TRAVEL THERE: I HAD MORE TO DO THAN WAIT
Excuse my sabbatical from blogging. I came back from my cruise more than overwhelmed. I came back, got to work and haven’t looked up since, until today. Let the cruise blogging begin!
If you’re thinking of cruising, a shift has occurred in the last few years. After of decades of saving the best deals for last, the cruise lines finally learned they’d been training their passengers to wait until the last minute to book their sailings. So, a major shift has occurred. The earlier you book, the better the deal – or at least that’s what they tell you. Sure, there will always be last minute deals, but you might not like what you get.
I just checked. To get a room in the same category I first booked, I wouldn’t save a penny if I’d waited until now. The good news would be that I wouldn’t be spending anymore. However, chances are, I wouldn’t have gotten the same room, but on a smaller cruise ship, there’s the chance I wouldn’t be going at all. So what did I do with that 15 months I had before the cruise? Well, I’ll share some it with you.
Come Cruise with Me
My first consideration in this had been to let our family members know what we were planning and invite them along. I notified them months before we ever settled on a cruise line. As we considered our options, we paid serious attention to which cruises would work best with the potentially interested family members. All that was for naught. In the end, not a single niece, nephew, sister or cousin joined us. Once I knew which cruise we’d be on and that there’d be no group deal, I sent out an invitation to virtually ever one on our buddy list. Several friends had talked a good game when the cruise was mere speculation, but when it came time to book a cabin, most wandered away, some without a word, some with ‘maybe later’ and a few with stated regrets.
In truth, I’d hoped for a heftier guest list. This whole thing had come out of my desire to stand before our friends and family and renew our marriage vows. Moving the ceremony from our backyard to the deck of a cruise ship had emptied the party chairs of all but the most faithful and oh, what faithful friends those were. Let me introduce you to our crew.
The first to sign up, as I’ve already told you, were Jim and Melanie. What delightful souls they are! Had they not stepped up and bought their fare the moment we told them which ship, I might be telling you a different tale today. I will be forever grateful for their encouragement that day. As a Christian I’ve learned that God often speaks through circumstances. The message that day was loud and clear. Come on, book your cruise. If Jim and Melanie are there, you don’t need anyone else.
But I knew there would be someone else coming along. From the time I first mentioned the idea of a vow renewal, my bestie, Deb, had planned to be there – backyard, boat deck or the back of beyond. Deb is always there for me. When we announced our choice, she was in the middle of a huge life crisis, but life crisis be damned, Deb was going to be there.
And then there’s Viktoriya. I’ve never had children of my own, but God has filled my life with wonderful people, who mean as much or more to me, as anyone who is actually a member of my family. Viktoriya is one of those people. She was literally a lost soul when we met in a class at UTD and I have observed her grow into an amazing woman. She graciously gives me some credit for the journey she has made, but it has been God that made all the difference.
Then Life Happened
When Bill first turned my attention away from a backyard ceremony to a cruise, I envisioned the fun we’d have, poring over the ship’s brochure, selecting our shore excursions and choosing our dining venues. He’d even promised that would be part of the package if I’d do things his way. Well then, life happened. Come back next week and I will tell you about that.
jane sadek 