My wife, Tess, and I caved in. We've been prodded so many times by family and friends, so on Sep 1, 2008, we finally went on our first cruise. To Mexico for six days. We embarked from San Diego, California and sailed to Cabo San Lucas and Encenada on a 75,000-ton Carnival cruise ship, the Elation; if anything, to satisfy our curiosity and disprove our stereotypes and fears of cruises.
1. Cruises are for old people. Yes, and for young and middle-aged people, too. There were people from all walks of life and from different countries. While the ship was underway, the staff had activities and venues for everyone including stage shows, dance instruction, gym/aerobics, putt-putt golf, bingo, karaoke, disco club, live bands, casino, swimming pool, and a running track! I've seen some old people's moves on the dance floor that put the young ones to shame!
2. We'll get sea sick. I was more worried about Tess. She actually did great! Just a little bit wobbly on the first day and after that she was fine. She came well prepared, though. She had a "sea band" (bracelet), patch, and Dramamine. This was my biggest fear. Prior to this, she's had bad cases of sea sickness whenever we got on boats. I was really glad she overcame that on this trip. She was so confident, she gave away her patch to one woozy gentleman on our dining table on our first night!
3. Cruises are expensive. Wrong. Cruises are probably the most cost-effective way to vacation. The whole package included our food, beverage, lodging, and transportation. The food was excellent with so many choices: fine dining, buffet, sushi, pizza, grill, and 24-hour room service. And you can eat as much as you want! We met one guy who worked up a big appetite everyday by going to the pool before each meal. His theory was, "the more you eat, the cheaper your cruise becomes." He was my hero.
4. The ship is cramped. I was pleasantly surprised. The ship is virtually a floating hotel! The midsection had a lobby with elegant interior decor and a skylight with view elevators that went all the way up to the 12th deck. Our room was spacious with a big window, a queen size bed and ample bath. The restaurants, clubs, and function rooms were grand and matched some of those on terra firma. The only time I felt claustrophobic was when we had too many people doing line dancing on the deck during a raucous team dance contest! But that's another story.
5. Service is cheesy and reminiscent of "The Love Boat." On the contrary, I think the staff, composed of people from 20 different countries, truly enjoyed their jobs and oftentimes went out of their way to make sure our cruise was enjoyable and memorable. From Stu, the funny Aussie cruise director, to Mario, our Rwandan waiter who reminded us of our wine-tasting appointment, to Michael, our Filipino steward who made those towel animals daily that put a smile on our faces.
6. The port of calls are tourist traps. Only if you're a willing prey. Mexico is very much like my home country, the Philippines. The people are very friendly and they want to sell you all kinds of stuff. But they're not pushy at all. As a matter of fact, just like the Filipinos, Mexicans are very generous. After a delicious lunch of lobster and shrimp at a place called Habana Banana in Encenada, Tess, with some coaxing from me, tried out her Spanish. She asked our waiter, "¿Pueden dos libres margaritas?" And we got two free margaritas! Not sure if she winked at the hombre or maybe the sight of the good tip that was already on the table, but it worked!
So now, Tess and I are converts. Cruises are relaxing and "has something for everyone," as the Love Boat song goes. We even did our favorite past times: Tess shopped and I played golf in Cabo. We enjoyed our first cruise so much Tess is already planning the next one! How do you say, "Can we have two free drinks?" in Greek?
More pictures.
