Episode 38 - Cruising into 50

Facing the open ocean despite a lifelong fear of water and motion sickness wasn't exactly how I'd planned to celebrate turning 50. Yet there I was, boarding a cruise ship for the first time, determined to make this milestone birthday unforgettable.

My 10-day journey through the South Pacific became so much more than a holiday. It transformed into a personal voyage of conquering fears and embracing new experiences. After struggling through two days of debilitating seasickness (green apples and magnetic wristbands didn't stand a chance), I finally found my sea legs and discovered the joy of life at sea.

The birthday itself was magical, consisting of a couples massage, professional photos at sunset and a spectacular dinner at a celebrity chef restaurant. But the real gifts came in unexpected moments, snorkeling for the first time at Mystery Island, jumping from platforms into crystal-clear waters in Vanuatu to even summoning the courage to sing karaoke onboard because "nobody knows me, it's my 50th!"

Throughout this adventure, I discovered that cruising offers a perfect balance of exploration and relaxation. Each port brought new discoveries, while onboard activities from theme nights to gourmet dining experiences kept us thoroughly entertained. The ship became a place where time slowed down and we could simply enjoy being together, creating memories that will last far longer than any physical gift.

Whether you're considering your first cruise or looking for inspiration for celebrating your own milestone birthday, this episode offers honest insights, practical tips and hopefully, the encouragement to step outside your comfort zone. Because sometimes, our greatest adventures begin when we face our biggest fears.

Would love to hear about your own milestone celebrations or bucket list adventures! Share your stories or questions, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode of the Everyday Warriors podcast.

Chapters

• 0:00 Podcast Introduction
• 3:34 The Decision to Cruise for My 50th
• 9:35 First Days at Sea and Motion Sickness
• 14:51 My 50th Birthday Celebration
• 18:26 Island Adventures and Excursions
• 27:48 Gourmet Experiences and Theme Nights
• 30:26 Disembarking and Final Thoughts
• 35:12 Overall Impressions of Cruising

Transcript

Trudie Marie: 0:01

Welcome to the Everyday Warriors podcast, the perfect space to speak my truth and dive into deep conversations with others. This podcast is about celebrating everyday warriors, the people who face life's challenges head on, breaking through obstacles to build resilience, strength and courage. Join me, your host, trudy Marie, as I sit down with inspiring individuals who have fought their own battles and emerged stronger, sharing raw, real and authentic stories in a safe space, allowing you to explore, question and find your own path to new possibilities. And find your own path to new possibilities. Let us all embrace the warrior within and realise that, while no one is walking in your shoes, others are on this same path, journeying through life together.

Trudie Marie: 0:58

Please note that the following podcast may contain discussions or topics that could be triggering or distressing for some listeners. I aim to provide informative and supportive content, but understand that certain things may evoke strong emotions or memories. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed or in need of support while listening, I encourage you to pause the podcast and take a break. Remember that it is okay to prioritize your well-being and seek assistance from trained professionals. There is no shame in this. In fact, it is the first brave step to healing. If you require immediate support, please consider reaching out to Lifeline on 13, 11, 14 or a crisis intervention service in your area. Thank you for listening and please take care of yourself as you engage with the content of this podcast.

Trudie Marie: 2:01

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Trudie Marie: 3:34

Welcome to another episode of the Everyday Warriors podcast. Today's episode is a solo one with yours truly, and it's about cruising into my 50th birthday. Now I'm bringing this episode to you because I've had many friends and family and listeners ask about my cruise for my 50th and also curious about cruising because they've never done it themselves. And for me, this was my first time as well, so I'm going to give you a rundown on that experience.

Trudie Marie: 4:04

Now, going back to the beginning, as to why I chose to go on a cruise for my 50th, is that I'd had parties at 18, at 21 and at 30. For my 40th, I went on a family holiday to Bali, and for my 50th I knew that my daughter was going to be in Europe and my son in Perth and decided that if I couldn't celebrate with both of them, I wouldn't celebrate with either. So hubby and I decided to go on a holiday, kind of like a second honeymoon. Now, I had never done a cruise before and neither had hubby, so that was one thing we decided to tick off our bucket list. The reason I had always been nervous about going on a cruise is one, I'm afraid of open water and of drowning, and two, I get serious motion sickness, so it really put me off of having to experience that like on a cruise.

Trudie Marie: 5:02

Initially, I booked a 10-day cruise with P&O which departed from Sydney and was headed to the South Pacific, namely to New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Now, sometime after booking my cruise, it changed over to Carnival Cruise Line and, honestly, I had no real major issues. Everything was acknowledged and transferred over. Hubby and I both joined the facebook groups and spoke with various family and friends who had cruised in the past to get any tips and tricks and advice on the essentials, and it was really great finding out the main things we needed to know. However, because of the changeover with P&O and Carnival, we had to ignore all the Karens because there was just so much negativity that in order to find out what we wanted to know, you just had to sift through the complaints and the misery. Like it really wasn't very nice. So in order for us to obviously get to Sydney from WA, it meant that we had to leave Minganew on the Friday and drive to Perth. That was a bonus because I got to have an early birthday celebration with my family and then we flew to Sydney on the Saturday.

Trudie Marie: 6:18

Now we were told, and in our research found, that you never fly into the port on the day of embarkation, the reason being if there is any cancellations or delays with your flights, you could literally miss your cruise. So we flew into Sydney on that night. We stayed in Barangaroo and we had dinner at a beautiful Brazilian barbecue down on King Street Wharf. On the Sunday morning we went for breakfast before checking out of the hotel and then got an Uber to the overseas passenger terminal. Now, with any cruise it really depends on the port authority of that city as to where you embark, and in Sydney there is two. There is Overseas Passenger Terminal and White Bay. So we were lucky. It was the OPT.

Trudie Marie: 7:09

The customs and boarding procedure was relatively simple. We purchased faster to the fun, which is an extra in Carnival Cruise Line, and it basically means you get priority on certain things. So we were able to get into the priority line to embark the ship and once you go through, just like you would go through an airport, you literally have your bags, go through security, you have your passport checked, you have your boarding pass there ready to go and everything just gets checked normally. You then get onto the ship and the first place you go to is your muster point so that you can be checked in there, and then you don't get access to your room until around one o'clock. The reason being is that the last crews disembarked that morning and then you're embarking in the afternoon and they have that limited time to get everything changed over and ready.

Trudie Marie: 8:07

So once you do get to your room, the best advice I can give, and what we were given, is to unpack and settle in, so that you can then just enjoy yourself. And that's exactly what we did, because when you embark the ship, your main luggage goes like you would on a plane it goes through luggage and then you carry with you your onboard stuff, so you do need to carry around your onboard stuff until you get access to your room. Otherwise, we just explored the ship and started to get to know where things were on the ship as a relation to which deck and then which side of the ship starboard or port and then whether it was forward or aft, so that way you had a sense of direction where you were on the ship. Once we did that, we then went up to the main lido deck and the upper decks so that we could watch the ship pull out. And that's an incredible experience and why wouldn't you? With Sydney Harbour so beautiful despite the rain, it was just magical standing up on deck and watching the ship leave.

Trudie Marie: 9:14

Once that was done, we headed down to get ready for dinner and I booked one of the paid restaurants for our first night as a special treat and we went to the Trattoria, which was lovely and the food was amazing, until I got sick and I felt really nauseous and wasn't able to get through my dinner. So the first night ended quite short and I was off to bed the next morning. I still felt quite nauseous and I was given the tip of eating green apples. That was the main thing. That was going to sort of get you through, apparently, and I was also wearing the magnetic sick bands and I was taking Travacarm, which is a ginger based travel sickness tablet.

Trudie Marie: 9:59

I don't tend to take a lot of my medications and so I didn't really want to take anything. I didn't need to. However, I couldn't keep anything down. I ended up in bed, which hubby thought was great because he could go and explore the ship on his own. Uh. Lunchtime I tried again. I went and got medication from guest services and nothing stayed down again. So I spent the afternoon either in bed or on our balcony trying to get some fresh air, watch the horizon line, try to get my sea legs, and that wasn't great. Hubby, meanwhile, was off having fun exploring the ship. That afternoon or evening we were supposed to have a photo shoot, which I'd already pre-purchased, and the elegant night theme night was on. So we got dressed ready, opted not to have the injection, instead take some more medication for nausea, and unfortunately I didn't keep that down either. I missed dinner and I was back in bed. Hubby had to go to dinner the first night on his own.

Trudie Marie: 11:18

On the Tuesday morning I felt better. The seas were a little calmer, but the nausea had started to subside, so something somewhere had kicked in. So we had breakfast and then headed up to the Lido deck just to get some fresh air, relax and try to feel like we were on actual holidays. It was there. We met a couple who were originally from Canada but now live up on the Sunshine Coast, and they were amazing. It turned out that Stacey and I both had birthdays on the same day and were turning 50 together, and then her husband was going to turn 50 a few days later, which just left my hubby as the baby of the group, because his birthday is not until the end of the year. So we got chatting to them and had some great conversations and agreed to catch up later. That afternoon we went to a high tea, which we had booked, and that was beautiful. We were given a range of sweet and savory pedifors with a glass of sparkling tea and coffee scones. It was beautiful and was well worth the extra payment to do that. And then that night we had our first dinner at one of the restaurants and on the carnival adventure, there are three restaurants that you rotate through and, honestly, no complaints from me.

Trudie Marie: 12:44

Wednesday was my birthday and I actually woke up feeling better. I don't know whether it was because we were in calmer waters or whether it was because of my birthday. I wasn't going to let it ruin me, so I started the day with a couple's massage with my husband, which was lovely, a great way to relax. We then went to the breakfast at the pantry. Now the pantry is the main buffet and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day, so it's available for everyone, whether you choose to have dinner at the restaurants or not.

Trudie Marie: 13:19

From there, we just relaxed around the ship. So we went and explored because I felt like I'd missed out on the first two days because I was a little bit under the weather. So we did that, and then I went and had my hair done why not, it's my 50th, let's look good. And then we had arranged the second part of our photo shoot at sunset. Now, I had originally planned a whole outfit for my birthday. However, the night of my birthday turned out to be white night, so hubby and I both wore our white night outfits and let me tell you it was meant to be, because the photos were spectacular and our photographer, malik, who was from Honduras, shout out to him because he was amazing. He just made it so fun, so comfortable, and we had a great time.

Trudie Marie: 14:10

I had dinner that night at Luke's restaurant, which is Luke Mangan, the Celebrity Chef's Restaurant. It's a contract taken over by Carnival from P&O for the time being, and the dinner was incredible. It was well worth every cent we spent. And after that we went for drinks to celebrate with Stacey and Pat, so Stacey and I could have a birthday drink together, and we did that at Luke's Bar. Over the course of the day I got to speak to all my family, whether it was phone calls, on FaceTime or text messages or checking in with various friends and family. I felt like I had an incredible 50th birthday.

Trudie Marie: 14:51

On the Thursday it was our first port of call, which was Mystery Island, and we had to get tenders to the island and I was really concerned because, with my motion sickness, I was like I don't want to be sick again. But I actually found it okay, and this is where Faster to the Fun comes into play again, because you get priority disembarking off the ship to go ashore. So we got ashore and the first thing we did was have or the last part of our photo shoot with Malik, and that was a lot of fun. And then we went around and explored some of the market stalls that were set up, I got my hair braided, I had a photo with an iguana mainly for my niece and then we had booked a tour through the ship. So it was a snorkeling tour, as we were told that the best snorkeling was on Mystery Island, and let me tell you they didn't lie. It was my very first time snorkeling and it was absolutely incredible. I felt like I was Ariel in the Little Mermaid. We were taken about 500 meters offshore and basically snorkeled or swam into the shore and the range of coral and fish was just outstanding. I loved every second of it. We were done there by around lunchtime and basically went back on the tender to the ship and had lunch up at the pantry and then spent the afternoon in the adults area of the ship, which was great because it was super quiet, because everyone was on shore. So that was great. And then we went to dinner at Angelo's again. So just the way things had been booked, with, obviously, us having dinner at Luke's and the Trattoria. We were back at Angelo's.

Trudie Marie: 16:40

On the Friday we went to Port Villa, which is also in Vanu. It was the first time a ship had been back to the island after the December earthquakes, so the locals were very excited to have us back and this was also a tender into port, because the access road from the port into town is still closed after the earthquake. So they tended us in directly into town still closed after the earthquake, so they tended us in directly into town. I booked a private tour for this location because I didn't know what was going to happen, whether we would attend the port or not and I went to the waterfall and to the Blue Lagoon and shopping. So the waterfall was our first point of call. Stunning walk up to the waterfall. The waterfall is more horizontal than vertical and beautiful swimming hole at the bottom. Turquoise clear waters and I first time jumped off a rope swing, which was a miserable fail because I have no upper body strength to hold myself up, but it was fun. And then I also jumped off the high platform into the water and that was also a first for me. So ticking off those firsts despite being 50.

Trudie Marie: 17:52

Our next place was the Blue Lagoon and this was the place I really wanted to go to the most. However, I was a little disappointed. It seemed to be just a ginormous swimming hole. With so many people there it was quite overwhelming, but the couple we were with on our tour we managed to go around and find a small section of the lagoon that was quiet and serene and peaceful and we swam there instead. So I felt much better doing that.

Trudie Marie: 18:21

Lunch was included on the tour. That Lunch was included on the tour, so that was a barbecue and we had that at the Blue Lagoon before heading back into town to the duty-free shopping. That is probably the best duty-free shopping available on the cruise and everybody seemed to be there, but hubby and I really weren't interested. So we headed down to the markets because I really wanted to support the locals after eight months of no tourists, and we found plenty of little knickknacks and stuff for not only ourselves but for family and friends as well.

Trudie Marie: 18:54

When we got back to the ship, we relaxed again in the adults only area of the pool. Again, it was nice and quiet and it was really quite a relaxing day. That night it was the island night theme night, so hubby and I did dress up for that, which was a lot of fun. We got to go and view our photos after doing the photo shoot and let me tell you we were absolutely amazed and loved the quality of the photos. Malik did such a good job and normally we probably wouldn't have spent the money we did to purchase some of the photos. However, we hadn't had professional photos since our wedding. We were on a holiday. He took some beautiful shots and we were like, why not? So that was definitely worth it.

Trudie Marie: 19:44

For dinner we went to the Dragon Lady, which was an Asian infusion sort of restaurant. It wasn't my favorite of all the restaurants, but it was the second one we got to go to in the rotation. On the Saturday we went to Leifu. Now I had planned for this to be a relaxing day. I didn't plan any tours at this location. We actually started the day on ship having another massage, which was great, and then it was also great getting the tender off, because we didn't have to line up or queue. It was literally walk down, get on the tender and be shipped over to the shore, so that was great.

Trudie Marie: 20:26

Leifu, for me, was a little bit of a letdown. The actual port itself wasn't anything spectacular. We found a little bar to have lunch at, chatted to some couples there and then spent the afternoon snorkeling off the beach, and the snorkeling again was amazing. I felt like I had a new leaf of life. I wanted to try this more, so hubby and I took turns using his equipment to go snorkeling. The only disappointing thing was that we found out later we should have been on the other side of the jetty because that's where the turtles and the clamshells were. But you know what you live and you learn, and I was just appreciative of the experience that I had.

Trudie Marie: 21:06

Anyway, that night, we decided to dress in matchy matchy outfits, which is quite common on the cruise, and when we were purchasing our island night theme outfits, we managed to purchase another one. So we were like, why not, let's just do this. And then we went to dinner at Waterfront. So we'd now completed the full rotation of the restaurants, and let me tell you, they were all amazing. Like where else do you get a three-course dinner that you don't even have to think about what you're going to eat? And then we went to the paid show, which is again a handover from P&O to Carnival, which was Blanc de Blanc, and it was an adult only R-rated show. That was a bundle of laughs. While we were hesitant about going to the show to begin with, it was actually Stacey and Pat that talked us into going. We actually really enjoyed it.

Trudie Marie: 22:01

On the Sunday, we went to Namia, and Namia was the first port we actually went into. Namia is a full working port, and you basically are on dock and you walk off the ship straight onto a bus that takes you into town. Unfortunately, though, sunday in Namia means that nearly everything is closed, and the markets were only open until lunchtime, so hubby and I decided to go to the markets, have a look around and then head back to the ship for lunch, before we went on the tour that we'd booked for the afternoon. Now we did a wine tasting slash sightseeing tour. The sightseeing, and the guide who did the sightseeing was absolutely amazing. Her French was impeccable, her English was impeccable, she had lots to say about Nemea and the history, and I found her really quite entertaining.

Trudie Marie: 22:58

We went to this place called now forgive my French Notre Dame du Pacifique, notre Dame du Pacifique, and it's basically a large statue of Mary with a rosary set in a garden and grotto with stations of the cross very religious area, but I really appreciate it because I grew up Roman Catholic, so I had a lot of respect for that area. And then we went to a lookout, which was incredible. You got to see parts of Namia, which was great. The wine tasting part of it, though, was a little bit of a letdown. We were literally taken to a restaurant, seated with three glasses of wine and three cheeses to taste, with some bread, and that was it. There was no discussion about the wine or the cheese or the pairings. It was basically eat, drink and then we'll go and I was bitterly disappointed with that, but it is what it is. We had a great day out anyway.

Trudie Marie: 23:59

Getting back to the ship, we had to quickly change and get ready for the chef's dinner, which we purchased as a special event. I actually wanted this on my birthday, but it was already booked out for my birthday, so we did it on this night. It's $167 per person for a degustation. You are greeted by your waiter and the chef at a little cafe and then you go into the main restaurant in a curtained area there is only 14 of you, so it's really intimate. And you start off with sparkling and five hors d'oeuvres that you're seated and they are. It's almost like silver service. It was incredible. Like I was like, wow, if this is only hors d'oeuvres, what's dinner going to be like? And then you're taken into the kitchen and we got to watch one of the chefs make the famous carnival chocolate lava cake. So that was amazing. And then, after that, you were taken back to the restaurant area for a full seven course degustation with both white wine, red wine and dessert wine. And let me tell, tell you, chef's kiss. The food was incredible, the service was incredible, the presentation was incredible. It was just a fabulous night. What made it better was that we actually got to experience this with Stacey and Pat, who we'd met on the ship. There was another group of six and another two couples, and we all had lots of laughs, lots of conversations. We had a group photo to finish and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Trudie Marie: 25:33

We then had to run quickly back to our room and get changed again, because it was 80s night dress up night and I was not missing 80s night for anybody. So we got into our costumes, we went to head up to the Lido deck but it was raining, so they had taken the party down to the Adventure Hotel and we met Stacey and Pat back at the bar and had a fabulous time. That was probably one of the highlights of the theme nights, because 80s night is always a barrel of laughs. Hubby even got up and did an air guitar competition, which he won, so it was super fun.

Trudie Marie: 26:12

Monday was our first day at sea heading home, and we tried our hand at bingo. We went into the casino, we went to a comedy show. We kind of did lots of things that day that we hadn't done on all the other days, so that was kind of cool. And then that night we had dinner again at the Trattoria because hubby wanted to do that so that I could experience it in a different way. Till I did the first night. That was also an elegant night, so we were dressed up for that dinner and let me tell you the second time round, it was really enjoyable. The tiramisu was divine and we finished the night by having drinks next door at the piano bar listening to some really bad karaoke. Actually, in saying karaoke, I did that, I want to say on the second night, on the Tuesday night, when I started to feel better, I actually sung karaoke myself because I was like I'm on a ship, nobody knows me, it's my 50th, I'm gonna do another thing. And, yes, I sang karaoke at sea On the Tuesday.

Trudie Marie: 27:24

At sea, the first thing hubby and I did was start to pack, because I didn't want to leave that to the last minute. We were going to disembark and head straight to the airport. I needed to make sure we were organized, so just doing that packing in the morning meant the rest of the day we could just relax and enjoy it. We end up going to the jackpot bingo with Pat and Stacey and then we had lunch on the Lido deck at Luke's Burgers, which was a lot of fun. Uh, they had dancing that day as well, so I got to do the Macarena and the Nutbush and the Cha Cha Slide, which was super fun. And then hubby and I had our final dinner at Waterfront restaurant before heading to the Voice of the Ocean final. So on various nights we had attended the heats and then the final of the Voice of the Ocean, which was basically, as it says, a singing competition done in the way of the voice. We met up with Pat and Stacey again in the marquee for the final and then we went to our last lot of drinks at Luke's bar again and had the fancy smoky cocktails that they serve. So that was a lot of fun and fabulous way to kind of finish the cruise.

Trudie Marie: 28:43

On the Wednesday I got up super early because I wanted to see the sights of Sydney in the early morning light, while it was still dark, and see all the lights of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge and the Sydney skyline. And it was well worth getting up for we were one of the first to be off the ship and disembarking is relatively easy. We opted to carry our cases because of our flight. You can leave your cases out the night before and then you will collect them once off the ship, just like you would if you were getting off a plane. However, we got off with our luggage and first off the ship, went, handed in our immigration card, just like if you were flying back from international, and then got an Uber to the airport. We got our Uber super quick and it was fancy, it was a Mercedes. I said to hubby, wow, okay, but what we discovered is that the gentleman who picked us up was the owner of a limousine company. He happened to pick up our fare going out to the airport to pick up none other than Chris Hemsworth from the airport, so Chris Hemsworth sat in the same seat I did just hours after me. So that was kind of a fun little way to finish our trip. We sat in Virgin Lounge having some breakfast and some drinks, waiting for our flight home and landed safely back in Perth. So overall it was a fabulous experience and I will give you my overall impressions of cruising for the first time.

Trudie Marie: 30:26

So the room we booked a balcony and I don't think I could have done an internal room, like I needed to see the ocean and especially if I'm on a cruise, I want to see the ocean, and it was great to be able to go back and sit in the privacy of your own room on the balcony, just for some fresh air and some space. The crowds on the various parts of the ship can get a little bit overwhelming, especially with my background, so it was nice to have that. The rooms are spacious for what you need. I would recommend taking hanging shelves in the wardrobe to have extra folding room for your clothes, but you've got plenty of room to put your cases in, especially if they fit inside one another. They stack up nice and neat. There is easy enough room to move around the room, so it was a great idea. If you've got the luxury of booking a suite, book a suite, and if you have to book an internal room, well, all I can say is good luck.

Trudie Marie: 31:26

The food for me. I read so many complaints and heard so many people complain, even while I was on the ship, about the quality of the food. Carnival is a budget cruise line, so you cannot expect champagne food when you're on a beer budget, and for me, the logic I went in with was that I don't have to cook, I don't have to think about what I have to cook and I don't have to clean up. I get to eat a three-course meal on most nights. I get a full buffet for breakfast and for dinner and I can snack in between if I want to. So there is nothing to complain about. The paid restaurants which was we attended all of them were phenomenal and well worth the extra money if you want to spend it, and the chef's dinner was an absolute treat and is a degustation I will remember for a long time, and it is well worth the money for not only the experience but the food and service as well.

Trudie Marie: 32:28

As far as drinks packages go well, we were lucky enough to book the non-alcoholic drink package on P&O. Unfortunately, carnival Cruise Lines does not offer the same value as far as the drinks packages. You either get soda and juice with the non-alcoholic package, or you get soda, juice and alcohol with the full package. You do have to pay for extras such as bubble tea, tea and coffee, energy drinks, things like that. So it's entirely up to you. We're not big drinkers, so we just paid for alcohol as we required and then enjoyed the rest of the drinks package and had our full values worth over the 10 days. Just bear in mind that when you do buy the alcohol package, you are paying the same price on the days you're ashore. So if you are not a big drinker and you're not going to drink, your money's worth at night when you get back on the ship, it can be a bit of a letdown. So just something to be mindful of.

Trudie Marie: 33:33

The activities on the ship are varied and there's plenty of them. The only thing I would say on our particular cruise is that it seemed that many overlapped, so you had to choose what you were doing and often had to miss out on something because it did overlap. So I didn't get to do everything I wanted to do, because there were times where I had to, yeah, pick one thing over the other, but overall there is something for everybody, no matter what you want to do. We also saw many people around the ship actually taking board games and cards and things like that. So you can spend time. There is plenty of places to sit and play, catch up with other people, do various things of your own choosing, if you should want to do that. The theme nights are optional, but they're a lot of fun and, being our first cruise, we decided to go all in and take costumes for every theme night and for those themes, and they are just a lot of fun. You get to enjoy watching everybody else dress up. You have some fun with it and it's worth it for the experience. But again, it is truly optional. In the future, I would probably only pick one or two of them rather than do everything like we did.

Trudie Marie: 35:06

The staff were amazing. We had no issues with any of the staff, although we did hear stories of others having problems. In my opinion, it comes down to the way you are with those people. I see staff as equals. They are there to make my life as enjoyable as possible while I'm on the cruise and I will be kind and generous and respectful towards them, and when you do that, it is reciprocated back. But I saw people being condescending and rude and treating them almost like subserviently and that's no way to treat the people who are looking after you on the cruise. So my advice is be kind and you will receive kind back. And, yeah, just be respectful to the people who are there to do their job. Our room stewards were fabulous. They went over and above what was expected of them. They set out the towel characters for us. They decorated my room for my birthday over and above what I paid for. They just made sure that we were looked after our whole crew. So I really did love that aspect.

Trudie Marie: 36:28

The story about the ducks Now ducks seem to be a thing on cruises we found that out during our research and you get to either hide them or find them, or both. And let me tell you, I took ducks aboard. It was super fun seeing if people had found them. Like hubby and I would leave them out in the morning and then come back in the afternoon and see if people had taken them. But watching kids lie eyes light up as they found a duck or they magically appeared because I often left ducks or gave them to parents to kind of leave magically so that the kids can find them. That was a lot of fun. So if you want to get involved in the duck game, go ahead and do it, because you will have fun with it.

Trudie Marie: 37:12

Excursions on the ship we booked two through the ship and one privately, and we had one day with no tour at all. It is so worth it to see the sites if you've never been to those locations before. The only difference I can say with private tours and ship tours ships you will play slightly more. However, you are guaranteed to one get off the ship early for that tour. You are also guaranteed to get back on the ship before it leaves. With private tours, you do so at your own risk, so it is just one thing to be mindful of, but the excursions are fabulous and definitely well worth it if you want to explore the different locations you go to.

Trudie Marie: 37:57

Overall, we've been asked would we do it again? And the short answer is yes, we would. We wouldn't rush to do it. However, there are so many other things and places that hubby and I want to go and see and explore that we are not going to jump out and just book a back-to-back cruise. I get why people do it on the east coast. For me, cruising on the east coast seems to be the Bali of the west coast. That's how they do their holidays, but when you've got to pay for accommodation and flights to get to the port, it's just something that I wouldn't jump to do again. However, we have already started future planning and seeing what other cruise lines are out there, what other locations they go to and what we could possibly do in the future.

Trudie Marie: 38:47

The other thing I would say about cruising is that if you are a family with young children and I say young being under the age of 10, I would second guess about taking your family Watching families of small children, especially toddlers, and young primary school age children that can't be left on their own. It really is. It's like your home, doing the same thing you would do at home, just in a different location. You wouldn't actually get to really fully enjoy the experience because you're constantly running around after your children doing what you have to do as an adult, or children who are teenagers that can be left to fend for themselves throughout the ship. Then you would get to sit back and enjoy the experience for what it is. So it's definitely something I would say it's a couple's thing to do. I get why couples and older people do it, because it is great. It's a great experience for just kicking back, relaxing, having everything done for you, not having to think about anything, and just enjoy life. So I can see the appeal of cruising. But that was my first experience of it. I loved every moment of it, even despite I got seasick on the first day. But you know what? That was an experience I had to have and it is what it is, but overall, I had an absolute phenomenal time cruising into my 50th birthday.

Trudie Marie: 40:22

Thank you for tuning in to the Everyday Warriors podcast. If you have an idea for a future episode or a story you'd like to share yourself, then please reach out and message me, as I am always up for real, raw and authentic conversations with other Everyday Warriors. Also, be sure to subscribe so that you can download all the latest episodes as they are published and spread the word to your family and friends and colleagues so they can listen in too. If you're sharing on social media, please be sure to tag me so that I can personally acknowledge you. I'm always open to comment about how these episodes have resonated with you, the listener. And remember lead with love as you live this one wild and precious life.