Cruisin’

Ok guys, guess what I just did?

I went on a cruise! A Caribbean cruise!

So, I had never been on a cruise before. It wasn’t something that I had been drawn to. I know lots of people who enjoy cruises, and I even know people who chose cruises as their primary mode of vacation. I had heard many good things about cruises, but still I had not thought about joining in. I guess I’m a little more of a free spirit, not wanting someone else to do all the planning for me. Not wanting to be confined to a boat out in the middle of the ocean.  I was a bit leery of the whole cruise experience.

But, I’m happy to say that I had a wonderful time on my cruise. If you’ll hang around for a minute, I will tell you a few things about it.

We have several friends that we have known for many years, decades, even. We all met in our neighborhood back when our kids were little. Over the years, some of the friends have moved away. We have sometimes done a good job of keeping in touch, and other times, not so much. Some friends live far away. Some friends still live nearby, but we rarely get together, because…… you know…..life. More than a year ago the idea was hatched to go on a cruise together to surprise one of these friends who was having a significant birthday. His wife laid out the plans and got all of us onboard (literally). The cruise just ended, and I'm still getting my land legs back. We finished up a 9-day cruise with 6 of us couples having the most marvelous time.

Keeping with my blogging schedule of posting at the end of the month, I haven’t had time to write witty or clever remarks about our cruise—I just got home. But, I can show you pictures and give you a taste of the adventure.

The thing that made this cruise so memorable was, first and foremost, our friends.  I don’t think the experience would have been nearly as fun if there wasn’t a gang of 12 retired or almost-retired or getting-close-to-almost-retired friends palling around together. We laughed so much that my cheeks hurt and my belly hurt. We created so many inside jokes that other passengers sometimes joined in with us. We became favorites of the crew. We enjoyed our time together more than you can imagine. But, I won’t show pictures of everyone, because I haven’t sought permission to publish them. So, you can just imagine yourself with your best buds when you look at my pictures below. That might give you an idea of what our adventure was like.

Although the cruise was a set price, the cruise line provided many opportunities for us to pay up for added amenities. The one amenity that we all agreed upon was the Unlimited Drink Package, which we referred to as The Package. Unlimited mixed drinks, beer, wine, sodas, juices, water bottles. We paid a pretty penny for The Package. So, we did our best to get our money’s worth. We took advantage of The Package every chance that we got.

Some random pictures:

Our cruise vacation included 2.5 days at sea, then 1 day in Bonaire, 1 day in Curacao, 1 day in Aruba, and finally 2.5 days at sea. Coincidentally, Rob & I spent our honeymoon in Aruba 37 years ago. We haven't been back since, so it was interesting to see the changes there.

More pictures:

Beautiful. Just beautiful!!

A few things that I learned on the cruise ship:

-rough days at sea are rough.

-the side effects of the seasickness patch made me feel WAY worse than seasickness would have (dry mouth, lightheadedness, confusion-- yuck!!)

-entertainment on the ship varies greatly, with some seasoned performers and some not-so-seasoned performers.

-it is easy to get lost on a giant cruise ship. Again and again.

-having lots of food doesn’t equate to excellent food. We had good food, and so-so food.

-there is never a dull moment on the ship.

-Rob insisted on getting a room with a balcony. I was like, "whatever." He was right--get the balcony.

-at times, thousands of passengers feel like fewer: a hundred or so; at other times, thousands of passengers feel more like tens of thousands.

-but, with a little effort, it is easy to find your own space away from all the people.

This trip ranks as one of the best trips we have done in years. Would I consider going on a cruise again? Well, I’m not going to become a cruiser. But, maybe, I will go again, if the conditions are right. I would probably want to go with a group. And, I would need to consider the destination, since you know I have to stretch the travel dollars as far as I can.

I do love to travel. And the great big world is just sitting there waiting for me….

But my last word is this. Surround yourself with friends. Whether they are long-term friends or friends you have acquired more recently, hold onto those friendships.  Find your people. Do things with your friends. Enjoy your time together. Friends can make all the difference.