November 2024
This trip was a labor of love, borne of my personal exhaustion after cooking for three days one Thanksgiving. Nearly a year in planning, it ended being on of the most amazing experiences for me as unofficial team leader, and all ten of my traveling companions. If you’ve ever wanted to take your entire extended family on a cruise, read on for detail on how we did it.
Key Highlights
- Activities: Rock climbing, water slides, movies by the pool, Luchador wrestling, dune buggy touring, snorkeling, ice skating show, surfing, spa visits, and more!
- Lodging: Amazing Miami AirBnB
- Transportation: Uber, flights, cruise ship!
- Overall Impression: We were impressed with Royal Caribbean and the entire cruise experience!
- Advice: Plan in advance for the sailing of your choice, especially when traveling with a large group. If you’re a busy traveler like us, you won’t regret the savings on an interior cabin!
The Idea:
I had spent nearly a week in the kitchen, the grocery store, or scrubbing something. It was Thanksgiving 2023 and I was exhausted. As we rested after the amazing meal I got a Royal Caribbean Black Friday sale ad pushed to my phone and thought – what if we cruised next year instead of all this??
My husband didn’t say no, my mother-in-law said sure, and the kids said, yes! I started my campaign to get my brother and his family, my parents, and my brother-in-law’s families on board with us.
The Strategy:
We started by simply exploring destinations that were sailing when we wanted to go. We had never cruised before and with a wide assortment of ages coming with, we didn’t want to be traveling too long. We also realized that the cruise lines outsmarted us, and cruises over the holiday were generally more expensive or had inconvenient departure/return dates. I literally spent weeks at this stage while simultaneously navigating the endless but always different cruise sales offered by the cruise lines.
I learned a lot by planning this trip.
We ended up taking a Royal Caribbean 5-Day Western Caribbean Plus Perfect Day cruise in a group of 11 in November 2024. We sailed from Miami, renting a double townhome the night before our departure where we went to the grocery store and I cooked a feast!
I’ll break it down for you next!
Planning Tips:
If you’re cruising for the first time, choosing a new itinerary or cruiseline, or planning a cruise for a multi-generational crowd, here are my tips for success.
- Someone has to be the leader. We might still be debating departure dates, destinations and cruise ship amenities if I hadn’t just finally said, this is what we are doing, would you be interested in joining us. Before I got to that point however, I did a lot of listening to everyone’s needs, thoughts, and expectations. Then, when we were ready, we booked our cruise and then called all the other families and helped them book their staterooms.
- Get everyone a passport. The rules about travel seem to be in flux a lot lately (Real ID, changing passport policies, etc) so I think it is just easiest to get everyone a passport. Kids, babies, everyone. My sister-in-law didn’t do this at first and it caused them a bit of stress. Plus, you can hand a tween or teen their passport in the customs lines and not worry about it getting destroyed like a birth certificate can.
- Review the options for ship activities and shore excursions several times. This took us a long time to dial in. We met with everyone several times to discuss the options before and after things opened up for booking with Royal Caribbean. Once reservations do open, you want to be ready to pull the trigger.
- Prices of everything will change. Royal Caribbean offers you the opportunity to cancel any prebooked reservation and rebook if the price changes, up to a certain day before your departure. We booked and cancelled our water park passes probably 3 times, finally getting them for a price that didn’t make my heart stop. Be patient and persistent to get the best deal.
- Don’t overschedule your shore days. This is really tempting (and easy) to do with the options right there for booking with just one click. But the best part of our shore days were the unscheduled time where we discover/explored our new world.
- If purchasing photos from the cruise line, do it before you leave your cabin on your departure day. I learned this the hard, hard way.
Reviews:
We took advantage of just about everything we could while cruising, both on and off the ship. I don’t look back and feel like we missed any of the entire experience (except maybe some well-deserved shut eye). Here’s the details of what we did.
On the Ship
Flo Rider
We did it, just like on the commercial! My daughter and I took an early morning surfing lesson on one of the last days of our cruise. The instructors were patient with good humor as we struggled to boogie board and eventually, surf! Epic fun and memorable, this was a great time. Just be prepared to work those legs!
Chef’s Table
My mother-in-law is a bit of a foodie, so this was top on her list of things to do. It was a tremendous experience. More delicious food you could hope to eat, each course featuring an interesting wine paring. We shared our table with a couple other groups which added to the unique fun. Perched high above the dining room, the view was also gorgeous.
Family Dinner – Main Dining Room
Our large group ate together in the dining room each night – allowing us to connect and share about our day if we hadn’t been together. It was a great inter-generational connection point for all of us. We sat at the same table with the same wait staff each night – by the end of the cruise, we felt like old friends.
To set this experience up for your group, be sure to coordinate with the dining room in advance. We were able to make a reservation at the same table, same time each night for our entire party.
Pool – The Central Hub
Not unexpectedly, the pool became a central hub for our entire trip. We watched movies in the pool, watched a belly flop contest in the pool, and generally spent a couple hours here every day. As we cruised in November it wasn’t scorching hot so the crowds were kept at bay (except for the hot tubs).
Pool deck chairs are nearly impossible to come by, which didn’t bother us as our room was nearby. However, this seems to be an issue for lots of cruisers.
Rock Climbing Wall
Admittedly, I’m not a very experienced climber, but I sure had fun. Be prepared for a bit of a wait for climbing – there was always a pretty long line during climbing hours, but it was certainly worth it for the view alone!
Shore Excursion – Perfect Day at CocoCay
South Beach
We spent half our day floating in the turquoise waters with the youngest members of our traveling party. My sister-in-law rented a cabana, which was great for shade and a place to gather throughout the day. Easy access to food, restrooms, and free of crowds, this was an amazing place to spend the morning.
Thrill Waterpark
Our family loves water parks so we splurged on water park passes. There were few lines for single slides most the afternoon, and as the afternoon passed, fewer and fewer remained on the island. Some of the group slides had long lines (and inefficient management of tubes) which got frustrating. Watch the prices before your cruise to get the best price if interested in the water park – we loved our visit!
Shore Excursion – Cozumel, Mexico
Cozumel – Mucha Libre Experience
What better place to experience Mexican wrestling than a tropical Mexican paradise! My family loved this experience – we laughed, cheered, booed, and had a fantastic time. We purchased tickets in advance, but were easily able to purchase one at the door for a late add to our party. The wrestlers do a great job entertaining the crowd and the staff aren’t pushy with add-ons.
Dune Buggy Rental
While walking the main street in Cozumel, we decided to rent dune buggies and hit the road. We traveled around the entire island during our day in Cozumel and got to visit spots off the beaten path. Be sure you’re comfortable with the rental business and you’re clear on when you need to return your car. Else, hit the road!
Mezcalitos Restaurant and Beach Bar
On the far side of the island we stopped for a beach-front lunch at Mezcalitos. Chairs in the sand and fresh fish on the menu, this place was nearly deserted while we visited but fantastic. We snorkled on the beach after lunch and got plenty of sand between our toes.
Bring cash – no cards accepted here! Also, cell service was strange here and at times our phones were jumping back and forth between time zones which led to some panic about possibly being late back to the ship.
El Cedral
After paying a few dollars for admission, we entered the heart of Cozumel. The rutted roads protected with a gate and entrance booth, led us through the jungle to an ancient Mayan city where locals struggle to keep the town alive. Only a handful of shops were open and most the town was deserted.
Photo: Carlos Rosado van der Gracht / Yucatán Magazine
We watched a crew replace the thatched roof on a community gathering building and visited a Catholic church next to ruins of a Mayan temple and took in the juxtaposition between history and present.
Wrapping Up
Overall, this was an amazing trip, not just because I somehow managed to get everyone to come with! If you’ve never cruised, I recommend it 100% as something to try. As someone who loves active travel, with little down time, I found cruising a terrific way to go.
