There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.

Once we pulled anchor out of Cozumel, it was pretty much a straight run north across the Gulf into Galveston. I would regale you with more stories of elegant dinners and great shows, but things caught up with me and I was under the weather for most of Saturday. I was not seasick but was not in any mood for food or drink. I’m pretty sure it was not due to the dinner we cooked/ate or the drinks we ingested but more to some self-induced stress that I gave myself worrying about a minor issue. Throughout my life, I have always tried to maintain a positive outlook even when things are rough, but I have never lost sleep worrying (until now). I kinda did it to myself and have no one else to blame. In the end, it was over nothing and everything is back to normal, but I screwed up the last day of my cruise. Really pissed at myself because I missed out on some really good shows and a kick-a%#$ dinner (lobster & crème boulle).

The return trip was fairly uneventful in spite of me wimping out. Seas were fairly mild and we spent most of the day cruising north on the open waters. One final day to sit by the pool or play on the slide or play miniature golf. Was kinda windy up top, so most people stayed on the lower decks. Last chance to buy souvenirs from the gift shop, order your pictures, smoke your Cubans, gamble your remaining savings or order your liquor from the duty free store. We made good time as we moved out of the warmer temps back to the cooler Texas coast. After running overnight, we pulled into port around 0700. They have a very intricate system of disembarking that involves unloading people by deck and cabin number. I was very impressed that they were able to get every single passenger (3500) and their luggage of the ship within 2.5 hours without major pandemonium. The only thing we had to do was to pass through customs to declare anything you are bringing back stateside.

As this was my first boat ride, I’d like to impart some comments/suggestions regarding our next trip (yes, in spite of getting ill the last day, I would probably go back). My brother has done several cruises on different lines and to different regions and his observation regarding this ship was this was the Walmart of cruise lines (not sure if he meant that as a compliment). Food was good, rooms were nice/clean, lots of things to do/see, very affordable. Was not the fanciest ship on the ocean, but something your would not have to mortgage your house on and you could take the kids (but why?).

If I go again I would:

1. Take less clothes (I way over packed).


2. Bring a clock (the room did not have any clock to keep track of time). I know, I know. You’re on vacation so why bring a clock, but a lot of ship board activities are time based and it would be nice to know what time it is. Besides, when you are sitting up all night, it is good to know what hour it is.


3. Bring a nightlight. We had an outside stateroom with a balcony, but when you close the curtains the room was dark! Kinda hard to stumble over the bed or chair trying to find the bathroom.


4. Bring a pair of walkie-talkies. Momma and I are on different wavelengths. I am an early riser and I love to roam the ship trying to explore or discover new things. Many times I would go up top to run or work out in the gym and there is no way we can communicate (forget cell phones) with each other. At least you can relay messages to your loved ones (I’d down in bar - bring me more money!). This also applies when you go on shore and you wind up separated in the shopping area. Now, most of these areas have cell phone service and you can use your cell phones, but unless you arrange for something with your carrier, you could wind up paying from $2.50-5.00 per minute just to talk with your loved ones. My motto was: we’re on vacation - no cell phone, no blackberry, no e-mail. Speaking of e-mail, you can go on line while on board, but the minutes are pricey and limited. Was going to try and blog while on the boat but balked at the prices they were charging.


5. Bring a pair of binoculars - nice to look out of your stateroom and watch the shoreline (or maybe spy on the neighboring ships).

If you go, I’d recommend getting an outside stateroom on one of the upper decks. You definitely want a window (inside staterooms were way too dark and you got no view of the outside of the ship unless you were on deck) and having a balcony is much better. Most balconies were tiny (about 8 feet across by 3 feet wide). Just enough for a small set of outdoor chairs and a table. Really cool to sit out there sipping your wine (or scotch) and watch the ocean. Very romantic for those so inclined. Just remember, your balcony has neighbors on both sides that can hear everything.