My First Cruise Experience: Saying Yes to Something New

I didn’t expect my first cruise experience to change my life. I wasn’t someone who had a vision board of dream destinations or a Pinterest folder of travel quotes… I just said yes when a neighbor invited my family on a cruise out of Galveston. It sounded fun, and we didn’t have much else going on.

That “yes” cracked something open.

We sailed on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas, and I still remember the feeling of walking onto the ship for the first time. It was like stepping into another world—one that didn’t expect anything from me except to relax and enjoy. And for someone who’s always overthinking and overdoing, that was rare. That first cruise experience showed me travel could be effortless and restorative.

 

When the Ocean Teaches You to Breathe

There was music playing. Smiling crew members everywhere. A tropical drink in my hand before I even dropped off my bag. I didn’t know it yet, but I was about to fall in love—with travel, yes—but more than that, with what travel could do to a person.

I quickly learned that I didn’t need to be “busy” on vacation to feel like I was doing it right. In fact, the opposite was true. I found myself gravitating toward the still moments—the quiet hours at sea when the ship gently rocked and the horizon melted into every shade of blue. Those sea days ended up being my favorite part of the whole trip.

Not the ports. Not the excursions. Just me, a good drink, maybe a book, and nothing but time. I’d never experienced that kind of calm before. It was magic.

 

A Bar, a Smile, and a Small Moment That Mattered

The Bamboo Lounge became my little sanctuary. There was a bartender who remembered my drink by the second night (a detail I now know cruise lovers cherish). I’d sit there in the evenings with a cocktail, let the ambient music hum in the background, and just watch the ocean slip by outside the windows.

Every night, I noticed a small line in the Cruise Compass: “LGBTQ+ Meetup – 7:30 PM – Bamboo Lounge.” It wasn’t flashy. It didn’t come with rainbow lights or big marketing. But it was there. And that meant something. I went. Sometimes others showed up, sometimes not. But I kept going anyway.

It wasn’t about the crowd. It was about being seen. About knowing that even if it wasn’t a full-blown event, someone had made the effort to make space for us. And I felt that. It made the ship feel just a little more like home.

 

How My First Cruise Experience Inspired Spellbound Voyages

That trip stayed with me long after we returned home. I thought about it constantly—the ease, the flow, the feeling that the outside world had melted away. There was no work, no pressure, no endless to-do list. Just the open sea and a version of myself I hadn’t met before. One that could actually relax. One that felt whole.

And that’s when the idea began to bloom. What if travel could always feel like this? What if I could help other people find that same sense of magic—of lightness, of joy, of belonging?

Spellbound Voyages wasn’t born in a business plan. It was born in a moment. A moment where the drink was cold, the ocean was endless, and for once, I felt like I didn’t need to be anything other than myself. That’s the experience I now try to create for my clients.

 

Where the Magic Leads Now

Because a trip isn’t just a break. It’s a transformation. And sometimes, it only takes one cruise to show you the life you didn’t know you wanted.

Now, when I design travel experiences, I think about that first trip. I think about the people who might need an escape. The ones carrying too much. The ones longing for quiet. The ones who want to feel celebrated, not just tolerated. The ones like me, back then—unsure of what they needed, but ready to say yes to something new.

So whether you’re dreaming about your first cruise or your fifteenth… whether you’re traveling solo, with your chosen family, or celebrating something special… I want to help you feel what I felt.

That moment when you pause, look around, and realize: This. This is what I needed.

If you’re on the edge of booking, let my first cruise experience be your nudge—sometimes one trip really can change everything.

 

Ready to find your own version of that first unforgettable trip?

Let’s design something magical—effortless, meaningful, and made just for you.

👉 Book Your Discovery Session

✨

— Curtis

Founder of Spellbound Voyages