The cruise plans have relaxed quite a bit since my original hysteria about “OMG!! WE HAVE TO PLAN!!”
I love planning, God knows. My life revolves around checklists and calendars, and this is our (not all of us, my daughter’s S.O. has been on a couple in the past) first-ever cruise, and first time cruise overwhelm is real. Add my anxiety and yeah, I started out in a panic, but I’ve talked myself down, thanks to some very reassuring people in cruise Facebook groups. (I know, right?)
We are going to pack our casual clothes and bathing suits and hats and sunscreen, because NONE of the other stuff people obsess over is necessary.
Today I read a FB post about “So what are your ideas for cute boarding outfits?” And I went, “Wait now!? Boarding outfits?? WTActualF is this madness?”
It’s not that crazy, it’s family groups that want to have matching shit. We are not those people either.
So, yeah. There’s a Cruise Culture (I didn’t call it a cult, that would be mean and unfair) that does weird charmingly eccentric (I will not call it cult-like) stuff.
I’ve discussed the Fish Extender already, that’s a nope. I did the quick mental math and time investment about it and decided it would be cheaper and MUCH easier to just hand The Kid $100 and let her go nuts on souvenirs.
Then there’s the ducks. This is not a Disney thing, it’s a cruise thing. Apparently it’s thing to buy and hide cruise-themed rubber duckies around the ship for other people to find. I think we will party poop on that too, unless my daughter is inspired to do it (highly unlikely, she’s my daughter). It’s just a 3 day vacation, and I don’t want to work on it.
As much as I am looking forward to this trip, and I REALLY am, I have to say that hardcore cruise culture is just as fucking weird as I’ve always thought. But it’s all optional and there will be many boring normies like us who are there for the stuff we paid for and aren’t interested in spending time and energy on other nonsense.
I left the shore day in Nassau up to my daughter and her guy, and they have concluded that we’ll go ashore and walk around so The Kid can say she’s seen Nassau, then get back on the ship and do ship stuff. I heartily endorse this plan. We will be doing the full Castaway Cay day, they want to snorkel and bike and float and eat BBQ and just relax.
I have a feeling 3 days will not be enough.