Seven months ago, I
started prepping for Team Universe. Six weeks after I started,
J started prepping for the Maryland show. For the rest of the winter, all spring, and all summer, we sacrificed our social lives and focused solely on prep. Now that both of our shows have come and gone, we can relax and re-enter society. So we decided to go on a cruise!
Last Thursday morning, we flew down to Miami and hopped on board the Carnival Destiny cruise ship. I've been on several cruises, but this was J's first. I tried to prepare him for what he'd see and experience, but it's tough to describe exactly how big the boat really is!
We spent Thursday afternoon chilling on the boat, walking around, eating, and relaxing. When we woke up the next morning, we were docked at Key West!
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Port of Key West |
We walked around, poked our heads in a bunch of tourist souvenir shops, and then decided to hop on a trolley tour of the island. What a beautiful island! Palm trees everywhere and fascinating architecture. J and I decided we'd have no problem living there!
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Trolley Tour |
We drove past Ernest Hemingway's home, and also saw the southernmost point of the U.S, which is only 90 miles from Cuba!
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Ernest Hemingway's Home |
We left Key West in the afternoon and the boat headed toward Cozumel. While on the ship, we spent time relaxing on deck, soaking up some rays. It felt nice not to have to be anywhere or do anything at a certain time. After so many months of sticking to such a strict schedule, it was nice (and weird) to feel so relaxed.
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Soaking up the rays |
We docked at the Port of Cozumel on Saturday afternoon. We'd signed up to swim with the dolphins, so we headed to the Dolphinaris immediately after getting off the boat. I've swam with dolphins before, but this was J's first time. He had the biggest smile on his face the whole time - it was a wonderful experience!
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The dolphins performing for us before we got in the water with them |
After petting Nautica the dolphin, we hit up a bunch of tourist shops in Cozumel.
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We got balloon hats at Carlos 'n' Charlie's |
We re-boarded the boat that evening, exhausted from the sun and so much walking. Every night, we got towel animals in our room (which delighted J to no end!), and we got to eat as much food as we wanted (which also delighted J to no end).
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Towel bunny |
The next day was a "Fun Day at Sea" ... which involved lounging around all day. We went down the ship's waterslide, sunned ourselves by the pool, took a nap, and ate more food. When we woke up the next morning, we were back in Miami.
We thoroughly enjoyed our vacation, and are so thankful we could take the time to get away. Even though we both worked out in the gym in the mornings, it was nice to just simply relax and de-stress for several days. I feel refreshed and ready to work hard toward my new goals!
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Port of Cozumel |