Have you ever taken a 4 ½ month vacation? It takes a bit of planning.
Packing, of course. But other things. How will I pay the couple of bills
that I don’t pay electronically? Who will put water in the pool if it gets low?
Who will let the pest guy in? Should I cancel Netflix or keep it for guests
who use the house while I’m gone?
I won’t bore you with all the minutia. There are lots of websites that help
people who shut down their lives in one location for several months at a time.
Lots of people do it. We see them every fall in Florida...all those Ontario,
Michigan and other license plates of places where winters are less fun than
Orlando.
Bottom line, it takes planning. Which means lists. I had packing lists,
to do lists, shopping lists. Plus, I had almost two years from the
time I booked the cruise to January 4, 2020, the day the cruise
started in Fort Lauderdale.
Packing, of course. But other things. How will I pay the couple of bills
that I don’t pay electronically? Who will put water in the pool if it gets low?
Who will let the pest guy in? Should I cancel Netflix or keep it for guests
who use the house while I’m gone?
I won’t bore you with all the minutia. There are lots of websites that help
people who shut down their lives in one location for several months at a time.
Lots of people do it. We see them every fall in Florida...all those Ontario,
Michigan and other license plates of places where winters are less fun than
Orlando.
Bottom line, it takes planning. Which means lists. I had packing lists,
to do lists, shopping lists. Plus, I had almost two years from the
time I booked the cruise to January 4, 2020, the day the cruise
started in Fort Lauderdale.
I had ample time and skills to be prepared well ahead of time.
But I wasn’t getting anything done. At first I thought it was the normal
packing procrastination. But as months and weeks went on and I was
making little progress I finally realized what was happening.
But I wasn’t getting anything done. At first I thought it was the normal
packing procrastination. But as months and weeks went on and I was
making little progress I finally realized what was happening.
I was cruising through daily life, knowing in the back of my mind that
I was going on an adventure of a lifetime. It made me smile when I
thought about it.
I was going on an adventure of a lifetime. It made me smile when I
thought about it.
But every time I picked up one of “The Lists” I got excited. It brought
the whole “I’M GOING ON A CRUISE!” thing to front of mind.
That phrase, BTW, in my mind is always in all caps or screamed at top
volume by the little voice in my head. By avoiding preparing, I was also
avoiding levels of excitement that made me a bit stressed.
the whole “I’M GOING ON A CRUISE!” thing to front of mind.
That phrase, BTW, in my mind is always in all caps or screamed at top
volume by the little voice in my head. By avoiding preparing, I was also
avoiding levels of excitement that made me a bit stressed.
I am proud to say that I was 95% packed and ready by December 31 when
my friend Heidi arrived from Virgina. She and her pooch Charlie drove
down so they could spend a few days then drive me down to Ft. Lauderdale.
***A side note for those of you reading this because you may be planning
to go on a world cruise. I booked through Cruise Specialists. One of the
perks that came with booking was shipping luggage from my house to the ship.
How wonderful would that be? Someone comes to your door and you
don’t see those giant bags again until you’re on the ship. But they didn’t
warn me that luggage pickup, for a cruise that leaves Jan 4, 2020 is in late
November. I don’t know about you but I don’t own a “cruise wardrobe” so
that didn’t work for me. It seems the Lake Mary Police have rules about
public nudity and they don’t care that I’M GOING ON A CRUISE.
Bottom line, I schlepped my bags like I usually do.
Heidi may have felt she owed me. She had some major surgery a
couple of years ago and I spent that Christmas and New Year’s as
her caretaker, or as she called me, her Rescue Squirrel. That was
easy for me. It wasn’t my pain and she was on lots of drugs so was
very agreeable.
She probably wished she had some of those drugs for me in the last
couple days leading up to January 3 and driving to Ft. Lauderdale.
I was perhaps a tiny bit less pleasant than I should have been. You know
how you feel when you get hangry? It was like that. Or PMS, as I recall,
since it’s been awhile since my ovaries saw any action. Sorry, Heidi.
my friend Heidi arrived from Virgina. She and her pooch Charlie drove
down so they could spend a few days then drive me down to Ft. Lauderdale.
***A side note for those of you reading this because you may be planning
to go on a world cruise. I booked through Cruise Specialists. One of the
perks that came with booking was shipping luggage from my house to the ship.
How wonderful would that be? Someone comes to your door and you
don’t see those giant bags again until you’re on the ship. But they didn’t
warn me that luggage pickup, for a cruise that leaves Jan 4, 2020 is in late
November. I don’t know about you but I don’t own a “cruise wardrobe” so
that didn’t work for me. It seems the Lake Mary Police have rules about
public nudity and they don’t care that I’M GOING ON A CRUISE.
Bottom line, I schlepped my bags like I usually do.
Heidi may have felt she owed me. She had some major surgery a
couple of years ago and I spent that Christmas and New Year’s as
her caretaker, or as she called me, her Rescue Squirrel. That was
easy for me. It wasn’t my pain and she was on lots of drugs so was
very agreeable.
She probably wished she had some of those drugs for me in the last
couple days leading up to January 3 and driving to Ft. Lauderdale.
I was perhaps a tiny bit less pleasant than I should have been. You know
how you feel when you get hangry? It was like that. Or PMS, as I recall,
since it’s been awhile since my ovaries saw any action. Sorry, Heidi.
My long time tradition is to start and end every vacation with a shot of Tequila.
Typically that would happen when I boarded the ship. Heidi encouraged a
shot before we started our drive to Ft. Lauderdale. I believe she probably
would have preferred enough Tequila so I’d pass out on the drive, but no
such luck for her. At that point I was no longer fretting about “Did I pack
my favorite black blouse?” “Did I remember to have somebody drive my
car every week?” Once in the car I counted on the efficacy of my lists and
the kindness of friends. Instead, I was just excited about what I’d be doing
on the cruise. So I talked. And talked. I told Heidi it was a 4 hour drive.
She swears it took at least 18 hours. Sorry, Heidi.
Typically that would happen when I boarded the ship. Heidi encouraged a
shot before we started our drive to Ft. Lauderdale. I believe she probably
would have preferred enough Tequila so I’d pass out on the drive, but no
such luck for her. At that point I was no longer fretting about “Did I pack
my favorite black blouse?” “Did I remember to have somebody drive my
car every week?” Once in the car I counted on the efficacy of my lists and
the kindness of friends. Instead, I was just excited about what I’d be doing
on the cruise. So I talked. And talked. I told Heidi it was a 4 hour drive.
She swears it took at least 18 hours. Sorry, Heidi.
Another perk from Cruise Specialists was a free hotel room, cocktail
party/dinner with the President of Holland America and then a bus to
the ship the following morning. I opted out of the dinner and speeches
but heard it was lovely.
party/dinner with the President of Holland America and then a bus to
the ship the following morning. I opted out of the dinner and speeches
but heard it was lovely.
After dinner in Ft. Lauderdale Heidi dropped me at the Renaissance
Plantation Hotel about 10 miles from the port. The lobby was filled with
people who had to be fellow cruisers. Older (or ancient), well-dressed and excited.
I spent a relaxing evening watching “Below Decks” on Bravo while
levitating about six inches over the bed due to excitement. My Fitbit
notified me the next morning that I had far exceeded “awake time” for
women my age. Seriously, Fitbit, do you know how hard it is to sleep
when the bitch in my head is screaming “I’M GOING ON A CRUISE”.
levitating about six inches over the bed due to excitement. My Fitbit
notified me the next morning that I had far exceeded “awake time” for
women my age. Seriously, Fitbit, do you know how hard it is to sleep
when the bitch in my head is screaming “I’M GOING ON A CRUISE”.
Rather than taking the bus to the ship with a few hundred other cruisers
who had booked through Cruise Specialists, Heidi was kind enough to
take me. Clearly, Heidi is a glutton for punishment.
who had booked through Cruise Specialists, Heidi was kind enough to
take me. Clearly, Heidi is a glutton for punishment.
After a quick drive to the Port, with me screaming “I’M GOING ON A CRUISE”
the whole way, Heidi dropped me off and a porter took my luggage. I give Heidi
props for not peeling rubber as she left. Happily, she had a silent, relaxing
drive back to Lake Mary and is now relaxing in my house. And hopefully
remembering to add water to the pool occasionally.
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