Mom’s Birthday on Carnival Firenze

Our first family cruise together turned out to be much more meaningful than I expected.

Justin and I chose this January sailing aboard Carnival Firenze because it fit our budget and coincided with my mom’s birthday. It also felt like the perfect opportunity to get everyone together after a difficult year. Nearly a year had passed since my grandmother’s death, and my mom had become more of a homebody after losing her. We hoped this trip would celebrate the January birthdays in the family, including my mom’s, my stepdad Sean’s, and mine, while giving her a chance to create new memories.

Mom, Sean, Justin, and I drove down from Fallon to Long Beach the day before embarkation and spent the night at the Hilton. My cousin Marie and her husband Jeff made the drive from Las Vegas and met us at the ship the following morning.

Although several of us had cruised before, this was Justin’s and my first Carnival cruise. It was also my mom’s very first cruise, while Sean had cruised before but never with her. I was excited to introduce everyone to cruising and even more excited that this would be our first vacation together as a family.

Embarkation at the Long Beach Cruise Terminal went smoothly, although the security process caught us off guard. Lining us up in 5 person sets to be inspected by drug sniffing German Shepherds wasn’t something we expected, but the lines moved efficiently and before long we were make by the long winding trek towards the Firenze deck.

Our first impression of the ship was that she was beautiful. The Italian-inspired design was unlike anything we’d sailed before, with elegant sculptures, decorative columns, rich artwork, gold accents, and custom furnishings throughout. The bright yellow and white color palette immediately reminded me of my grandmother, whose favorite colors were yellow and gold. I wasn’t expecting something as simple as the ship’s décor to make me think of her so often, but it became a quiet reminder throughout the week.

As beautiful as the ship was, the layout took some getting used to. Certain levels spanned the entire ship AFT to FWD but not all. The smart elevators left all of us scratching our heads more than once, and we often found ourselves waiting longer than expected or climbing multiple flights of stairs instead. With luggage in tow and my mom’s sore knees, navigating the first afternoon became an adventure of its own. Thankfully, she handled it far better than I expected.

Once we settled in, everyone naturally found their own vacation rhythm. Shawn quickly became a regular in the Tuscany Lounge, singing karaoke every chance he got. Mom and my cousin Marie discovered the casino and spent much of their free time there, especially after Mom learned she could smoke while playing the slot machines. Justin and I preferred wandering the ship together, exploring different decks and taking leisurely walks. Since Justin wasn’t working on this trip, we were able to enjoy a true vacation together without balancing work responsibilities for the first time.

Each morning followed a familiar routine. Shawn, always the early riser, would head to JavaBlue Café to pick up hot water and coffee before anyone else was awake. He faithfully brought my mom hot water so she could make her instant coffee with the creamers she had packed from home, while the rest of us searched the buffet for our own caffeine fix before deciding what the day would bring.

One unexpected adventure happened without ever leaving our cabin.

At some point during the cruise, we heard a loud thud against our balcony window. Startled, we stepped outside to discover a bird had somehow landed on our balcony. The space between the chairs, table, and railing was so narrow that even I had trouble moving around, leaving the frightened bird trapped with nowhere to escape.

What followed became an impromptu wildlife rescue.

Justin first tried guiding the bird toward the railing, but every attempt only made it panic more. He finally ran inside, grabbed a towel, and carefully draped it over the bird to calm it enough to safely pick it up. Even then, the bird refused to stay on the railing. With no other safe option, Justin gently tossed it out into the open air, hoping instinct would take over.

For a brief second we both held our breath.

Then the bird spread its wings and flew away.

The entire rescue only lasted a few minutes, but it felt like an emotional roller coaster. We went from wondering what had slammed into our window, to worrying whether we’d be able to save it, to laughing afterward about our unexpectedly chaotic balcony adventure. Thankfully, I managed to record the whole rescue, making it one of the most memorable moments of the trip.

Most afternoons everyone did their own thing before regrouping for dinner, bingo, or the casino. It struck a nice balance between spending time together and letting everyone enjoy the vacation at their own pace.

One of the highlights of the cruise was celebrating my mom’s birthday at Fahrenheit 555 Steakhouse. Dinner was outstanding, and each couple even received a complimentary bottle of wine. The staff surprised Mom with a birthday dessert, complete with a candle and a rendition of Happy Birthday that made her smile from ear to ear. It was exactly the kind of celebration I had hoped she would have.

Later in the cruise we enjoyed Bonsai Teppanyaki, where our chef turned dinner into an entertaining performance. Between the jokes, impressive knife skills, and recognizing what seemed like a table full of January birthdays, the evening became another memorable family celebration.

We also spent time playing bingo together and enjoyed a few friendly games of cornhole and mini golf on the upper decks. Meanwhile, Shawn enthusiastically participated in every karaoke event he could find. We all tried cheering him on, although by the end of the evening most of us somehow found ourselves drifting back toward the casino.

One of the funniest moments of the cruise happened there. Justin had decided he was finished gambling for the night but still had money left in his digital wallet. Instead of cashing out, he placed one large bet, figuring he’d either lose it or be done. To everyone’s surprise, he hit a jackpot worth a couple thousand dollars. Jeff looked over, laughed, and simply called him “a degenerate.” The nickname stuck for the rest of the cruise and still makes us laugh whenever we remember the story.

Our first port was Catalina Island, which held special meaning for my mom. Not only was it her first experience riding a tender boat, but visiting Catalina had been on her bucket list for years. She had always wanted to go, but somehow she and Sean had never made the trip.

She loved strolling through Avalon’s charming streets and browsing the little shops. While exploring, we came across an independent submarine excursion and decided on the spur of the moment to give it a try. Descending beneath the harbor to watch colorful fish swim around the submarine while the crew fed them turned into one of those unexpected experiences that none of us had planned but all of us enjoyed.

Ensenada offered a very different adventure.

Rather than booking an excursion, we explored the port shops before following my cousins recommendation to visit a flea market farther into town. After what felt like miles of walking through neighborhoods that became progressively less inviting, we finally reached our destination only to discover the flea market was much smaller than we’d imagined. Looking back, the walk itself became more memorable than the market.

By then my mom’s feet were sore enough that she stopped to buy a new pair of sandals, but she never complained and continued the long walk back to the port. I was genuinely impressed by how much ground she covered throughout the cruise despite her knee pain.

Before returning to the ship, Justin accompanied my cousin into a local pharmacy while the rest of us browsed nearby shops and waited. It wasn’t the most exciting port day, but spending it together made it enjoyable all the same.

Looking back, what stands out most isn’t any one destination or activity. It’s watching everyone naturally settle into their own routines while still coming together every evening. Between birthday celebrations, karaoke, casino laughs, family dinners, long conversations, and one unforgettable bird rescue, our first family cruise became exactly what I had hoped it would be.

Before disembarking, I purchased Carnival’s photo package so we would all have professional family portraits to remember the trip. I divided the prints among everyone so each couple went home with a keepsake.

The Firenze introduced us to Carnival, but more importantly, it gave our family something we’d never shared before. Our first vacation together at sea. After such a difficult year for my mom, I hope this cruise marked the beginning of many more adventures and many more memories still to come.Read more