Cruisin'

As we approached security to get on our cruise ship, I was instructed to stop coughing. Someone found an old cough drop in their glove box and handed it to me. "If they hear that cough, they aren't going to let you on the boat."

"Oh! I was just going to say, 'It's the TB, but I cough into my hands so it's okay!'"

Luckily I did not cough until I got on the boat.

When our luggage arrived to our cabins, we tore them open like Christmas morning to see if our liquor contraband had made it through. I brought a fifth of gin and a fifth of rum along with the permitted bottle of wine. Jenna brought vodka. Harvey's husband smuggled his vodka inside old sunscreen bottles. Harvey's bottle of wine, of all things, was confiscated.

We got such a good deal on the cruise that it was the cheapest way to go to Mexico. When I told people I was going on a cruise, they reacted strongly. People are either really in favor of then or really against them. Turns out I am really in favor of them.

We got on the boat and our responsibility was done. Our luggage was brought to us. Our beds were turned down at night. We were instructed to leave our wet towels on the floor. We had to do nothing for a day and a half until we arrived on the tip of the Yucatan peninsula.

The ship was so big, it was like a small city that allowed open containers. We'd order a drink in the casino and take it to trivia. There were nine floors of available activities. We logged a lot of time by the pool and hot tubs (and going down the slide), we took dance classes (I am now a pro at "Thriller"), we went to karaoke and we found a sing-along piano bar and a discotheque.

There were 17 of us in our party, which meant we largely hung out in groups of four or five as everyone wanted to do different things. Katie, my roommate, spent the entire first day sleeping. I avoided day drinking. Swayze ate. He'd have room-service breakfast, lunch, second lunch, first dinner and then our group dinner. Jenna often joined him. Harvey and her husband were poolside every morning.

The dinners were special. Every night the entire group would come together. We'd shower and dress and meet at our table. Because food was all inclusive, we'd just point to our chosen courses on the menu. I often ordered 2 appetizers just to try something new. One night, Swayze and I ordered 2 entrees. The dinners would last for hours and we were often the last people to leave the restaurant after coffee and dessert. Then the group would divide again for our chosen nightly activities.

I'd always go dancing. It's how I met the cruise boyfriend.