Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5
CRUISING: DESTINATION NOWHERE
“Welcome to the vacation of a lifetime.”
“Smile, you're taking the vacation of a lifetime.”
We had flown from frigid Washington, D.C., to Miami in the middle of December, the
high season for Caribbean cruises, and by the time we'd reached our cabin, five different
waiters and staff members had congratulated us on embarking on this “vacation of a life-
time.” We felt like we had won the lottery before we unpacked.
This was the first cruise for my husband Bill and me and we were both excited and wary.
We'd heard such a mixed bag about cruises: from “The food is delicious, you'll gain weight
no matter what you do” to “Watch out for the crowds at night when they've had too much
to drink.”
We had boarded at the pier marked Royal Caribbean in Miami, the mother node of a
network of cruise ports that stretches up and down the east and west coasts and is invisible
to those who have never taken a cruise vacation. Florida has three of the largest ports, all
built with public money, like airports. Rising before us was our colossal ship
The Navigator
of the Seas.
Weighing twice as much as the
Titanic
and measuring three times the length of
a football field, it towered above us like a small skyscraper.
By taking this five-day cruise down the eastern coast of Mexico to Belize, I hoped to un-
derstand why vacation cruises are among the fastest-growing and most profitable segments
of the tourism business. The marketing genius of the cruise was evident at security, where
a man took our photographs for our official “SeaPass.” These identification cards were our
room key, our credit card aboard ship and our identification card when we made port visits
in foreign countries.
Tangy sea air hit us as we climbed the gangplank onto the deck. A calypso band played
toned-down reggae in the afternoon sun; little children and their parents danced on the
polished deck. Teens inspected the disco and video arcades. The twenty-somethings were
already ensconced at the pool bar. The ship was near full capacity, only a few souls shy of
its 3,200-passenger limit.
Our cabin was a pleasant surprise: a lounging area with a couch, the smallest of bath-
rooms with shower and toilet, and a sleeping area with a double bed. A sliding door opened
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