My key takeaways from this cruise (that I shall keep in mind for future cruise adventures):
Cruising is a better travel option for my husband for a million reasons – no packing and unpacking involved for the duration of the trip; there is plenty of good food available 24 hours a day; there is a choice to stay onboard and be entertained if other members of the family opt to go on early morning shore excursions; there is no need to be rushed as the ship, which is your floating hotel, goes with you everywhere; and with that, the washroom travels with you as well. If I am travelling with my husband, I should definitely consider this option over all other modes of travel or vacation styles. It will make life easier for me, and for him.
I have to watch out for seasickness. I am normally fine (I even survived staying onboard a yacht bouncing up and down at the harbour while we were waiting for some tardy co-workers who arrived thirty minutes after we were supposed to commence a cruise), but on stormy days, even onboard a large ship, motion sickness could get to me.
A case in point was the night we experienced an Atlantic storm while enroute from Sydney to Halifax, Nova Scotia. At dinner time, the ship started swaying. Pieces of small furniture slid from one corner to the other. Dinner china and utensils crashed into the floor. Half of the ship’s passengers did not show up for dinner, while half of the remaining half, including myself, excused themselves from dinner at some point. In my case, I started feeling queasy after the first course (and my rollercoaster-loving husband who was actually enjoying the bouncing of the ship couldn’t understand why I didn’t find it fun). I apologetically told our dinner mates that I wasn’t feeling well and would prefer to eat in our cabin. My husband followed me and while we were inside the elevator on our way back to our room, I just threw up. Yes, I made a huge mess. My gag reflexes couldn’t wait till we reached our cabin. It was fortunate that there was no one else with us on the elevator.
I guess I gave the ship’s crew the brilliant idea to install a little ledge filled with vomit bags in every elevator of the ship. My husband mentioned that to me after he got me a drink from the café while I was taking my shower. I told him that it’s highly possible I wasn’t the only one who gave them this idea, and he confirmed that he had indeed witnessed a few other passengers who "marked their territories" within the ship in the same way that I did.
In fairness to us, even the ship's crew told us the following day that the storm we encountered was particularly bad. Even a third of the crew got sick.
Next time, I go on a cruise, I should bring larger and more loose-fitting clothes. This will minimize my stress level on formal nights.
I’d like to say that I should control my eating while on a cruise. But that would be really pretentious. I have to be honest with myself. I love food. I am weak. And I just can’t say no to wonderful spreads of goodness while on a relaxing vacation. In other words, it will never happen.
The more realistic thing to say would be to register for Zumba classes as soon as I disembark and to begin a regimen of daily walks. I could further supplement this healthy exercise with a strict diet of salads and soups for a few weeks and a period of abstinence from junk food. This has a stronger chance of happening.
With all these in mind, I guess I am ready for the next cruise (that is, maybe five years after this pandemic is over)!
Photo Credit:
hollandamerica.com
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