On this 8-night cruise, we made only three ports of call, given that we spent two and a half days traveling from New Jersey to warm weather and back.

Port Canaveral

We left Bayonne, New Jersey on a cool Saturday afternoon. By Sunday, it was warm enough to walk on the deck but not to linger there. By Monday, throngs of sun worshipers basked in the 70° temperatures. On Tuesday morning, we found ourselves docked in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Port Canaveral, as they call the cruise terminal there, is a major port for cruise ship departures, situated only 45 minutes east of the Orlando airport. But, as far as being a destination port of call, it has little to offer. Sure, you can tour Kennedy Space Center, but Kim and I had already done that. You can take a shuttle into Orlando and do the theme parks, but again, been there, done that. Still, we came up with something fun to do.

Kim’s parents spend their summers in Maine and winters in Clearwater, Florida, a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Cape Canaveral. They made the trip on this Tuesday, along with Kim’s Aunt Annabelle and cousin Ann, who were visiting Kim’s parents. We enjoyed a long lunch at a restaurant along the water within walking distance of our ship. This would be the only time we would see Kim’s parents between October and May.

Nassau, The Bahamas

Nassau is more of a traditional port of call. There are lots of local excursions and a busy downtown area within walking distance of the ship. Unfortunately for us, we were one of five major cruise ships to dock in Nassau that day. There must’ve been 16,000 passengers squeezing into the shops, restaurants, and other attractions of Nassau. Somehow, Kim and I found our way to a brewpub that wasn’t too crowded. We downed a couple of beers, walked around the block and decided that our beautiful ship would be a better place to spend the day. On the walk back, we took pictures of this private yacht. Turns out that it’s owned by a Russian oligarch, Leonid Mikhelson, and is valued at approximately $150 million.

Anthem of the Seas stayed in port until midnight, because we had only a short jaunt to Royal Caribbean’s private island the next day.

Coco Cay

A year earlier, we had visited this island with my brothers and their wives, and we had a great time. The biggest drawback is that Coco Cay has no pier. The only way to shuttle 4800 or so passengers to the island was on small, tender boats. We had no interest in that circus. This was the day that Kim rode up on the Northstar, and we enjoyed the relatively empty ship for hours. Royal Caribbean is building a peer at Coco Cay, so maybe someday in the future we will visit again.

Cape Liberty, Bayonne, New Jersey

We enjoyed the last two and a half days of the cruise as we returned to whence we began. When we disembarked the ship on Sunday morning, we were greeted by cold, hard rain as we packed up the minivan with all of our equipment. By late afternoon we were back at home. Kim joked that she needed to end the vacation so that she could get some rest and relaxation. That’s the sign of a vacation well spent.

I realize how fortunate I am to be able to go on vacations like these. Many people at my level of disability don’t have this opportunity. It takes financial resources, an adventurous spirit, and a supportive partner. I’m lucky enough to have all three.