Just some of my random thoughts of my love and addiction of cruising.

Only cruisers understand…

⚓ When I see my (non-cruising) friends post their beach vacation pictures, I ‘like’ their posting/pictures because they are my friend, but I secretly think to myself how it’s way prettier in the Caribbean.

⚓ If I hear talk about cruising anywhere I’m at even amongst strangers (grocery store, dental office, etc), my ears pop up like a Yorkie (and want to listen/ask details like ‘what ship?! How many days? Which ports?!’).

⚓ If I am having a round chocolate type dessert around my home area/off-ship (like at a restaurant for example), I always subconsciously compare it to the ship’s Chocolate Melting Cake.

⚓ Having a countdown in double (or even low triple) digits– Amongst us cruisers, we share that info and it’s totally normal (to us), short or long countdown. But to respond to a non-cruiser friend/coworker who asks you “when’s your next cruise?” immediately and specifically how many days left, they give you this look like you’re from another planet that you’re already counting down (if it’s anything over a week or two away).

⚓ Similarly, having multiple cruises booked at once is totally normal (to us). Before I discovered my love of cruising and used to take land vacations, we would only have one ‘vacation’ booked at a time. So I get it that my non-cruising friends don’t get it. Oh to see their reaction when they ask/discover have 5 cruises currently booked, lol. (And I know there are many folks here with even more booked).

⚓ Pretty cool how we can see a picture of a port or beach (without any signs or caption giving away the location or any clues) and recognizing exactly where that is.

⚓ The moment I hear Cupid Shuffle or Wobble or Slide anywhere off-ship (like on the radio or Pandora), I instantly think of lido deck. E-v-e-r-y-t-i-m-e.

⚓ Somehow becoming the ‘future cruise desk’ at my workplace (non-travel related job). Occasionally a person that I’ve never met at my workplace would come up to me and out of the blue would say “hey you are the cruise guy here right? I’m considering a cruise”. Like I’m a free PVP at work, lol. Not to mention current and old friends haven’t heard from for years. (And I’m more than happy to help ofcourse).

⚓ The huge satisfaction in helping a non-cruiser book their first cruise, and wanting to hear all the details when they get back.

⚓ Regardless if you’ve cruised once or many many times, that feeling on embarkation day when you’re heading to the terminal and first see sight of your ship from the street… Like a kid at a candy store. Never gets old.

⚓ Miss the sound of that happy/bubbly “Ding” upon entering the ship (the ones that don’t have it anymore)… Few cruises ago I told the Security guy right after he scanned my card “…No ding?!” He smiled and was like “DING! Ok now, welcome aboard”, lol

⚓ After stepping onboard on Embarkation day, seeing the Atrium, walking the hallways, saying Hi to the crew, it really feels like HOME. And to think about it, Carnival is really our 2nd home (even at just 3x cruises a year) as we spend more days/nights on Carnival ships than staying over at family/relatives each year (since they don’t live close).

⚓ I love going to one of the top decks or Serenity area after all the shows are done or around midnight when it’s quiet and just feel the breeze, listen to the ocean, look at the stars, see the moon’s reflection on the water. So peaceful. So beautiful.

⚓ Regardless the color of your card, I feel like we should all be blessed to be able to cruise as there are people who never set foot on a ship (or even plane) their whole life, or would even dream of.

⚓ Last but not least, and this is no exaggeration or gimmick, cruising for me has made me an overall happier person, and has taken my stress level down vs before my cruise days. Having a (or multiple) cruises booked and even the planning and preparation brings me joy. One could argue that we spend a lot of money on cruises (accumulated), but I would rather one day when old and have grey hair to look back and be content of the happy memories of my life vs regret with a bigger savings account. IMO life is too short to not do something that you love as you never know what’s in store tomorrow.