TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums Afloat 2021 NCL Caribbean cruise

We have booked a cruise out of Tampa....going to key west, Puerto plata, st Thomas, st Kitts, Tortola, and San Juan. We have been to many Caribbean islands but we have never been to key west st Thomas, st Kitts, or Tortola. So this completes more of our bucket list.

Sounds like fun. Bucket lists are fun to get them filled up.

Do you guys keep your luggage packed at all times?? I have a hard time trying to keep up with you just reading about your ongoing trips LOL. I think it's just great that you and your husband are able to do this to make great memories that will last forever.

Actually.. When we return home from a trip , I pack for the next one. I have travel clothes hanging in a closet in the guest bedroom and cosmetics and personal hygiene products that I keep in the suitcase. I know it seems like we travel all the time..but we really only do about three trips a year...our travel has changed a bit...we used to do more beach trips than we do now. We went to Jamaica and St. Martin every year... But our favorite Jamaican resort closed and our favorite SXM resort blew away. We have been to Jamaica 23 times and SXM 15 times.

If you retire at 65..my husband retired last year...you figure you only have 10 years you can probably travel extensively...provided your health is good. So we started traveling in our 40's...in 1997.... We went to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary. That's what started it all. In 1998 we went to Jamaica. In 1999 we went to Tahiti, Dominican Republic, and St. Martin.

In 2012, we went on our first Disney cruise with our sons family. We have now been on 2 Disney cruises, 2 Norwegian cruises, a princess med cruise, a royal Caribbean cruise and a tauck European cruise....and we have three more cruises booked. Cruises are a great way to see a lot...your hotel travels with you.

Anyway...we are blessed with good health and the finances to be able to travel as much as we do....and even though we keep checking off the boxes of our bucket list...it keeps growing. We may never get to see all the places we want...but we will have fun trying!

We have a box in the closet that we started out calling "the cruise box". We kept separate suntan lotion, shampoo, crème rinse, cosmetics, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc., etc. so that the next time we packed for a trip, that everything would be there. Now, we still call it that, even though we haven't been on a cruise in a few years.

I found that i was forgetting things so i decided to just go ahead and but "travel" products that i leave in the suitcase...and when we get home from a trip i replenish it. It was a smart thing to do...it saves me the worry and stress. I even keep socks and underwear packed. I get home from a trip and do the laundry and repack the essentials. All I have to do then is pack the clothes.

I was not a fan of boats...and had no desire to go on a cruise...but after i discovered cruising...it has become my favorite way to travel. It took me a while to figure out the room category we liked best...and I also prebook everything i can which makes each cruise like an all inclusive...and all is prepaid. Anything i can do to alleviate stress...because even though traveling is enjoyable...it can also be stressful.

We have cancelled this cruise and at this time have no plans to reschedule

At this point, I'm not at all sure when I will take a cruise again, if ever..