Cruising on The Majesty of the Seas

My company took us on a 3-night Royal Caribbean cruise a couple weeks ago and it's taken me some time to get a recap of the trip rounded up but here it is today!

The Majesty of the Seas ship leaves out of the port near Orlando so I've gone on this cruise a couple of times before but this time it was all my new coworkers.



Friday
We boarded the ship on in the afternoon and got settled into our cabins. My roommate/coworker and I had an outside-view cabin which means one round window allowing you to see out. Very basic as it comes but definitely a step up from the interior cabins with no windows or sunlight so you have no idea what time of day it is.

Leaving the port in Florida on Friday evening we caught a beautiful sunset and set sail south for the Bahamas.

Saturday
Cruising into Nassau, you get a beautiful view of the island and the huge Atlantis Resort in the background. While a few of us were on the deck watching the views, the CEO of my company offered to take a photo of me and I commented that "he was way too close to my face with the camera" but he snapped it anyway and one doesn't complain to the CEO. So there's that.

We had an excursion booked to go jet packing in Nassau on Saturday but the company cancelled that morning so we Plan B was to explore the island in groups depending what you wanted to see/do.

The events of this day were definitely the highlight of my trip!

We walked around downtown Nassau by the port area and did some local shopping. After a couple hours we took a taxi and headed over to the Fish Fry restaurant strip on Bay Street where you can get some of the best local food from a variety of different small restaurants/vendors.





- We listened to local music at a cute waterfront restaurant
- We tried some local beers and cocktails
- We had some conch and crab cakes which were amazing
- We walked on the beach and got some selfies of our group
- My boss asked the Jerk Lady to marry him (her food was amazing off the grill)
- The rest of us offered to take her back in our suitcases
- We tried the world famous Sky Juice
- We chatted with the locals and enjoyed the scenery

 Although most of us split up during the day to explore our different interests, we met up every night for dinner to regroup and eat together. The dinners are the best meal on the ship so you don't want to skip it plus our CEO requested that we all attend.
 


Sunday
The cruise ship docked at Coco Cay which is the private island owned by Royal Caribbean. It's a beautiful small island but I've been there a few times before so I opted to stay on the ship and relax/be productive. That's my favorite thing to do on Sundays plus I needed some "me time" after all the different activities and chaos that comes with large groups.

 
I grabbed a frozen cocktail and lounged on the upper deck of the ship overlooking the ocean and did some blogging/work.
 
 




In the evening we gathered again for our last dinner and shared our highlights of the trip. Other than the fun-filled day in Nassau on Saturday, the nightly dinners together was a close second favorite.

Monday
Monday morning comes quickly and it's a "get the hell off the ship at 7am shuffle" (not by choice but by schedule) and then to stand in line behind 200 people to get through the different security checkpoints. I should have thought to grab a coffee to get through this debacle.



All in all, it was a wonderful trip filled with so many fun and funny memories with my team and all the coworkers since we're a small company to begin with.

My #1 Tip:
For a short cruise like this: The night before you leave, be packed up and prepared because you need to be ready to go first thing in the morning, and in my case, have some time to get caffeinated enough to drive an hour straight into the office to start the work day.

Here's a recap of my trip to Nassau back in 2013 where I explored different parts of the island (and had a much better tan back then lol!)

Lucky 33 Birthday Brunch

My birthday was on the 13th so K and I celebrated a little early with a trip to Islamorada in the Florida Keys last weekend.

This weekend Kate and my girlfriends organized a birthday brunch on Sunday which, of course is my favorite meal, and was nothing short of amazing from the food, the different flavored mimosas, the bloody mary bar and most importantly the company of all my friends!



Lola also got to join the fun since it was a dog friendly restaurant.

I'd say it was one of the best birthdays yet...... from relaxing in paradise with K in the Florida Keys to celebrating with my favorite girls and guys yesterday for brunch!

So much to be thankful for!

Joining the lovely Biana.

Happenings This Week

My birthday week has come and gone in a flash. On Monday we returned from Islamorada in the Florida Keys feeling refreshed and ready to take on the work week.

Tuesday was my birthday but it was back to work like any other day with tons of catching up to do all week.

Since all of my birthday celebrations were done over the weekend, we had a quiet night at home. K cooked up a nice dinner - grilled grouper and asparagus - with some wine.

I opened some cards and gifts received in the mail and one very sspecial gift from Andrea that literally blew me away!

The package was filled with so much thoughtful, super creative and customized items sent with love from Andrea because she's such a gem!

On Wednesday I shared a Gift Guide for Her with some cute gift ideas for birthdays or the holidays.

On Wednesday night I had all intentions of catching up on reading and commenting on blogs and going through my emails to get all caught up. I even had my Nassau Cruise recap 3/4 way done to be posted yesterday but I came home to internet and we were told they couldn't send a tech out to fix the problem until NEXT WEEK TUESDAY! The blogger in me is livid because I use my evenings to focus on blogging and my husband is pretty much screwed since he has a home office and needs the internet to do his job. I think that's bat shit crazy it will take them a week to fix the internet that went out for no apparent reason.

On to brighter things...

On Thursday Sarita featured a Christmas Q&A featuring yours truly where I talked about some of my favorite Christmas traditions and share one of my favorite party pleasers. - the Holiday Cheese Ball.

Today is now Friday after a roller-coaster week and I'm now wondering how boring my weekend is going to be without having internet at home. I'm going to need a glass of wine to calm down my lividness. I'm not even sure if lividness is a word but you get my point and I'll leave you with this piece of advice for the weekend...

Enjoy yours!

Girl Friend Gift Ideas

Rose Gold Drusy Gift Set
I love the Drusy collection from Kendra Scott. I own a silvery drusy bracelet but the rose gold pieces are gorgeous.

Orca Chasertini
Who said adults can’t have a sippy cup and one that keeps your cocktail cold for hours so you don't feel the need to chug down the drink. Perfect for a holiday gift or stocking stuffer.

image credit

LuLaRoe Leggings

So incredibly soft and comfortable for working out, wearing out & about, or just lounging. I can't get enough of these leggings.

e.l.f. Illuminating Kit

e.l.f. Contouring Kit

CHI Blow Dryer, Flat Iron, and Styling Set
I initially saw this set on Groupon for only about $100 but it was sold out before I decided to purchase it for my sister. Sephora and Ulta have similar gift sets that are perfect for gift-giving.

The set includes:

1” Hello Beautiful Hairstyling Iron
Chi Silk Infusion

Pink thermal mat 

Pearlized White Rocket Hair Dryer
Chi 44 Pink Iron Guard Thermal Protection Spray
Hello Beautiful carry all bag with sequin trim


Naomi Double Ring in Rose Gold Drusy
Gorgeous ring to pair with the Kendra Scott necklace above. I've always wanted to try one of these double rings.

Thank you for all the birthday love yesterday and even a few amazing surprises in the mail! I couldn't be more thankful for meeting such amazing ladies. I feel blessed to have crossed paths in your lives via blogging and form true friendship! xo

Islamorada Weekend Vacay

I've been dreaming of going to the Florida Keys for a few years now and K decided to make it happen for my birthday this year. The last time I visited Key West was over 10 years ago for spring break so another trip was well overdue. We found a gorgeous resort on Islamorada which is a slightly easier drive as opposed to driving two more hours to get to Key West.

We left Orlando just after lunch but hitting Miami traffic added an extra hour onto our trip so we finally arrived around 7pm just in time to grab some dinner and have a drink at the Tiki Bar on the resort property.
 

Our hotel on the beach was gorgeous with so many amenities, water-sports, and a few restaurants to chose from. I woke up on Saturday morning to this gorgeous view perfect for sipping on some coffee before getting our day started.

Saturday was a bit overcast so we drove around and explored the island. We found a huge art market and bought some local art for our house and for gifts, we ate some of the best seafood and drank (too many) frozen drinks.

The frozen Key Lime Daiquiris were to die for!

Sunday was a beautiful day despite the weather forecast not being favorable, it turned out to be a sunny and gorgeous day. We had brunch at a cute local spot on the bayside of Islamorada. Multiple friends recommended this spot and it didn't disappoint. I had the shrimp and grits with a pineapple mimosa but the scenery was just the best.

We spent the rest of Sunday relaxing on the beach at our resort and of course enjoying another Key Lime Daiquiri.







We're making the drive back home today and my heart is so happy for finally making it down to the Keys to enjoy a little tropical getaway with my hubby. Couldn't ask for a better birthday gift!


Joining the lovely Biana.

Birthday/Holiday Wishlist Items

For most of this year, I've been focusing on saving money to decorate our new home (which has finally come together) so I barely did any shopping but with my birthday just around the corner as well as Christmas, I've come up with a few wishlist items.

Pandora Charm

I've started collecting charms for the Pandora bracelet my best friend gave to me in June so when my MIL asked what I wanted for Christmas, I said a Pandora charm and told her to surprise me with one of her choice.

Michael Kors Jet Set Travel Crossbody
Color: Plum
Crossbody purses are the perfect travel buddy and I adore this color.

BaBylissPRO Porcelain Ceramic Flat Iron

Massage Envy Membership

I'd love to get facials and massages more regularly and since my back has been giving me severe problems for the past 6 months, I think a membership would be the way to go.

Tory Burch Sunglasses

I've had this exact pair for the past several years but at this point they're very worn with scratches on the lenses but I'm clearly so attached to them that I'd love a replacement pair.

I think the most exciting gift of all is that we're taking a long weekend vacation down to the Keys to celebrate my birthday. K planned this trip and I can't wait to relax and enjoy!

  

Sorry I haven't been able to read all your blogs or respond to comments this week. My laptop charger got some water damage last weekend leaving me with a dead computer. Way to feel helpless and useless in the evenings when I usually dedicate my time to blogging. 

I should be back up and running this weekend with a computer so I'm looking forward to reading your posts and catching up on all the blogland happenings.

I hope you have the best weekend!