The Trip That Started It All

It wasn’t the first trip I had ever been on, but it was the one that changed my life forever…in more ways than one.

I had just left my first job and was looking for a new position in public relations when Eric suggested a vacation. It was a cold damp January in Mississippi, and I think he just wanted to see the sun as much as he thought it would be a good idea for me to clear my head. Realizing it would probably be at least a year before we got the opportunity to travel once I found a new job, I had to agree with him.

So Eric and I took a little trip with our friend to the Beau Rivage in Biloxi. While Lonette and I sipped cocktails and danced the night away, Eric spent time at the craps table. He told me on the way down to the coast if he won $1200 we were going on a cruise, so I was reasonably sure I was in for a bleak winter. When Eric joined us shortly after midnight, I impatiently asked how he did. Eric smiled and opened his hand to reveal one $1000 chip accompanied by two $100 chips...and our fate was sealed.

After a great deal of looking, we settled on a Royal Caribbean Cruise to Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Grand Cayman from the Port of New Orleans located a short 90-minute drive away. Our search for the perfect cruise led to a drastic change in my job search as well. I knew that being a travel agent was my calling, and luckily I landed an interview with Hattiesburg’s premier agency the week before we left. I started at Carter Gerald Travel Bureau the Tuesday after we returned.

Of course, Eric had cruised before, but I had not, so he spent a large portion of the three weeks leading up to the cruise worrying about how I would tolerate the sailing. While I assured him that motion sickness was not an issue for me and went about shopping for tropical attire, he continued to search for magical bracelets to cure me just in case. (I believe he was terrified that I would get sick and he would need to babysit me the entire trip.) My shopping trips were an extraordinary success resulting in an excessive amount of luggage. Eric’s bracelet shopping proved fruitless, so we boarded without a life raft…so to speak.

We arrived at the port a short time before final boarding and made our way to the ship. As soon as we boarded, we realized our error. The people on board had been there for hours partying away…we had unknowingly cut our vacation short…by FOUR hours! We recovered gracefully and vowed to never make that mistake again.

Having never been on a cruise I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the Rhapsody of the Seas was beautiful, the seas were calm, the weather was amazing and the trip was magical. I don’t want to exhaust you with all of the details, but I do want to hit a few of the high points.

I quickly found out one of the best things about cruising is the food. There is always something to eat on board. No need to wonder where you are eating every night or stress about getting a reservation. Dinner just happens. We were seated with two other couples, one a newlywed couple from Louisiana the other a slightly older couple from New York. Most of the time it was just us and the New Yorkers (apparently newlyweds have better things to do), which I thought was great because, like me, our northern friends had an incredible sweet tooth and enjoyed ordering as many desserts as we could fit on the table every night. The available space was greatly increased on those evenings when only the four of us showed up for dinner. It also helped that our waiters loved us as much as we loved them!

When we arrived in Cozumel, we chose to forgo the cruise lines shore excursion offerings and set out via cab to Chakanaab Park where we rented equipment and spent the morning snorkeling. This is a beautiful area for snorkeling and a peaceful place to relax. After a quick wardrobe change and some lunch, we headed to the main shopping area in Cozumel. Having shopped endlessly in preparation for the trip, this ended up being more of a window-shopping stroll to the very happening Carlos and Charlie’s. If you are a fan of the margarita, this is a stop you don’t want to miss.

Costa Maya was a new port that had recently been added to the cruise schedule. As such, it was quite small. The entire city fit into one panoramic picture! It was extremely windy and the salespeople were extremely enthusiastic, so we opted to spend the day back on board. Since we had been so active in Cozumel, the lull in activity was actually needed.

The highlight of the trip for us was Grand Cayman. Eric and I purchased a Catamaran Sail and Snorkel excursion from the cruise line’s offerings. The tour took us to Stingray City where we were able to swim with the stingrays. The staff onboard the catamaran took great care on the way out to explain what to expect and what to do when we arrived at Stingray City and answered questions throughout the experience, then they gave us rum punch and played Bob Marley’s Legend on the way back…it just doesn’t get any better than that.

I was so glad I had the opportunity to plan and take this trip. It not only changed my career path, but it was also the beginning of one of the greatest adventures in my life. I have a daily reminder of all the fun we had because almost exactly 9 months later…my little souvenir arrived.

If you would like more information or a non-obligatory quote on your dream vacation, please email me at lesley@woodmarktravel.com.