How did Sea Vixen Voyages get started?
Like many avid cruisers, my story begins in the snowy north. Growing up in Michigan, my family rarely took vacations for any purpose other than visiting family in other chilly places (Massachusetts, in particular). Occasionally, my mom and dad would take a couples vacation to someplace more fun– and much warmer. I vividly remember being left in the care of my grandmother when they went on a week-long jaunt to Maui.
Occasionally, my friends would regale me with trips of their family holidays, always to someplace exotic (I thought) like Florida. Palm trees, salt water, and even alligators seemed so exciting and romantic. Don’t get me wrong– I loved skiing, sledding and visiting nearby gems like Cedar Point (the greatest amusement park ever built, IMHO). But a vacation to someplace warm and sunny? That was my dream.
I remember one time, when I was in college, a friend shared a story about her family vacation. They flew to Florida and then got on a cruise ship and traveled the Caribbean. “How silly!” I thought. “You were already in Florida. Why would you want to go anyplace else?” Those thoughts soon faded when my friend told me about her adventures feeding and petting stingrays in the wild, eating fresh conch salad, and basking on the front of a catamaran while sipping a cocktail. Intriguing.
Flash forward a decade. My television broadcasting career brought my husband and me to Florida, where we finally got to experience those palm trees in person. Florida was fun: Beaches, golfing, grapefruit league baseball, and nary a winter coat to be seen. But when you already live in paradise, you’re always looking for a vacation that’s a little bit more.
…And Then We Caught the Cruise Flu
It actually took several years of living in Florida before we went our first cruise– but once it happened, we were hooked. We started with a short Carnival Cruise Lines trip to Key West and Cozumel, thanks to an online deal we’d tracked down. And then we snuck away for a handful of mini-cruises to Grand Bahamas on the Bahamas Paradise cruise line (now Margaritaville At Sea). Since then, we’ve hit Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Martin/Sint Maarten, St. Kitts, and Barbados (all on Carnival); Nassau and CocoCay on Royal Caribbean; Vancouver, Alaska and the Inside Passage on Holland America; and most recently, Costa Maya Mexico and Bimini on Virgin Voyages. (with many more cruises in the works)
Sure, I love a traditional vacation, too. A quick weekend in Vegas (because who can handle more than a weekend?) is amazing. I adore the funky vibe of Portland, the excitement of the Big Apple, and the flavor of New Orleans. But we love cruising because its a plug-and-play vacation. You simply go to sleep in one country, and you wake up in the next- without getting in a car, hopping on a bus, or boarding a plane. The cruise ships themselves are a destination, with nightclubs, entertainment, activities, spa treatments, and even thrill rides in many cases. In fact, we’ve met many folks who have been on so many cruises that they don’t even get off the ship in some ports because they’ve “seen it all” and would rather enjoy the onboard amenities.
When the opportunity came up to become a travel advisor and help others plan the vacations that I love so much, the answer was obvious. Of course I would. And that’s how Sea Vixen Voyages was born.
