Hello Everyone! I cannot believe that my next cruise leaves one week from today! Where did the time go? For those of you just joining me, I will be setting sail on Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas on April 19th which will be their inaugural Cuba sailing. This trip has absolutely crept up on me despite my countdown.
It would be a very rare circumstance for me not to at the very least stay the night before a sailing in a hotel. There are many things that come into play. One of the biggest reasons is that some ports are not next to an airport like Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Port Canaveral for example is about 45 minute east of Orlando (MCO). You never know what traffic or weather are going to be like. That brings me to my next reason, mother nature. I fly from New York and typically cruise during the winter which means snow storms are a very real notion that I have to consider. Having the extra lead time gives me a little room to maneuver if I have a flight delay or cancellation. There will always be things that can happen outside of your control but booking a day or more ahead can help give you some control over you situation.
Now let’s ask ourselves the real question here: Who wouldn’t want their vacation to start a day sooner? Especially when I cruise with friends it is nice to meet up, hang out and have a few drinks by the pool. Getting in a day early also allows you to set up your cruise carry on bag, purchase any last minute items like sunscreen or pick up anything you may have forgotten. Sometimes check in at the port can be a little hectic so why add the stress of having been in the air all day to that?
Here comes the sad part, disembarking the cruise. I feel like I almost need an extra day before reality sets in. I like to book a hotel post cruise to regain my land legs and start to catch up on life a little bit. As much as I use social media and the internet while I’m blogging onboard, there is only so much you can actually do at sea. I’m one of those people that hates getting back to work and opening my email to 300 emails. I try very hard to screen them as I go. I also like trying to get a little bit of laundry done as well on a post cruise stay. The worst thing about coming back from vacation is not going back to work, it is the laundry!
One of the biggest reasons that I started booking stays before and after my cruise had to deal with airfare prices. For example, my flight back to NY this month was $67 flying out a day after. If I had booked the same day as disembarkation that ticket was $149. That is a huge difference for a family, why not spend that money on an extra day of vacation? That is my logic at least.
I really hope this gave all of you some food for thought. Keep in mind the cities that you sail out of have their own story too. Why not take some time and explore them too? Make sure you are following me on all my channels. You are not going to want to miss this Cuba experience!
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