Cruising Update

It’s approximately six months before I go on my cruise adventure. That seems both very close and very distant at the same time. A lot can change between now and then, but I’m not particularly expecting that (probably a good sign that I should get some travel insurance just to be safe).

Anyway, I have been spending a lot of time watching YouTube and have learned a LOT about cruising that I had no idea about. I will probably forget most of this before I get on the ship (will remember, though, that I am not supposed to call it a boat).

I have already made mistakes. According to some videos, I should have used a travel agent to do my booking. That might have provided some potential cost savings and may have made it easier to get information or resolve issues. Oh well.

Recently, there have been a number of accidents related to people jumping or falling off of cruise ships. Most of these seem to have involved alcohol, and one of which involved a group of recent high school grads daring a friend to jump. I had a friend ask me to promise not to respond to any such dare, at which point I learned that some friends might think I’m an idiot (not that there wouldn’t be evidence to prove that, but still). I have two things going for me in my favor – one is that I don’t drink (all my bad decisions are completely sober!) and two is that I am not much taller than the ship railings. I should be safe from this particular danger.

I have learned that decorating cabin doors can be a big thing. They may be metal so you can use magnets. Some find it useful in finding their cabins in the long hallways of identical doors. I would have thought the cabin numbers would help with that but I have also never been on a ship so it may be more overwhelming than the doors on the smaller land-based hotels. It’s also vital to remember that unless you are into something very specific, you probably shouldn’t use pineapples as part of your decoration. I understand it may have something to do with the swinging that does not occur on a playground. I could be wrong, but I am not going to take that chance.

There is a trend of hiding ducks (not live ones!) on cruise ships. People buy a bunch of little rubber ducks, hanging a tag on them about the trend and hiding them in various places on the ship. I am not planning on hiding any ducks (that is way too much effort). Unless someone is particularly bad at hiding, I may not find any either. But maybe . . . .

Oh, and you cannot wear camouflage clothing on certain Caribbean islands. I am not going to be at any of those islands but now I have this knowledge in preparation.

It is kind of fun to watch the videos. Many are made by people who clearly enjoy cruising and want to help others have a good time as well. I hope to remember some of these things six months from now.

(In case you are worried, I promise to remember no jumping off the ship.)