Hooked on cruises

In 2006, our friends Jim and Craig suggested that we all take a cruise. The final group ended up being Jim and Craig, our friends Steve and Ben previously mentioned in the blog, Kristie, a friend of Jim and Craig’s from New Orleans, and Patricia, a friend from Jacksonville. A nice sized group – not too large and not too small. Now Rick had been on a cruise before but I had not. We weren’t sure that this was the type of vacation that we might enjoy, but given the group of people that we would be sailing with we knew it would be fun. We started planning months in advance and I kept a detailed notebook of all the plans. Of course, all my other friends were making fun of me for this but quite often would check with me for details.

We decided to sail on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas departing from Port Canaveral – about 2 ½- 3 hours from Jacksonville. The itinerary was their western Caribbean offering - Port Canaveral, Florida; Labadee, Haiti; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; George Town, Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; Port Canaveral, Florida.

All of us selected different activities that we wanted to participate in. Now this may come as a surprise to many people. But Rick and I love parasailing. So in Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private island, Rick and I did the parasail. In Ocho Rios we just wandered around the shopping area. We did a Nautilus submarine excursion in Grand Cayman.

In Cozumel we decided to go to the Mayan ruins at Tulum which border the Caribbean. Steve and Ben accompanied us on this particular excursion. Inside the city proper it was extremely hot but once you went to the edge that borders the Caribbean the view was spectacular and a cool breeze would blow over you.

Barry, Rick, Ben, Steve

Since this was the first cruise Rick and I had taken together we weren’t quite sure what to expect. We loved every minute of it. Our balcony cabin was perfectly situated. The Mariner of the Seas is a magnificent ship. The food was amazing. Incredibly enough, even though the average is to gain one pound per day I didn’t gain an ounce. I made sure that every day I walked the ship vigorously exploring all the different areas.

Of course the volume of activities they offer is infinite. One of the highlights of this particular cruise is a game similar to the Newlywed Game where they have three couples – a newlywed couple, a couple married about 25 years, and a couple married 50 years. You could not make up the answers that these people gave to the questions. It’s amazing how expensive Bingo can become on a cruise ship and how quickly those games move. You’re playing multiple cards at a time and you’re playing for high stakes money which adds to the pressure. And of course you’re always just one square away when someone else yells “bingo!” I don’t know how the women in those bingo parlors do it.

We all gathered for meals. Everyone did their own thing the rest of the time. Rick in particular enjoys an afternoon nap so on day two Ben started to ask if I had thrown Rick overboard because Rick hadn’t been seen in the afternoons yet. Walking the decks late at night was particularly beautiful – looking at the stars, feeling the ocean breeze just blowing over you. We often got into very spirited games of Uno with rules that never seemed to be printed on the box. I don’t recall winning but one game and that must have been a fluke.

Seven days passed much too quickly. Following is a photo of the happy cruisers. Seldom have I seen a group shot where everyone looks their best. It was a wonderful vacation that enabled us to share a lot of quality time with some very good friends. And while we have taken subsequent cruises, you never forget your first time.

Steve, Jim, Ben
Rick, Patricia Barry
Craig, Kristie