Cruise ships in portI discovered cruising in 2005 after going with family to celebrate a milestone birthday (it was my uncle’s 50th). We went on a 5-day cruise out of Galveston, TX on the Carnival Ecstasy and at first I was nervous and worried that I’d be bored. It was just the opposite. This itinerary made two stops; one in Cozumel, Mexico and then Progress (also Mexico) and we had a blast.  It was my husband and our youngest son who was just 2 1/2 at the time.  He spent most of his waking hours in the comfort of the Camp Carnival playroom, while we enjoyed the adult fun on the Lido deck. When we would pick him up for dinner (or a lunch break) he almost ran from us. Not because he doesn’t love us, but because he was having so much fun. It was a May cruise and there weren’t as many kids as there are in the summer months, so he had his choice of toys and was the entertainment for the au pairs on board. Before the trip ended, we were asking ourselves when were we going again. And so the rest is history…this summer will mark our 10th year of cruising every year (except one).