I Want a Shirt that says "I Survived Hurricane Tomas!"

My Thoughts on a Cruise Vacation

November 28, 2010
By: Julie McCallum,
Senior Staff

Recently I took a vacation and went on my first cruise ship. Other then not ever having the desire to travel out of the country, I loved the thought of taking a break from a 7 day work week and from Michigan. I'm a fan of hot weather, so warmer temperatures near the equator did appeal to me.

However what did not appeal to me was hearing about the hurricane stirring up the Atlantic Ocean the week of my departure. As the Captain and crew decided to re-route our itinerary a day into the cruise, to avoid the hurricane, it still meant rough seas. And I wouldn't have known any better seeing it was my first cruise, but hearing the staff say "they felt sea sick" and that "this was the worst they ever felt" was a little unsettling.

The Carnival ship I was on was the Miracle, not to be confused with the Splendor, it was a miracle, all we had to deal with was the Hurricane. (I'm not to fond of spam. Although I don't think I've had a pop-tart in years, sounds good).

Pool side on the ship was interesting . . . there were white caps in the pool and although the temperature was sunny and warm, the wind on the first few days was (shall a say) a bit amusing.

I heard rumors of gaining a lot of weight when you go on a cruise. I wasn't that worried about this as it sounded like a good workout challenge when I return or a good promotional opportunity.

I toured the gym, and wondered how much a gym on a cruise ship really got used. Seems to me that a cruise and a gym are almost an 'oxymoron'. It seemed not many cruisers were big fans of working out.

I quickly became accustomed to three meals a day, and even tried a few desserts.

I really think this type of vacation is a culinary experience, one of the best memories was meeting new friends and people from around the world. Touring all the different islands was really interesting, especially seeing the different cultures.

Islands visited:

ARUBA

CURACAO

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

GRAND TURK

My favorite . . . Aruba, other than I think I would of really enjoyed Grand Turk Beaches much more if it had not rained, but hanging out at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville made it a little more bearable.

It was nice to take photos (Below) just for the fun of it.
(PS . . . I am not a photographer . . . for the record.)












According to my record, My next vacation will be in approximately 5 years . .