Our Retirement & 35th Wedding Anniversary Cruise!!

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I love cruising! My hubby Brian and I have not gone on many vacations during our 35 married years together. Funds were always tight and taken up with paying bills, a mortgage, raising twin boys and well, life in general! Brian decided we were certainly long overdue for a vacation & we were about to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary!  He mentioned the word 'cruise'! Well, with that being said, I embarked on my online search, reading, gathering information, researching, comparing cruise lines and cruises!! Next thing I knew, I was at my travel agent booking our 1st cruise! 

Princess Cruises seem to meet our likes and needs, so we took the plunge and booked our first EVER vacation and cruise! Being a cruising novice, I looked up as much info as I could and came across Cruise Critic They are a wealth of information, especially from seasoned cruisers. There are many travel and cruise sites available online that are very helpful.

So, in December 2005,  for our 25th wedding anniversary, we booked a 10 day cruise aboard the Coral Princess to the Panama Canal! We were certainly bitten by the cruise bug!! It was a fantastic cruise! Beyond our dreams and expectations. Maybe because it was our first vacation ever together, but we just loved everything about it. We loved the idea we could do and enjoy what ever we pleased at our own pace. Something to see and do to meet everyone's needs and desires.  So many choices! For us,  it was the best way to see the world,  to enjoy so many ports and cities, that we would have not been able to discover otherwise. 

We have been fortunate to visit Paris for a week for my 50th birthday ( it was amazing! ) and embark on a few Caribbean cruises since. We've remained loyal to Princess Cruises. It's nice to have the little extra perks that Princess provides the more cruises you take with them. 

We had hoped and dreamed to cruise to South America or Europe. With our limited budget, and the falling Canadian dollar to a low level, we decided to change our plan.  I guess for now, we will have to enjoy these destinations on TV!  Then again, we can dream about winning a lottery and we both agreed we would take a World cruise then! 

We love every destination we have cruised to. There is always something interesting to visit, to learn and discover at every port.  We enjoy chatting with the locals. We can learn so much from them about their history, cultures, traditions and culinary delights!  I look at the positives of where I travel and accept the negatives, as they to are part of life and travel. We go with the flow! 

Our last cruise vacation was aboard the Grand Princess in January 2011! It was a 14 day Caribbean cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale. We had invited our son Dustin to join us, so he to could experience the wonderful world of travel and cruising! It was his first cruise, so he was VERY excited! He just loved it! He loves photography and took some amazing photos. It certainly gave him the itch to someday travel again!

Cruises to the Caribbean offer good deals and value for your money during those cold winter months! Nothing better than escaping our frigid Canadian winter temperatures, the blowing snow storms, the white outs, and the icy road conditions.  Dream of those tropical, sunny, warm locales and wiggling your toes in the soft powdery white sand or in the mysterious black jjjjjj sandy beaches, as you gaze at the palms swaying in the breeze, while you are mezmerized by the turquoise surf of the ocean, as you enjoy every sip of your tropical rum punch or local beer!  Aww yes! I'm sure you get the picture!

I wish we could cruise and travel more often. There is no greater education than travel!  I feel fortunate that we've been able to enjoy the few cruises we have taken.  We certainly don't take many vacations, nor take them for granted, as it's always a major challenge for us to save enough funds to do so, as it is for many others. After becoming 'disabled' and unable to work after an injury, nothing is ever taken for granted. 

                                A BIT ABOUT US......

Hubby has worked for 48 years and has 'finally' retired on Dec. 30, 2015!! It's been long awaited. The many years of physically demanding work has taken a toll on hubby. As with most people, we have had our challenges in life,  physically, emotionally and financially. Our philosophy is, just keep on going! Do what you can, as much as you can, and do it the best you can! We build and learn on our strengths and support and gain from our weaknesses! I believe that's what motivates us and keeps us moving along,... along with laughter! These last few years have definitely been a challenge, and as we embark on retirement, we'll take the positives with the difficult challenges and we'll support each other along the way!

I will always recall the advice my mom gave me prior to her passing 10 years ago,' Don't wait until you're too old, or in ill health, or wait till you retire, to enjoy life and travel the world'!  I know it isn't always possible, but I understood her message. She had encouraged us to go on our 1st cruise for our 25th wedding anniversary.  Unfortunately, she passed away from lymphoma & leukemia just a few months prior to our cruise.  That cruise was in memory of mom, but sadly we weren't able to tell her about our wonderful adventures. I'm certain wherever she is, she knows we had a great vacation! She had been so excited for us!  My dad had passed away from cancer ( 23 years ago)  just shortly after his retirement, so she was very determined we should go on a cruise to see and experience 'some of the world'!

So, heeding mom's advice, hubby and I will certainly enjoy a celebration cruise! After all, we are celebrating Brian's 65th birthday, my 60th birthday, his retirement and our 35th wedding anniversary!! So there is a WHOLE LOT to celebrate!! 

                      LET THE PLANNING BEGIN!

I can spend hours dreaming through the Princess brochures or online. The lure of all those exotic destinations! Many places I had hoped to cruise to and visit won't become a reality, but, at least we can cruise to somewhere affordable, and that would be the Caribbean! I never tire of the Caribbean. When the Canadian temperatures are way below freezing, the wind chill is biting cold and when it never stops snowing, yes, the Caribbean sounds fantastic! Many people say all the islands are the same. Certainly, there is nothing more further than the truth! Each island has it's own history, beauty and charm! Those white sand beaches and turquoise seas make you feel like you are in paradise!! Take a tour, meet the locals, immerse yourself in their history and culture, enjoy their cuisine, there's a whole new world of experience waiting for you!!

So, with great anticipation, we're looking forward to our long awaited retirement & 35th wedding anniversary cruise!! We'll be sailing on the Royal Princess, a 20 day Caribbean Explorer cruise, in January 2016!  We booked this cruise over a year ago, which involved much time, research and planning. I find planning is definitely half the fun and makes for a more positive, informed and fun experience and cruise!
So now, let the dreaming and fun begin!......