Thoughts on a Cruise

So, I'm back from an eight-day cruise with my parents and nephew visiting Cozumel, Costa Rica, and Panama. We were sailing on the Carnival Freedom, a beautiful ship with a great crew. It is on occasions like this that I am reminded that there is an entire nation and world beyond the Washington Beltway. Upon boarding the ship in Ft. Lauderdale, I was reminded that the rest of the country finds it appropriate to wear a bikini when you obviously haven't looked in the mirror recently OR you have a funhouse in your bedroom. Middle America - you are HUGE! Stop with the buffets and the eating everything you can find. As many of you may be aware, food on a cruise ship is quite plentiful all day and night - one would think that it was the last food on earth given the plates that folks fill......and the ice cream machine needed extra electricity to keep up with demand. Who knew ice cream was the new breakfast food?

On top of the HUGE factor, this cruise must have had 300 children (late teens to babies) on board - and almost all of them were raised by wolves, and not the Twilight series Taylor Lautner type either......they were pushy, rude, loud, and EVERYWHERE!!!! The bars, the spa, the pools, the casino - and their parents could have cared less - vacation is now just where can we ditch the kids and they won't get lost - on a cruise ship!! what a brilliant idea - take the kids - they can run wild, as the parents - we can run wild, and everyone has a great time except for everyone else on the boat.....INCONSIDERATE BASTARDS, that's what I say.....you don't get to stop parenting in international waters!!!! GRRR!

Other than the monsters and the wide load families, the cruise was lovely. The crew was friendly, the entertainment outstanding, and the England vs US World Cup soccer match was awesome on the big screen on deck! I highly recommend a cruise - just be sure that school is in session!