Cruising Into Ten Years (har har)

Some self protraits

Cute little pig towel.

James and I hit the big 10 year mark this year. We both always wanted to do something “big” for this anniversary. I think we met that goal. :-)

I decided to divide the trip up into different entries. There is too much to cover all at once. Prior to our departure, I was getting pretty anxious about leaving the girls. We’ve never been apart this long. Plus, the girls are my life. I am with them everyday, and their needs/wants consume my entire day. I was wondering what I was supposed with all this time and no girls! Maybe that’s a strange concern, but it was legitimate to me. At the airport drop off, we left everyone crying, which you can imagine intensified my feelings of worry. Once we got all checked in and settled at our gate, I opened my People magazine, and realized this was going to be alllllright. Haha! So, we flew all night, and made it to the San Juan airport. Whoa, mamma jamma. We were both sleep deprived, my phone was dead (A concern because we were supposed to be meeting up with James’s sister. Cell phones were our only form of communication), and we were trying to swim our way through the masses of people. We manage to get our luggage and head out to the loading/unloading zone. The cars of Puerto Rico only have one functioning feature: the horn. Needless to say, it was utter chaos (AND it was like 112 degrees). Luckily, we find the rest of our party, and we get set to explore Old San Juan…we had a few hours to kill before we needed to be on the ship. The adventure continued when we got lost in the depths of the city. We drove around for hours trying to pinpoint our location. No luck. We drove by a city park, and I told James he needed to use his rusty Spanish skills and get us directions back to the airport (we had a rental car to return). It turns out that 3 drunk Puerto Ricans all have a better way to get from one place to another. James gathered what he could, and managed to get us back on the highway. Just to give you an idea of the stress we were feeling: The time was 4:47. The last possible minute we could board the ship was 5:30. Yeah, we were freaking out. We return the car, and tell our taxi driver to “rapido!” The docking zone was like a ghost town. The guy checking our baggage was like, “Are you a good swimmer? You almost didn’t make it.” Just a minor heart attack before our week of relaxation.

Once we board, we eat, then sleep ourselves well into the next day. The first day, we were sailing the whole day. Cruise people provide some interesting people watching opportunities. Disclaimer: These are my observations and my opinions. Nothing I say is meant to be offensive. I’m just sharing what I notice. With that said, there are 3 main groups of people that cruise.

1.) Old(er) People.
2.) Europeans.
3.) The rest of us.

Group One: Old(er) people. This large group can actually be divided into two smaller groups. Exhibit A: These older people are…how should I put this…LOADED. Meaning: when you look at the Missus’s diamond on her left hand (that’s the size of a baby’s head), it’s probably the real deal. They travel in groups of equally wealthy company. They rarely leave the ship/port. We were chatting with a group of folks one day at lunch. We asked them what they did that day on the island. They said, “Oh, we’re just enjoying the cruise.” Always nice, always sociable, and typically southern. Now let’s move on to Exhibit B. These are the older people who have never heard the letters S.P.F. They love the sun, and lots of it. Their tans are highlighted by their “blonde” hair and use of blue eyeliner. They are never seen without a fruity umbrella drink in their hand. They love the live ship music, and I’m willing to bet they have a doormat at home that says, “I’m on island time.”

Group Two: Europeans. The European crowd travels in large groups as well, and they bring the whole family (including small children). They love fanny packs. Many of the guys were sporting these odd Mullet/Mohawks. Very strange. The style has not been sighted in this part of the country. This group rarely makes eye contact, and they are pretty much oblivious to everyone else.

Group Three: The rest of us. Honeymooners are a large part of this category. Someone like me who has never really been out of the United States, and all this world traveling is a new experience.

I hope you enjoy the pictures. I took over 400, so if this isn’t enough photography for you, let me know. I’d be glad to give you the old fart slide show presentation! Haha!