I recently went on the most amazing vacation! With my husband, my sister and her husband and my parents, we took a fourteen day cruise to Hawaii - leaving out of Los Angeles.
We sailed on a beautiful luxury liner called the Golden Princess (larger than the Titanic by approx. 100 ft.). It took several days to learn where everything was. Our cabin was on Deck 10 and we tried to take the stairs most of the time, which was a great way to work off the calories from all of the delicious food we were constantly eating!
It wasn't long before I really didn't know what day it was. Was it Monday? Or Thursday? I turned to my fellow cruisers and asked that question more than a few times.
The motto for Princess Cruises is "Escape Completely". And I would have to say, that it is the perfect tag-line for Princess Cruises. Although I didn't always know what day it was, I was usually pretty in tune with the time. For instance, each day on the ship there were several fun activities going on, things you didn't want to miss.
At 11:15 a.m. daily there was my Ukulele class. Who woulda thought I'd learn how to play a new musical instrument while on vacation!
And, most every day we were at sea there were fascinating lectures. If you wanted to learn about the Islands; their plants, animals and eco-systems you could go to the morning lecture by Rachel Dunham.
My husband and I found ourselves interested in Doug Burgess' lectures on "Piracy" and "The First Ocean Liners", but you couldn't be late for Doug's lectures. Being the Professor that he is, his lectures began exactly at 2:15 p.m. and lasted only a half hour. (The time always flew by too quick!)
There were also Academy nominated movies screened daily, like "True Grit", "Black Swan" and "The King's Speech" and culinary events such as wine tasting and chocolate sampling.
Although we had a television in our cabin, we had the toughest time finding current news. At first it was unsettling. I'm accustomed to tuning in daily to local and world events, but on the ship, I believe there was a strategic, covert plan to keep us away from all that stuff that might stop us from 'escaping completely'. By the third or fourth day our only interest was what news was going on in our microcosm - our temporary reality aboard the Golden Princess. Was it formal night? What evening broadway style show was being presented in the Princess Theatre? What would the weather be like for the day? Did I get the trivia question right on the morning "WAKE" show with Eric and Kelvin! These were just some of the questions that would come up during the course of the day, between special events, eating and lounging pool side. The only paper we needed to read was the "Princess Patter" - delivered like a newpaper under our door each night.
And, then just as I was getting used to floating aimlessly on the Pacific Ocean without much of a care, reality hit! We had reached our first destination - the big island of Hawaii - If I'm not mistaken, it's the only Hawaiian island with an active volcano! My sister and her husband opted for a site-seeing trip to see the volcano while my husband and I along with my parents went to the beautiful Hawaiian Botanical Gardens.
After nearly five days of sailing, I was excited about reaching our first landing on earthly soil. But, even while exploring the gardens and then hanging out with a couple of old friends (who were coincidently on the island at the same time as us) my thoughts were on the ship. As much fun as I was having on land, I couldn't wait to get back to the 'womb'. (That was my nickname for the ship). It's weird I know, but it was where I felt safe and secure, and most importantly it was where my reality had shifted from the daily worries and pains of work and stress and fear and anxiety - to living in the moment and being taken care of, from the minute I awoke until the minute I closed my eyes at the end of a long and happy day in paradise.
But, wait.... I guess I should 'fess up'. Before I get too deep into the idealogy of cruising I should admit that I did have some worries. My mom and dad are in their mid-eighties. They are incredible and I am thankful that they are still relatively healthy for their age. But, I was acutely aware that one slip or fall could land either of them right into a wheel chair. So, there was a bit of worry, and I found myself praying to the Cruising Gods often!
I am grateful to say that the cruise ended without a hitch fourteen days after it had begun and as I look back I can honestly say, it was one of the BEST vacations I've ever had!
Oh, by the way. After Hilo, we visited Oahu (Honolulu), Kaui and Maui, where my dad did the 'washing machine' at Whaler's Cove (another tense moment, I should add). We also made one last stop in Ensenada. After hearing about all the drama going on in Mexico, I wasn't sure if I even wanted to get off the ship. But, I'm glad we did. It was a fun day, filled with shopping, drinking and more shopping.
Well, I think I've covered all of what I wanted to say. I'll just close by saying, If you ever get a chance to take a cruise to Hawaii, DO IT!!
And, if you do, don't forget to "ESCAPE COMPLETELY!"
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