So many of you are probably thinking, “What took you so long?”, but this was a huge step for us. Air travel is not the favorite mode of transportation for either of us, as we enjoy the open road, and the freedom to explore that it offers. Here we were setting ourselves up to put our entire transportation into the hands of others. Letting go can be scary, but also exhilarating. Our itinerary was to travel to Cocoa Beach for a couple of days, before boarding the Oasis of the Seas for a seven day cruise.

After countless months of research, the day of departure finally arrived. We flew into Orlando Airport, where we were met by a private car. This was a splurge, but we felt it was worth it not to ride in a taxi. After a forty-five minute ride, we arrived at our beachfront hotel. We stayed at The Inn of Cocoa Beach, which is geared toward couples. It has a good variety of amenities, and the access to the beach sealed the selection. It was also very close to stores, restaurants, and public transportation.

A couple of days of unwinding were certainly a good idea, since we were already a little nervous about our first sailing. Our time in Cocoa was quite enjoyable, but soon we were ready to head to the terminal.

The embarkation went quickly, and soon we set sail for the vast Caribbean. Our first stop was at Nassau, and our excursion ended up being one of our favorites. As with anything that fun, the time soon came to move along. Once again the ship was moving, and this time it was heading to deeper waters.

Traveling in late fall means that the weather is a little unpredictable. We were just past the end of hurricane season, but we still hit some rough waters. The rocking of a ship as large as the Oasis was a little concerning to some onboard, but we just took it in stride. It actually helped rock us to sleep at night.

Our next stop was at St. Thomas, but this was the shortest time period we had on shore. Knowing this beforehand had allowed us to make a plan that maximized our visit. By the end of the day we knew that this was a place we would like to investigate in more detail. As the ship departed the island, we were treated to an amazing sunset.

The next morning we arrived in St. Maarten, which is an island split between two sovereign countries. Faced with an entire day to explore, we chose an excursion that took us all the way around the island. We were able to get a good feel for the island vibe, and saw more than we ever expected (especially at the beach).

Once the ship left this final port, we faced two complete days at sea. This gave us lots of opportunity to explore this superstructure. The idea that they could assemble a ship large enough to hold an ice skating rink, carousel, two climbing walls, two surfing rides, a park-like open air area complete with 12,000 live plants, mini-golf course, basketball courts, children’s zone, teen club, over 20 restaurants, a wide assortment of shops, outdoor diving show arena, and a couple of arcades. Oh, did we mention a zip-line that runs nine stories above the deck?

Faced with all of these distractions, we decided that we needed to rest. The windy weather had subsided, and our last couple of days brought ample sunshine. This gave us time to gather some Vitamin D around some of the pools. Of course, we also visited the hot tubs which hang over the side of the ship. These allow guests to melt away their stress while watching the blue Caribbean waters pass by.

Days brought outdoor activities, and evenings beckoned everyone indoors. Here we were presented with a variety of entertainment options for young and old. The last two days flew by, and soon we were preparing for our return to solid ground. The driver picked us up at the port, and whisked us back to the airport. As the plane flew off into the sunset, we already began reminiscing of where we were just a few short days earlier.

While cruising holds a certain awe, especially in the department of decadence, we made the decision that it left us too little time to truly immerse ourselves in the places we visited. Oh we will surely try cruising again, as it is a great way to check out potential places for a longer stay. All in all it was a great way to find a purpose for passports!

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Surfs Up

The salt air and sand did their job, and soon we could feel the rushing sensation settle its pace. The sounds of the crashing waves were soothing and became a backbeat to our newfound saunter. Of course, not all of our time was spent on the beach. We enjoyed many fine meals while in Cocoa Beach, with a very memorable one at Sage Bistro. The service was top-notch, and the food was gourmet all the way. It was the kind of dinner that requires a long walk down the beach afterward. Of course, there were many other memorable meals, but this one stands out for exceptional quality.

Getting a Lay of the Land

Shopping is another one of our favorite pastimes, and we found many places to wander through. Close by we found the Dinosaur Store, where you can find all sorts of fun and educational items. Of course, we made the obligatory stop for our beachwear products. There seem to be a hundred different beach shops, but Ron Jon Surf Shop is definitely the “King of the Beach”.

Short Excursion

A short bus ride from our lodging, and we were in historic Cocoa Village, which is a resurrected 1950’s shopping area filled with boutiques and quirky shops. It is located along the waterfront of the Indian River, so the views were phenomenal.

Traveling so late in the season meant that the sunset was rather early. Fortunately, there were plenty of activities to fill the evening hours. A visit to Golf n Gator provided plenty of cheesy entertainment. We both enjoy a round of mini-golf, and the bonus of feeding live gators just added another layer to the stop.

New Friends

Our lodging choice was The Inn of Cocoa Beach, which is located oceanfront and offers great views of the beach. The morning sunrises greeted us and created a desire to take our coffee down to the beach to watch the waves crash. This certainly helped set the slower pace for our days. At the Inn, we ran across the resident welcome staff, who remained quiet until you started to leave them. At that point, they would squawk and talk.

After a couple of days of readjusting our pace, we were ready to start the next phase of our trip, which was our first ever cruise. We were hoping that the experience would live up to all of the hype. Cocoa Beach certainly proved to be a great place to relax. What is your favorite beach town?

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