In about a month, I will embark on my third cruise vacation. Also for the third time, it was not my idea. My other half of 14 years, Barry, loves cruises ever since he took his first trip to celebrate his 8th grade graduation. I think what he loves most is all the food that is available for consumption. He loves food. He loves to eat it, think about it and carry on lengthy monologues about it. Naturally, he remains slim despite this minor obsession. This year's cruise is to celebrate another 8th grade graduation, that of his nephew. I am hoping that this cruise is more of a success than my last two trips on the open seas.
My first cruise was not really that bad. Our travel companions included his parents, sister and nephew, and we were to travel along the Mexican Riviera on a Carnival Cruises ship. The morning we were to board, Barry's father, Curt, checked online to see that the ship was leaving on time. As we stood in line to check-in before boarding, Curt noticed that the couple in front of us was a bit upset while looking at a sheet of paper. When he asked if everything was OK, the couple showed us the flier that announced the cruise was being diverted to Canada. They had been handed the flier from a man that was randomly dispersing them. If the couple had not gotten the flier, none of us would have known until we were on board and already sailing. There was no official announcement made to the hundreds of people waiting to board. The new destination was not even disclosed when we went through processing. Some people did not know until dinner that night that plans had changed. The bummer was that there were people that had flown in from Canada to take this vacation. Many of the Canadians disembarked when we arrived at our new ports, Victoria and Vancouver. I actually did not mind going to Canada. In fact I preferred it to Mexico. I had never been there before and had never desired to go. So in a way, the destination change was a good thing. Our group really enjoyed the cities that we visited even though Barry's parents had traveled there before.
Barry and I took another Mexican Riviera cruise with Carnival the following year. Barry was intent on visiting Mexico again as he really likes the country and thought that I would too. Our port stops included Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas. Despite our successfully getting there, the trip was a disaster for me. While I enjoyed Mexico more than I expected, there were some incidences. First, while in Puerto Vallarta, we took an excursion to a private island known for its beautiful beach. I am not an ocean swimmer. I prefer pools where there are no animals larger than me, hunting for their next hearty meal. However, the water was so warm and beautiful that I finally took the plunge. It was great until my arm brushed some seaweed. Unfortunately, floating in the seaweed was a jellyfish and I got my arm tangled in its tentacles. For those who have never been stung by a jellyfish, I do not recommend it. It is quite painful. Needless to say, I stayed out of the water for the rest of the time, boiling in a temperature exceeding a hundred degrees. I looked forward to a more successful visit to Mazatlan.
My boyfriend and I had booked an excursion that included lunch on a beach, and a horseback ride. This was the excursion I most looked forward to because I love horses and had not rode one since I was a kid. Everything was great, again, until I got off the horse. The man holding the reigns just stood and watched as one foot landed on the side of a big hole in the ground and my other foot remained stuck in the saddle. I have never broke or even sprained anything before, but I suspected the loud crack that came from my ankle was not a healthy thing. Barry and I had to be driven back early to the ship where a very German nurse enthusiastically informed me that my ankle was sprained, possibly fractured, and there was nothing she could do about it. She did offer up some crutches which was nice. Especially for a very uncoordinated girl like myself.
The beach trip was not a total waste. We were able to eat our lunch before the horseback ride. I enjoyed a very tasty fish dish with a side of salmonella poisoning. Now, while my particular strain of salmonella encourages one to prey for death, I was able to lose 15 pounds in less than two weeks and you just can't beat those results with any standard diet. Needless to say, I was not fit to visit Cabo, much to my boyfriend's disappointment.
This year, Barry and his family hoped to visit Mexico again, and this time, on the Royal Caribbean Cruise line which is much nicer than Carnival. I reluctantly agreed to go along. Just as I was beginning to look forward to the trip, Royal Caribbean cancelled our booking due to the swine flu. So, Barry's parents decided that we would take another route to Alaska, a trip that they had taken and enjoyed before. I have to say, I am much more excited about this than I was about Mexico. I was beginning to think that I was going to be, inevitably, eaten by a shark. I am pretty sure that that will not happen in Alaska.
I cannot tell you how happy I am about this new change in plans. Thank the gods for the swine flu!
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