South American Cruising Experience

THE GOOD AND THE BAD

I'd never been on a cruise. It was never my families thing. We can't stand being told what to do when, so imagine us having to get back to the port at a specific time or go on a cruise designed tour or ESPECIALLY par-take in any weird cruise rituals... wasn't going to happen. But this time was different. I was going with R's family! R is my lovely boyfriend who suffers through my none stop desire for adventure and high intensity antsy-ness.

This cruise started in Buenos Aires, made multiple stops in Brazil, a couple in Uruguay and ended back again in Buenos Aires. Like I said I've never been on a cruise and didn't know what to expect. I knew I wouldn't get sea sick, I grew up on the water, I knew the room was gonna be small and I thought I would have to dress up for dinners.

The reality was that I was right about not getting sea sick, but the room was surprisingly larger than I thought, and I didn't even have to dress up for dinner, you definitely could if you wanted though! We were all just a bit lazy and exhausted after our long days of adventuring in the sweltering heat.

On to the specifics, our boat, a Norwegian Cruise Line Ship, the Norwegian Sun was much larger than I had expected, with plenty of things to do. There was the duty free shop to stroll around in during the time at sea, the open deck pool and hot tubs, a gym that had numerous classes/seminars and my personal favorite, the Mandarin Spa.

Before going on the cruise I was honestly nervous that I would be bored and not have enough to do, especially for those two consecutive days that we were going to be at see. Surprisingly I was very busy and if I wasn't busy I would make my way down to my favorite bar for some hot tea.

As you all know, this is a health travel blog and I am a big fitness nut, so I did spend a good deal of time in the gym. But hey gotta get the gainz even when on vacation or the gym is a must for staying in shape while enjoying some of the sweet treats ( think dulce de leche from Uruguay, fried plantains from brazil, and delicious Argentinean gelato) each country had to offer.

I'll make this short, sweet, and uncomplicated, so you can easily see the good and the bad of cruising for the health nut and anyone else too really.

THE GOOD

- You won't be bored

Fitness Things To Do : There's yoga classes, pilates, stretching, and even health seminars which are actually pretty informative, if your really into your wellbeing you may already know most of the stuff but its a nice refresher. Plus dance classes like salsa or tango! And don't forget late night dancing at some of the cruises night clubs! SWIM IN THE POOL.. DUH

Fun Things To Do: Watch one of the cruises shows, chill at the bar, make new friends, go on a on shore excursion, walk around the cruise shops, relax, read a book from the library,

- Everyone is very friendly

Staff: always friendly, I only had one lady be a bitch, but everyone else was super nice and always willing to help. The restaurant staff was especially great and worked very hard trying to fit my some what strict dietary needs, I was even friends with the Sous Chef of the whole ship by the end of the trip!

Other passengers: most people were very friendly, especially in the gym of course. You can always spot a real " gym goer" by their friendly attitude, muscles, and willingness towards a conversation. By the end of the first week we had a made a gym buddy friend, who would be training some of the athletes on the Canadian track team for the following Olympics!

- There were multiple dinner restaurants to choose from

Variety: from french cuisine to Italian, even to a typical Brazilian buffet ( my favorite), there was a choice for everyone. And I almost forgot ALL YOU CAN EAT SUSHI. Enough said, who doesn't love sushi!

Food options: most of the menus included heavy things like pastas or pizzas but if you are looking for something light like a meat and a vegetable dish you wont be disappointed at any restaurant. I was able to follow my Food Standards at every restaurant.

- You didn't have to do a excursion from the cruise

Offers: at most ports there were people waiting outside the ship looking to offer your things to do, if you did not sign up for an excursion on the ship. I never did an excursion from the ship and enjoyed every place I went. Snorkeling, Scuba diving, leisurely boat tours, you name it, they had it. Some places it was best just to stroll around the mall because you knew you would be safe, Santos is one of them, I would not recommend walking around the street there.

THE BAD

- The Food

Quality: unfortunately our cruise line had food from america, so who knows what nasty pesticides and GMOs was lurking in it. Plus it was evident that this was not the cream of the crop as they say. Needless to mention I'm sure it wasn't organic

Stomach Issues: I felt bad the entire trip and most of us ended up with stomach aches no matter where we ate! Even if it was the fancy dinner places. So lets just say stomach issues are difficult to avoid while cruising

The Buffet: Bad just bad.. I mostly ordered room service.

- The Planned Meal Times

Planning Ahead: I know there isn't a ton to do on the cruise ship that could inhibit you from making it to your reservation on time, but having to make a dinner reservation and sticking to a certain predetermined time if you don't want to eat the "cafeteria food" can be a little bit annoying

- The Music

Type: They played old slow music in the lobby or weird out dated tunes everywhere else, even at the clubs

Volume:Too loud, we couldn't talk in the lobby over the singer's and their band, wasn't our taste in music either

Overall we had a lot of fun on the cruise, the excursions were what kept me excited and happy, plus the spa, it was honestly FAB FAB FAB. If your taking a cruise as a way to relax, see new places or spend time with the fam, then go for it. But if you want to stick to your organic healthy eating habits it might not be the place for you. The food at every port was amazing but once on board it is a bit of a struggle!

Let me know if you found my little cruise overview helpful! Ask me anything, I'll be sure to answer!

As always Travel Well!

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