Welcome To The Elation

The World Famous Carnival Funnel as viewed from the Lido Deck

Greetings Boys & Girls! It’s a beautiful afternoon aboard Carnival’s Elation. We’re set to head south, destination Cabo San Lucas. Between now and the time we “drop anchor” in port (we don’t actually drop anchor, the ship uses it’s stabilzers and just holds position about 500 yards offshore), we’ll spend a day at sea. The 600 mile cruise takes about 36 hours.The ship will be wide-open, party-till-your-eyes-bleed, non-stop fun tonight. It usually is on the first night, at least on the ships that cater to the younger crowd. Which this one does, and that’s why I love it so much. Of course, the light-speed pace is going to be bad news for a few of these dudes and dudesses. Can you say “Lots of aspirin and Bloody Mary’s”?

 

Who is this “Ferquan The Pirate” dude and what has he done to Fred Tutwiler?  Glad you asked.

 

In my recent post – The Problem With Men – I proposed an unapologetic opinion of why we men seem to demonstrate such problematical traits for many of our wives, girlfriends and female associates.  And while my proposition was delivered tongue planted firmly in cheek, the proposition is valid, evolutionarily speaking.

 

Have you ever wondered why men do the things they do?

I mean, yeah, we’re providers, we’re strong, blah, blah, blah. But I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about all those other quirks that bond us together and drive the women in our lives crazy.

 

Well, here it is. It’s all about the Old West. Don’t laugh. You see, a mere 150 years ago we were carving our very existence out of an unknown and hostile land. The times required a mindset that rewarded toughness, efficiency, self-reliance and courage. Breaking new ground and pushing against the boundaries was not a problem, it was a virtue.

Having a savvy, up-to-date, hard-working personal cruise consultant (especially one who will come to your house, no less!) is as good as it gets.  But the home-based agents can be a double-edged sword. And one we need to be conscious of.

Like so much else in the consumer world of today, travel has become the next big thing in the Multi-Level Marketing industry.Like make-up, vitamins and home cleaning products before, the billions of consumer dollars spent on travel every year makes the industry ripe and plump for the inevitable emergence of MLM as a retail outlet.,

Some people were just born to make an indelible first impression.

There’s something about getting up at 3:30 in the morning when you know you’re departing to go on a cruise that’s different than getting up at 3:30 for almost any other reason. Still, it’s pretty damn early.

Two airports, hypersensitive metal detector, repacking my computer and video camera cables TWICE, over-priced airport coffee, jam-packed flight, baggage claim hell, taking a cab to the cruise port… Yep, there’s definitely a reason I prefer driving.

Welcome to a pirate’s view of cruising in the Caribbean.

Oh yeah, there’s plenty of information you need about the various ships, itineraries and ports.  And you certainly want to know the answers to those recurring questions like “What’s the best cruise?” and “Can I take alcohol on board?”  That’s why I created www.dothecaribbean.com, so you could find out about all that stuff.

But this site has a slightly different mission.  Here I’m going to be talking about whatever comes up including neat bars, interesting people, frustrating circumstances and various unconventional topics.

Let’s go cruisin’!!

4 friends yuck it up on the beach at the beautiful island of Coco Cay, Bahamas, a private island owned by Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

As great as it is to bask in the playful, beautiful Caribbean in the company of playful beautiful women, it’s nothing compared to the respectful admiration you get from young Spring-break beach party dudes when you beat them at their own game.

You just know it’s going to be a great day when the first thing you see as you step out on the pool deck is a jewel of an island off the port side, surrounded by unbelievable shades of Caribbean blue.  And when you know that’s your destination for the day.

Oh yea-a-h-h.  This is life as it should be.