How we celebrated our "Tin/Aluminium" 10 year wedding anniversary.
One of the nice things about cold/flu season, and a house full of sick lovies, is the chance to actually sit and write. Today, 3 months after our anniversary, I'm finally having the chance to write about the amazing 10 years Dave and I have been married and how we celebrated our anniversary...on a budget of course.
For any of you who know me, I am a planner. I don't do things last minute. I read 100 webpages and blogs to find out the best places to visit, the best things to see, the best times to go, and all for the most cost effective price.
For our anniversary Dave and I were sure of two things; we wanted to go away without the girlies, and we wanted to have friends go with us. So, we talked to Alfie, Kimi, Dave and Donna, who all agreed to join us, and the planning began!
As we discussed where we wanted to go in the blustery month of November, we were unanimous that it needed to be someplace warm. We looked into all inclusive resorts and cruises. Since Dave and I had already vacationed to St. Lucia in 2012, we decided to try cruising this time. Cruising had come highly recommended and is less expensive than all inclusive vacationing. Plus, you can grab a cruise out of the NYC port and save money on transportation.
After reviewing many cruise ships, we choose The Norwegian Breakaway and prepared for our 7 day Bahama cruise at $724.00 per person. Now that the vacation was booked, we needed to think about transportation to and from NYC. We had many options since Rochester to NYC is a common travel route. We could drive ourselves, rent a car, take the train or fly. After finding flights to NYC for $88.00 per person, we booked them! However, coming home was a completely different story. Flights from NYC to Rochester were $250.00 a person where as the train only cost $60.00 per person.
I had never been to NYC. Crazy, I know! I've lived in New York State my entire life yet had never ventured to the greatest city on earth. Since we were taking the cruise out of the NYC port we made the decision to fly into the city a few days before leaving so that we could check out the attractions. But, NYC is not a cheap place to stay, and so the search for housing accommodations started. We researched hotels, apartments and houses both in and around NYC.
At last we hit the jackpot! A duplex in Manhattan, right near the bus and subway stops, that all 6 of us could stay in. It cost us $80.00 per person to stay the entire weekend in a fully furnished, 3 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment. It was 3 stories with a nice rooftop patio. The most perfect find, except for the 4 flights of stairs and extremely heavy luggage.
We were gone from home 10 days, and the trip would have never been possible if not for my parents' willingness to keep Bella and Abbi for us. Thank you, dad and mom!
In NYC we did many wonderful things, even though it was extremely cold outside. From; Grand Central, Bryan Park, Time Square, Rockefeller Center, Wall Street, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Little Italy, etc.
After our incredible (and exhausting) weekend in NYC it was time to jump on The Breakway for a time of relaxation. This boat was incredible - many delicious restaurants to eat at and endless entertainment to enjoy. Pools, hot tubs, night clubs, Broadway shows and (of course) the ocean in all its fearsome glory.
We cruised from NYC to Port Canaveral. Once in Florida the weather was cold and rainy, so we went on an (inside) tour of the Florida Brewing Company to stretch our legs and enjoy some time off the boat.
From Florida we continued on to Great Stirrup Clay where, unfortunately due to bad weather, we were not allowed to leave the ship to enjoy the private Bahamas beach. But, vacation is vacation so we made the most of our time on the boat.
After leaving Great Stirrup Clay our final destination was Nassau. While the weather was still cool and rainy, we were still given the opportunity to check out the market for souvenirs and eat some interesting local food. Besides, this was the actual day of our 10 year anniversary and we were determined to make the most of it!
Then, it was time to head home. We enjoyed our final night on the boat watching a beautiful sunset and soaking up the quiet.
A wonderful vacation, with amazing people celebrating a huge milestone in our marriage! The final cost for our 10 days away from home was around $950.00 per person. I'm amazed at everything we were able to see, do and experience for approximately $95.00 a day with the many priceless memories that came with it. Completely worth the investment!!
For any of you who know me, I am a planner. I don't do things last minute. I read 100 webpages and blogs to find out the best places to visit, the best things to see, the best times to go, and all for the most cost effective price.
For our anniversary Dave and I were sure of two things; we wanted to go away without the girlies, and we wanted to have friends go with us. So, we talked to Alfie, Kimi, Dave and Donna, who all agreed to join us, and the planning began!
As we discussed where we wanted to go in the blustery month of November, we were unanimous that it needed to be someplace warm. We looked into all inclusive resorts and cruises. Since Dave and I had already vacationed to St. Lucia in 2012, we decided to try cruising this time. Cruising had come highly recommended and is less expensive than all inclusive vacationing. Plus, you can grab a cruise out of the NYC port and save money on transportation.
After reviewing many cruise ships, we choose The Norwegian Breakaway and prepared for our 7 day Bahama cruise at $724.00 per person. Now that the vacation was booked, we needed to think about transportation to and from NYC. We had many options since Rochester to NYC is a common travel route. We could drive ourselves, rent a car, take the train or fly. After finding flights to NYC for $88.00 per person, we booked them! However, coming home was a completely different story. Flights from NYC to Rochester were $250.00 a person where as the train only cost $60.00 per person.
I had never been to NYC. Crazy, I know! I've lived in New York State my entire life yet had never ventured to the greatest city on earth. Since we were taking the cruise out of the NYC port we made the decision to fly into the city a few days before leaving so that we could check out the attractions. But, NYC is not a cheap place to stay, and so the search for housing accommodations started. We researched hotels, apartments and houses both in and around NYC.
At last we hit the jackpot! A duplex in Manhattan, right near the bus and subway stops, that all 6 of us could stay in. It cost us $80.00 per person to stay the entire weekend in a fully furnished, 3 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment. It was 3 stories with a nice rooftop patio. The most perfect find, except for the 4 flights of stairs and extremely heavy luggage.
We were gone from home 10 days, and the trip would have never been possible if not for my parents' willingness to keep Bella and Abbi for us. Thank you, dad and mom!
In NYC we did many wonderful things, even though it was extremely cold outside. From; Grand Central, Bryan Park, Time Square, Rockefeller Center, Wall Street, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Little Italy, etc.
After our incredible (and exhausting) weekend in NYC it was time to jump on The Breakway for a time of relaxation. This boat was incredible - many delicious restaurants to eat at and endless entertainment to enjoy. Pools, hot tubs, night clubs, Broadway shows and (of course) the ocean in all its fearsome glory.
We cruised from NYC to Port Canaveral. Once in Florida the weather was cold and rainy, so we went on an (inside) tour of the Florida Brewing Company to stretch our legs and enjoy some time off the boat.
From Florida we continued on to Great Stirrup Clay where, unfortunately due to bad weather, we were not allowed to leave the ship to enjoy the private Bahamas beach. But, vacation is vacation so we made the most of our time on the boat.
After leaving Great Stirrup Clay our final destination was Nassau. While the weather was still cool and rainy, we were still given the opportunity to check out the market for souvenirs and eat some interesting local food. Besides, this was the actual day of our 10 year anniversary and we were determined to make the most of it!
Then, it was time to head home. We enjoyed our final night on the boat watching a beautiful sunset and soaking up the quiet.
A wonderful vacation, with amazing people celebrating a huge milestone in our marriage! The final cost for our 10 days away from home was around $950.00 per person. I'm amazed at everything we were able to see, do and experience for approximately $95.00 a day with the many priceless memories that came with it. Completely worth the investment!!
What a WONDERFULLY blessed vacation/10th anniversary celebration you had!! I love your blogs Cassie!!:)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you had an amazing time!! You should be a travel agent..lol
ReplyDelete