As a teenager, my family took three cruises. At the time, they felt like THE height of luxury and adventure. We loved the food, we loved the ports of call, we loved the ship and entertainment. But with my own family, I put off booking a cruise for a long time. I’ve seen many news stories of travelers getting sick and it seemed like too much of a party atmosphere. I also wasn’t sure if we’d like spending only a few hours in a spot before moving on.
My cruises of 20-25 years ago were always with my immediate family and grandparents. Sometimes my aunts and uncles came, too. My grandparents loved these cruises. My grandmother kept saying she wanted to go on another one. So when my grandmother turned 90, it seemed like a good time to make that wish come true.
After a lot of discussion about dates and itineraries, we decided on a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Bayonne. This way my grandmother did not have to fly.
Who came: Our family of four, my grandmother and her sister, my parents, my brother and his family of four, my aunt, uncle and cousin and my other uncle and his daughter. In all, we were 17 people scattered over 6 staterooms.
Itinerary: Leave from Bayonne, 1 day at sea, Port Canaveral, Florida, Coco Cay, Bahamas, Nassau, Bahamas then 2 days at sea
Ship: Adventure of the Seas
Things my family looked forward to: Sitting on the deck at night and reading (me), the wave pool (my husband), the water slides (Sport), everything (Bean).
Things I was worried about: feeling stuck on the ship, coordinating with 17 people, getting sick, not enough time in port
Spoiler: We had a ton of fun, but some of our worries were not unfounded.
Future reading:
Day 2: We join the line for adventure at sea
Day 3: The good news, it wasn’t bed bugs!
Day 4: Where are the umbrellas?
Day 6: At sea again…and again
Touring With Kids 
That sounds wonderful. Such a grand way to travel together.
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