Initially, I thought the best reason to go on a cruise was that I wouldn’t have to cook for a week. I’ll be the first to say that not having to cook is a HUGE perk. The fact that anytime I get hungry I have multiple venues to choose from is amazing. That doesn’t even count the coffee that’s always on tap. When you’re a “cook from scratch” homemaker like I am, the food can become just as appealing as the Caribbean ports. However, even better than the food are the people we meet.
We have been on 10 cruises and I’m still amazed every time with the awesome people we meet when we travel. We went on our first cruise back in April of 2011 on the Carnival Ecstasy after we paid off our first and only mortgage.
I talk a little more about that in this post:
On that first cruise, I remember staying up until the wee hours of the morning talking with a couple we had met. They spotted us and started a conversation with us because they thought we were “different.” We were in our 20s, on a cruise, and not hanging out at the bar. We had so much fun talking with them.
We also met incredible waiters in the dining room who would share stories about their families and the countries they were from. I never tire of hearing stories from other places.
Our first cruise was so fun that we decided to do it again…6 months later…on the Carnival Ecstasy again. The second time around, I was pregnant with our first child and I had also decided to cut my long hair off all the way to my shoulders. The first night back on the Ecstasy, we walked into the dining room and the hostess said, “Nice to see you again! Did you get your hair cut?”
I was blown away. Not only had she not seen me in six months but she had seen THOUSANDS of other people in those six months!
Several cruises later, we were on the Carnival Fantasy with two kids and one on the way. We met an awesome couple from Alabama named Bob and Betty. Bob was so full of jokes and stories that may or may not be true that my kids started calling him “No Bob” because after every story he told I would say, “Noooo…Bob?” in a skeptical tone. My kids started thinking that was his name! They became like grandparents to our kids that week. I still remember swimming with them in Roatan, Honduras.
Thankfully, we thought to exchange email addresses. We still keep up with each other today! One day, I’ll head on over to Alabama to hug them again.
**Bob, the kids STILL play with those flashlights you gave them!
Our most recent cruise was September 2019 on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas. It was our 10th cruise for our 10th wedding anniversary. Our oldest two children were staying with their grandparents and we were taking the baby with us. She was going to celebrate her first birthday in Jamaica!
I told you about how we stayed in Galveston the night before our cruise at a cool little place called the Kwik Kabana.
We consider it a privilege to have met the owner of the Kwik Kabana. Her name is Jamie and she’s a hoot! I truly feel like we have a friend in Galveston now! I’m glad we met her and I hope we get to stay with her again! And the next time, I’m going to take her up on her offer to borrow her boogie board.
On the ship, we always stayed up way too late every night and had a ton of fun. I would wear the baby in my front pack in the evenings and that’s where she slept from around 8 p.m. until we decided to go to bed at midnight. I loved having her snuggled up to me while she slept. There’s nothing like having pizza and coffee at midnight while a sweet little baby sleeps in your front pack. But….I digress….
One night, we stood out on the deck and talked with a man named Mike from Canada for probably two hours. We shared stories, laughed, and watched the harvest moon rise over the ocean. (As a side note, the moon was so big, so bright, and SO orange (and partly covered by clouds) as it came over the horizon that we actually thought a ship was on fire in the distance!))
Several nights at dinner, we were seated next to a very nice couple named Drew and Janet from Texas. Janet was the only person on the ship that Tiny would smile for. After the first night sitting next to them at dinner, we always hoped that we would have the privilege of being seated next to them again. And we were! They told us all about their grandchildren and they enjoyed the pictures I showed them of our other two children. They are funny and friendly people and they made our dinners special. Just recently, Janet sent me pictures of their beautiful grandchildren in their Christmas pajamas.
It’s a blessing to meet such great people on our trips. It’s also so unexpected! We don’t set out to meet people. We set out to have a break from normal life, eat good food, and enjoy the Caribbean.
However, the people we meet are always such a blessing and they make the places we go so much more enjoyable.
We miss you Bob & Betty and Drew & Janet!!
And…Dear Mike from Canada, we all forgot to exchange email addresses but if you ever remember my blog and read this…we miss you too!
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