🚢 All Aboard: Pool Time, Dancing Waiters & Bee’s First Room Service
Cruise day! We woke up in Miami ready to go—and ditched the idea of using the hotel shuttle. Cash only? Fixed times? No thanks. I’ll take flexibility and door-to-door drop-off any day, especially when traveling with a kid.
While Bee watched out the window, I triple-checked everything: passports, cruise terminal, foreign transaction fees, and backup cash. This was my second time leaving the U.S.—my last was my honeymoon 12 years ago. This time? Just me and Bee, and her first time leaving the country. We were ready to explore.
The Faster to the Fun (FTTF) add-on was absolutely worth it. We breezed through the terminal, dropped off luggage, checked in, and waited just a bit before the ship opened up. From drop-off to boarding took less than 30 minutes. I will never not do FTTF again.
Once we boarded, rooms weren’t quite ready, so… straight to the pool. Bee was so excited and we actually had to ask if it was open—we were that early. We checked out two pools, three hot tubs, and the waterslide. Of course, in our hurry we forgot goggles and sunscreen, but that didn’t slow her down. She was fully in vacation mode.
First in the pool!!!- and surprise- the pools and hot tubs are all SALT WATER!
View of the waterslide from one of the hot tubs.
Eventually we made it to our room and guess what we did first? Yep. Back to the pool. This time we came prepared. Bee was splashing around like she owned the place and I got to exhale a little for the first time all day.
View of the room. Bunnies enjoyed the view too.
Dinner that night was in the main dining room and honestly, it was magic. Every night at 7:30, the waitstaff pause service, line up on the stairs, and dance. Like full-on performance—complete with ruffled shirts and flair. Bee was mesmerized. I don’t think either of us expected that kind of dinner entertainment.
After dinner we explored the ship, peeked at the casino, wandered the decks... and then it happened: Bee asked to order room service. She’d already scoped out the menu and decided on chocolate cake. I handed her the phone and her Sail & Sign card and told her to go for it.
She made the call herself. Ordered it. Signed for it. The look on her face when she did it—like she was a grown-up in the best way—made me proud in a way only moms understand.
By the time the cake came, we were both done. No alarms. No plans. Just sleep.
It wasn’t the relaxing, casino-hopping, cocktail-sipping cruise kickoff I might’ve planned for myself. But Bee’s joy—the pool, the ship, the cake she ordered herself—made it perfect in its own chaotic way. Sometimes the best memories aren’t the ones we plan. They’re the ones we get to witness through our kids’ wide eyes.
