Our First Cruise…and Other Firsts!

Having expectations and being accustomed to certain ways of doing things can really throw one off kilter when trying something new.

For the past 15 years, 95% of my flights have been with one of two airlines: Southwest and American Airlines (AA). I don’t even recall which airlines took me to Edinburgh, and I’m sure I flew via some other airline for work once or twice. When Southwest had to change some of their hubs and because I was limited on which flights I could use to visit my sons in a small town in Texas, I have flown strictly AA for the past seven years. I knew exactly how to navigate the purchases, online check-ins, and—knock on wood—the very few flight changes.

I am currently sitting on a stool at a small vanity/desk in my cabin on Deck 1 onboard Carnival Sunrise, aptly aware of the micro movements of the ship as we traverse the Caribbean en route to Jamaica. This trip is full of firsts for me: first big vacation as a solo-mom traveler with my daughter, first-ever cruise, and first time flying via Allegiant. As a Travel Advisor and Solo Travel Coach, I figured it would be a good idea to operate completely outside of my comfort zone, to remember what it’s like to feel uncomfortable and frustrated, to expect one thing but experience something completely different. And it’s working.

Flying Allegiant was definitely different from my Southwest and AA experiences! It wasn’t horrible, but holy crap! I can’t even get free water on the flight! I had to spend $3 for 16 oz of water. No complimentary snacks either. Good thing I brought a ton of kid-friendly snacks for the trip. Also, the seat bottoms were pretty short. It was even noticeable on my short legs. The tray tables were abnormally high. But for a two-and-a-half-hour non-stop flight to Fort Lauderdale with a five-year-old, it wasn’t too shabby. And on the positive side, the aisle was pretty wide! Didn’t have to bump seated passengers with my backpack. I just wasn’t prepared for some of the surprises. By the way, we happened upon our two pilots in an elevator. Mikaela was overjoyed! AND they let her check out the cockpit as we exited the plane. She was surprised they remembered her.

Miraculously, I wasn’t able to pack carry-on only for the both of us. We each had a spinning roller carry-on suitcase—Mikaela’s was “Frozen” theme, of course, and mine was my favorite carry-on by Chaps that I bought over 10 years ago in Florida. We also each had a stuffed backpack that counted as our personal bags.  I feel like I both over- and under packed for this cruise. Traversing TSA, the terminal, onboarding and deboarding, and finding our shuttle with two rolling carry-ons, two stuffed backpacks and a full-size booster car seat in a bag was a workout, needless to say. Mikaela helped with her roller, thank goodness.

Another first for us was using an Uber to get from our hotel in downtown Miami to the Port of Miami. I was really nervous because we had this car seat and what if the Uber rejected us? It wasn’t likely, based on the blogs I read the night before, but still a possibility. Thankfully, our Uber driver arrived in an SUV and was very kind. It was super easy! Whew. It cost about $13.50 + tip. Affordable for our budget.

Mikaela handled onboarding in the 87F + 70% humidity at 10:00 a.m. rather well. Long lines and more waiting until we got to the passport check point right before getting on the ship. Lively music was playing and Mikaela danced the entire time, as usual. Mikaela has no father on her birth certificate and traveling as a solo mom, I take it with us when we travel internationally, just in case. It’s always good to have proof of permission to travel from the other parent. In our case, I don’t have to deal with that and just hope the customs agents will accept the birth certificate and passport just fine as we travel the world together.

We’ve enjoyed our time in Half Moon Cay, Bahamas and on board the ship. We’ve made new friends, too! That’s our favorite part. I love my travel partner, and even though being alone with a small child has its own unique challenges, my faith in the kindness of humans is renewed each moment. People are so kind and helpful! Traveling is extremely fulfilling and is a great avenue for learning and growing and renewing our faith in the kindness of people.

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