It has been a while since putting up a post on the website. It is not without reason that I would look for a way to reset and refocus my work. So, I took a much-deserved break to take the family on a long trip. It was long overdue, in fact, because I was on a long hiatus away from my family and needed a moment to focus on the joys of parenting and the love our family shares. I had the opportunity to reconnect with my family. The work I was doing in the past year was really tough, and the globalized turn of COVID-19 exacerbate frustration and stress. I was glad, and welcomed the change and newfound intimate relationships with my loved ones.
I had a unique blessing and opportunity. This was the very first time I could take a much-needed two-week vacation with my family. The craziness of being home was changed based on our family looking for fun together, instead of looking for work.
There are two big things we did. We relaxed and enjoyed poolside at a time-share before we went on our cruise. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching my kids play, teaching them how to do things, and see them continue to battle the water in staying afloat. I enjoy being a parent, because it is not how I benefit in the relationship I have with m kids . It is seeing their curiosity and creativity come to light.
While I enjoy going on vacation with my family, it is an area that I allow my wife to handle the planning. I would classify myself as the working parent in our relationship. I would rather my wife pick activities best suited for our family. I naturally don’t get into too much detail, but I will communicate what I am looking for.
As I get details of vacation, the rest and relaxation are usually foremost on my mind. As my wife and I went over the itinerary, we schedule our personal time and the time to spend on fun activities. In this case, we would select a daily big event that was a “must” for all of us to do. Otherwise, we would not want to overstress ourselves to make certain events happen.
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Sharing Time at the Time-Share
My wife and I enjoy the use of timeshares on our vacation. It is not like an average hotel room, and they offer opportunities for my family to live in a room that is like being in a small apartment or condo. They have kitchen amenities, and we are not bothered by regular house-cleaning. For the most part, we are private people, and feel self-sufficient to continue caring for ourselves away from home. However, this is not the main reason why we would prefer a time-share over a hotel room.
Hotel rooms for us are very, temporary. They give us enough comfort if we intend to stay in a room for 1-2 nights with most of our time out. They give us a place to store, sleep, and stay hygienic during these periods. However, the comfort and cost of a hotel room for us does not always add up to our desires in a budget.
This is how we favorably view timeshares. My parents have ownership, and my wife’s family has ownership in a timeshare. They are great ‘vehicles’ of keeping basic amenities we find in our regular homes. We have a kitchen to make food, the best places have full oven and stove-top, and our cost of food drops to an affordable cost for the week. For what it is worth, most restaurants feed us in quite sizeable portions we will not complete in a sitting. Also, we have our own dietary restrictions that keep us from enjoying most restaurants anyway.
The time-share we stayed in, felt like an oasis, or a resort that included what we need anyway. Pools? Take your pick. Mini-golf? Come sign this sheet that you are borrowing our clubs. Movie rentals, books, pool tables, splash pads, water slides, and some internal restaurants. This is not the same as attending an “all-inclusive” resort, because the basis of the time-share is related to sharing the rooms we share amongst other owners.
Cruising During COVID
Going on a cruise during this time was not the simplest of ventures. My wife and I placed a down payment quite early during the COVID stay-at-home outbreak because we thought about the resurgence of spending time as a family. We were also counting on being on the tail-end for COVID mitigation. Anyway, this was not without plenty of pre-planning and finding suitable activities for our children.
We left on a Royal Caribbean ship the week following Labor Day. We knew the rates for our cabin were slightly cheaper because the summer in the Caribbean is considered “high-season”. We went to three different Port-o-calls, and enjoyed some tours on the beautiful islands. I must say that with our young family, it was absolutely worth it. Now my children have some bragging rights about going to more exotic locations, seeing different wildlife, and enjoying some history in the Caribbean.
The ship and Royal Caribbean had the process down to a science. It was very cool to experience the social distancing, reserving times for shows, and also requesting kids’ time. One benefit of the cruising COVID experience was that Royal Caribbean allowed the longest of wait-times to reserve space for our kids. Also, if you were a parent going to shore without your kids, you had priority in reserving the time. The downside of the kids’ rooms was the restrictions on kids going to their clubs. They have plenty of space, but the safety was paramount.
Otherwise, the cruising adventure was awesome because it was a time to mold together as a family, and we did not have any concern for missing e-mails or texts from people trying to reach us. These days, a cruise feels like one of the last escapes from reality where I am not bogged down with my personal devices.
Concluding Vacation
Spending the time driving, relaxing, and touring was an absolutely phenomenal experience. My oldest child was so happy with his adventure that he cannot wait to go on another cruise. Although the intention was for me to spend the time with my wife, and see the new experiences shape my boys. This is one of the best experiences that I had to connect, and love to spend these opportunities. Maybe it is because I did not have the vain self-interest, but would rather watch others grow and succeed.
