Cruise Ship: Surviving A Family Holiday!

Note: This is a sponsored post
 

I'm still in holiday mode and reminiscing about my family cruise holiday last month on board Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas. 

I've decided that the idea that cruise holidays are for retired folk is a myth that needs to be broken! Cruises are for every age, young and old. For families in need of free babysitting and teenage hangouts that even a brooding youngster will crack a smile at. They are a great holiday for loved up couples who want to dress up and go out for a romantic dinner every night. The women can shop and indulge in some pampering while the men can play sport or better yet watch sport on the big screen while enjoying an icy cold beer!

The shops on board the Voyager ... always a sale happening

 

My Mum and Mr P hanging out in the Promenade arcade

 

The Irish pub ... perfect place for a pint of beer or stout

These are just some of the things that my family did on board the Voyager of the Seas as it sailed for 2 weeks from Australia to New Zealand and back again ..... and how 3 generations of our family all had a smashing good time!

Surviving a family holiday ...
How on earth are we going to please everyone?

Let's find out shall we!
 

Some of our family at the Captains cocktail party

I'm in my early 30s and consider myself pretty well travelled I've globe trotted in different shapes and forms and have lots of stories and adventures to compare cruising to. But what I love about a cruise holiday is that as soon as I walk up the ramp and boarded the Voyager of the Seas I'd arrived at my holiday destination. I could do as little or as much as I chose from that day onwards until I disembark and made my way home again. Total relaxation and bliss ... that's my kind of holiday!

Walking the ramp to holiday heaven

 

Checking out the view from our balcony, in Sydney

Mr P and I just boarded and ready for our cruise adventure

My gorgeous boyfriend Mr P came along too and thankfully gets along with my family well enough to travel with us for 2 weeks! We also wanted some romantic couples time together and for that we had a cabin with a balcony so we could enjoy a bottle of wine before heading out for our evening entertainment and we'd order room service a pot of coffee every morning for our wake up call. We had some fun and adventures on board exploring the ship there are so many different rooms and levels to check out ... which is why it's great for kids and big kids like us too!

Room service coffee on the balcony to start the day

 

Dinner at Portofinos for my Nanna's 86th Birthday

An evening out and about exploring the Voyager

As for my parents, who are seasoned cruisers, they had their own things they liked to do each day. They'd go for long walks around the outdoor promenade deck to burn off some of that excess food intake! Not one to miss a sale my Mum was often browsing the on board shops while my Dad was at the pub enjoying a stout and watching sports on the big screen.

Mum and Dad enjoying a sunset drink from their cabin balcony

Breakfast in the dining room ... then off for a long walk to work it all off!

Some nights my parents, Mr P and I would make our way to the nightclub and bust some moves on the dance floor late into the night .... although some nights it wasn't open late enough because when it shut at 2am we still wanted to party! I think the fact that Mr P and my Dad liked the same bourbon definitely made them get along like a house on fire! As for my Mum and me, we were having dance offs and she won ... guess I know where I get my dancing moves from now!!

Bourbon buddies - Mr P and my Dad

Cheers to the clubbers and groovers

My Aunt and Uncle not wanting to miss out on the fun joined the cruise as well, they are a similar age to my parents but with different interests. Some of their favourite pastimes on board the Voyager for my Aunt was to book into the day spa for some much needed pampering and treatments. While my Uncle could be found playing mini golf or having a punt in the casino ... always trying to hit that jackpot!

Party tricks at the dinner table ... tut tut Auntie!

Aunt and Uncle at the Captains cocktail drinks

For my Nana and friend who are both in their 80s their days were spent relaxing and taking it easy. They really enjoying the food and meals on board, especially as the waiters were always so nice and gave them extra treats which they would take back to their cabin for a late night snack! Their hardest decision of the day was what to order for dinner ... it's a tough life but someone has to do it! Their cabin overlooked the Promenade deck where the parades and entertainment is throughout the cruise which was a big bonus for them, they didn't have to battle the crowds if they didn't feel like it they could just peek out their window and see all the festivities happening below.  

 

Nana getting caught sneaking biscuits to take back to the cabin for a late night snack

 

Joan learning some new party tricks at dinner

 

Tough life decisions for the roomies ... What to order for dinner tonight?

 

Nana and Joan's cabin - We were having a little party for my Nana's Birthday!

As a group there were many things that we enjoyed to do together but I think we'll all agree our favourite was the food glorious food on board .... we could eat for 24 hours and still go back for more! That was definitely our favourite pastime and where we bonded and talked about our plans for the day. We pretty much would meet up for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day .... and sometimes for morning or afternoon snacks too. Cruise holidays are so much about the food and the Voyager did not disappoint!
 

Our family group having dinner in the Dining Room each night

Delicious home made pasta

 

Desserts, cakes, puddings, sorbet, ice cream, so many sweets!

Our group would meet up every night and go to the theatre together, order a cocktail from our same friendly waiter each night, and start the evening with a bit of entertainment. There was everything from comedians, hypnotists, singers, pianists and dancers to keep us entertained - although some of the guest performers were a little hit and miss but on the whole it was pretty good. Royal Caribbean have their own singers and dance group and they put on a fantastic show, although I wish they had done more of them. The ice skating shows are absolutely amazing and a must see - an ice rink on a ship that is floating on the ocean - it's incredible just thinking about so make sure you don't miss it!

La Scala the 2 story theatre waiting for the show to start

Evening entertainment in the theatre

The ice skating rink with it's amazing show, not to be missed!

A few of us played sports together like mini golf was a lot of fun and has the best views from the top of the ship it was hard to not be distracted by the view up there! We would have played on the Golf Stimulator but you had to pay for that, which wasn't very fair I thought it should've been free (everything else is!). We even played a basketball competition of which I was the only female (and I'd never played before in my life!) and our team won so we walked away with some very cool Royal Caribbean medals which were a great souvenir :)

Playing a round of mini golf

I got a hole in one!

Mr P and I played in a basketball comp ... and won!

Us girls would head to one of the many Jacuzzis for a nice hot soaking to ease the muscles that were dancing in high heels the night before! Or the day spa had free information and pamper sessions which were fun to go to try out the products and get some make up ideas. I also organised a girly pampering session in the cabin and painted everyone's nails and ordered room service afternoon tea which was a lot of fun.

My Mum and I chilling in the hot tub

 

Our girls only pamper afternoon

So that is how we survived our family holiday .... some days we did everything and some days we did not much at all, but we always found an activity, event or something enjoyable to do with our time on board the Voyager of the Seas!
 

 

Disclosure: Royal Caribbean have partnered with me to help promote their company. This is a sponsored post and I received on board credit to spend on the ship. I am free to form my own opinion and share them in my own words.

 

[All images my own]

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Christmas Table Ideas and Inspiration

I have been obsessing about the Christmas table ever since I put my hand up for Mr P and I to host this year. I absolutely love to entertain and have friends and family over and it's such a special occasion having my family join Mr P's family for Christmas this year for the first time so I want everything to be absolutely awesome under pressure much?!

 

 

 

 

Not only am I planning when I'm awake, it's also been playing on my subconscious because I even had a dream about how to set the table down to the little details of how to fold the napkins ... I kid you not I was dreaming about folding them all fancy until I woke up realising my anxiety was getting a little out of control! I had to decide whether to go paper or linen, what kind of table centrepieces to do (Mr P's response to that was - it's not a wedding!), if fresh flowers would survive a stinking hot summer day outside .... there are so many things to think about! But I'm so excited about it too, I'm a creative type at heart and can't wait to play around with the table decor and make it all pretty and festive.

 

 

 

 

I've picked my table theme of red, white and silver and it's been really great to stick to this simple colour combination and run with the theme. I have sparkly silver ribbon to wrap around the cutlery, chocolates and treats for the kids table, boxes full of matching bon bons, pretty paper decorations and disco balls to hang from the patio. It is so easy to go overboard but I'm trying not to buy anything that's too Christmassy so there's no Santa shaped plates or Merry Christmas signs, I've bought things I can use again for other entertaining.

 

 

 

 

It's easy to get caught up and carried away with it all this time of year and we've got to stop and think that the most important thing is not how the napkins are folded or how the colours match up, it's that we are surrounded by the people that we love and care about the most. It doesn't get much better than that :)

 

How is your Christmas Day planning coming along?

 

 

[Images via my Pinterest 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

 

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The Courtyard Project - Landscaping Inspiration

Now that the front courtyard is built we are keen to move on and bring the ideas for the front of the house design to life. It's time to start making some decisions on the landscaping, plants and pots etc to get it ready for some summer time entertaining.

I've been turning to Pinterest my all time favourite source for inspiration for the home and pinning like a crazy woman the ideas of what I'd like out the front .... perhaps some projects to tackle over the Christmas holidays!

 

Just to remind you in the last few months we have taken the unused, uneven space of land at the front of our house from this  ...

 

 

 

And turned it into a private secure levelled out space by building a limestone courtyard fence around the front of the house to enclose it. Our next project is to install timber slats between the pillars and a gate between the driveway and the path to the front door to make it even more private.

 

 

 

 

 

Once the panels and gate are in we will be getting to work to turn the courtyard into an outdoor room. I want it to be a bit of a laid back lounging area, a place to put your feet up and watch the sunset with a glass of wine in hand. The furniture needs to be comfortable lounger style, I would love some sort of swing or egg chair, and also built in cover to shade from the sun would be a good idea.

 

 

 

 

 

I think a mixture of grass or artificial turf, plus paving and gravel would be a good use of materials. We are a bit doubtful on the artificial turf as it heats up in the sun and will get very hot to stand on, but in comparison to finding a grass cover tough enough to withstand full sun for most of the day, and the need to water and care for it, we may not have much choice but to go with artificial turf.

 

 

 

 

 

I want some feature pots with plants on the path to the front door by the living room window. I have been researching the types of plants who will love the full sun and survive on little water to abide by our water restrictions here in Aussie.  I also want a statue or modern sculpture for the corner of the courtyard, it's a great feature spot that grabs your eye as you step inside and really needs a unique ornamental for here.

 

 

 

 

 

I have lots of landscaping inspiration and ideas for the courtyard ... now to turn our blank canvas of a courtyard into an outdoor room we want to spent some time in this summer holidays.

 

For updates on the rest of the Courtyard project (and everything else happening in the Jarrah Jungle household!) follow me on Facebook and find me on Instagram @jarrahjungle and you'll never miss a thing!

 

Linking up with:

The Dedicated House - Make It Pretty Monday
Home Coming - The DIYers

 

 

[First 6 images my own.

Furniture 1, 2, 3, 4 Lawn 1, 2, Turf 1, 2, Pots 1, 2, Statue 1, 2]

 

 

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