cruisin' for a bruisin'

I never thought I would be a 'cruiser'. One of my favorite vacations though was on a motor sailor with a capacity of less than 50 passengers, including the crew. Some of the things I loved about that excursion are probably what did not work on a large Princess Cruise ship.

During the Greek island hopping, we had meals and partied together over a week, which resulted in it almost feeling like a family, crew and all. It hit a number of different ports but had the flexibility that allowed us to drop anchor on a whim to dive off the boat and swim in the Mediterranean. We did not have any particular curfew, and the crew did not sail off unless the last key was put on the hook, giving us the opportunity to enjoy the nightlife and party the night away in places like Mykonos.

While the cabins were slightly bigger and I did not get sea-sick although many did during the last 2 days of massive waves, the massive ship started to feel very confining over the 10-day period. The food was sub-standard and repetitive, as well as the activities on the boat. Shore excursions were limited to daytime and curfews, causing us to run like hell at one port, although it turns out we had our time set incorrectly. It seems as if a lot of the passengers were 'geriatric' and/or those who like the planned activities and routine. Many have repeated the exact same cruise more than once. The trip confirmed my suspicion that I am not a 'cruiser'. However, it did give me the chance to experience an amazing horseback ride along a secluded beach in Cabo San Lucas, where we got to see whales in the distance.

Although significantly larger with over 4,000 passengers including the crew, we kept running into the same folks. Like the Greek adventure, we met some kind people from different walks of life, including a group that helped me celebrate my cousin's 50th birthday. Although she had anxiety from the build up to it being something other than just dinner with the two of us, she ended up enjoying it immensely. Not only did they get us a bottle of champagne to celebrate, but also channeled our 'inner child' to have a 'lick the plate clean' race. It reminded me of the elderly couples from Australia on the Greek cruise that were young at heart and were game to demonstrate the 'balance spoon on nose' trick I had taught them.

Ironically, my cousin's cousin who also traveled with us but was a 'loner' and cycled through working out, eating and sleeping ('rinse, repeat') tried to 'school me' on Confucius teaching of people acting their age. It was not clear to me based on whose definition provides the benchmark, as he could not point me to any particular guide as to what age groups were 'limited' to what particular activities. I believe, in my limited research, that he is conflating filial piety and role ethics from Confucianism in his interpretation.

I, for one, am happy I found my 'peeps' who are authentic and fun, living life where age is just a number, and not something that defines them.