Our Cruise "Routine"

 Towards the end of our recent Alaskan cruise, I asked my husband what one of his favorite parts of the trip was. What he shared so resonated with me, that I want to share it with you as well. He told me that he enjoyed our cruise "routine." After several such trips (we have taken 11 cruises together), we have developed some rhythms to our cruise days that we find much enjoyment in. 

 In the morning, unless we have an early excursion (which we try to avoid), we sleep until our bodies wake us up naturally. I love waking up without an alarm! After showering and getting ready for our day, we head to breakfast, which is usually in the Garden Cafe (NCL's buffet). Here they have a fabulous array of options, including our favorite, made to order omelets. On the Breakaway Plus class ships which all have a similar layout, we have a favorite area to eat - just outside of the buffet on the pool deck near a drink station. This gives us fresh air, beautiful views, the convenience of the drink station, and relative quiet compared to the chaos of the buffet. I also appreciate not having to choose/find a place to sit every day and coordinate with whomever I'm cruising with to try to connect - I'm just in my spot!

 After breakfast, we head to the Observation Lounge. If it's just the two of us (my husband and I) cruising together, we'll typically spend some quiet time here on our computers, him working and me doing my Bible Study and writing. On a cruise with others, as we just finished, we might end up doing things here with them, like playing card or board games. The Observation Lounge is a lovely place to hang out, enjoy some snacks, and take in the incredible views through the up to 15-foot-high windows. 

 When our tummies start to tell us it's time for lunch, we'll typically head to one of the table-service restaurants. I especially enjoy the food at the Local and the American Diner on board the Breakaway-Plus class ships. A nice sandwich or salad and we're off to our room for a little snooze. Taking an afternoon nap aboard a gently-rocking ship is a wonderful thing! 

 The late afternoon will involve a game, or two, and maybe reading a book, then in the evening we'll enjoy an early dinner, we usually like to pop in around 5:30. This gives us the option of taking in the evening's 7:30 show, watching the game show in the Atrium, or heading back to the Observation Lounge to play one more game - yes, we like to play a lot of games! Often times they will have a piano player in the Observation Lounge in the evenings which adds to the fun. If I'm really feeling energetic, we might head to one of the bars on the ship to take in their entertainment options, typically a duo or a guy with a guitar. I like these so much more than the big productions in the theater if they are just a musical review. If the weather is mild and the scenery is amazing, as it often is on an Alaskan cruise, I'll just sit on my balcony and take it all in, like I did when I took this picture: 

 Then we head to bed with the blissful knowledge that we get to do it all over again the next day! This is what a sea day looks like for us, and if we are in port our schedule will change up a bit with time ashore, but when we are on the boat our routine looks much the same. 

Here's the Thing: It may not sound exciting or exotic, but it's blissful for me! I find time on a cruise ship relaxing and restorative. I often find that my symptoms are significantly decreased - in fact on our last cruise I went from battling pain at a level 8-9 prior to embarkation, to having it settle to a 3-4 for much of our trip. Seeing the water, watching the sunsets, spending time with loved ones, that's a vacation to me!