Partying at port.

I told you I'd keep it simple and for once, I'll try to keep my blog promise. That means I'm going to close out my cruise nostalgia tour with one last post - the ports we visited.

Nassau, Bahamas

I'll start by saying we didn't buy excursions for any of our ports. In hindsight, I think we probably should have for the Bahamas because we didn't really know what to do while ashore. My parents, who have been to Nassau several times, decided to stay on the ship for the day and I don't blame them. As soon as we disembarked, we were immediately accosted by vendors trying to sell us local wares and offering to braid our hair. It was overwhelming and, frankly, off-putting.

We hit the main strip and checked out all the tourist shops, which ranged from high-end stores like Gucci to booths set up by locals. We stopped at the famous straw market and tried (successfully!) to ignore the vendors peddling their hats, baskets, wooden figurines, etc. Once we'd had our fill, we hopped in a cab and headed to Atlantis, the world-famous beachfront resort.

From what we were able to see, Atlantis was absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, almost none of the hotel and its grounds (including a water park) is accessible to the public without buying a day pass. We didn't have enough time to pull the trigger on the expensive pass, so we wandered around the casino and took some pictures of the gorgeous exterior. Next time, I'll definitely get there early and splurge for the day pass.

The view of Atlantis from our ship.

Reeling with envy, we hopped back in a cab and went back to the main drag. We had a little time to kill before heading back to the ship, so we made a stop at none other than an Irish bar called Shenanigans. We staked out a spot on the upstairs balcony and enjoyed the gorgeous weather, bright pastel-colored buildings, and excellent tourist watching.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

This was, by far, my favorite port of the trip for both sentimental and actual reasons. This time, my parents got off the boat with us because my dad planned to take us to a restaurant on the mountain for lunch. The restaurant, Mafolie, is actually where my dad proposed to my mom in 1986, so I was excited to see it. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed for lunch that day due to construction, but we were able to go out on the balcony and admire the amazing views.

While we were taking pictures and marveling over the view, my dad dropped to one knee and proposed to my mom again with a new ring. We all burst into tears and the smile (and shock) on my mom's face is something I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Once we'd emotionally recovered, we hopped in a taxi and headed to Magens Bay, a gorgeous, white-sand beach complete with a beach bar and more stunning views of the mountains. We set up shop at the bar for a bit before moving to the beach. It was a little crowded, but we took turns taking dips in the ocean, soaked up the sun, and had some lunch. It was the perfect Caribbean beachy afternoon and probably my favorite day of the entire trip.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

My dad decided to stay on the ship for this port, but Jamie, mom, and I chose to venture to Maho Beach for the day. Maho is a tiny beach on the Dutch side of the island, capped on both sides by bars and restaurants. Maho's big attraction, however, is its proximity to the airport landing strip. Tourists come from all over the world to watch airplanes fly right above them as they lay on the sand.

The taxi ride to Maho was quite long and we passed many buildings and grounded boats that had recently been decimated by Hurricane Irma. The contrast between the hurricane damage and the thriving tourist areas was heartbreaking and I couldn't help but think I was contributing to the problem by paying for a taxi to a flourishing beach.

The beach was jam-packed, but we finally found a spot near the road. Unlike relaxing Magens Bay, Maho had a party-like atmosphere and a very steep drop to get to the ocean. We spent about an hour watching the planes and inhaling exhaust fumes from the taxis passing by before moving a restaurant. We ordered chips and guac and watched dancers perform on stage before calling it a day.

...and that was it. I can't believe how quickly our time went at port. If I learned anything from this cruise, it's that you definitely need to plan in advance or you won't have time to see or do anything on land. But honestly, that wouldn't have been so bad considering our ship...

Partying in a city on the ocean.

Charleston pictures still aren't on my computer, so I've decided to do a couple simple posts on the cruise I took with my sister and parents...last May. Better late than never? Truth be told, I've been hesitant to write about the trip for a couple reasons. It was the last vacation I took with my mom and even worse, it was also kind of the beginning of the end for her.

With about three days left on the cruise, she started experiencing horrific stomach pain that not only forced her to spend the bulk of her time in the cabin, but also sent her on a couple trips to the ship infirmary (to no avail). The cancer was causing intestinal blockages, so she was unable to eat without extreme pain and vomiting. This would only worsen over the coming months, leading to a botched surgery and her complete reliance on IV nutrition. We spent the last couple days of the vacation in a borderline-dysfunctional state of worry and anxiety that really hindered our ability to relax and enjoy the trip.

But BEFORE that happened, we had a truly amazing time together. I had never been on a cruise before and I was absolutely blown away by the convenience, activities, and amenities on the ship itself. We set sail on Royal Caribbean's Allure of the Seas and now I feel downright spoiled by the experience. There was no shortage of things to do on the ship and it took us a few days to even see the entire thing!

Today, I'll focus on the ship itself. My sister and I shared a room while my parents shared the room next to us. We each had a balcony overlooking the boardwalk with a view of the back of the ship and the AquaTheater. When I say the ship was crazy, I mean THE SHIP WAS CRAZY. Here's what we could do on our glorious days at sea:

- Pools and water park. We spent most of our pool time in the adults-only, relaxing solarium, but there was also a legit water park for kids. Throughout the cruise, the crew hosted dance parties and other events on the pool deck and that was also my go-to spot for soft serve ice cream. There was a FlowRider surf simulator that we didn't have time to try, but we did watch the experts perform a show on it.

Solarium.

- AquaTheater. This theater hosted two different water-related, Cirque du Soleil-type shows that featured high diving and acrobatics. It also boasted an enormous projection screen that was used to show movies throughout the day.

- Ice skating rink and comedy club. We didn't have time to skate ourselves, but we attended an impressive ice skating show one evening and watched some stand-up comedy another night.

- Gym, spa, and outdoor track. Jamie and I admired the ocean views and did quite a few laps on the outdoor track that followed the perimeter of the entire ship.

- Bars and restaurants. Too many to name. Some included in the price of the cruise, others not. Some buffet-style, others a la carte. A 24-hour pizza place, a bakery, a Ben & Jerry's, a Mexican restaurant, a steakhouse, an upscale Italian spot, a candy shop, massive buffets, Starbucks, a sushi joint, Johnny Rockets, a hot dog restaurant, and more. The bars were just as varied - a salsa dancing bar, a piano bar, an English pub, a sports bar, a champagne bar, a dance club, a bar that moved up and down from one level to another, etc. Anything you can imagine was probably on this ship.

Sample menu from one night at dinner. Different options every night!

- Main Theater. This indoor theater hosted a Broadway-quality production of Mamma Mia!, a Beatles tribute band, a Newlywed show, and original shows put on by Royal Caribbean.

- Outdoor sports park. This area of the ship had basketball and volleyball courts, putt-putt golf, ping pong tables, an enormous rock climbing wall, etc. There was also a zip line that went from one side of the ship to the other, but we didn't have time to try that.

- Casino, arcade, library, and art gallery. Pretty self-explanatory. The art gallery hosted art auctions a couple times throughout the cruise.

 - Carousel and Boardwalk. Channeling a Coney Island-like feel, this part of the ship (which we could see from our balcony) housed a big carousel, the Johnny Rockets, the candy shop, the Mexican restaurant, and the hot dog restaurant.

- Central Park. This stunning part of the ship honestly looked like an outdoor park with massive trees, garden tours, and piped-in cricket sounds for the full effect.

Live music. Tons of trivia shows. Towel folding classes. People dressed as characters (Jack Sparrow, Puss in Boots, etc.). Wine tasting. Dance lessons. Outdoor movie nights. Cooking classes. Game shows. Parades. Scrapbooking. Themed parties. Bingo. Shopping on the promenade. Karaoke. Unlimited Diet Dr. Pepper.

That's the bar that traveled up and down between various decks.

We also happened to be on the cruise during Cinco de Mayo, so the culinary staff made the biggest cake I've ever seen in celebration. There was also a Cinco de Mayo fiesta on the promenade.

You truly didn't have enough time to experience everything on the ship.

...and the dinners. Oh, the dinners. We chose to set reservation times for dinner in the main dining room each night. We had a table to ourselves, the same hilarious waiter every evening, and a delicious three-course meal (that you could order seconds of!).

Have I convinced you to peruse the Royal Caribbean site yet?

I'll be back soon with a post on the ports we hit.

The Buck Stops with Patrick Mahomes.

When Wheat and I plan a trip somewhere, this is normally how it goes:

Me: I wanna go somewhere.
Wheat: You always want to go somewhere. Where do you want to go?
Me: I don't care. Somewhere new. Get on Southwest and see what's cheap.

**end scene**

This is literally how we decided on Kansas City. Once we started our research, we realized we would be in town during a Chiefs home game and we were sold. Superhero quarterback Patrick Mahomes was my fantasy quarterback and I was amped to see him do his thing at Arrowhead Stadium. Supposedly, Arrowhead is one of the loudest NFL stadiums and I can definitely confirm it seemed that way to me.

In the end, the Chiefs defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 26-14, in a game that was much closer than we anticipated it would be. It's always fun to check out new stadiums and it felt good to mark another one off the list.

When the game was over, we decided to head back to the art museum and take a deeper dive into the galleries. I mean, this place has Monet's Water Lilies and Caravaggio's Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness, not to mention a nice collection of Warhol art. We also took the opportunity to play outside in the freshly fallen yellow leaves.

After a brief break in the hotel room, we made our way to dinner at a...YOU GUESSED IT...barbecue place. This time, we went with the one all our Uber drivers were suggesting, Jack Stack. It still didn't quite live up to Joe's for us, but can you go wrong with this?

The next morning, we had a little time to kill before our flight home, so we decided to check out our third presidential library together, the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library in nearby Independence, Missouri. As usual, these history nerds had a blast learning about his presidency and life, from his service in WWI to his decision to drop the atomic bomb. Like the other libraries, this one also had a recreation of his Oval Office, as well as notable personal items on display (including his 1941 Chrysler Royal Club Coupe). Highlights for me included the famous "The Buck Stops Here" sign that resided on his desk and an original copy of the mistaken "Dewey Defeats Truman" headline from the Chicago Daily Tribune. He and his wife (Bess) are both buried on the grounds and there is an eternal flame on display, as well.

...and just like that, our dreamy whirlwind trip was over...and I started inquiring about the next one. Soon to come: Charleston, South Carolina!