Book 3 of That North Carolina Summer.
What seemed like an exciting, love filled future for Aspen and Rylie is suddenly thrown into a whirlwind of pain and uncertainty when Rylie is in a life threatening surfing accident. As she's in a coma, Aspen st...
5.20.2022 - I'm sorry my posting has slowed down, I've had some things going on but I'll try to post as often as I can! I'm also sorry, I'll be adding more than a few pictures to these cruise chapters haha. Hope y'all have a good weekend <3
"Okay, this is it." I tell Rylie as we walk up the gangway leading to the ship. "We're about to take the final step off of land, not to touch it again until our first port!"
"You make that sound exciting but also slightly terrifying." Rylie laughs from beside me and I take her hand. We had dropped off our luggage to have it delivered to our room and only had our backpacks, so it was nice to have my hands free to hold hers.
The ship comes into view again from the windows as we turn the last corner, and Rylie and I stare at it in awe. "I still can't believe how big it is!" Rylie comments.
"I don't think it's possible to get used to how big it is." I laugh. "And it'll be a shock when you see how high up we are, especially from our room."
"What deck is our room on again?"
"We're on the spa deck, which is deck 11."
"How many decks are there in total?"
"14. Well, technically 13 but due to superstition, they don't have a floor 13." I laugh. "The main decks people like to be on are decks 10 and below. But," I lower my voice and grin. "Deck 12 and 14 have the serenity area. It's for adults 21 and up, but we're going to sneak in at least three times a day. They have these huge chairs, well actually I think they're beds, and they have this sort of shell cover thing so while in it, you can see the view of the ocean but you can't see anyone else, and they can't see you."
"So they're private?" Rylie raises an eyebrow.
"Very private." I grin.
We reach the small final line and I pull out our needed papers and the keycards we were just given as we reach the agent. I hand her our items and she scans them quickly before smiling widely.
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"Welcome aboard! Since you are part of the VIP experience, your rooms should be ready!" She hands the papers back to us and I thank her before Rylie and I finally step onto the ship.
The deck is wood and slightly wet, and has some small puddles as if it was recently washed. We enter a large doorway leading inside the ship, and we're instantly greeted by the sound of upbeat music that perfectly fits the vibe of a cruise. People mill around us, laughing and talking happily, but it's not too crowded yet.
The VIP experience was an add on option, and my mom had said it was 100% worth the money. It included priority boarding, early access to our room, our luggage would arrive early so we didn't have to wait, and a few other benefits throughout the trip. So far, it was already worth it.
More of the room comes into view the farther we step in, and after a quick glance around, I turn to watch Rylie in time to see the stunned and awed expression slide onto her face.
