I think we all have that crazy friend or relative that goes on cruises all the time. They speak about hammocks swaying under leafy palm fronds, crazy water slides, and never having to worry if the rum is gone. This past August, I finally had the opportunity to see what all the cruise fuss was about, with a 5 day sailing from Galveston to Cozumel and Progreso on the venerable Carnival Liberty.

What excited me the most about this trip wasn’t the relaxation opportunities or even the unlimited food; I was far more interested in being farther away from any light pollution than I had ever been, with glimpses of the milky way that I had only dreamed of until this point. Unfortunately, Carnival Cruises don’t offer a “lights out” option, where they turn off all the ship lights for amazing stargazing opportunities; leaving me on a bright ship on a very dark ocean. Thankfully, I brought my Sony A7Sii along, which is capable of cutting through even the harshest light pollution and showing the stars beyond.

With star timelapses only happening at night, this left me and my family with many exciting days full of swimming, eating, water slides, eating, snorkeling, eating, and exploring every nook of the ship. We also had some dessert.

With the trip over, I left the footage to languish on a hard drive for a few months while I finished up other projects. This past Sunday, I finally had the chance to sit down and edit the film. “What did I make?” I find myself asking that question as I render out the final edit. It’s a fun family travel video, but parts of it almost feel like a spec ad for Carnival Cruise Lines.

If you enjoyed watching this film, please check out my drone film of the Pacific Northwest, and my timelapse film of Hawaii.