Yesterday I turned 22! (And yes, I blasted Taylor Swift.)
So, this past weekend was filled with plenty of celebrating!
Sunday was an especially special day because I was able to go on a champagne brunch cruise at Navy Pier with Odyssey Cruises Chicago on the Odyssey II with some of my nearest and dearest friends.
I’ll always associate the ships at Navy Pier, the Odyssey I in particular, with my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary. One of my earliest memories is from when I was about four and we went to Navy Pier to celebrate with them! We went on the ferris wheel and then on the Odyssey I for lunch. The Odyssey I is now docked up in Boston, but it was such a fun coincidence that I got to celebrate my birthday this year on her successor, the Odyssey II!
From the moment that we checked in for our #bowtifulbdaybrunch, I could tell it was going to be a fantastic experience. They had our tickets stamped with “Bowtiful Life” and as soon as we got on deck they led us to a beautiful table decked out with a big vase of flowers and etched Odyssey champagne flutes, which they let all of us keep after the cruise!
As soon as we sat down, our server, Zayra, and her assistant, Austin, came over to introduce themselves. They were both incredibly attentive and took amazing care of us. We started off with some mimosas as Zayra told us a bunch about the Chicago fleet and invited us to explore the ship at our leisure. My friends and I got to check out all of the decks and the crew even took us up to the front to see where they were steering the ship!
What I Wore
Lilly Pulitzer Pearl Shift – Kendra Scott Earrings, Bracelet & Necklace – Jack Rogers Sandals – Timex Watch ℅
The ship had its own DJ/Master of Ceremonies, Peter, who was an absolute blast! He played some great music throughout the cruise and also gave special shoutouts to all of the celebrations on board. People were celebrating, anniversaries, spring breaks, birthdays, life and more. He gave our group a few special shoutouts throughout the cruise and at one point told everyone to check out Bowtiful Life online and on Facebook. (I jokingly told him later that I should hire him to do PR for Bowtiful Life. 😉 ) One of my personal favorite moments from the entire cruise was when they played “Wannabe” by The Spice Girls. Our entire group at that point was jamming out on the dance floor and singing along!
The food was so good, especially the waffle bar! I got mine with slivered almonds, whipped cream and a strawberry sauce. The brunch was set up as a big buffet and they had countless options to choose from. You could get as much food as you wanted, so that was a definite bonus, because who doesn’t love brunch?!? Zayra also gave us some fantastic drink suggestions. My personal favorite was “Violet’s Hour” which had Absolut citron vodka, agave nectar, fresh lemon juice, blueberries, and mint in it.
When it was time for dessert, they came over with two big slices of cake and some cookies they made specially for us which matched the bow in Bowtiful Life’s logo exactly! I can honestly say that I almost teared up. It was such a sweet gesture on their part and they also tasted SO good! This was one of the many little things that made our experience that much more personal and showed that the whole crew was really going to extra mile to make our afternoon special. In addition to the first two plates, they then came over with another piece of cake with a candle and everyone sang before we dug into all the sweets.
I can honestly say that this was one of the very best birthday celebrations I’ve ever had! I’m so grateful for all of the incredible people that I got to celebrate with this year and for all the amazing experiences I’ve had in the past year. As a 22-year-old, I realize just how lucky I am to be surrounded by so many wonderful people and have so much love in my life. I am truly blessed and so incredibly grateful.
Thank you so much to Odyssey Cruises Chicago for hosting us and for partnering with Bowtiful Life for this absolutely incredible experience!
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