Cruisin'

As this was my first time in Europe, this was also my first time going on a cruise. And let me tell you, if you’ve ever had any hesitations on going on a cruise, I recommend that you do it. Even though we had excursions during the days we were at the different ports, this was really the most relaxing vacation I’ve ever been on. My sister and I shared a stateroom and we were lucky that ours had a window so we could stare out into the sea whenever we felt like it. To me, it was really peaceful to wake up and see that every morning. Our ship was the Jewel of the Seas and what a ship it was. There were several restaurants, pools, clubs, a casino and a Champagne Bar which is where I spent a lot of my time. I was in awe of how big the ship was. For the majority of the time that I was on the ship, I spent it either walking around the ship, napping, eating, drinking in the Champagne Bar or gambling in the casino. That to me was relaxing. I took more naps than I can remember. I think that the rocking of the boat was lulling me to sleep.

We had three formal nights and dang, people really do like to dress up. I felt like I was at prom. All the food we ate was so delicious and the desserts were decadent. Everyone should experience being on a cruise at least once in their lifetime. It was so relaxing that it got to the point that I didn’t know what day it was. Luckily for us the elevator has a plaque which tells you the day it is. They also have different shows/activities throughout the day & night. You could participate in as many as you wanted to or not at all. Even though I went with 13 people, we weren't always together because each of us was doing their own thing. It was only really at dinner time that we all got together. We did have a somewhat of a Titanic type experience on the ship. On our third formal night which was day 9 on the ship, we were in the dining room and we were looking out the window to see the beautiful full moon when all of the sudden the ship shifted to the side and totally freaked us out. Then it moved to the other side and all the dishes started falling and the waiters started running. They weren’t running out of fear but running to catch the dishes. Some people on the top floor of the dining room apparently started running in a slight panic. You could really feel it move and definitely freaked us out. But then the ship settled and all was good. What an experience. Overall, being on a 12 day cruise was fantastic!

My mom, my sister and I enjoying the sun

A view from the bottom up

And now the view from the top down

The outdoor pool and jacuzzi with the two bars

I like how the lights came out on this shot

The Jewel of the Seas

Our ship was on the left and the Disney cruise ship was on the right.

Celine Dion impersonator

Inside of the ship at night

Our stateroom

Just arrived in Tallinn

Our awesome waiters Petking and Laura

A day at sea

The plaque in the elevator that kept us in check