Huntm

When I heard the Carnival Destiny was going to be “Sunshined”, I thought it sounded pretty cool. Then when I heard it was coming to New Orleans, I was REALLY excited. I don’t know why, but I really wanted to sail on that ship! New Orleans was doable. SO, while on the Magic last May, I booked a cruise on the Sunshine and went skipping (literally… I skipped) back to my cabin.
Once we were home, I patiently waited for it to set sail in Europe. Then I started reading how everyone hated the ship. It seemed everyone had something negative to say about the Carnival Destiny and the general “online” consensus was the Sunshine was going to suck just as bad…. I didn’t get it. The reviews made it sound like a half finished, overcrowded, leaking, cesspool floating on the seas. Ugh… How could that be true?! The pictures looked so beautiful!
Now… I in NO WAY told Mark or my Mom about these negative reviews… There are some things there is just no point in sharing with some people. Bad reviews of the ship you have booked them on and plan on driving 9+ hours to get to… that’s one of them. I kept it all quietly to myself and finally resolved, just not to read anymore. I follow a few “professional cruisers” online. They liked the ship and gave honest opinions which made me feel better. Any complaint they had or problem they noted, I felt was manageable. I ordered us some shirts and happily went to counting down the days.

This was our first time cruising out of New Orleans and I certainly felt like a fish out of water! I did so much research on the ship and booking excursions… I didn’t pay a lot of attention to New Orleans. We managed in Miami. We manage in Galveston… how different could New Orleans be? Ha!
I did ask a couple of people their opinion. Everyone always loved the French Quarter and suggested a ca-zillion places to eat … at NO point did anyone mention... “Good luck driving a car down there.” “Fat chance in hell of finding a parking spot.” “They have street signs, but the actual street names aren’t on them.” Just for the record… that information would have been useful!

Regardless, after Mark practically jumped out of the moving van and stopped a stranger walking down the sidewalk for help, we survived. We had dinner at the Crazy Lobster. It was located in the port and we were able to watch the Royal Caribbean ship leave.
The food really was fantastic. I had the fish tacos. The atmosphere was awesome. The service was absent ? Not so much for the lack of employees... there were plenty of them around... just didn't seem to be working. They were friendly and engaging when they were at our table though. We corresponded more with the other customers at the tables near us. We were in no hurry so no big deal, but perhaps not the place to eat if you are watching the clock.
Embarkation: We stayed the night in Kenner, LA at the Double Tree Hotel. It said Double Tree Airport… but I saw no airport. Anyhoo. This hotel did offer free parking for up to 14 days. We took a taxi which ended being $14 a person…. Probably should have just paid for parking. It all worked out okay though. We love Hilton hotels and this one had an awesome fitness room (though you also had to pay for breakfast). I have officially been spoiled by the Hampton Inn’s.
We arrived to the port around 10:30-10:45. The porter was there to take our luggage. I was a little apprehensive leaving it with him as they only had dollie looking thing and not the big luggage carts we are used to. We walked in and found our way to the priority boarding line for the xray scanners…. And stood there. It wasn’t moving. Finally we ducked under the ropes and joined the regular line. We moved right through…. Until Mark attempted to go through the scanner.
Beep. “Do you have anything in your pockets?” No. Beep. “Sir, we are going to need you to take your belt off.” Beep. “Could you please take your hat off.” Beep. “Sir, we are going to need you to take your boots off.” Beep. Mark: “You better figure it out ‘cause I’m not taking my clothes off!” … We were allowed to go through.
It did not get much better after that as they seem to have moved the check in desk. You now have to walk through people waiting in the chairs, stepping over feet and carry-on luggage to get to the check in line. There was no clear cut path for you. That priority line did not move there either. We stood stationary for probably 20 minutes before 1 person was called to go to the next attendant. We finally got our S&S cards… trudged back through the chairs, feet and luggage and into the line to board the boat. By the time we got this accomplished they were boarding Zone 6 so we just grouped in with them.
*Our personal experience with the Port of NO was not good on embarkation or debarkation (that will be at the end of the blog). I do want to add a statement that several people I have met, cruised with, and trust their opinion have stated this is not how it always is. However, I am not sure I will sign up for a round 2.*
The boat is coming up next ....

When I heard the Carnival Destiny was going to be “Sunshined”, I thought it sounded pretty cool. Then when I heard it was coming to New Orleans, I was REALLY excited. I don’t know why, but I really wanted to sail on that ship! New Orleans was doable. SO, while on the Magic last May, I booked a cruise on the Sunshine and went skipping (literally… I skipped) back to my cabin.
Once we were home, I patiently waited for it to set sail in Europe. Then I started reading how everyone hated the ship. It seemed everyone had something negative to say about the Carnival Destiny and the general “online” consensus was the Sunshine was going to suck just as bad…. I didn’t get it. The reviews made it sound like a half finished, overcrowded, leaking, cesspool floating on the seas. Ugh… How could that be true?! The pictures looked so beautiful!
Now… I in NO WAY told Mark or my Mom about these negative reviews… There are some things there is just no point in sharing with some people. Bad reviews of the ship you have booked them on and plan on driving 9+ hours to get to… that’s one of them. I kept it all quietly to myself and finally resolved, just not to read anymore. I follow a few “professional cruisers” online. They liked the ship and gave honest opinions which made me feel better. Any complaint they had or problem they noted, I felt was manageable. I ordered us some shirts and happily went to counting down the days.

This was our first time cruising out of New Orleans and I certainly felt like a fish out of water! I did so much research on the ship and booking excursions… I didn’t pay a lot of attention to New Orleans. We managed in Miami. We manage in Galveston… how different could New Orleans be? Ha!
I did ask a couple of people their opinion. Everyone always loved the French Quarter and suggested a ca-zillion places to eat … at NO point did anyone mention... “Good luck driving a car down there.” “Fat chance in hell of finding a parking spot.” “They have street signs, but the actual street names aren’t on them.” Just for the record… that information would have been useful!

Regardless, after Mark practically jumped out of the moving van and stopped a stranger walking down the sidewalk for help, we survived. We had dinner at the Crazy Lobster. It was located in the port and we were able to watch the Royal Caribbean ship leave.
The food really was fantastic. I had the fish tacos. The atmosphere was awesome. The service was absent ? Not so much for the lack of employees... there were plenty of them around... just didn't seem to be working. They were friendly and engaging when they were at our table though. We corresponded more with the other customers at the tables near us. We were in no hurry so no big deal, but perhaps not the place to eat if you are watching the clock.
Embarkation: We stayed the night in Kenner, LA at the Double Tree Hotel. It said Double Tree Airport… but I saw no airport. Anyhoo. This hotel did offer free parking for up to 14 days. We took a taxi which ended being $14 a person…. Probably should have just paid for parking. It all worked out okay though. We love Hilton hotels and this one had an awesome fitness room (though you also had to pay for breakfast). I have officially been spoiled by the Hampton Inn’s.
We arrived to the port around 10:30-10:45. The porter was there to take our luggage. I was a little apprehensive leaving it with him as they only had dollie looking thing and not the big luggage carts we are used to. We walked in and found our way to the priority boarding line for the xray scanners…. And stood there. It wasn’t moving. Finally we ducked under the ropes and joined the regular line. We moved right through…. Until Mark attempted to go through the scanner.
Beep. “Do you have anything in your pockets?” No. Beep. “Sir, we are going to need you to take your belt off.” Beep. “Could you please take your hat off.” Beep. “Sir, we are going to need you to take your boots off.” Beep. Mark: “You better figure it out ‘cause I’m not taking my clothes off!” … We were allowed to go through.
It did not get much better after that as they seem to have moved the check in desk. You now have to walk through people waiting in the chairs, stepping over feet and carry-on luggage to get to the check in line. There was no clear cut path for you. That priority line did not move there either. We stood stationary for probably 20 minutes before 1 person was called to go to the next attendant. We finally got our S&S cards… trudged back through the chairs, feet and luggage and into the line to board the boat. By the time we got this accomplished they were boarding Zone 6 so we just grouped in with them.
*Our personal experience with the Port of NO was not good on embarkation or debarkation (that will be at the end of the blog). I do want to add a statement that several people I have met, cruised with, and trust their opinion have stated this is not how it always is. However, I am not sure I will sign up for a round 2.*
The boat is coming up next ....

Progreso is becoming our home away from home ?
The first time we went to Progreso I wasn’t really impressed, but drink enough tequila and corona and really what does it matter? Unless you are a man trapped in a chicken fighting contest with other men thanks to your lovely wife and her big mouth.
The next time we returned to Progreso, the drunken tequila drinking on the beach days were still haunting Mark so we set out for some hotter than hell culture at the Mayan ruins during July. Clearly a better time than the one before… but still not really impressed.
Third time was a charm. We repeated the culture of the Mayan ruins (5 years later) in December instead of July and we got back on the boat thinking… that really wasn’t so bad. That actually was an enjoyable experience.
5 months later we found ourselves back in Progreso. Well, hell. What are we going to do now? Looking through the excursions nothing stood out. We didn’t want to do Corona beach. We had tackled the Mayan ruins twice now. Saw a bicycle excursion that looked fun… but let’s be honest here. Have you seen the roads in Mexico? Better yet, have you seen the bicycles? I am not so sure I want to spend $89.99 a person to experience either one.
I researched online through cruise groups and facebook and finally decided. Family: “We are getting off the boat and going into town. We’ll see what happens there.” There were no grumblings or alternate suggestions so that was that.
*Sometime in the wee hours of the morning before daylight my eyes flew open. It was dark. I was still on the boat, rocking gently back and forth. I was comfy and snuggled in the bed. Mark and Trenton were snoring. Instinctively I knew something was very wrong. There was a pain in the back of my throat. I didn’t feel well at all. My head was congested. “Oh no! This cannot be happening!” Panic washed over me as I stumbled to the bathroom and flipped on the light. I frantically searched through my bathroom organizer where everything including my kitchen sink from home is artfully stashed in small, sample size packets. I know I have a packet of EmergenC… a small bottle of Zycam. Where are they? I am tossing packets of medication… Pepto, Benadryl, Advil, stuff I don’t even really know what it is… I just know what it isn’t… It isn’t going to solve this war going on inside my head! I am officially under-prepared… On the Triumph no less. I felt defeated. There was nothing I could do other than drink some water, say a prayer and crawl back in bed.
The next morning I didn’t feel wonderful… but I didn’t feel perfectly awful either. I made sure to eat a good breakfast, took some vitamins, packed some tissues in our backpack and we set off to explore Mexico.
Important Stuff About Progreso ---> At the end of the port area they have buses that run every 20 minutes (they say), but there were 4 lined up there to pick people up. We didn’t get off the boat super early… 10ish or so. Yea for no wait! The buses are FREE and they take you directly into town and drop you off at the local market. Free! What an awesome deal!! As we were getting ready to get off the bus they were offering tours (all inclusive with food and drink) to a beach resort on the other side of town $35 per person. We said no thank you and off through the market we went.
There were a hundred tables or so with various clothing, sunglasses, jewelry, wood carvings, chess sets, vanilla, etc… and here is how the conversation went. “No, No Thank You, Not right now, Nope, Uh Uh, No, No Thank you, Already bought one, No, Nope, No Thank You” … All Day. Mark avoided it like the plague! Mom, Trenton and I ventured through and bought some trinkets. One lady literally pulled me by my arm into the sunlight so I could get a better look at the 12 bracelets she quickly draped across my arm… totally ignoring that I said I was not interested. She was sure the sunlight would change my mind ? She was wrong. Finally I said… “Hey, you should ask my Mom. She’s the lady over there in the blue shirt” and then Trenton and I ducked down the other aisle ? He He He

We then walked downtown. The shops down there were actually cheaper and not pushy. We met some local police and Trenton loved the Domino’s pizza he found … and a pay phone! I am not sure he believed me that they actually existed ? Of course, he had to touch it and stick it up to his head which sent me digging for the antibacterial hand gel! We also walked through their “market” with fresh vegetables. Behind that is the meat market. Raw meat… just hanging around in the open air… flies buzzing by. Mark WAS hungry. He quickly walked though, sat on the bench and declared he had lost his appetite ?

After walking around and taking in the sights of downtown Progreso we thought we would venture over to the beach and let Trenton play for a bit. As we were heading back into the market we were stopped by someone offering tours. He had a deal we couldn’t refuse. $15 per person… $10 for Trenton. They promised a tour of Progreso on an air conditioned bus, they would take us to their “best” beach and then bring us back. We said sure.
Let me tell you what this little excursion entailed…..
A tour of downtown Progreso. (Actually informative) We saw the “Poor” side of town where people literally lived in cardboard boxes… it was a whole community all the way to the “rich” side of town with police checkpoints outside. Then they took us out to the salt mines. We got out and viewed how sea salt was obtained. Got a little education and then the tour guide actually dug up some sea salt and produced little baggies so we could bring some home. *A few strange birds on our bus actually tasted it and confirmed it was in fact salt. I am cool with taking their word for it.
3. Next we saw the pink flamingos and learned they are actually born white they get their pigmentation by eating bacteria that stains them pink.
4. A little further down the road to some Mayan ruins. It wasn’t anywhere as big as the ones we went to last time, but they were different…. Allowed you to climb them. It was a win-win. *They do offer a rest room here so if you take this tour please note: They do have a potty. They do not have potty seats or toilet paper. Ladies you will need to pack some tissues and strengthen up those thigh muscles for the hover maneuver. Soap… it’s pretty much a given that the sink didn’t have soap. At that point I was just impressed as all get out that there was a sink!

5. Back in the van and on down the road to the Technohotel. It is a little resort. You can purchase a wrist band here for $20 to get you unlimited food and alcoholic drinks if you want. Otherwise everything is free. Free beach (better than the one near the port). Free swimming pool. Trenton played in the ocean, sea shells were in abundance and finished his time off in the pool. There were plenty of beach chairs to go around and lots of shaded tables, chairs and huts by the pool. Music playing… It was a great atmosphere and lots of fun. Mom got some food and drinks. It was good. We opted to wait and eat on the ship. You could get a massage on the beach here for $25.

~> We tipped our van driver $2 per person and he took us straight back to the ship. Otherwise, they will take you back into town and you catch the free bus back to the ship. We were exhausted and the $2 was well worth it!
*We were probably half way back to the ship when I sneezed for the first time that day. It was that one simple little sneeze and then I felt like the plague washed over me. I dug out the rest of the tissues… suddenly thankful Mark and Trenton were boys and did not consume them all trying to potty in Mexico. My nose turned into a faucet. My head was throbbing. I felt weak. It was awful. By the time we reached the port I was sure I was going to die. I had Mark and Mom check every shop for their little pharmacy to see if there was any sinus-cold medication, vitamin C type meds and the answer was No. I’m doomed. You can purchase antibiotics, meds for diabetes, estrogen replacement, arthritis, pain and impotence … but if you have a sinus infection or a cold you are pretty much screwed.
Somehow we made it back on the boat… I really do not recall and up to our room. I missed dinner this night. I could not even get out of bed. The pressure and pain in my face was so bad I thought for sure the bone under my eye had fractured. Mark headed to the medical deck to try to fix me. Sometime around 2 am he asked me if I wanted him to try to cancel our scuba diving excursion for the next day. No … I’ll be fine in the morning … Death will be the only thing that stops me.
He didn’t look so sure….
Clearly I am still alive… So here’s my thought of Progreso. Is it getting better? Are we just getting older? We all had a fabulous day. I don’t know that I will ever book an excursion there again unless some new found adventure opens up. $15 a person you can NOT beat that deal! Carnival could sell that excursion for $89 a person… easy. Don’t you guys dare suggest that to them and ruin it for me next time!! LOL
I am still sitting at home wondering how I walked out of Progreso a fan!

We will be heading out on the Triumph again at the end of this month. I am curious to compare the two cruises... before and after the red bags and bathrobes debacle. ?
So here goes...To Be Continued… Part II
To catch you up on our “Wheels falling off the train cruise”. We had just returned from our summer trip aboard the Carnival Valor. I was at work one day when Mark calls and says “What do you think about taking another cruise?” Now, that is similar to asking “What do you think about having 2 feet?” Well, I kinda like that idea. Or, “What do you think about living in our home instead of being homeless under a bridge?” Well, I kinda like that idea too. So when he calls me at work to ask “What do you think about taking another cruise?” I got a little frustrated. “Babe, listen. I’m a little busy up here. You know the answer to that. What exactly are you getting at?”
This is when he tells me some friends of ours were thinking of taking their first cruise… in December. It was just a little 4 day trip to Cozumel on the Carnival Triumph, but it was over a weekend and all 4 of us could go for what we normally pay for just 1. (Hmmm…. My wheels started turning. We could all take off from work. 4 days was doable. The price was good. Trenton would only miss 2 days of school. We have never cruised in December…) And then he says “It will almost be Christmas time so instead of exchanging gifts for you and me, we could just get ourselves a cruise”. YES PLEASE. SOLD. DONE. BOOK IT. NOW… Seriously, hang up the phone and call Carnival and give them our credit card number.
We’re going to Cozumel in December! Texas will be getting cold.… we will be getting our tan on…. Ecstatic was an understatement!
I had to work the day we left to go down to Galveston and had been up since 5am. Mark got the job of finishing all the packing and loading the van. SO, after the long drive down to Galveston, followed by the sleepless night with Trenton being sick, we were a little exhausted. Since the boat was having propulsion issues Carnival gave us the choice to cancel the cruise and get a full refund. We were so looking forward to this cruise and when the doctor said he was not contagious we decided to just go ahead and go. All the emails said we could get onboard at 6pm, so we called the porter at 4:30 to come load our luggage and take us to the pier. AFTER the luggage is packed the porter says… “Oh, we aren’t taking anyone to the port right now. The shuttle won’t actually come until around 6pm to take you.” WHAT?! I want to go right now! This is when the first real emergence of Mark’s horns came out. I saw his eyes squint at me and the glare come out…. Here we go. ?
They went ahead and took our luggage and we attempted to file back in our rooms. Since it was after the initial check out time our keys no longer worked and we were locked out! Aaaah, perfect. Mark looks at me and says “I am going for a walk.” Mom looks at me and says “I am going to find something to eat.” … and then there were 2. SO, Trenton and I called the front desk and had new keys delivered.
We didn’t actually get on the shuttle until almost 7pm! We had been waiting in the lobby with 50 or so other guests for over an hour. The whole day was gone! By the time we arrived to the port the line to get into the terminal was outside the building and all the way down the sidewalk. It appeared all 2000 passengers were in line. This was our first time to purchase the Faster to the Fun. Thankfully we were able to walk around the perimeter, skip the 2 hours of waiting and get up to the counter. There was 1 family in front of us. However, they had about 7 children (no joke)… NO ONE had passports… and 1 adult had checked her birth certificate IN HER LUGGAGE. So we waited…. Forever.
Now, my optimistic personality says… we just skipped 2 hours of waiting in that long line. I can wait here for 30 minutes while they figure out this hot mess in front of us. Half the kids were running around in circles bumping into everyone, the other half were crying and screaming. The adults were oblivious to the fact they even HAD children. It really was not a pleasant situation. It seems Mark had lost his optimistic personality about 2 hours ago. So after standing there for 15 minutes or so he asked another rep if someone else could check us in and in Mark’s defense the guy rudely said NO. That didn’t go over well. PLEASE just let us get on the boat! It was not until AFTER we were finally checked in and received our cards that we got the paper telling us we were no longer going to Cozumel, but Progresso instead. Oh yeah…. Mark HATES Progresso. We have already been twice and only once on purpose. At this point I decided we should all play a game… “The we don’t know Daddy game.” No one objected. ?
We finally made it on the boat, our cabin was ready. Mark dumped his bag and thankfully took off to go calm himself down. About this time the room steward knocks on the door and is delivering our luggage. I am thinking “Now this is service!” Only the room steward says “Ma’am, you might want to check your bag. Something inside spilled and it’s all wet.” Huh? What do you mean? I didn’t pack anything that could spill. Then he pushes Mark’s suitcase in the door and it is practically dripping with something…. And it reeks! Seriously… what is that? It couldn’t have spilled on anyone else’s suitcase? Are they just trying to pick on the pissed off guy? Cheese and crackers… this is gonna suck! So, I open the bag and yep all his clothes are wet. I called my mom and said “Come smell this bag.” She initially says No!, but consented and seconds later all 3 of us were in the floor of our cabin sniffing the suitcase. Mom comes up with the logical answer… Red wine. Bad Red Wine. By some luck… this foul smelling business is only on Mark’s dark clothes. All the light ones were good.
Trenton says “Mom, what are you going to do?”
Me: “Um, hello… not tell him!”
Mom: “Really… you don’t think he is not going to notice smelling like foul red wine for the next 3 days?”
Me: “Fine. How many quarters do you have?”
Well… I’ve got the answer for you. Not enough!
Now, I COULD have gone down to guest services, but the lobby was a disaster because we were still embarking so I chose to stand in the hallway and beg for quarters…. Don’t judge. I was exhausted and desperate. By this time you could smell the suitcase in the hallway and people were more than willing to donate for a worthy cause. 8pm laundry started!
This is certainly NOT the way to start a quick winter get a way. Propulsion issues, vomiting child, long lines, Progresso, Mexico, clothes drenched in someone else’s red wine and laundry. We all want to do laundry the first day of vacation.
By now it is time to head to the muster drill. Mark was still MIA. Mom had gone for a drink and when we arrived Trenton and I had different muster stations. This did not go over well with me. He isn’t standing over there by himself and if this boat goes down … the way this trip is starting off that is a good possibility… you can bet your biscuits he won’t be getting in a different lifeboat than me! So, we got escorted inside to the handicap waiting and took a seat in the chairs. Perfect.
My phone goes off with a text message from Mark “Where are you?” Silly me. I thought Mark was at our muster station and looking for us. Nope. He would be hiding in the bathroom drinking a beer. “Seriously?! Something is wrong with you!” He says, Nope. Something’s about to go down and I don’t want to miss it. You will thank me later. Hmpf
~ Disclaimer: I fully respect and understand the importance of muster drills. No need to send me emails explaining them. I attended… you can send them to my husband ?
Well, he was right. Something did go down. Apparently he found someone having a worse day than him! This couple had paid $3000 to get married that afternoon… only the boat wasn’t here for that to happen. When they did let them on board with all their guests, they had 20 minutes for the wedding and reception. The ice sculpture was melted, the food was cold, they were supposed to have a suite and somehow were downgraded to only a balcony, the bride was in tears… and then the security guard got head butted ... By the tiny little 100 pound bride. She lost her ever loving mind! LOL … and Mark had the front row view peeking out from the bathroom!
Somehow, she did not get into trouble for this little incident and Carnival agreed to refund her money she had paid for the wedding, but what was done was done. Upon reflection, she says she doesn’t even remember it! She said she has never done anything like that before and all she remembers was she just kept getting madder and madder… and then her head hurt!
That my friend’s was Day 1 of our “Wheels fell of the train” very first (and possibly the last) 4 day cruise. Don’t worry. One day doesn’t make or break the Hunt family. We were all dancing and gambling away by the end of the night and determined to have a good time. Until we got back to the cabin and Mark says… Ugh, what is that smell…. And where are all my clothes! ? Shhhh

I am a planner, a researcher, a thinker. The majority will call it having an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I like to refer to it as just being prepared. What I have learned over my years of vacation planning is no matter how hard I try… nothing ever goes the way I plan it. (That in no way deters me from attempting another time. I am quite stubborn and persistent…. To put it mildly)
Our first trip to Galveston was our first cruise ever. The one where I totally tricked my husband into cruising after HE specifically said “no way, no how, not ever”…. So, we arrived in Galveston pissed off and not speaking to each other. Through some online travel/hotel thing I had booked a deal for a “Hotel on the Seawall”. What we got when we pulled up was something equivalent to the Motel 6 in the “hood” about 6 blocks away from the seawall. Perfect….just Perfect. But hey! They offer a free shuttle to the port ?
We checked in and hauled our bags up the stairs to the second floor. The room was okay… in a motel-ish sort of fashion. We decided the only thing that was going to improve this night was to just go see the ocean and get a beer. So we called a cab and headed out.
Down at the seawall, apparently there is not much of a “night life” so to speak. Every place we went was about to close at 10pm!! We gave up, called our cab and detoured through a convenience store for a 6 pack of beer and headed back to our “Hotel/Motel in the hood”.
Upon arriving back at our room we heard scuffling outside the door. It appears the 3 people in the room next door were having somewhat of an argument/mild domestic disturbance. They were quite friendly to us and were more than willing to share their dirty laundry, so we took our beer outside…. Sat down and watched the show. (Our front row seats to the knock off Jerry Springer show involved 1 girl, 2 boys … and shall we say “a sword fight”. Anyhoo…. We played Dr. Phil for a while and called it a night ? Suddenly, we were feeling much better about ourselves.
Another time we headed down to Galveston early and were cruising with our son and both of our mothers. That’s right … 2 MIL’s, me, hubby and a kid…. All in 1 van, headed down the road for a 5 hour trip. Approximately 3 hours into this little road trip my husband’s mother CALMLY says…. “I forgot my passport at home.” …. YOU MUST BE KIDDING?! Nope. There is nothing like turning around to go back home after 3 hours on the road. Our 5 hour road trip turned into 11!! (Side note) My mother in law claims to be psychic….. and you didn’t see that coming?! On this same trip she also left $400 worth of souvenirs on an excursion when she LEFT them on the tour bus! Now, I love my MIL and my parents aren’t perfect either… but scatter brained is putting it mildy! Thank goodness her son hasn’t inherited any of those traits….. yet.
Once again we attempted to go to Galveston early and it was like the wheels fell off the train! I got off work early so we were heading out earlier than planned. We were avoiding the high traffic times. Everyone was in a good mood… which never, ever happens! This was unheard of!
Then, 30 minutes down the road I checked my email and there it was… an email from Carnival. The boat is having propulsion issues and won’t arrive back in Galveston until 3:30pm. Do not proceed to the pier until 6pm. HOLY BANANAS! It was only a 4 day cruise and now we are basically missing almost a whole day! We had even purchased the Faster to the Fun so we could get on board as early as we could to start enjoying our vacation. So the grumbling ensued in the van. We decided to continue on instead of turning around and going back home. We had already booked an awesome hotel… The Hilton ON the seawall and got a room with a view of the ocean. (I was sure of it this time). We would just spend the day in Galveston… visit the beach, go to some museums… we’d make a day of it. Everyone was happy again... somewhat.
We arrived in Galveston at 10pm. Naturally, everything was closed. We even asked the young looking kid who took up our luggage “So where do you guys hang out for fun?” He just shrugged his shoulders. OK… “Where can we get something to eat?” His response… “You could order a pizza.” Perfect… we’ll do that. Pizza ordered. Trenton and Maw-Maw headed to their room. Hubby and I piled on the bed and turned on the TV to wait for our pizza. Phone Rings. It’s my mom saying the words you NEVER want to hear when you are on vacation. “Trenton is throwing up.”
WHAT!? What did you do to him!? He was fine 15 minutes ago!
So I go collect the kid and sure enough he is throwing up… every hour… all night long. He’s not normal by the way. He doesn’t act sick. He isn’t laying there lifeless. He is watching TV, playing on his ipod… keeping me awake and then “Oh… hold on. I’ll be right back.” So 7am comes, Trenton’s back in the bathroom and my husband looks at me and says “So what are you going to do?”
WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?!!
Like… I am the only one with the ability to solve this situation? I said “What are YOU going to do?” He says… “I am going to go to sleep.” HMPF
Fine. I called the front desk and asked for the nearest emergency clinic. There’s only 1 on the island. Awesome. Could you call me a cab please. (Mom is in her room with the car keys and not waking up) I jumped in the shower… then threw Trenton in to hose him off a little. Got us dressed and grabbed the trash can liner going out the door to go meet the cab. Bless that little cab driver’s heart. He took 1 look at Trenton, saw me carrying the trash can bag and kicked it into high gear! I am certain the cab was airborne at times. In no time at all we came to a screeching halt right in front of the door to the clinic ? We were in luck. There was NO wait. Went right in and thankfully the doc said he ate something bad the day before and should be at the end of the course. Thanks Roadhouse ?

We were cleared for cruising! He gave me a prescription of anti-nausea medicine just in case and sent us on our way! After that Trenton took a 4 hour nap at the hotel… Clearly we had time ? And was fine ever since.
So the REAL adventure came next. Our little 3 and now ½ day cruise upon the Carnival Triumph turned out to be one of the strangest of all. Complete with line cutting, head-butting, broken bottles of wine (none related to the other) …. And a really good time! ?
To Be Continued….

Let's just throw this out there. I only have 1 child, I am an only child, and I come from an only child. None of it was planned that way... It's just how life happened. A house over run with children is foreign to me. Martha Stewart in the kitchen, I am not.
So Trenton says "Mom, can *Sheldon and *Leonard spend the night?" (*Names have been changed to protect the innocent) "BOTH of them? Like... At the same time? (insert excited little face from your only child) Well, ok...". And so it began.
I picked the boys up, brought them home and sent them outside to play. All was going well. The kids came inside and said they were getting hungry. OK, let's make dinner.
(Trenton shot his first deer last year and was super excited. He thought it was really cool that he was providing food for the family ? He wanted to make nachos and use his deer meat.)
This is when *Sheldon says "Oh, I don't eat cheese." I am thinking Oh No! I didn't ask if these kids had any allergies. Oh crap!
"Oh, I'm not allergic. I just don't like it."
Huh? ... You don't like cheese? ... On purpose? Who doesn't like cheese on purpose?
Ok fine. How about chicken.. "no"
fish sticks... "no"
hamburgers... "no"
I name off the entire pantry and fridge... "no".
Ok, Sheldon...what would YOU like to eat for dinner?
His response... "Olive Garden will be fine."
OLIVE GARDEN !!!!! .... Are you serious?
I was defeated... I ordered Olive Garden. (A child’s spaghetti with sauce in little cups on the side for Sheldon). This is when I looked at Mark and said "Let's run! Let's just go and leave them here!" (Totally kidding... But the thought seriously crossed my mind)
I return home to find three 10 year old boys watching Pokemon on the 65 inch TV and Mark hiding in the bedroom!
The husbands point of view: Well, I was sitting there watching my TV and *Leonard comes and sits beside me and says "Hi". So I said "hi."
"I really like Channel 300."
That's all cartoons. I said. And he just stared at me! So I said, would you like me to put on cartoons?
"Yes, please"
So I type in 300 and he yells "Pokemon!!" And then this stampede happened and I realized I didn't even have a place to sit on my own couch anymore and there was a 65 inch Pokemon in our living room.... So I took refuge in the bedroom.
Ha! So I am thinking "pushover" as I am busting out the OG... Feeling like a champ.
"That's not the right sauce".
What?!
"That's not the right sauce, I can't eat that"
What do you mean it's not the right sauce?! You said marinara sauce... That's marinara sauce.
"I like the kid’s marinara sauce"
The kid’s marinara sauce and the adult marinara sauce is the same! It's marinara sauce! One plate is just smaller than the other!! (my blood pressure is rising)
"It's ok. I'll just eat the noodles"
You are going to eat plain noodles for dinner!? I HAD plain noodles I could have cooked!
DEEP breath... Ok, let's just pray and eat. That bedroom is looking better and better!
Play,Pokemon,popcorn,Skylanders, candy, Beyblade, put your PJ's on, brush your teeth.... And *Sheldon comes parading through the living room in his underwear! "You don't live here kid!! Where are your pants?!" Oh Geez! I threw some blankets and pillows at them and went to hide in the bedroom with Mark! Aaah, peace at last.
6AM... Sounds of crashing, spinning, cheering... It's just a dream... "Crash, spin, cheer" ... There is no way those kids are up ... "Crash, spin, cheer" ... Because we all have Beyblade tournaments before the sun comes up! HUGE SIGH. I open the bedroom door and all three file into the living room with the sweetest little smiles "Did we wake you Mrs. Hunt?" ... As if any effort was made in an attempt NOT too.
Are y'all hungry? ... In unison "yes".
Awesome, here's some cereal.
"Mrs. Hunt, I don't drink milk"
That's fine, I have almond milk.
"I don't really like almond milk"
So eat the cereal dry. Trenton does it all the time.
"I don't really like those cereals"
Fine. *Sheldon, what would YOU like for breakfast?"
"Pancakes"
No. How about eggs?
"Do you have biscuits?"
No
"Then I don't want any eggs"
Of course you don’t, how about cinnamon toast?
"That’s fine ... As long as you don't make it soggy"
.... This kid's going home hungry!
So I Google how to make cinnamon toast bread and NOT make it soggy. Ended up putting it in the oven and using a broiler for the first time… Ever!
Then I got interrogated on the make and model of my Orange juice! It's orange juice!!!!!!!! It comes from an orange! Just drink it!!!
So. It's noon. *Leonard has left and Sheldon is still here. I have decided his parents have been eating everything they can get their hands on since I picked this kid up and are in a self-induced diabetic coma somewhere. Imagine being able to just eat something!
In the meantime, I have applied a double amount of my Derm Exclusive wrinkle cream and booked another cruise.
And that my friend’s is why I cruise!

Let's just throw this out there. I only have 1 child, I am an only child, and I come from an only child. None of it was planned that way... It's just how life happened. A house over run with children is foreign to me. Martha Stewart in the kitchen, I am not.
So Trenton says "Mom, can *Sheldon and *Leonard spend the night?" (*Names have been changed to protect the innocent) "BOTH of them? Like... At the same time? (insert excited little face from your only child) Well, ok...". And so it began.
I picked the boys up, brought them home and sent them outside to play. All was going well. The kids came inside and said they were getting hungry. OK, let's make dinner.
(Trenton shot his first deer last year and was super excited. He thought it was really cool that he was providing food for the family ? He wanted to make nachos and use his deer meat.)
This is when *Sheldon says "Oh, I don't eat cheese." I am thinking Oh No! I didn't ask if these kids had any allergies. Oh crap!
"Oh, I'm not allergic. I just don't like it."
Huh? ... You don't like cheese? ... On purpose? Who doesn't like cheese on purpose?
Ok fine. How about chicken.. "no"
fish sticks... "no"
hamburgers... "no"
I name off the entire pantry and fridge... "no".
Ok, Sheldon...what would YOU like to eat for dinner?
His response... "Olive Garden will be fine."
OLIVE GARDEN !!!!! .... Are you serious?
I was defeated... I ordered Olive Garden. (A child’s spaghetti with sauce in little cups on the side for Sheldon). This is when I looked at Mark and said "Let's run! Let's just go and leave them here!" (Totally kidding... But the thought seriously crossed my mind)
I return home to find three 10 year old boys watching Pokemon on the 65 inch TV and Mark hiding in the bedroom!
The husbands point of view: Well, I was sitting there watching my TV and *Leonard comes and sits beside me and says "Hi". So I said "hi."
"I really like Channel 300."
That's all cartoons. I said. And he just stared at me! So I said, would you like me to put on cartoons?
"Yes, please"
So I type in 300 and he yells "Pokemon!!" And then this stampede happened and I realized I didn't even have a place to sit on my own couch anymore and there was a 65 inch Pokemon in our living room.... So I took refuge in the bedroom.
Ha! So I am thinking "pushover" as I am busting out the OG... Feeling like a champ.
"That's not the right sauce".
What?!
"That's not the right sauce, I can't eat that"
What do you mean it's not the right sauce?! You said marinara sauce... That's marinara sauce.
"I like the kid’s marinara sauce"
The kid’s marinara sauce and the adult marinara sauce is the same! It's marinara sauce! One plate is just smaller than the other!! (my blood pressure is rising)
"It's ok. I'll just eat the noodles"
You are going to eat plain noodles for dinner!? I HAD plain noodles I could have cooked!
DEEP breath... Ok, let's just pray and eat. That bedroom is looking better and better!
Play,Pokemon,popcorn,Skylanders, candy, Beyblade, put your PJ's on, brush your teeth.... And *Sheldon comes parading through the living room in his underwear! "You don't live here kid!! Where are your pants?!" Oh Geez! I threw some blankets and pillows at them and went to hide in the bedroom with Mark! Aaah, peace at last.
6AM... Sounds of crashing, spinning, cheering... It's just a dream... "Crash, spin, cheer" ... There is no way those kids are up ... "Crash, spin, cheer" ... Because we all have Beyblade tournaments before the sun comes up! HUGE SIGH. I open the bedroom door and all three file into the living room with the sweetest little smiles "Did we wake you Mrs. Hunt?" ... As if any effort was made in an attempt NOT too.
Are y'all hungry? ... In unison "yes".
Awesome, here's some cereal.
"Mrs. Hunt, I don't drink milk"
That's fine, I have almond milk.
"I don't really like almond milk"
So eat the cereal dry. Trenton does it all the time.
"I don't really like those cereals"
Fine. *Sheldon, what would YOU like for breakfast?"
"Pancakes"
No. How about eggs?
"Do you have biscuits?"
No
"Then I don't want any eggs"
Of course you don’t, how about cinnamon toast?
"That’s fine ... As long as you don't make it soggy"
.... This kid's going home hungry!
So I Google how to make cinnamon toast bread and NOT make it soggy. Ended up putting it in the oven and using a broiler for the first time… Ever!
Then I got interrogated on the make and model of my Orange juice! It's orange juice!!!!!!!! It comes from an orange! Just drink it!!!
So. It's noon. *Leonard has left and Sheldon is still here. I have decided his parents have been eating everything they can get their hands on since I picked this kid up and are in a self-induced diabetic coma somewhere. Imagine being able to just eat something!
In the meantime, I have applied a double amount of my Derm Exclusive wrinkle cream and booked another cruise.
And that my friend’s is why I cruise!

My husband really loves me. I know this because he accepts me with all the crazy ideas that come out of my head. Being from Texas, we have always cruised out of Galveston. We (really meaning I) decided we should do something different and cruise out of Florida for our summer cruise this past year. New cruise ship… New ports… New city to discover... Sounds perfect!
We’re goin’ to Miami! Woo Hoo!
There was just one small problem. My husband has never flown. Never set foot on a plane or any other metal object that actually leaves the ground. That’s ok and all, but he also has an irrational fear of heights… Oh, and he also has a HUGE anxiety problem. This was 7 years after our first cruise and my trickery days are over so I said… “Guess what? WE are flying to Miami. You’ll be fine.” He initially agreed, but as the days started ticking by he started trying to formulate plans to DRIVE us.
Nope, babe… I can’t take 4 extra days off for us to road trip to Florida and back.
Nope, All 4 of us could fit in the truck, but the luggage would be uncovered in the bed. What if it rains or we stop to eat.
Yes, we could rent a car and drive straight though, but the extra expense to park it for 8 days or to leave it in a state we didn’t rent it from is the same price as flying.
Sure we can take Mom’s van…but it’s her company van and no one else can drive it. You can’t expect her to drive 22 hours by herself.
… and so this went on FOR WEEKS.
That’s when the thought of drugging him crossed my mind. I could suggest eating in the airport, ask him to go get me a napkin and slip something in his drink. Done correctly, I could get him on the plane and buckled in before he passed out. …. But what if my timing was off? I am 5’2 with my shoes on, I certainly can’t carry him.
So there we were. “Hey, Dude. We’re flying to Miami and though I have contemplated it, I can’t figure out a good way to drug you by surprise, so… suck it up buttercup. You’re going on your first plane ride.”
All I had to do was figure out a way for him not to freak out, get thrown off the plane, and go to jail… I got this.
We arrived at the airport and got our bags checked, stripped off our shoes and were awaiting the metal detectors. (Side Note: He wore flip flops and refused to bring a pair of socks like I had suggested… Eww) I look over and Mark’s backpack is being searched. (Shaving cream, lotion, cologne, a brand new $120 bottle of face cream) They have it all lined up there on the table. “Aww crap.”
(It appears I forgot to go over the “You can’t fly with that in your carry on list”) Sooo, our son had a little bag with his books and ipod in it. I shoved all his stuff in my bag. Then sock feet and all (no time to put tennis shoes back on) ran back out to “check” another bag filled with our (his) contraband. That little adventure got me placed in the back of the line, then re-routed through the full body scanner … then they searched my hair. That’s right… my hair… twice! (We ARE from Texas.) My son was behind them saying “Mom… what are they doing to your head?!” Your guess is as good as mine.
By this time, the plane is boarding. Trenton (his first plane ride too…but he’s totally excited!) got to meet the pilot and go in the cockpit. Really awesome for the crew to take time to do this by the way!

Mark wanted NO part of the cockpit… or the pilot… or the flight attendant. He made a beeline for his seat and sat there slightly pale and silent latching, tightening, testing and rechecking his seatbelt.
The rest of us got to our seats and got all situated. I whip out one of Mark’s anti-anxiety pills and a bottle of water. (I’m all for drugging him.) He says No, he doesn’t want to take it. He can do this, he needed to experience it to get over his fear and he would be fine. All that sounds macho and perfect…what I’m really thinking is “Umm Bu!!sh!t”, but I went along with it anyway.
As the plane takes off down the runway, Trenton and I are looking out the window when I caught a glimpse of Mark out of the corner of my eye. He is gripping the armrests, his knuckles are white, and he is completely pale. I whisper… please take that pill. He says No! I am thinking “Uh Oh, This can’t be good!”
By the time we reach the end of the runway and leave the ground he is profusely sweating. Sweat is literally running down his face and dripping onto his shirt. It was seriously like a scene from that old movie, Airplane.

(This is only comical looking back, by the way.) Finally, we were in the air and he realized he survived. Without medication. Whew! One small step for man… One giant leap for the Hunt family!
I got him all settled in, turned on his movie with ear phones … (Mark, not Trenton) and all was well.
… And then we hit turbulence.
Without warning, he bolted straight up in his chair… the movie player crashes to the floor, he grabs the seat in front of him and starts glancing around frantically for … I don’t know what. Just then the pilot comes on and asks everyone to return to their seats and put on their seatbelts. I calmly pry his hands off the poor man’s seat in front of him and say “There is someone sitting there, you can’t do that.”
And then the conversation went something like this:
This really is normal…
Yes, we are going to be fine…
No, the plane isn’t going down…
It has something to do with different air currents…
Please take that pill out of your pocket and swallow it!
What the hell, if it does go down at least we are all dying together!
(In hind sight, probably not the best way to attempt to calm someone down but I was running out of ideas)
This led to him frantically pushing the “attendant” button until he managed to flag down a flight attendant for her professional opinion of whether we are all about to die or not. Finally he realized, the flight attendants were starting to serve drinks, half the people were sleeping already, the other half were reading and not another soul on that plane cared that the plane was in turbulence. “Why, oh why, Lord can’t he have a smooth flight for the first time?! You know, if this goes poorly… we won’t be flying home from Florida!”
We got the movie player retrieved, got him to drink some water, eat a protein bar for a snack….and the family of 5 crammed in the 3 seats behind us had a kid that pooped their pants. I am sure of it! Mark kept saying “What is that smell?!” Seriously?? Welcome to flying honey!
So landing was a breeze, I whipped out the Big Red gum and all was well. Good news…. We can still fly home! LOL …. And I am still married ?
FYI: If you take a power strip on board the cruise ship with you, realize as you are leaving your cabin that you forgot to pack it in the luggage you checked last night, and in a hurry shove it in your husband’s backpack with the 3 iphone chargers still plugged into it…. Going through the xray scanners at the airport…. It looks suspiciously like a bomb and can hold the line up for a while. Sorry babe ?

My husband really loves me. I know this because he accepts me with all the crazy ideas that come out of my head. Being from Texas, we have always cruised out of Galveston. We (really meaning I) decided we should do something different and cruise out of Florida for our summer cruise this past year. New cruise ship… New ports… New city to discover... Sounds perfect!
We’re goin’ to Miami! Woo Hoo!
There was just one small problem. My husband has never flown. Never set foot on a plane or any other metal object that actually leaves the ground. That’s ok and all, but he also has an irrational fear of heights… Oh, and he also has a HUGE anxiety problem. This was 7 years after our first cruise and my trickery days are over so I said… “Guess what? WE are flying to Miami. You’ll be fine.” He initially agreed, but as the days started ticking by he started trying to formulate plans to DRIVE us.
Nope, babe… I can’t take 4 extra days off for us to road trip to Florida and back.
Nope, All 4 of us could fit in the truck, but the luggage would be uncovered in the bed. What if it rains or we stop to eat.
Yes, we could rent a car and drive straight though, but the extra expense to park it for 8 days or to leave it in a state we didn’t rent it from is the same price as flying.
Sure we can take Mom’s van…but it’s her company van and no one else can drive it. You can’t expect her to drive 22 hours by herself.
… and so this went on FOR WEEKS.
That’s when the thought of drugging him crossed my mind. I could suggest eating in the airport, ask him to go get me a napkin and slip something in his drink. Done correctly, I could get him on the plane and buckled in before he passed out. …. But what if my timing was off? I am 5’2 with my shoes on, I certainly can’t carry him.
So there we were. “Hey, Dude. We’re flying to Miami and though I have contemplated it, I can’t figure out a good way to drug you by surprise, so… suck it up buttercup. You’re going on your first plane ride.”
All I had to do was figure out a way for him not to freak out, get thrown off the plane, and go to jail… I got this.
We arrived at the airport and got our bags checked, stripped off our shoes and were awaiting the metal detectors. (Side Note: He wore flip flops and refused to bring a pair of socks like I had suggested… Eww) I look over and Mark’s backpack is being searched. (Shaving cream, lotion, cologne, a brand new $120 bottle of face cream) They have it all lined up there on the table. “Aww crap.”
(It appears I forgot to go over the “You can’t fly with that in your carry on list”) Sooo, our son had a little bag with his books and ipod in it. I shoved all his stuff in my bag. Then sock feet and all (no time to put tennis shoes back on) ran back out to “check” another bag filled with our (his) contraband. That little adventure got me placed in the back of the line, then re-routed through the full body scanner … then they searched my hair. That’s right… my hair… twice! (We ARE from Texas.) My son was behind them saying “Mom… what are they doing to your head?!” Your guess is as good as mine.
By this time, the plane is boarding. Trenton (his first plane ride too…but he’s totally excited!) got to meet the pilot and go in the cockpit. Really awesome for the crew to take time to do this by the way!

Mark wanted NO part of the cockpit… or the pilot… or the flight attendant. He made a beeline for his seat and sat there slightly pale and silent latching, tightening, testing and rechecking his seatbelt.
The rest of us got to our seats and got all situated. I whip out one of Mark’s anti-anxiety pills and a bottle of water. (I’m all for drugging him.) He says No, he doesn’t want to take it. He can do this, he needed to experience it to get over his fear and he would be fine. All that sounds macho and perfect…what I’m really thinking is “Umm Bu!!sh!t”, but I went along with it anyway.
As the plane takes off down the runway, Trenton and I are looking out the window when I caught a glimpse of Mark out of the corner of my eye. He is gripping the armrests, his knuckles are white, and he is completely pale. I whisper… please take that pill. He says No! I am thinking “Uh Oh, This can’t be good!”
By the time we reach the end of the runway and leave the ground he is profusely sweating. Sweat is literally running down his face and dripping onto his shirt. It was seriously like a scene from that old movie, Airplane.

(This is only comical looking back, by the way.) Finally, we were in the air and he realized he survived. Without medication. Whew! One small step for man… One giant leap for the Hunt family!
I got him all settled in, turned on his movie with ear phones … (Mark, not Trenton) and all was well.
… And then we hit turbulence.
Without warning, he bolted straight up in his chair… the movie player crashes to the floor, he grabs the seat in front of him and starts glancing around frantically for … I don’t know what. Just then the pilot comes on and asks everyone to return to their seats and put on their seatbelts. I calmly pry his hands off the poor man’s seat in front of him and say “There is someone sitting there, you can’t do that.”
And then the conversation went something like this:
This really is normal…
Yes, we are going to be fine…
No, the plane isn’t going down…
It has something to do with different air currents…
Please take that pill out of your pocket and swallow it!
What the hell, if it does go down at least we are all dying together!
(In hind sight, probably not the best way to attempt to calm someone down but I was running out of ideas)
This led to him frantically pushing the “attendant” button until he managed to flag down a flight attendant for her professional opinion of whether we are all about to die or not. Finally he realized, the flight attendants were starting to serve drinks, half the people were sleeping already, the other half were reading and not another soul on that plane cared that the plane was in turbulence. “Why, oh why, Lord can’t he have a smooth flight for the first time?! You know, if this goes poorly… we won’t be flying home from Florida!”
We got the movie player retrieved, got him to drink some water, eat a protein bar for a snack….and the family of 5 crammed in the 3 seats behind us had a kid that pooped their pants. I am sure of it! Mark kept saying “What is that smell?!” Seriously?? Welcome to flying honey!
So landing was a breeze, I whipped out the Big Red gum and all was well. Good news…. We can still fly home! LOL …. And I am still married ?
FYI: If you take a power strip on board the cruise ship with you, realize as you are leaving your cabin that you forgot to pack it in the luggage you checked last night, and in a hurry shove it in your husband’s backpack with the 3 iphone chargers still plugged into it…. Going through the xray scanners at the airport…. It looks suspiciously like a bomb and can hold the line up for a while. Sorry babe ?

My husband really loves me. I know this because he accepts me with all the crazy ideas that come out of my head. Being from Texas, we have always cruised out of Galveston. We (really meaning I) decided we should do something different and cruise out of Florida for our summer cruise this past year. New cruise ship… New ports… New city to discover... Sounds perfect!
We’re goin’ to Miami! Woo Hoo!
There was just one small problem. My husband has never flown. Never set foot on a plane or any other metal object that actually leaves the ground. That’s ok and all, but he also has an irrational fear of heights… Oh, and he also has a HUGE anxiety problem. This was 7 years after our first cruise and my trickery days are over so I said… “Guess what? WE are flying to Miami. You’ll be fine.” He initially agreed, but as the days started ticking by he started trying to formulate plans to DRIVE us.
Nope, babe… I can’t take 4 extra days off for us to road trip to Florida and back.
Nope, All 4 of us could fit in the truck, but the luggage would be uncovered in the bed. What if it rains or we stop to eat.
Yes, we could rent a car and drive straight though, but the extra expense to park it for 8 days or to leave it in a state we didn’t rent it from is the same price as flying.
Sure we can take Mom’s van…but it’s her company van and no one else can drive it. You can’t expect her to drive 22 hours by herself.
… and so this went on FOR WEEKS.
That’s when the thought of drugging him crossed my mind. I could suggest eating in the airport, ask him to go get me a napkin and slip something in his drink. Done correctly, I could get him on the plane and buckled in before he passed out. …. But what if my timing was off? I am 5’2 with my shoes on, I certainly can’t carry him.
So there we were. “Hey, Dude. We’re flying to Miami and though I have contemplated it, I can’t figure out a good way to drug you by surprise, so… suck it up buttercup. You’re going on your first plane ride.”
All I had to do was figure out a way for him not to freak out, get thrown off the plane, and go to jail… I got this.
We arrived at the airport and got our bags checked, stripped off our shoes and were awaiting the metal detectors. (Side Note: He wore flip flops and refused to bring a pair of socks like I had suggested… Eww) I look over and Mark’s backpack is being searched. (Shaving cream, lotion, cologne, a brand new $120 bottle of face cream) They have it all lined up there on the table. “Aww crap.”
(It appears I forgot to go over the “You can’t fly with that in your carry on list”) Sooo, our son had a little bag with his books and ipod in it. I shoved all his stuff in my bag. Then sock feet and all (no time to put tennis shoes back on) ran back out to “check” another bag filled with our (his) contraband. That little adventure got me placed in the back of the line, then re-routed through the full body scanner … then they searched my hair. That’s right… my hair… twice! (We ARE from Texas.) My son was behind them saying “Mom… what are they doing to your head?!” Your guess is as good as mine.
By this time, the plane is boarding. Trenton (his first plane ride too…but he’s totally excited!) got to meet the pilot and go in the cockpit. Really awesome for the crew to take time to do this by the way!

Mark wanted NO part of the cockpit… or the pilot… or the flight attendant. He made a beeline for his seat and sat there slightly pale and silent latching, tightening, testing and rechecking his seatbelt.
The rest of us got to our seats and got all situated. I whip out one of Mark’s anti-anxiety pills and a bottle of water. (I’m all for drugging him.) He says No, he doesn’t want to take it. He can do this, he needed to experience it to get over his fear and he would be fine. All that sounds macho and perfect…what I’m really thinking is “Umm Bu!!sh!t”, but I went along with it anyway.
As the plane takes off down the runway, Trenton and I are looking out the window when I caught a glimpse of Mark out of the corner of my eye. He is gripping the armrests, his knuckles are white, and he is completely pale. I whisper… please take that pill. He says No! I am thinking “Uh Oh, This can’t be good!”
By the time we reach the end of the runway and leave the ground he is profusely sweating. Sweat is literally running down his face and dripping onto his shirt. It was seriously like a scene from that old movie, Airplane.

(This is only comical looking back, by the way.) Finally, we were in the air and he realized he survived. Without medication. Whew! One small step for man… One giant leap for the Hunt family!
I got him all settled in, turned on his movie with ear phones … (Mark, not Trenton) and all was well.
… And then we hit turbulence.
Without warning, he bolted straight up in his chair… the movie player crashes to the floor, he grabs the seat in front of him and starts glancing around frantically for … I don’t know what. Just then the pilot comes on and asks everyone to return to their seats and put on their seatbelts. I calmly pry his hands off the poor man’s seat in front of him and say “There is someone sitting there, you can’t do that.”
And then the conversation went something like this:
This really is normal…
Yes, we are going to be fine…
No, the plane isn’t going down…
It has something to do with different air currents…
Please take that pill out of your pocket and swallow it!
What the hell, if it does go down at least we are all dying together!
(In hind sight, probably not the best way to attempt to calm someone down but I was running out of ideas)
This led to him frantically pushing the “attendant” button until he managed to flag down a flight attendant for her professional opinion of whether we are all about to die or not. Finally he realized, the flight attendants were starting to serve drinks, half the people were sleeping already, the other half were reading and not another soul on that plane cared that the plane was in turbulence. “Why, oh why, Lord can’t he have a smooth flight for the first time?! You know, if this goes poorly… we won’t be flying home from Florida!”
We got the movie player retrieved, got him to drink some water, eat a protein bar for a snack….and the family of 5 crammed in the 3 seats behind us had a kid that pooped their pants. I am sure of it! Mark kept saying “What is that smell?!” Seriously?? Welcome to flying honey!
So landing was a breeze, I whipped out the Big Red gum and all was well. Good news…. We can still fly home! LOL …. And I am still married ?
FYI: If you take a power strip on board the cruise ship with you, realize as you are leaving your cabin that you forgot to pack it in the luggage you checked last night, and in a hurry shove it in your husband’s backpack with the 3 iphone chargers still plugged into it…. Going through the xray scanners at the airport…. It looks suspiciously like a bomb and can hold the line up for a while. Sorry babe ?

Hey everyone! This is my first blog here and I am super excited!! I stumbled across this site by chance and loved it! I hope my blogs will offer you some valuable tips as well as some fun entertainment.
I have never been a writer… nor thought I ever would be. I am a small town Texas girl who fell in love with cruising. The first time I saw the ocean, a magical calm came over me -- and it has been calling my name ever since. I can’t break that spell. Going to the ocean is my escape. I am by no means an expert, but researching cruises and information when I am on land fuels my passion and allows me to keep sane (somewhat) until my next cruise rolls around.
So this is how it all got started….
Our son was not quite 3. My husband and I never took a “real” honeymoon and were approaching our 5 year anniversary. To put it mildly… we were broke, but desperately needed to get away. Thankfully, a good ‘ole Texas spring storm came through and took down what was left of our sad, pitiful fence in the backyard. When we received the money from the insurance company to replace the fence, I got the bright idea that if we cooked some hamburgers and bought some beer, my husband and his friends could replace the fence themselves and save us a TON of money. (You’re welcome honey!) We could use what we saved to go on vacation!
Brilliant… I know!
My husband wanted to go to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. However, I was doing the research. Everything was so expensive… and all we had was leftover fence money! It looked like we could go to an all-inclusive resort, but we would have no money left over to actually DO anything. The extent of our vacation would be to drink ourselves silly on watered down drinks on a beach somewhere. Let’s be honest here… after a day or two…that would suck OR we could take a cruise. We would have enough money left over to still drink ourselves silly AND go on excursions in all 3 ports. Neither of us are ones to be bored so I thought this was the best deal! So I booked it. Non-refundable, of course.
I casually brought up the idea of a cruise to Mark (that’s my husband), thinking he would love the idea! This cruise thing sounded so like us! His response…no way on this earth was he ever getting on a boat for 7 days. Period.
Hmmm… what to do? What to do? … I couldn’t tell him I already spent all our money and I had no way of getting it back. I knew what was best for him… I just needed to figure out a way for him to know it too! I’m not one to lie, so I thought it best to say we couldn’t afford to do the Mexico thing so we were going to go to Galveston instead. I packed his bags (formal night clothes and all… cause that’s how awesome I am) and we set off.
Somewhere down the lonely stretch of road to Galveston from Fort Worth, I couldn’t contain my excitement any longer and let it slip that we were going on a cruise. Oh my Gracious! It got ugly in that car! By the time we reached Galveston we weren’t speaking. He finally agreed to get on the boat (thankfully because otherwise, I wouldn’t have had a ride home in a week!), but we were getting a divorce when we got off! True story.
Then something magical happened. We had the time of our lives!! The cruise ship was more than we could have ever imagined. We were upgraded from an inside cabin… to one with a porthole! We thought we had hit the lottery. Not even the waves crashing against the boat and threatening to come through the wall at any moment or the ridiculous vibration from the thrusters could spoil our fun! There was stuff to do everywhere! (Food, shows, shopping, casino, nightclubs, pools.) We fell in love with each other all over again!! Sappy… I know! We were already looking for the next cruise to book as soon as we got home. See…. I knew I was right!
That cruise in fact, probably saved our marriage. And so it began. Years later, we are still setting off together for our adventures at sea (only now he is a willing participant… minus the time I tried to move us all to St. Thomas, but that’s another blog… and now we can afford them!)
I look forward to sharing our cruising adventures with all of you!

Hey everyone! This is my first blog here and I am super excited!! I stumbled across this site by chance and loved it! I hope my blogs will offer you some valuable tips as well as some fun entertainment.
I have never been a writer… nor thought I ever would be. I am a small town Texas girl who fell in love with cruising. The first time I saw the ocean, a magical calm came over me -- and it has been calling my name ever since. I can’t break that spell. Going to the ocean is my escape. I am by no means an expert, but researching cruises and information when I am on land fuels my passion and allows me to keep sane (somewhat) until my next cruise rolls around.
So this is how it all got started….
Our son was not quite 3. My husband and I never took a “real” honeymoon and were approaching our 5 year anniversary. To put it mildly… we were broke, but desperately needed to get away. Thankfully, a good ‘ole Texas spring storm came through and took down what was left of our sad, pitiful fence in the backyard. When we received the money from the insurance company to replace the fence, I got the bright idea that if we cooked some hamburgers and bought some beer, my husband and his friends could replace the fence themselves and save us a TON of money. (You’re welcome honey!) We could use what we saved to go on vacation!
Brilliant… I know!
My husband wanted to go to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. However, I was doing the research. Everything was so expensive… and all we had was leftover fence money! It looked like we could go to an all-inclusive resort, but we would have no money left over to actually DO anything. The extent of our vacation would be to drink ourselves silly on watered down drinks on a beach somewhere. Let’s be honest here… after a day or two…that would suck OR we could take a cruise. We would have enough money left over to still drink ourselves silly AND go on excursions in all 3 ports. Neither of us are ones to be bored so I thought this was the best deal! So I booked it. Non-refundable, of course.
I casually brought up the idea of a cruise to Mark (that’s my husband), thinking he would love the idea! This cruise thing sounded so like us! His response…no way on this earth was he ever getting on a boat for 7 days. Period.
Hmmm… what to do? What to do? … I couldn’t tell him I already spent all our money and I had no way of getting it back. I knew what was best for him… I just needed to figure out a way for him to know it too! I’m not one to lie, so I thought it best to say we couldn’t afford to do the Mexico thing so we were going to go to Galveston instead. I packed his bags (formal night clothes and all… cause that’s how awesome I am) and we set off.
Somewhere down the lonely stretch of road to Galveston from Fort Worth, I couldn’t contain my excitement any longer and let it slip that we were going on a cruise. Oh my Gracious! It got ugly in that car! By the time we reached Galveston we weren’t speaking. He finally agreed to get on the boat (thankfully because otherwise, I wouldn’t have had a ride home in a week!), but we were getting a divorce when we got off! True story.
Then something magical happened. We had the time of our lives!! The cruise ship was more than we could have ever imagined. We were upgraded from an inside cabin… to one with a porthole! We thought we had hit the lottery. Not even the waves crashing against the boat and threatening to come through the wall at any moment or the ridiculous vibration from the thrusters could spoil our fun! There was stuff to do everywhere! (Food, shows, shopping, casino, nightclubs, pools.) We fell in love with each other all over again!! Sappy… I know! We were already looking for the next cruise to book as soon as we got home. See…. I knew I was right!
That cruise in fact, probably saved our marriage. And so it began. Years later, we are still setting off together for our adventures at sea (only now he is a willing participant… minus the time I tried to move us all to St. Thomas, but that’s another blog… and now we can afford them!)
I look forward to sharing our cruising adventures with all of you!

Hey everyone! This is my first blog here and I am super excited!! I stumbled across this site by chance and loved it! I hope my blogs will offer you some valuable tips as well as some fun entertainment.
I have never been a writer… nor thought I ever would be. I am a small town Texas girl who fell in love with cruising. The first time I saw the ocean, a magical calm came over me -- and it has been calling my name ever since. I can’t break that spell. Going to the ocean is my escape. I am by no means an expert, but researching cruises and information when I am on land fuels my passion and allows me to keep sane (somewhat) until my next cruise rolls around.
So this is how it all got started….
Our son was not quite 3. My husband and I never took a “real” honeymoon and were approaching our 5 year anniversary. To put it mildly… we were broke, but desperately needed to get away. Thankfully, a good ‘ole Texas spring storm came through and took down what was left of our sad, pitiful fence in the backyard. When we received the money from the insurance company to replace the fence, I got the bright idea that if we cooked some hamburgers and bought some beer, my husband and his friends could replace the fence themselves and save us a TON of money. (You’re welcome honey!) We could use what we saved to go on vacation!
Brilliant… I know!
My husband wanted to go to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. However, I was doing the research. Everything was so expensive… and all we had was leftover fence money! It looked like we could go to an all-inclusive resort, but we would have no money left over to actually DO anything. The extent of our vacation would be to drink ourselves silly on watered down drinks on a beach somewhere. Let’s be honest here… after a day or two…that would suck OR we could take a cruise. We would have enough money left over to still drink ourselves silly AND go on excursions in all 3 ports. Neither of us are ones to be bored so I thought this was the best deal! So I booked it. Non-refundable, of course.
I casually brought up the idea of a cruise to Mark (that’s my husband), thinking he would love the idea! This cruise thing sounded so like us! His response…no way on this earth was he ever getting on a boat for 7 days. Period.
Hmmm… what to do? What to do? … I couldn’t tell him I already spent all our money and I had no way of getting it back. I knew what was best for him… I just needed to figure out a way for him to know it too! I’m not one to lie, so I thought it best to say we couldn’t afford to do the Mexico thing so we were going to go to Galveston instead. I packed his bags (formal night clothes and all… cause that’s how awesome I am) and we set off.
Somewhere down the lonely stretch of road to Galveston from Fort Worth, I couldn’t contain my excitement any longer and let it slip that we were going on a cruise. Oh my Gracious! It got ugly in that car! By the time we reached Galveston we weren’t speaking. He finally agreed to get on the boat (thankfully because otherwise, I wouldn’t have had a ride home in a week!), but we were getting a divorce when we got off! True story.
Then something magical happened. We had the time of our lives!! The cruise ship was more than we could have ever imagined. We were upgraded from an inside cabin… to one with a porthole! We thought we had hit the lottery. Not even the waves crashing against the boat and threatening to come through the wall at any moment or the ridiculous vibration from the thrusters could spoil our fun! There was stuff to do everywhere! (Food, shows, shopping, casino, nightclubs, pools.) We fell in love with each other all over again!! Sappy… I know! We were already looking for the next cruise to book as soon as we got home. See…. I knew I was right!
That cruise in fact, probably saved our marriage. And so it began. Years later, we are still setting off together for our adventures at sea (only now he is a willing participant… minus the time I tried to move us all to St. Thomas, but that’s another blog… and now we can afford them!)
I look forward to sharing our cruising adventures with all of you!

Hey everyone! This is my first blog here and I am super excited!! I stumbled across this site by chance and loved it! I hope my blogs will offer you some valuable tips as well as some fun entertainment.
I have never been a writer… nor thought I ever would be. I am a small town Texas girl who fell in love with cruising. The first time I saw the ocean, a magical calm came over me -- and it has been calling my name ever since. I can’t break that spell. Going to the ocean is my escape. I am by no means an expert, but researching cruises and information when I am on land fuels my passion and allows me to keep sane (somewhat) until my next cruise rolls around.
So this is how it all got started….
Our son was not quite 3. My husband and I never took a “real” honeymoon and were approaching our 5 year anniversary. To put it mildly… we were broke, but desperately needed to get away. Thankfully, a good ‘ole Texas spring storm came through and took down what was left of our sad, pitiful fence in the backyard. When we received the money from the insurance company to replace the fence, I got the bright idea that if we cooked some hamburgers and bought some beer, my husband and his friends could replace the fence themselves and save us a TON of money. (You’re welcome honey!) We could use what we saved to go on vacation!
Brilliant… I know!
My husband wanted to go to an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. However, I was doing the research. Everything was so expensive… and all we had was leftover fence money! It looked like we could go to an all-inclusive resort, but we would have no money left over to actually DO anything. The extent of our vacation would be to drink ourselves silly on watered down drinks on a beach somewhere. Let’s be honest here… after a day or two…that would suck OR we could take a cruise. We would have enough money left over to still drink ourselves silly AND go on excursions in all 3 ports. Neither of us are ones to be bored so I thought this was the best deal! So I booked it. Non-refundable, of course.
I casually brought up the idea of a cruise to Mark (that’s my husband), thinking he would love the idea! This cruise thing sounded so like us! His response…no way on this earth was he ever getting on a boat for 7 days. Period.
Hmmm… what to do? What to do? … I couldn’t tell him I already spent all our money and I had no way of getting it back. I knew what was best for him… I just needed to figure out a way for him to know it too! I’m not one to lie, so I thought it best to say we couldn’t afford to do the Mexico thing so we were going to go to Galveston instead. I packed his bags (formal night clothes and all… cause that’s how awesome I am) and we set off.
Somewhere down the lonely stretch of road to Galveston from Fort Worth, I couldn’t contain my excitement any longer and let it slip that we were going on a cruise. Oh my Gracious! It got ugly in that car! By the time we reached Galveston we weren’t speaking. He finally agreed to get on the boat (thankfully because otherwise, I wouldn’t have had a ride home in a week!), but we were getting a divorce when we got off! True story.
Then something magical happened. We had the time of our lives!! The cruise ship was more than we could have ever imagined. We were upgraded from an inside cabin… to one with a porthole! We thought we had hit the lottery. Not even the waves crashing against the boat and threatening to come through the wall at any moment or the ridiculous vibration from the thrusters could spoil our fun! There was stuff to do everywhere! (Food, shows, shopping, casino, nightclubs, pools.) We fell in love with each other all over again!! Sappy… I know! We were already looking for the next cruise to book as soon as we got home. See…. I knew I was right!
That cruise in fact, probably saved our marriage. And so it began. Years later, we are still setting off together for our adventures at sea (only now he is a willing participant… minus the time I tried to move us all to St. Thomas, but that’s another blog… and now we can afford them!)
I look forward to sharing our cruising adventures with all of you!

This is not a blog about the port of St Thomas, the beautiful US Virgin Island, but more of some amazing advice from an individual living there.
I was with a friend at a restaurant in St Thomas, the waiter came to us and you could tell he was from the States and not the Caribbean, so I just had to ask. "Where are you from?" He replied, "Philedelphia." Then he went on telling us how he used to be a school teacher but since all of the budget cuts in the school system he has not worked as a teacher for 3 years but waited tables in Philly to make ends meet.
He then said something that will stick with me forever. "If I am going to wait tables, I might as well do it somewhere beautiful and in a place I will love to be all year long." He just blew my mind with that advice and I told myself that this world is far too beautiful to not enjoy it or love where I live.
So I encourage everyone reading this… if you are not happy where you are, make a change! Life is not life unless you are happy!