Setting Sail Again: Our First Back-to-Back Cruise on the Carnival Celebration

Hey friends,

We know it’s been a while since our last post, and we want to start by saying thank you for sticking with us. 2025 has come at us fast and furious. Brandy and I have both stepped into new roles in our day jobs, I had a bit of a health scare that reminded me to slow down, and I’ve been pouring my heart into launching a new consulting business called Strategic Reset Co. Needless to say, our plates have been full. But as always, travel has a way of calling us back to center.

And now, the countdown is on for our next big adventure…our very first back-to-back cruise on the Carnival Celebration.

For two glorious weeks this August, we’ll be living our best sea life. The first leg of the trip is a 6-day itinerary that includes Celebration Key, Amber Cove, and Grand Turk. Each of these destinations promises turquoise water, warm sand, and plenty of new memories. Then, without even having to leave the ship, we’ll roll right into an 8-day cruise with stops in Bonaire, Curaçao, and Aruba: three of the most beautiful southern Caribbean islands on the map.

But this isn’t just a vacation. It’s also the beginning of something new. Brandy and I are planning to officially launch our Echoes of Adventures YouTube channel during this trip. We’ve talked about this for a long time, and now feels like the right moment. We’ll be capturing the fun, the food, the ports, and the peaceful sea days, all with our fellow Gen X travelers and empty nesters in mind. Our hope is to inspire you to find your next great escape too.

Speaking of sea days, this cruise offers eight of them. Yes, eight. If you’ve cruised before, you know there’s something magical about waking up late, sipping coffee on the balcony, wandering the ship without an agenda, and letting the ocean lull you into total peace. For us, sea days are the real vacation inside the vacation. They give us the space to breathe, reconnect, and just be.

And let’s be honest, we all need to unplug every now and then. That’s one of the reasons we love cruising so much. Once we leave port, our phones basically become overpriced cameras. We rarely buy the wifi package, and the lack of constant notifications is a gift we didn’t know we needed until we experienced it. It forces us to slow down, listen to the ocean, read a book, take a nap, or strike up a conversation we might have otherwise skipped. It’s a kind of freedom that’s hard to find these days.

So here’s to new adventures, calmer seas, and the joy of being untethered. If you’re curious about what a back-to-back cruise is like, what to do on these islands, or how to make the most of sea days, keep an eye on the blog and our YouTube channel. We’re just getting started, and we’d love to have you along for the ride.

More soon,

Tim & Brandy
Echoes of Adventures