When it comes to strengthening a relationship, it takes two (and a cruise).
FIRST THINGS FIRST — yes, the cruise my husband and I went on was a nude cruise.
This was the Bare Boat, organized by Bare Necessities Tour & Travel for the continued quest of liberation and self-acceptance. Where the shedding of physical clothes helps to also shed “mental clothes,” overcome ingrained insecurities, and accept new methods of attaining higher levels of intimacy and bonding. Over the years, my husband and I had grown apart. We were resolving to work on us and discover who we were as a couple; knowing how much we enjoyed cruising, a friend recommended a nude-themed cruise.
That friend stressed how there’d be no children taking over the hot tubs and that nude cruises are not sexually oriented. Chartered on a Carnival Cruise Line ship, the Bare Boat cruise made the same stops as other Carnival itineraries — Amber Cove, Grand Turk, Key West, and Carnival’s private island, Half Moon Cay — but the difference on this couples-themed cruise were the couples-focused workshops taught by experts as well as rekindling opportunities without the burden of, for instance, kids splashing around the hot tub. We could stay up late and sleep in even later … or we could lounge on deck getting all-over tans. The choice was ours. Still, I was apprehensive about this cruise.
I had many questions. Was this really a couples-themed cruise focused on strengthening our relationship … or just another adults-only cruise? Would not having pint-sized cabinmates be that big of a deal … or would I ultimately miss their young vibrancy?
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