Katie thought she was being a little bit “extra” with her request for a honeymoon that included a cruise AND an all-inclusive resort, but I said “why not??” As long as we could make the dates work, it sounded like a fabulous idea to me. As you can see from her note below, the solution we came up with was just right! 🙂
Hi Ann!!
We had an absolute blast on our honeymoon!
Our flight from Boston was on time and we had no problem catching a cab to bring us to the port of Miami. Once we got there, we were able to check in and enjoy the ship [Enchantment of the Seas] for a while. We weren’t allowed to go to our rooms until 1:30pm and we didn’t get our bags until around 5pm. But it was awesome to explore the ship and enjoy drinks on the deck even though we were so early.
Nassau was fun! We did a dolphin encounter and went to senor frogs. We did not have to be back on the boat until 11:30pm!
The next day was Cococay. This was great to have just a chill day. We did a jet ski excursion and chilled on the beach. It was cool that we got to use our sea pass card for everything on that island and they had a buffet set up to feed us. This was our least favorite stop just because you aren’t experiencing a new culture or country. But it was fun to relax.
The next day at Key West I had booked a snorkeling and catamaran excursion. We walked around exploring Key West as much as we could, went to shops, went to the aquarium. We wished we had more time there. And we definitely want to go back to Key West for a trip someday! So much to do and see there!
The ship was awesome! I had no problem at all finding gluten free foods to eat. The staff was very accommodating. We tried to get on the love and marriage game show. Unfortunately there were about 10 other newlyweds on board. We all competed to audition to get on the show and Mike and I were not selected. ☹️
We booked a coach shuttle bus to take us to the Ft. Lauderdale airport through Royal Caribbean. It was only $30 per person. Our flight to Barbados went smoothly. I was very impressed with Jet Blue. For coach seats, they have plenty of leg room, tv, movies, and great snacks. And I felt that their staff was friendly.
Once we landed in Barbados, we went through customs and found the Sandals desk. They immediately gave us cold waters, and a guy named Ricardo drove us to the resort in a Mercedes.
Once we got to Sandals the staff was super friendly. Had us sit in an AC’d office, gave us cocktails. They took our bags and we got a mini tour of the resort and a staff member was explaining the locations and dress codes of restaurants. Even when we got to the room, she explained how to work all of the new technology in the room. Anything we drank out of the fridge or bar in the room was restocked everyday. The room was huge! And gorgeous! I had been to all-inclusive resorts before, but Sandals really takes the cake. They cater to your every need or want.
On the resort, we went to the beach. The beach there is actually very windy and sand blows onto you. The waves are moderate size; fun for swimming. For the most part, the pools were crowded. We would save our spots by the pool around 7:30/8am every day. We were competing against everyone else who has butlers. The only annoying thing about not having a butler, at the restaurant or bar you were ordering from, it would take a little longer for you to get your order. Once, I ordered a GF pizza, they said it would be 30 minutes. Then a rush of butlers showed up. An hour later they apologized because of the rush that came in. Also, the bartenders will stop making your drink and make the butlers orders first, then go back and finish your order. So that part was a little annoying but understandable, you get what you pay for & we didn’t pay for a butler! Overall, we had a very relaxing time by the pools during the day, drank and ate too much! There were plenty of gluten free options for me. Burger buns, fries, pizza, pasta! I ate too much!
We ended up booking an excursion from a local on the beach. His name was “Captain Larry” we paid $195 for an all-day tour of Barbados. This was awesome! Our driver’s name was Kenmore. He told us he doesn’t look at his watch, he looks at our faces. Basically, we let him know when we were ready to go back to Sandals. We met so many people! We drank and ate fresh coconuts, saw Rihanna’s house, beaches, cliffs, shopped from local vendors, even ate at a local fish market. We saw monkeys all over the side of the road! So cool! We headed back to the resort at 4:30pm. We had a 7-hour tour for $195! Other couples on the resort said they booked a 3-hour tour through Sandals and paid the same amount.
The restaurants were awesome! Especially their rooftop pool & bar and their rooftop French restaurant. Amazing dinner views! The staff was amazing! If we weren’t into the shows, there were plenty of games to play in “lovers lane” the bowling alley and bar. And we honestly had some fun relaxing nights just relaxing on our patio with the soak in tub!
Overall, the trip was amazing! 10 days was not too long or too short, just perfect! We loved how much we got to do and see while on the cruise. And enjoyed all of the relaxation at Sandals.
We had an amazing honeymoon, thank you so much Ann for planning this for us and all of your helpful tips along the way!!
Thank you!
