I went on my first cruise. 15 things surprised me about this type of vacation

I had traveled by car, bus, train, and plane, but the only boat I’d ever been on was a ferry.

In fact, I had never seen a cruise ship in real life before April 2022, when I boarded Royal Caribbean’s Wonder of the Seas, one of the world’s largest cruise ships.

During my seven-night Caribbean voyage, the ship sailed round-trip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Roatan, Honduras; Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico; and Royal Caribbean’s private Bahamian island, CocoCay.

Since this was a new form of transportation and a new type of vacation, my time at sea was full of surprises.

I found that cruising is a lifestyle in itself, and while it’s not necessarily for me, I can see why people love it.