Gone Cruisin

by Bob | Apr 24, 2013 | My Daily Life | 38 comments

I am writing this from the couch of our room aboard the Carnival Cruise ship “Liberty”. It’s 9:00 am and I just watched us dock at Mahogany Bay, Hondurus. It has been a fun, exciting and busy last couple of weeks, so let me tell you all about it! After writing this post all I got in was basic facts before it got too long. So this post is just the facts, in my next post I will try to tell you about my reactions and feelings about the cruise and tell you about the excursions I’ve been on. Right now I will just tell you that I am very, very glad I came and I am having a great time!
I think I told you before that my mother had bought tickets for her and her sister to take a Caribbean Cruise. Her sister had some health problems come up that wouldn’t let her go (fortunately, they have all been resolved now). The penalty for canceling them would have been very severe so she asked me to go with her instead. Now that sounds like a no brainer-right; who in their right mind would turn down free cruise tickets? No one has ever accused me of being the brightest bulb in the bunch, but even so I instantly said, “Yes.” However, it was mainly to spend time with my mom, not to go on a cruise. I am not a cruise person. Spending time with 3300 other people on a ship and lying around a pool is NOT my idea of fun! I know it is heaven for a lot of people, but I am not one of them. But when a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity like this comes up, you have to take it, so I did. And, I want to see my mom at least once a year no matter what so it was just as good to do it now as later in the year (I usually visit her at the holidays).

Sailing out of Miami.

So I booked a flight and waited for the time to come. But I have to be honest, all along I had very mixed feelings; I continually went back and forth between excitement and dread because I don’t like traveling. While I love driving to places, I hate flying and taking busses and this meant doing both of those. It also meant leaving Homer for 2 weeks; and while that may not seem like that big a deal it was huge for me. It would be hard for me to communicate to you how much I love Homer and I know that for part of the time I was gone he would feel abandoned, lost and alone and just the thought of that breaks my heart. But, I manned up and did it anyway. Cheri very kindly joined us to help Steve watch him, and I know he is as happy as he can possibly be and extremely well cared-for and loved!

One more thing you have to understand; I am not a water person! I grew up in Anchorage, AK, and water sports were not a part of my life. If you are wondering why, I have 9 reasons: the 9 months out of the year when the water is either frozen or deathly cold. When there are only 3 months of the year when you can get in the water without it killing you, (and even in those 3 months it is very cold) water is not something you spend time in. When I grew up, there was only one public pool in Anchorage, and we never went there. So I can’t swim, and take no real pleasure in being at the beach or at a pool. Without that, going on a cruise loses a lot of its appeal! But, I love my mom and couldn’t pass up the opportunity, so here I am.

This is looking aft toward the back of the ship. I took this shot late in the day after we left so it is mostly deserted.

On April 15 I drove the van to Phoenix and spent the night in a Casino parking lot. The next morning I left the van in a long-term parking lot ($9 a night) and flew to Orlando, Fl. My mom lives about an hour north of there in a retirement community called Lady Lake, Fl. At 6:00 am on Saturday, April 20^th we boarded a bus to take us to Miami where we boarded the ship. The bus ride was fine, just long and boring. My mom tells me that boarding the ship can mean long lines and waits, but we were fortunate and got right on. I was completely unprepared for the size and complexity of the ship; simply put, it’s huge! It holds 3300 people and on that first day we were all out and looking for our rooms so it was something of a madhouse. After we found it and got everything in there we went exploring. She is a very experienced cruiser and that has made my trip so much easier. Together we pretty quickly figured out the lay of the ship. Sunday was our first full day and it was spent at sea steaming toward out first port of call, Cozumel, Mexico.

Our room looking toward the balcony.

The rooms on the outside of the ship all have balconies and cost $1000 for the week-long cruise (that price is all-inclusive). The rooms on the inside don’t have balconies and cost $700. Although my mom has been on many cruises, she never spent the extra money before to get a balcony. But she wanted this to be special for her sister, so she splurged and this time we had a balcony. The room is large and very nice; like an upscale motel. We have TV in the room and we get all the broadcast channels out of Miami (NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX) and a few other channels like TNT and discover. Since I like watching TV at night to unwind, I’m really glad for that.

Looking down at the formal dining room, very elegant!

Internet is another story. The whole ship is wired for WIFI, but you have to pay. The plan I selected bought me 240 minutes at .37 cents a minute. So 4 hours of use cost me about $90. It’s the only game in town, so I bought in! It’s satellite internet so it’s slow, perfectly usable, but slow.
Cruises are famous for their food! Its good food available all the time! Everything is a buffet so you can eat as much as you want, whenever you want. However, while it is good, it is not great. The best comparison I can make is to the Golden Corral chain of buffet dinners. They serve the best institutional food as far as I am concerned and the food on the ship is not as good theirs, but better than anyone else.
The buffets onboard are for casual eating while the Dining Room is for formal, fine dining and it is truly wonderful food. It is included in the price and you can eat there every night if you wish. Like all find dining, it is customary to dress nicely for it and my mom wanted to do that at least once, including dressing nicely. I don’t own any formal attire so when we got to her house we started to hit the thrift stores looking for a sport coat, dress shirt, and dress pants. I think Florida is the thrift store capital of the world so we didn’t have any problem finding lots of them with good stuff for good prices! I bought the coat, shirt and pants for less than $10 total!
So those are the facts, and I know they are kind-of dry, but check out my next post for a more personal reaction. Right now I am off to an excursion titled “Pirates, Birds and Monkeys of the Caribbean” where we will go through a local wildlife park and hold monkeys and feed birds and turtles. I’m not sure where the Pirates come in, but we will find out!

Yep, that’s me in my $3 sport coat and $1 shirt. Thank God for thrift stores!

From the balcony close to sunset. There is a reflection along the hand rail. The orangish items above the water line are the life-boats.

The balcony looking aft.

The balcony looking forward.

Our room looking from the balcony toward the door.

Downtown Miami.

38 Comments

Karen on April 24, 2013 at 9:55 pm

Bob, you clean up pretty darn good!! Relax and take it easy. You will never regret the time you spent with your Mother. Another one of your life experiences to document for us. I want to see a pic of you and your Mom at the formal dinner 🙂
- Bob on April 25, 2013 at 11:37 pm
  
  Karen, you are very kind, deluded–or blind, but kind!!!
  Bob
Rob on April 24, 2013 at 10:30 pm

Neat!
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 1:03 am
  
  thanks Rob.
  Bob
Randall on April 25, 2013 at 12:11 am

Good for you, Bob! The memories of being with your Mom will be with you forever despite the stress of all the negatives of getting there. Enjoyed your blog entry immensely. Keep up the spirit. Have a good time! 🙂
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 1:04 am
  
  Thanks Randall! You are so right, being with my mom is a joy!
  Bob
Kim on April 25, 2013 at 12:18 am

Oh Bob, I had forgotten all about your cruise plans! I kept looking at your photo and trying to puzzle out what it was that was different – finally figured it out – it’s the only time I’ve ever seen you INSIDE!
I know it must have been just about impossible to leave sweet ol’ Homer but it was for a good cause. I bet your mom is thrilled you are there. I’m sure you will have great memories of just hanging out on the balcony and watching the sea.
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 1:07 am
  
  You’re right Kim, spending this much time inside 4 walls is way outside of my comfort zone! The walls are exciting and pretty but they are still walls. Spending time with my mom makes it all worth it!
  Bob
CAE on April 25, 2013 at 1:29 am

Looking good in your thrift store threads!!
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 1:08 am
  
  Thanks CAE! It must be true, the clothes make the man.
  Bob
Naomi on April 25, 2013 at 2:28 am

Love this! Thanks for sharing. Enjoy the cruise and spending time with your mom.
~Naomi
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 1:09 am
  
  Thanks Naomi, me too!
  Bob
Steve & Zeke the Mountain Dog on April 25, 2013 at 3:04 am

No worries Bob with Holmes… It took him a few days till he remembered how fun it was to play fight with Zeke and then it was on every morning and night… Holmes has had to go to town with me on a few occasions, just something to down with his bros Steve and Zeke… All is well and no worries my friend, enjoy this time away, with your mom, and vacationing… Holmes is just fine…
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 1:11 am
  
  Thanks so much Steve! I knew he would be just as happy with you and Zeke as he was with me. It’s so good to have a friend I can count on.
  Bob
Dixie on April 25, 2013 at 2:32 pm

How TERRIFIC!! So glad you got to experience this and share it with the rest of us!!I can certainly understand your reluctance to go.I’ve been invited to cruise and I’m resistant to go–some of the same exact reasons you had! So glad you are spending quality time with your Mom and expanding your horizons! Totally enjoy!! Dixie
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 1:17 am
  
  Dixie, that is a good way to put it, I am expanding my horizons. As odd as it must sound, I am not really a very adventurous guy. So I am pushing my comfort zone. But, this is a great way to do it!
  Bob
Gary Stern on April 25, 2013 at 4:05 pm

You may be one of the few people to see his stateroom and think “Boy this is pretty big!”.
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 1:25 am
  
  Gary, that’s a good way to look at it!! Our room is 185 square feet which is triple the size of my trailer (plus the balcony) to me its a mansion! I wouldn’t have any idea what to do with all this room!
  Bob
- GreenTiger on April 3, 2016 at 10:56 pm
  
  that made me laugh!
iris on April 25, 2013 at 4:19 pm

Enjoy the trip, thats great.
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 1:28 am
  
  Thanks Iris.
  Bob
Cheri and Tony on April 25, 2013 at 8:02 pm

Glad you are having fun. Homer is doing just fine. He misses your long walks but we have been doing several short walks each day and he walks with Charlene sometimes. He is loved!
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 1:39 am
  
  Thanks Cheri, having friends and family like you makes me one of the wealthiest men in the world!
  Bob
Tim McDougall on April 25, 2013 at 10:48 pm

That’s a pretty handsome fella in the ship’s dining room. Ten days of eating like that and you’ll need bigger pants. 🙂
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 1:42 am
  
  Thanks Tim, I barely fit into my pants now so I can’t afford to get any bigger! It’s pretty tough to have all this food around!
  Bob
Scott on April 25, 2013 at 10:51 pm

Bob, your willingness to try new things is a great example to us all! Most are too set in their ways to answer when opportunity calls.
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 1:48 am
  
  Scott, sometimes you just have to man-up and put on your big-girl panties and go do it. This is one of those times for me (I didn’t know comfy panties could be).
  Bob
  - Scott on April 27, 2013 at 7:37 am
    
    Agreed! And you didn’t dip a toe either; you jumped right in.
gretchenrose on April 25, 2013 at 4:19 pm

Thanks for sharing Bob, your photos really gave me a sense of being along for the ride and look forward to your next post. It is so sweet you were able to spend this time with your Mom and create memories that will last a lifetime. Understand your hesitation to step into another universe, I felt that way before my one time cruise and wish you well in this new challenge and exciting experience.
May you sail into many sunsets with a very special lady!!!
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 1:37 am
  
  Gretchenrose, I’m glad the photos are helpful, I’m trying to give you as much of the feel for the cruise through them as I can. Spending this time with my mom is priceless!
  Bob
Diane Kirkendall on April 26, 2013 at 2:30 am

Looks like fun, I bet your mom was as happy to have you with her as your pup was as happy to have you return 🙂 I love reading your posts
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 6:38 pm
  
  Diane, we are having a great time together. My mom is just 78, which anymore is not old for a woman, and she is perfect health! But, it is old enough to be thinking it’s time to spend all the time with her I can. So I am very grateful for this opportunity!
  Bob
Rick on April 26, 2013 at 3:53 am

Hey bob,
Manning up has nothing to do with the way you feel about leaving Homer, I personally would rather put my trip on hold if I didn’t have good friends to leave him with. But just imagine how good both of you’s will feel when you see your best friend again
- Bob on April 26, 2013 at 6:40 pm
  
  You’r right Rick, I was just kidding around. having a dog is a responsibility, that’s for sure. There are lots of things I don’t do because Homer can’t go. But, it’s a sacrifice I gladly make and it is repaid with so much love and joy that it’s worth any minor sacrifice!
  Bob
Donna on April 26, 2013 at 3:23 pm

Oh my gosh! Wish I had that kind of opportunity!! Enjoy!
Cyrus Palmer on April 26, 2013 at 6:59 pm

Looks like a lot of fun bob! Looking good in your thrift shop clothes! Macklemore would be proud!
kalanistorm on April 27, 2013 at 9:30 pm

Bob, You’re even more handsome in your thrifty goods! It looks like a paradise, I hope you enjoyed your time with your mama and doing something extremely different. Can’t wait to hear more stories when we get together this summer. We love you and hope you’re home safe and sound!
- Bob on April 28, 2013 at 4:40 am
  
  Kalanistorm, thank you for the sweet compliment. I know how much you love your hubby and what a great guy he is, but, if only…….! Only kidding, you two are perfect for each other and a great example of what a marriage can be. One day I hope to grow up and be just like you guys!
  Sounds like you are loving Wickenburg as much as i did and even found a better campsite. When it gets too hot there, come by and see us just a few hours north of you near Prescott.
  Bob