Cruise Wrap-Up

Our last full day started with breakfast in the Windjammer. Thomas and I had to wake everyone up at 8:30. We had a laser tag reservation at 9:30, so they needed enough time to get dressed and have a quick breakfast. We saw Mike and Sunshine in the Windjammer and Anna graciously volunteered her laser tag spot to Mike. Fortunately, the worker allowed us to add him to our reservation, so we were all able to play. Laser tag was super fun. The laser tag we play on the ships is the best laser tag we’ve ever played. It was the same as the one we did on Mariner where they divide you into two teams, Aliens versus Robots, and you're battling to see who gets to claim a new planet. All of us, except Thomas were on one team. Noncoincidental, all of us except Thomas, lost the planet. But, most of us had a blast. The girls didn’t really like it for some reason; the boys and I loved it.

After laser tag, Anna and I got off the ship and walked around Nassau.  Well, really just the port area. It’s changed since we were last there and we enjoyed browsing the shops. We got a few souvenirs in the straw market. While we were doing that, Sunshine and Kara took Mike and Luke to the FlowRider, then the waterslides and hot tubs on the pool deck. When Anna and I got back on the ship, I went and sat with Kara (Sunshine and some of her family had also left to explore a little and Kara said she was happy to keep an eye on Luke and Mike). The boys had a good routine, they would go down the slide, then jump in the hot tub for a few minutes before going back to the slide. It was actually pretty chilly out and very windy so this worked out well for them, and there was almost no line for the slide. 

Luke didn't mind the colder air. After the slides, they headed over to the kids splash area.

Thomas and Jack went off the ship to visit a new museum on island culture. It was very small, but Thomas said it was nice and both he and Jack said they were glad they went. 

Thomas took a few pictures from the colorful museum.

We had a late lunch in the Windjammer, later Thomas and the girls went to El Loco Fresh and I took a nap. Luke ended up going to the kids club for a few hours. After my nap, I took the Abyss down to meet Thomas and the girls on the boardwalk. Anna and I had missed the morning trivia, so we went to an afternoon trivia and got 11 out of 15. The winner was 13, so it was the closest we had gotten.  

Me and my trivia buddy.

I’m not sure what Jack was doing while we were all doing the above. After dinner, we browsed the shops, looking for a way to spend our remaining onboard credit. Kara ended up getting some perfume, Luke got some candy, and Anna got some funny grape-themed stuffed ‘“animal”. We went to the 730 ice-skating show and then did all our packing. Jack went to the teen club to say goodbye to the friends he made, Kara was going to go, but then ultimately decided to have an early night. Our time to get off the ship was 7:30 AM, so that was probably the right call.

Departure day was sad. We weren't ready to leave. We got everyone up at 645 and went to breakfast. We went downstairs to disembark at our 730 appointed time, but they weren't ready for us yet, so we had to wait around a few minutes. Fortunately, it did not take long and we were in our car around 8 and on our way home. 

Before we left, we did one more walk on the music stairs.

The cruise was really nice. It is different with the teens getting older and having more interest in the later night activities (well, at least Kara and Jack. Anna takes after me and is not really a late-night person). This was also our first cruise where we didn't have anything to do at any port. For the large ships, like the one we were on (Symphony of the Seas) they really are a destination in and of themselves, so it didn't matter too much. It is very different from our upcoming Alaska cruise, where the ship was secondary to the itinerary. That being said, I would definitely prefer a different itinerary next time. It was crazy to not have a good beach day and I missed Coco Cay. 

Unfortunately, I looked at cruises for next Spring Break and they are 40% more than we paid for this one. I am glad we have gotten to do so many, but I am not sure it is going to be a frequent vacation for us in the future. The value has diminished with the price increase. For example, our last two cruises were both six nights and just under $6000. Once you add in internet, refreshment packages, parking, arcade, excursions, trip insurance, and other expenses, I am guessing it ends up being around $7500 (less on this one since we had no excursions, more on the one where we did a couple of excursions, but I think $7.5K is a reasonable estimate). We get three rooms, so when you factor in food, lodging, and entertainment for 6 people, that is a decent deal. But, we did two separate weeks in Pigeon Forge in 2022, one at the start of summer and one Thanksgiving week. Both times staying in cabins where we did lots of activities: Dollywood, white water rafting, ziplining, caves, hiking, horseback riding, museums, mountain coasters, etc. and it was around $5K a week. I am sure that those costs have also gone up, but it would be easier to make adjustments to stay on budget. I love a cruise vacation for the complete ease--I don't have to cook, clean, or micromanage our days. Once we are onboard, everything is taken care of. I am willing to pay some premium for that, but we also love our trips to the mountains, so the amount we are willing to pay is definitely capped. And, we may have reached the point where it just isn't worth it anymore. Or, maybe we need to look at a different cruise line. Anyway, that was my tangent on vacation choices. I am glad we went, we had a great time and I hope we will be back. But, if not, there are plenty of other things in this world to see and do. (And, sorry, I know it is a little weird to post how much things cost, but I think this will be helpful for me in future years to see how things change.)