My sister and are were serenaded, along with the other guests with Fijian songs; went snorkeling in

But just when I had almost resigned myself to an orphan Christmas, eating toast for Christmas dinner, and giving myself a lump of coal just so I could feel especially sorry for myself – lo and behold! – a Christmas cruise came my way. On board a fancy-pants cruise ship . Sailing through New Caledonia hilton garden inn ponte vedra fl and Fiji. Insert shocked emoticon hilton garden inn ponte vedra fl face here.
That’s how my younger sister and I ended up spending nine days sailing the high seas on board the Royal Caribbean Voyager of the Seas: eating delectable three-course meals for dinner hilton garden inn ponte vedra fl every night in a dining room that resembled hilton garden inn ponte vedra fl something out of The Beauty and the Beast (sans singing cutlery); drinking cocktails by the pool every day; and visiting two amazing countries, which we had never been to before.
To be honest, I was a little hesitant about what life on board a cruise ship might be like. I was expecting the clientele to be like those on board the Titanic hilton garden inn ponte vedra fl (er, the 1997 version – not the real life version), and was certain that my sister and I wouldn’t fit in among the other guests, who I pictured dripping with jewels and wearing corsets and top hats. Never mind that the fashions have changed significantly since 1912.
In fact, everyone on board was completely lovely and welcoming. hilton garden inn ponte vedra fl The staff onboard the ship were friendly and attentive (our Assistant Waitress Jenny was always happy to crack a joke and would sometimes perform spontaneous renditions of J Lo songs).
As well as the aforementioned amazing dining hall where we were treated to gourmet meals, you could order room service hilton garden inn ponte vedra fl at any time. There was a theatre stage, and every night guests were treated to performances from dancers, singers and comedians.
There was a movie theatre (where I watched many a Christmas-themed movie when I needed a little break from all my relaxing in the sun). A rock-climbing wall. An inline skating rink. An ICE skating rink.
And the pool – oh, the pool! You could choose to take a dip in the refreshing pool proper; relax in one of the many, many spas; or recline in the sun, cocktail in hand. There were also live bands singing Caribbean-sounding tunes performing poolside throughout the day, which just added to the sensation of being on a floating tropical island.
hilton garden inn ponte vedra fl There was also a wellbeing centre, where you could get massages, manicures, pedicures and fancy facials – and for keen beans a gym, with gym equipment and group fitness classes. I briefly considered going to a ‘vitality stretch hilton garden inn ponte vedra fl class’ on my first day on board, and then realised the class took place at 7am. That’s when I realised I probably wouldn’t be exercising much.
Despite hilton garden inn ponte vedra fl the fact that my sister and I may not have been the most proficient of kayakers, we did enjoy the scenery of Noumea’s forests while sailing down the river. We actually had a helluva good time, and ended the day dripping hilton garden inn ponte vedra fl wet, laughing and exhausted.
I can honestly say that I have never been so such a magical place in my place. The sands were white, the surrounding water was crystal blue, and inland the island was filled with lush greenery. It was small (you could walk around the perimeter of the island in about 20 mins), and visiting I felt like I had your own private tropical island.
My sister and are were serenaded, along with the other guests with Fijian songs; went snorkeling in the stunning waters through small coral reefs and saw plenty of fish; and lazed in the sun. Other guests enjoyed scuba diving, massages, and getting their hair braided.
If you’ve ever thought about going on a cruise, but aren’t sure whether it would be worth it, I can’t recommend the experience enough. Probably one of the biggest selling points of the whole experience is that it makes holidays so much easier.
Particularly for families with kids , it means you don’t have to worry about carrying your children’s luggage, rushing to make connecting flights, and packing and unpacking your suitcases every other day. You just sail peacefully from one country to the next.
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