World Cruise 2012 Epilogue
World Cruise 2012 Epilogue
Back home in Georgetown and back to the real world. I would have to say that we may be addicted to cruising since, prior to arrival in Ft. Lauderdale, we checked to see if our cabin was available for the 2 weeks following (Ft. Lauderdale to Seattle). Alas, the ship was booked full and they threw us off in Florida.
The Fed Ex shipment of luggage was a nice touch, I wasn’t looking forward to schlepping 8 suitcases to the bus and thence to the airport.
All is well at home and we are easing back into things – it still feels surreal to be on land, we really miss shipboard life.
Some final thoughts and observations on this cruise, and long cruises in general:
- A cruise of this length is far different from a normal vacation in the sense that on a vacation we seldom get to know, or get really close to our fellow travelers. On a four month cruise you actually get to know most of your fellow passengers fairly well, particularly those with whom you share interests and/or the luck of the draw throws you together at meals, on excursions and at other events. This familiarity can be a plus or a minus, depending on the nature of the people and your own ability to socialize quickly. Staying in your own cocoon, as you might on a shorter trip is not possible. Hiding one’s true nature for four months is also not possible. In the future we will begin meeting folks immediately.
- The diversity of this world is amazing in culture, politics, economies, laws, customs, money, geography, and climate, but the people are almost universally open and friendly if you are also.
- While I will admit to occasional “verandah envy” on the trip, our inside cabin was perfect and represents a real savings.
- I didn’t play in any of the daily Hold Em tournaments, and missed out on a fun activity and meeting some new friends – I will remedy this next time, even though I probably saved some money on this trip.
- We now have enough “frequent cruiser” days to get free laundry on board. As the person that did the laundry for the whole cruise (the result of an ill conceived promise) I say Whoopee!
A parting thought that sums up this trip and all our travels:
On life’s journeys it’s not where or how you go, but who’s by your side that makes the difference.
Truer words were never spoken, my friends!