Mary's Cruise

Life is sooooo good!

I just got back from my first cruise ever and it couldn't have been more wonderful. My friend Dorothy Wetterlin from La Crosse, and I, were dropped off at the airport in Minneapolis early Sunday morning, January 17th, after a great sendoff meal and evening with her daughter Amie and husband Dave. We arrived in Tampa and boarded the MS Ryndam of Holland America by 1 pm and the fun began.

Our stateroom was spacious (no lie), the food was stupendous at every dining room we ate at all week, the entertainment truly super and most of all, it was fun to share it with a good friend. Scouts honor - no cat fights all week.

The first night was a bit rocky with lots of wind, causing some distress, but the rest of the week was all sunshine and warm breezes. Our first day out was at Key West where we walked the Key, viewing Truman's little White House and Ernest Hemingway's home, plus plenty of shopping. After a day at sea, we "tendered" into Belize City, where we went on a tour of the city, a fabulous trip to the Mayan ruins at Altun Ha, some fun local food and more shopping. By Thursday we were swimming in the warm waters of Mahogany Bay on the Island of Roatan in Honduras (more shopping)and Friday was spent in Costa Maya, Mexico. There we snorkeled, bused through some impressive hurricane damaged jungle and of course, did more shopping. Good thing I did more looking than actually buying. One small disappointment of the trip was that in Honduras and Mexico, the majority of the shops' merchandise came from India or China. Saturday we sailed back to Tampa and disembarked without a hitch.

There was so much to do on board, it's hard to remember it all. Eating seemed to highlight every day, with every meal being a gourmand's delight. It was difficult not to revel in meals like escargot for the appetizer, followed by a cold coconut soup or maybe lobster bisque, asparagus salad, an entree of perhaps duck or shrimp (bearing names I can't pronounce, much less spell), followed by perhaps baked Alaska or creme broulee. Morning, noon and night there were more choices, more taste treats and MORE calories. I earned every pound I came home with.

We did attempt to wear some of it off, with dancing, lots of walking, karaoke, first run movies, trivia, seminars(like on acupuncture or making chocolate martinis),swimming, travel guide lectures, music and more music everywhere,more shopping, of course, trivia, and some really great Vegas type shows (every night in fact). Almost all the service people on the trip were from Indonesia, always smiling, always ready to lend a hand. They were so terrific.

My favorite part of the whole cruise was my trip to the Mayan ruins, something I've wanted so much to do since I was 11 years old. I may never get to be the archeologist that I dreamed of being, but this allowed me to at least touch and feel the antiquity, a rush that which can never be duplicated in a museum. It was fabulous.

So, what's next on my "bucket list"? It's so full, I'm not sure, but I'm going to keep filling it, as long as I'm able. I love Mark Twain's quote, that my sister Holly sent me: "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by things that you didn't do, than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, and catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Still, it's good to be home.