After months of anticipation, it was cruise time again!

We packed up the van, dropped dogs off at their hotel and began the long drive from Illinois to Cape Canaveral, FL for our big cruise on Utopia of the Seas. Why you ask? Because my husband had binge-watched so many videos about this ship that I’m pretty sure he could give the official tour. He was obsessed, so the kids and I thought, “What better Father’s Day gift than a few days on floating city with unlimited food?” YOLO, right? We booked it! Sure, it was months after Father’s Day, but hey—planning a trip around work, school and activity schedules is basically like solving a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded. January worked, and escaping Illinois winter for sunshine? Chef’s kiss. Mwah!!

The night before the cruise, we stayed at the Country Inn and Suites in Cape Canaveral. Solid hotel, plus they offered cruise parking and shuttle service to the terminal. Translation: one less thing for me to stress about. I’ll spill more details on that later.

When we checked in, we were greeted by… a feathered friend.

Yep, the hotel apparently has a mascot. Totally unexpected, but honestly, 10/10 for the surprise factor.

More juicy details about our Utopia of the Seas adventure coming soon—stay tuned!