Oops I did it again. Sometime I say yes when I should be saying no. I put a lot on my plate and then I say yes to more. Like while working on my final projects for my 6 units of grad school classes, I went on a 7 day cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. In my defense, it was paid for already. It’s hard to say no to free.
And it was a cruise. It’s been a while, but I still recall a previous cruise to Mexico that caused me to say I am not a cruise person. But that one was Carnival, and it was only 3 days in an interior stateroom, a booze cruise, right? This cruise was going to be 7 says on Royal Caribbean. To three Caribbean islands. In a balcony room.
What I learned:
1. I still don’t like hoards of people. Buffets are not for me. And I don’t need unlimited alcohol, but I do need good coffee. And the organic, vegan, raw food, or preservative free food lifestyle has very little presence on a cruise ship (the vitality cafe did have fresh juices of your choice-I got celery, cucumber, Apple and ginger most days). Although gluten free diets and vegetarian options are readily available.
2. Excursions are short and hard to do in a way that you feel like you are really enjoying the place. But you can if you do some research in advance.
3. You can get a lot of work done with Royal Caribbean’s Voom wifi.
4. The gym is a good place for me time. So is the healthy Viatality Cafe, which no one apparently hangs out at besides me.
5. Big boats don’t give me motion sickness like the carnival ship, cars, and trains often do.
6. If you are surrounded by French speaking people, some words you learned 3 years ago will start to come back.
7. Cruising in its current state is not for me still. The waste a cruise ship generates is hard to watch. The amount of resources used to make that much food, that much linen, and that much water usage. Wow. And I saw so many people have the attitude of get more, if you don’t use it, it’s ok because it’s free. I tried to hang up my towel each day, but state room attendants still cleaned my room twice a day and changed my towels and changed my glasses in the room, and changed my linen. Why? I am really curious about all of the recent trips on Adonia with Fathom by Carnival. Will that be the better experience? A volunteer cruise and a more mindful cruise?
8. And finally, the longer I am married, the more I don’t like to travel so long from my husband. We’re so accostomed to each other’s company. A week is long time a part. Who will get my jokes and listen to my annoying opinions and ideas?
I am home now and headed back to work. Do I regret going? No. I generally try not to see the world in regrets. I learned more things about myself and saw places I have never seen.
The Next 38 