Vacation Nirvana: a Caribbean cruise with Princess

All right, the truth. Life can sometimes feel more like a discount can of beer more than it does a 1980's Bordeaux. That's where a vacation on the sea comes in.

Cruising for Fun!Cruising pulls you out from the bottom of that pile and lets you enjoy what you want to enjoy - whether you're a honeymooner, adrenaline junky or beach bunny wanna-be. You can customize your experience to what you crave - and that's pretty sweet.

Princess takes the experience a notch higher because they live by their motto - Escape Completely. Here's what I learned about escaping completely from my 14 days on the Caribbean Princess.

It's (mostly) all-inclusive
Your room, most onboard activities and all the food you can eat is covered with one fee. Bear in mind that alcohol, duty-free goodies or anything from the mall-esque kiosks are extra. If you want to ramp up your Princess dining experience, specialty restaurants charge a small fee but offer a more intimate and flavorful experience. And there's always the spa...

You can do what you want guilt-free
Ever gone on a vacation where all you wanted to do was laze in the sun but your partner acted like the energizer bunny? The great thing about a cruise is that you can plant yourself on a deck chair by the pool while your partner signs up for all the active excursions at each port. During sea days, I hid out on my private patio when the pool decks crowded with sun worshipers. And I balanced shore excursions with sun-filled beach days.

Dabble in the flavors of the islands
My most recent cruise took me through the Southern Caribbean and docked in St. Thomas, Grenada, Tortolla and Aruba to name a few. In San Juan, Puerto Rico, I wandered the streets visiting great restaurants and getting my shop on. In Greneda I decided on aCaribbean Princess in Aruba Princess excursion (more on that later.) And in Aruba, I dipped myself in the turquoise blue water and strolled the beautiful Palm Beach. It was a nice way to balance all the hard laying-in-the-sun work I was doing.

Go adventuring
You could spend your entire vacation on the Caribbean Princess and never get bored. From line dancing to a golf clinic to movies under the stars to the spa - the list is endless. When you're off-board,Hawksbill Beach, Antigua the options are even better. We explored Orient Beach but we also went land sailing in Bonaire. Not only did we get an impromptu tour of the island, we made fun of each other racing around the track. In Grenada, we tested each other's mettle by hiking to the Seven Sisters Waterfalls.

You can have deep, meaningful conversations with a gorgeous ocean backdrop
Whether it's at the Crown Grill with a window seatRomantic Dining on the Caribbean Princess (where my partner and I enjoyed a spectacular meal and a beautiful bottle of red wine), or on the balcony of your state room or walking the track, something about that azure sea makes it all better... like a form of therapy!

No matter where my partner and I cruise next, it's going to be hard to top this one.

Ever cruised with Princess? Share your experiences with us!