February 11-18, 2017

Romantic Valentine’s Day Cruise Sailing from Miami to the Caribbean

Only 20 couples will be able to join us, and previous Couples Cruises have sold out, so book early! This cruise fills fast!

Our relationships are our most important investment. Join us for an opportunity to strengthen your marriage, connect with others and make lasting memories. Our goal is to provide an environment of open discussion to help improve our marriages and ourselves while having fun! Join us for 8 days of fun and introspection on our Couple’s Retreat Cruise!

Anyone who would like to strengthen their relationship is welcome to come! Invite your friends along as well!

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Your Retreat guides are Jeff Bennion and Pret Dahlgren, who will be accompanied by, and co-facilitating with, their wives.  With training in marriage and family therapy, they bring the very best from current research and experience. Jeff and Pret are eager to help you on this healing journey we will be taking while experiencing a great get-away.

The goal of this retreat is to learn more about ourselves, our spouses and our relationships in an environment that fosters an atmosphere of a second honeymoon and reconnection to our marriages.

Session topics will include, but are not limited to: general intimacy, understanding ourselves and connecting with our spouse, physical intimacy, communication and emotional intimacy, and understanding our spouse and our relationship.

Each day will include a learning/sharing component as a group, “homework” with your spouse, and individual and couples coaching. Some of the exercises will be fun while others may require you to stretch and try new things. Additionally there will be time for you to relax and enjoy your cruise and off-shore activities.

Package includes:

• 7-night, 8 day Caribbean Cruise, including port fees and taxes – Sail on Carnival Cruise Line from Miami to Grand Cayman – Mahogany Bay – Belize – Cozumel – Miami
• Retreat Program and materials – Retreat program includes a minimum of 6 group session, individual program binders and materials. Sessions range from 1-2 hours and do not conflict with port times.
• Couples and Individual coaching – Included in the retreat are optional daily individual and couples sessions at no additional charge.
• Pre-retreat inventory – A pre-retreat assessment is included in the package to ensure each couple is prepared for the retreat and so the retreat can be tailored to the participants.
• Post retreat follow-up – Upon returning home, a post-retreat follow-up session is included to help couples integrate what they have learned into their daily lives.

4 Package options are available:

• Package 1 – $700: Retreat Fee for 1 couple, you pay your cruise fare yourself (fares start at $484/person, as little as $69/night) and then we will give you our cruise specialist’s number and you make the arrangements yourself)
• Package 2 – $1999: Retreat Fee + interior state room for couple
• Package 3 – $2299: Retreat Fee + ocean view room for couple
• Package 4 – $2699: Retreat Fee + Balcony for couple

*Prices go up January 1, 2017. Package 2 will be $2299, Package 3 will be $2599, Package 4 will be $2999.

Package does not include transportation to and from Port of Miami and shipboard gratuities.

This retreat is provided as practicum experience for marriage and family therapists.

Past Retreat Reviews

Renewed connection with spouses, new friendships made, existing friendships strengthened. These are just a few of the outcomes of our retreat.

Throughout the retreat, participants were encouraged to create a list of action items they wanted to remember personally. At dinner on the last night, one participant commented that he and his wife have “already set aside some time this weekend to implement some of the action items. I also have a separate list of items I want to develop.”

In addition to, or included in, retreat sessions, participants were given homework. One participant said, “I especially appreciated that the homework assignments were fun and easy to do and didn’t take away from the energy of being alone together, and didn’t add stress to that time either. Likewise, I appreciated that the harder assignments were saved for ‘class’ time, where I felt supported and not threatened in the difficulty of the work.”

This romantic get-away encompassed so much more than people were expecting. Doug wrote, “The cruise was a brilliant idea. We were away from all distractions – internet, cell phones, kids, etc. This provided some great quality time for us to be alone and really start to practice the things we were being taught.” Maggie said, “We were our authentic selves and made great connections with others,” and one husband, who asked to be referred to as Super Awesome Husband #1, said, “[the retreat] was conducted in a fun atmosphere and in a relaxed manner without sacrificing the seriousness of the topic.”

I believe the highlight of the retreat was the connection participants felt with their spouses and their fellow participants. Super Awesome Husband #1, said, “My wife and I had several talks that were deep and raw and…respectful. This is a rare thing for us. I think we made in-roads to better communication.” One of the wives said, “The encouragement from the guys helped my husband to begin his journey of authenticity with me.” Yet another participant said, “I liked so much the time spent getting to know other couples. I appreciated the new friendships and the safety and confidence of the group.”

Memorable moments during the week also included scuba diving with sharks, flying high above the forest on a zipline, and riding mopeds through narrow, steep, windy streets without breaks.

The overall consensus was that the retreat was a huge success. Comments on the evaluation form included:

• “[The retreat] was everything I expected and more.”
• “I loved it. I want to do it again!”
• “We are already planning to save for the next one. This was so helpful.”
• “I would go again – I always need reminders of things I can do to strengthen my relationship with my husband.
• “Everyone needs a marriage checkup.”
• “This retreat could not have happened at any better time than it did. Our relationship has been really struggling and this retreat has given us so much good information on how to strengthen our marriage.”

Doug also commented, “It was truly one of the best experiences of my life. I have never been able to be in a situation for an extended period of time where I could be totally authentic. It was truly uplifting!” how could we not do this again!

If you have further questions, please contact Tanya Bennion at 301-351-6550, tanya@kawadesign.com.