Why My Husband and I Are Planning an Adults-Only Cruise for Our Next Anniversary
Between work, our daughter's school schedule, and basically every other commitment that fills up a family calendar, my husband and I have not had a proper trip that was just the two of us in longer than I would like to admit. Our travel content here usually leans toward family friendly California getaways, romantic weekend spots, and the odd girls' trip, but for our next anniversary, we are seriously looking at ambassador cruise deals, and I wanted to share why.
Why We Started Looking at Cruises At All
I will be honest, cruising has never really been on my radar as a couple's trip. It always felt like something aimed more at families or big groups than the kind of quiet, romantic getaway we were after. What changed my mind was discovering that this particular cruise line only welcomes guests aged eighteen and over. No kids' clubs, no splash zones, no family entertainment competing for attention on deck. That one detail completely changed how I pictured the whole trip.
What Actually Appeals to Me
As someone who plans a lot of our family holidays down to the last detail, the idea of a trip where the itinerary is already mapped out is genuinely appealing for a change. No researching hotels in six different cities, no working out transport between destinations, just one booking that covers accommodation, meals and a route through some beautiful ports. For an anniversary trip, where the whole point is spending time together rather than managing logistics, that structure feels like a feature rather than a limitation.
The Romance Factor
I have written before about how hard it is to find a genuinely romantic getaway once you are deep into the parenting years, somewhere that feels a little indulgent without requiring a huge amount of planning to pull off. An adult-only ship at sea, with quiet evenings, proper dinners without anyone needing a kids' menu, and destinations that change every day or two, checks that box in a way I did not expect a cruise to manage.
Making the Most of Limited Time Away
Like most parents, our windows for travel are limited, and we want whatever time we do get away to actually feel worth the childcare arrangements it takes to make it happen. A week long itinerary that covers several destinations without us needing to plan each leg separately makes far better use of a short stretch of time than trying to string together a multi city European trip on our own would.
What I'll Miss About Our Usual Trips
I will not pretend there is nothing I will miss. Some of my favourite California getaways with my husband have come from wandering somewhere with no fixed plan and figuring it out as we go. A cruise itinerary does not really allow for that kind of spontaneity in the same way. But for an anniversary trip specifically, built around reconnecting rather than exploring for exploring's sake, I think that trade-off is one I am happy to make.
Getting the Grandparents on Board, Literally
My mom has already offered to take our daughter for the week, partly because she loves the extra time with her granddaughter and partly, I suspect, because she has heard me talk about needing this trip for months. Having that support lined up has made the whole idea feel less like a fantasy and more like something we can actually plan properly rather than keep pushing to next year.
What I'm Packing Differently This Time
Every trip I write about here usually comes with some kind of packing guide, and this one will be no exception, though the list looks very different from our usual family holiday version. No spare outfits for tantrums, no travel activities to keep a five year old entertained on a plane, just the kind of wardrobe I have not had a reason to pack in years. It is a small thing, but it has made the anticipation feel very real.
I am already planning a proper packing post once we have booked, partly for my own excitement and partly because I know a lot of you reading this are in the same boat, wanting a getaway that feels like it belongs to a different version of yourselves for a week.
Booking It
We have not locked in the dates yet, but this is firmly the plan for our next anniversary, and I will be sharing the full trip once it is booked. If you are a parent who has been missing the kind of romantic getaway you used to take before kids, and cruising has never quite felt like the right fit, an adult-only itinerary might change your mind the way it changed mine.