some crosaints and Danishes with orange juice and a Pina colada. For lunch I had the coconut lobster sandwich. So damn good!! Everyone else had lobster tail, steak, we all had French fries. And the drink of the day was the Coco Loco slushie…virgin style. Check out the pics and videos.
Our jet ski tour which, was an hour and 15 minutes long, was the best!! Me, B and Jordan drove but we had to show proof of our driver’s license in order to operate the jet skis. Jai had to ride with B and Jace wasn’t old enough to go. After checking in we had to stay to watch a 5 minute video on how to operate the jet skis.
Before jumping on the jet skis they assigned each of us a number. We were instructed to stay on the path of the instructor but in the order we were given. If we needed to slow down a bit we would give a hand signal to to leader to let them know. If we wanted to change positions, we would inform either the leader or the chaser. But the entire time they wanted you to go full throttle because you have better control. We hit some bumpy waves going full throttle and it left a bruise on my ass. But I had a great time. Went down into the ocean to catch a massive starfish in a spot called starfish island. It was super heavy. We had about 6 groups on our tour. Here is a video on what all happened.
After the jet skis I took a nap under our cabana. We left around 430pm as departure was at 5pm. I was super exhausted being in the sun during the jet ski tour. We took the team back to the ship and there they checked our bags and our seapass. Super easy check in. Went to our rooms, took a shower and I took a nap with B. The boys chilled in their rooms. Later B took the boys to dinner but I stayed behind because I was exhausted from getting beat up by the sun. He brought me dinner which was steak, mashed potatoes and broccoli but I could barely eat.
Slept all night. Woke up only to go pee. In the room topless and the house keeper came in the boys room. I had to tell him to give me some privacy. Luckily Jordan came back in time to let him know because B tried to call me and my phone did not have a good signal.
Day 4: Nassau, Bahamas 🇧🇸
Woke up early again to do snorkeling in Nassau. Unfortunately I wasn’t going to participate because I had an early visitor and my cramps on a scale of 1-10 was 100. No way I was getting in that water bleeding heavy. It would have been a csi crime scene. Coming up on the 6 o’clock news, woman gets taken out by shark. Yea not this chick. But check out these awesome pics and videos captured on camera.
That evening we ate pizza for dinner and tried to see a ice skating show, but the last showing was for vaccinated guests only which the cruise line failed to mention. So a little disappointed in that. Went back to the room, the kids watched TV and B and I finished packing our suitcases because the pick up was around 10pm that evening.
Day 5: Return to Miami
Cruise made it safely back to Miami Florida. We didn’t get up until 8am, showered and went downstairs to grab a lite breakfast. Getting off the cruise and going through customs was super easy. Everyone was so nice we even engaged in some friendly conversation. As soon as we made it outside, our bags were ready for pickup. Took the driver about 15 minutes to get us. Luckily it wasn’t that hot outside. The driver took us to the airport but we couldn’t check in until noon because we were super early. Surprisingly the plane was not full which was a bonus. Oh and I have never seen so many dogs flying in my life. And the Miami airport was nasty!! I was too scared to use the restroom. So yea not a big fan of the Miami airport and never ever will I fly Southwest again. What was my Hubby and my Father in Law thinking??
The trip was absolutely amazing!!! I wish that it was longer but The Bahamas and The Royal Caribbean owes us nothing. Sad a bit that we didn’t get to visit and stay at Atlantis but now that we are closer to The Bahamas, we will be back for sure.
“The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories.”
Og Mandino
“Traveling in the company of those we love is home in motion.”
Leigh Hunt
Unapologetically Mani 