I had never been on a cruise before – but when 12 of my high school friends hatched a plan to celebrate When we celebrated our 60th birthday on a four-day cruise with Royal Caribbean, I immediately said yes.
Our group of 13 bbooked a four-day cruise on the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas from Los Angeles to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico.
I didn’t realize how much fun it would be, how affordable and meaningful it would be.
We had a great time on the ship
We enjoyed walking along each stop on our cruise. Courtesy of Kelly Dwyer
The Navigator of the Seas has a shopping promenade, a Main Dining Rooma buffet, a café, specialty restaurants, an ice rink, an exhibition room, a piano lounge, swimming pools, a gym, a spa and much more.
Given everything that was offered, it is hard to imagine anyone not Fun on the shipbut my friends and I had an especially great time because we were together.
For four days we ate, drank, laughed, swam and talked, over and over again.
We ate together throughout the trip. Courtesy of Kelly Dwyer
We danced until dawn—or at least until nearly midnight—at the nightclub. At 80s night on the boardwalk, we belted out every word of every song.
We cheered on our friends as they competed in contests and pickleball tournaments, celebrated with a friend who won big at the casino, and much more.
Every evening we played cards in the Schooner Bar while a talented pianist and singer took requests throughout the night.
We even got a visit from the ship’s captain after we sent him a message asking if he would like to meet us on the evening of the festival. I’m not often speechless, but I had never met anyone who was more qualified to steer a ship the size of a Hotels in Las Vegas before.
I don’t think I managed a single coherent sentence – but he was friendly and courteous, and now I understand why captains in Jane Austen’s novels are so often described as “dashing”.
Even better: The trip was surprisingly cheap
My friends and I had a lot of fun on our cruise without having to pay for a lot of extras. Courtesy of Kelly Dwyer
I thought all the fun we had would cost a lot, but I was wrong. It turns out that a cruise can be quite affordable – as long as you’re smart about it.
We shared a double room with a balcony and the trip cost about $793 per person, including taxes, fees and port costs.
I had no need or desire to pay extra to eat at a specialty restaurant because all the dishes in the main dining room were so good.
We Money saved on photo packages, using a tripod, asking other people on the ship to snap our pictures, and taking selfies. We didn’t pay extra to book excursions and instead had fun exploring our two ports in small groups.
In Catalina we strolled along the boardwalk like we were teenagers again. In Ensenada we went shopping and bought cheap souvenirs that will always remind us of our time together.
We are already planning our next cruise
The best part of the trip was, of course, the time we spent together, which gave it so much meaning. Our friendship, which was already special, was strengthened, deepened and grew.
I am pleased to say that we have already Planning our next cruise in five years.
We’re turning 65 and I imagine we’ll still be best friends, wearing cool clothes in our swimsuits, chatting with the captain, dancing at 80’s night and once again having the time of our lives.
