On May 11th, 2019 My family took a Southwest Airlines flight to Orlando. Upon arrival in Orlando we headed over to Avis at the airport to pick up our rental car. Nice thing I like about booking with Avis is very rarely do I have to deal with actually checking in and out with a person. The car is ready to go when I get there. But You might be now wondering how this trip even came about. Prior to this day I had an idea that I wanted to go to Florida to celebrate my wedding anniversary at the time. I booked two days at Cabana Bay Resort and then a quick short 4 night cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Sea’s. I was excited to stay at Cabana Bay, as this hotel had a very retro 1960’s theme to it. This would be our stay over the course of the next couple of days as we were killing time until it was time to go to Miami.

So back to what went on, after getting the rental car it was about dinner time so we headed over to the worlds largest McDonald’s which sets just off International Drive. This place is seriously impressive. It is a two story restaurant with an arcade and very large play area on the second floor. If you are ever in Orlando, Florida this is definitely worth a stop if you are in the area. After a quick dinner we then headed over to the hotel. Upon pulling up to the hotel you noticed very quick like you were stepping back in history. From the décor to the uniforms that the employees were wearing. They quickly got us checked into our room and we headed towards the parking garage to park our Jeep Compass for the night. At this hotel they do access a parking fee for parking there. Per night you park your vehicle it does run about $18. This isn’t too bad, as I have found this average for the area. While at Cabana Bay Beach Resort we stayed in the Americana Tower. We parked as close as we could to our room, and carried our luggage inside. We were on the top floor of the tower in which we stayed. This gave us a nice view over the pool. The 1960’s theme carried on into the hotel room, as even the soap in the bathroom was Vo5 in bottles that came from the 60’s. At about this time it was getting late for us and we decided to call it a night.

The next morning we woke up and decided to go out and get some breakfast. We went over to Universal City walk and enjoyed some interesting donut choices from Voodoo Donut. In this shop you can get everything from a plain donut to something a little more creative. After this we did make our way back to the hotel and got ready to enjoy the morning in the pool. The section of the resort that we stayed in offered a few nice options when it comes to the pool. The furthest side from where we stayed had some water slides and a nice pool, but the pool area in which we stayed had a nice lazy river with a few waterfalls. This was nice as I was traveling with a 4 year old who loved water. We spent as much time was we could in the lazy river. Unfortunately this time was interrupted by the typical afternoon thunderstorm in Florida. We took this opportunity for a nap time for everyone. This was nice and refreshing. For dinner that night we made our way back to Citywalk Universal. For dinner I kept it on the cheap and visited Hot Dog Hall of Fame. This place is interesting as they serve different styles of hotdogs that are served at different Baseball parks across the country. What is even more interesting to me is where you eat your food you actually get the opportunity to sit in seats that have came from these different ball parks. On our way back to our hotel we decided to take the Universal water taxi’s which was always a sight to behold at night. It was time when we got back to the hotel to call it a night, as we had to be up early to make the drive to Miami to catch our cruise.

Finally the morning of May 13th had arrived which is embarkation day for our cruise. We packed up everything in the hotel and loaded the car. Had to stop at Starbucks on the way to check out to find the energy to make it for this drive. I have never made this drive before but during this driver there is a few things I would caution to.

First would be do not be afraid or try to cheap out and skip the express lane or turnpike, This would have saved me so much time. It didn’t cost a whole lot of money to use it but I cheaped out and didn’t put this to my advantage.

Second if you are running this road trip be prepared for the massive amount of Love Bugs during the late part of April into early June. I rented a white Jeep and lets say trying to clean those bugs off was quite the chore.

But upon arrival in Miami, we quickly made our way to the famous Dodge Island. One thing that amazes me every time I go on a cruise is the tunnel that links mainland Miami to the Cruise Terminals. We quickly made our way to Royal Caribbean’s parking garage where that cost about $25.00 per night, I did prepay for this to save some time at the port. I am not sure if you have used the newer cruise terminal in Miami but this is a sight to behold. Not only is this terminal a gorgeous facility but it is also very user friendly. Most of the check in process is handled through computers, which speeds up the process. You can go from the curb to the ship in about 15 minutes. Once onboard the Navigator of the seas we quickly got to see how well the dry dock process for this gorgeous ship went.

Upon boarding the ship we went straight to the Windjammer Buffet in complete tradition. This was a completely enjoyable lunch. On this cruise I did however book an obstructed balcony room. This ended up coming to a great advantage as this offered us a massive balcony which had a couple of chairs and about 3 loungers to enjoy. The room we stayed in was on deck 7, which was room 7688. This was in the aft of the ship which made a great sail away view leaving Miami. This room had a few chairs and 3 loungers which was way larger than a standard balcony and the room ran a few hundred dollars cheaper than a standard balcony room. At the beginning of the cruise the captain did announce that there was a change in the itinerary. Originally we were supposed to go to Nassau and then on to Coco Cay. However the weather was going to be better to do Coco Cay first.

Before our stop in Coco Cay we did get the opportunity to have a sea day. Personally I thoroughly enjoy a day at sea as it gives you the ability to explore the ship. One of the first most noticeable changes for me on Navigator of the Seas was the Pool Deck. They changed the design to give more of a Caribbean vibe. Another change that I absolutely enjoy was they added is El Loco Fresh. This is a great grab and go option for chips and salsa, Burritos and Tacos. We were able to enjoy a nice peaceful day while on board.

We got off the ship the next morning at Perfect Day at Coco Cay. I would say Royal Caribbean did a fantastic job revamping the island. The island now boasts many different features that make it a wonderful stop for the whole family. At the time I was traveling, I took my 4 year old son. The island has a very wonderful place for children to play and enjoy their vacation just as much as the adults. The island also has what is labeled as the largest fresh water pool in the Caribbean. If you have the chance this is definitely something to check out. This pool also has a great swim up bar if that is your thing. There also is a great water park with something the whole family can enjoy. They have the largest water slide in North America. On the other side of the island you can go over 400 feet in the air in a helium balloon. This is an island that is a great destination for the whole family. While here I was able to get me a very nice sun burn but I slowly made my way back to the cruise ship.

The next day we made our way into Nassau, Bahamas where I had an excursion booked through Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. We decided it would be a good opportunity to go swimming with Stingrays. This was definitely an experience with my 4 year old son. We spent our day at Blue Lagoon which is about a 25 minute boat ride from the port in Nassau, Bahamas. This was something we had scheduled for the afternoon, so in the morning got to build sand castles on the beach. One nice feature of Blue Lagoon is they have boats that run back to the ship every hour, so if you are tired or sunburned as I was it is nice to be able to head back to the ship earlier so you can rest.

The next day we had to end our trip in Miami. We started our morning off at the Windjammer of course. Had to get that last large breakfast. We quickly gathered our things and disembarked the cruise ship. We headed to the parking garage and got our rental and loaded up. For this day we have a full day planned in Miami. We went to Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. The light house here was built in 1825 which makes this the oldest standing structure in Miami-Dade county. Later in the afternoon we made our drive back to Orlando. This night we would stay at the local Double Tree hotel. I enjoy these hotels, especially when traveling with my son as they have complimentary cookies. The next morning we returned the rental car to the airport and boarded our flight home.