A Decision Has Been Made

I hemmed and I hawed and then I hemmed some more. Changed my mind about a dozen times only to come right back to where I started . . . but the vacation decision has been made. What a relief to just decide already and move on. It's official, we are going on a cruise, in a warm climate, to 'bleachy' places. I'm still not quite sure how Karlo and I will do, but I'm hopeful. We have taken a real cruise in the past - not counting, of course, our biking and sailing cruises. Those really don't count because the experience was totally different. But I figure if we could totally enjoy sailing on a sailboat where there is virtually nothing to do while on board, other than sunbathe and read, then a huge cruise ship can't be all that bad. Our first experience with cruise ships came on our honeymoon and I seem to remember that being a nice time.

So we are planning to spend a day and night kicking around beach front in Ft. Lauderdale and then make our way to Miami where we will start our 4 night voyage. I haven't booked our excursions yet, but I'm planning on a glass bottom kayak trip in Key West, an ATV jungle ride in Cozumel, and an Everglade airboat tour in Miami. The glass bottom kayak thing has been on my bucket list and I'm the most excited about that. This is my perfect way of seeing all my beloved tropical fish, without having to, God forbid, get wet or swim. (Yes, the person that almost bought a swim spa!) Karlo is thrilled with the ATV trip through the jungle and I'm just happy that I think we can keep ourselves pretty busy.

I have to admit, the thought of having a taste of 'nightlife' is exciting. On most (if not all) of our 'normal' vacations we are so physically drained and wiped out from our daily activities (and getting up before the sun rises every day) that we literally crash out in bed before it really even gets dark. Pitiful. Entertaining ourselves at night is usually not an issue. But now we will have shows to watch and bars to dance in. Wow, it's hard to even imagine. The hardest part to imagine is what on Earth I'll wear! Yikes. Totally out of our element here. I can't remember the last vacation that involved packing more than biking gear, hiking clothes, or fleece. This will be a big challenge for sure. I'll need 'outfits' and shoes, and jewelry, and they should match . . . holy cow, I knew I would find something to stress over. This packing will be harder on me that the biking during vacation #1.