My first cruise was a barely memorable 3-day adventure right after college graduation. It was a gimmick to get us to buy a time share (it worked) and I was joined by my best friend, sister, and sister’s best friend. The only thing I remember is that we were in a room with a tiny porthole and four beds set up like a college dorm.

In 2009, about a month after the man who would become husband and I met, he went on a Royal Caribbean cruise with his extended family (Liberty of the Seas) and just couldn’t stop talking about it.  With the exception of having to share a dark interior room with his untreated-sleep-apnea-affected brother, he loved every minute of the trip.  As soon as he got off the ship he signed up for another cruise on the Oasis of the Seas – but this time he booked a balcony room by himself. (He would later admit that he was sure we’d still be together then, and probably married, so he had every intention of sharing a room with me.  As it turned out, our engagement party was on that ship).  I was intrigued by how excited he was, but was certain that cruises were primarily for the old and the lame, and couldn’t possibly be my idea of a good time.

The next year my best friend decided to get married on a Carnival cruise, so I had to quickly learn about cruising and the ins and outs of a cruise ship wedding.  The wedding was called off at the last minute, but we still went on the trip and had a great time.  It was what inspired my husband and I to get married on a cruise ship ourselves.

All told, if you count that little one I can’t remember, I’ve been on 11 cruises – 9 of them with my husband. Seven were Royal Caribbean, two were Carnival, and all were a great time.

1. Ship I cannot remember that was probably Princess because I recall mentions of the “Love Boat” TV show
2. Carnival Conquest (Nov 2010)
3. Oasis of the Seas (Sept 2011)
4. Carnival Pride (Jan 2012)
5. Carnival Pride (Jan 2013)
6. Grandeur of the Seas (Oct 2013)
7. Enchantment of the Seas (May 2014)
8. Grandeur of the Seas (Jan 2015)
9. Adventure of the Seas (Oct 2015)
10. Allure of the Seas (Oct 2017)
11. Anthem of the Seas (Jan 2018)

I also have two more booked for 2018-2019. More on that later.