The Weekender

Plenty of Floridians gripe about the heat, the humidity, and hurricane season. However, there are spectacular perks to living in Florida that most other states don’t have… like proximity to a cruise port. From our home, Jenny and I (Kevin) are one hour from Port Canaveral, two hours from the Port of Miami, two and a half hours from Port of Tampa, and… you get the picture. Something we’ve gotten in the habit of doing is scheduling 3-day cruises out of Port Canaveral over some weekends. We head out after work on Friday, and we’re back in port early Monday morning, getting us back just in time for work. The weekend? Well, they’re spent in the Bahamas, usually on a cruise line’s private island or enjoying the scenic ocean view from our cruise ship balcony. Of course, everything comes with pros and cons—even sailing on a cruise over the weekend…

The Cons

• There’s a tight window to get from work to the cruise port on a Friday.

• Monday mornings require a 5am wake up and plenty of rushing to ensure I arrive at work on time.

• The early Monday morning can undo the physical rest we had over the weekend and cause us to begin the work week tired.

The Pros

• Cooking and cleaning are someone else’s responsibility.

• We can trade endless social media scrolling and meaningless television binging in for enjoying enjoying the beauty of the ocean and tropical ports of call.

• We enjoy experiences and entertainment options that are not available at home.

• While we may not always come back physically rested, we always come back mentally and emotionally refreshed.

If there’s a cruise port by you, I would highly encourage you to investigate the weekend cruise options. If not, I would challenge you to find the weekend getaway that your geographical area specially positions you to enjoy. One way or the other, enjoy your weekend!