Time
Well Spent
Little Jenny and her brother Bobby fight in the car whenever
the family drives the five hours to the beach each summer.
Sand, sunburn and shells dominate the two weeks
in the cramped cabin. Meanwhile, the neighbors
reported back that their flight to Orlando was cancelled
and the family of four spent 12 hours in the Raleigh/Durham
airport before boarding. They
were to meet cousins and extended family for along-awaited
family reunion. They missed their favorite
uncle who had to get back that day and grandma complained
of heat and exhaustion during the entire three days of
theme park hopping. To top it off, both families reported
aches and pains from lines and lousy food that will take
them months and numerous doctor bills to cure.
All
the headaches and aftereffects could have been avoided
had both families chosen a cruise for their annual vacation.
Cruising gives you real
quality time with family, in ways other vacations never
could. Today's cruises also can be ideal
for a family reunion, because there's something to please
every generation, and plenty of leisure time to meet together
to discuss the day's adventures. Both food and
activities are plentiful and varied for everyone’s
tastes. While grandma may be at a cooking demonstration
or ballroom dancing class, Mom
might be relaxing in the spa or reading a book by the
pool, Dad could be playing a game of basketball
or watching a movie while Junior may be on a scavenger
hunt with a group of kids he just met in the youth program.
Let's
take a look at what a day on a family cruise looks like:
8:00 AM –
Boyhood buddies Jim O’Donnel and Mike Caroll
meet for coffee and talk about the old neighborhood.
They vow to meet on a cruise every year and to keep in
touch.
10:30
AM – Allen
Rodriguez shoots a round of hoops with his 13-year-old
son, Brian. They
laugh a lot, miss the basket completely most of the time
and agree to do this more often at home.
12
noon – High
School "best friends for life"
Cathy Moran and Denise O’Brien reminisce about 4th
hour Biology Class at lunch in the Dining Room. They wonder
why in the 19 years since graduation no one ever asked
them "what is the difference between a pistil and
a stamen?" And they make plans to invite
the whole class to cruise for their 20-year class reunion.
1:30
PM – Nine-year-old Nancy Stein tries her
hand at a video game with her new "best buddy in
the world" Melissa Carpenter.
They’ve already exchanged e-mail addresses
and are plotting how to convince their parents to cruise
again next year.
3:00
PM. Betty Thompson and daughter Samantha, age
16 visit the ship’s spa. They race each other on
the stationery bikes and giggle about "boys".
Suddenly they realize that
the old days were not really that different.
4:00
PM. Angela Morales
has known Rose Dominguez for almost 40 years.
Today they exchange pictures of their grand children
at afternoon tea and conserve their energy for a rousing
Bingo session that starts in a few minutes.
7:30
PM - The entire
Santini family assembles for a group photo before heading
for dinner – all 42 of them.
From family patriarch Angelo who just turned 79
to the youngest family member, Jessica, who just turned
7, everyone agrees that this first family re-union cruise
won’t be the last.
9:00
PM - Rudy Martin
dances with 10-year-old granddaughter Michelle to a Benny
Goodman classic.
Michelle has no idea who Benny Goodman is. Rudy’s
smile looks like he just won the lottery!
Midnight
– The kids safely ensconced in the teen disco, Bill
and Jenny Donovan take a stroll on the deck in the soft
moonlight. Jenny hasn’t
seen her husband’s eyes sparkle like that in 18
years. Hmmm family vacation AND second
honeymoon.
As
the owner of CruiseOne, Kay Allred enjoys traveling the globe to learn
about destinations, cruise ships, itineraries and shore excursions to
share with her clients. She has found her life's calling in a business
where she can share her love of travel and her insistence on excellent
customer service. Kay has owned her own business for 8 years during which
time she has been on over 50 cruises and inspected over 100 ships.