Zumba Cruise

Now that I am nearly recovered after returning from the first ever #ZUMBACRUISE I am reflecting at what an amazing opportunity it was. Everything happens for a reason. When the original round of sign ups came about, I was not able to go. I was teaching school and I couldn't just take a week off. But things happen and a new job with flexible vacation time made the possibility an option, and 2 months before the ship was to set sail, someone dropped out of the cabin my the bestie was in an they were looking to fill it!

The week prior to setting sail was stressful. A huge storm bringing nearly 3 feet of snow was going to miss Maine but hit Maryland where we were supposed to fly through. After a few hours on the phone and 3 changes in flights were were on our way. The airport was a ghost town as we were the only flight leaving from the terminal. We boarded and were on our way with a 45 min layover in chicago we were worried about making our connecting flight in time... but we did. Landing in Fort Lauderdale and waiting patiently at the baggage claim for our bags to come... except... they weren't and we hear our names paged to the baggage claim office... Great... BUT to our surprise our luggage was there already (how we don't know).

Off to our first stop at A's cousins house. We crashed for the night and woke up the following morning where we decided we would go for a run as neighbors looked at us crazy being in shorts and tank-tops. We might be on vacation but it doesn't mean we weren't gonna get our sweat on. Before long we were off shopping and then to a local bar to watch the Patriots game followed by more shopping.

The next day was cruise day. We slept in a little and then were off to the ship. We checked in quickly and then sat in a "holding" area for a few hours were many selfies with new friends were taken.
We boarded the ship and after dropping off our carryon bags at our rooms we went to explore. We were able to see the top decks of the ship before they got closed off to finish loading the speakers and staging. We did a few classes and had dinner while watching the coast guard us out to sea. We went to the opening show and someone (not me) won a diamond necklace... for being herself... ;) We even went back for the second show that night.

The following days were filled with classes, classes and more classes. On day 3 we visited Haiti where we laid out in the sun and did some shopping. Day 4 we were part of the LIVE taping of ZIN 62 before getting off the ship to visit Jamaica. We did some shopping and got back on the ship. We crashed our ZINS class and headed to listen to a seminar- which unfortunately didn't happen- so we decided to go to the casino. Again the stars must have aligned because the casino was pretty empty and then all of a sudden here comes Beto!

Day 5 brought a chance to share my zumba story on camera. They told me that they would be in contact because they would like to share it. I hope they do. Not because its great, but maybe it would show someone that anything is possible if you put your mind to it. That you can take charge of your life and become a healthier, happier person.

camera man, me, interviewer, photographer

I am beyond thankful for this experience and everything that has happened that lead up to it. It was what I needed to be inspired and get pumped to bring new choreography into my classes. Being around people who share a common interest and passion is sometimes what you need to get recharged and inspired. I got to see and talk to so many ZES and ZIN that I admire and respect. But the best part... spending it with someone who continues to inspire me on a daily basis. Someone who I am proud to call my best friend... even if we ended many days like the photo below... ;)

 

PS- this was the day my up said I did 150+ floors...  

and a total of over 120,000 steps taken the 5 days on the cruise!