Now to continue my story from last week, we just finished our first day and evening. Overnight, we were sleeping in our sardine box.  I also knew there was a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico. I could feel the boat swaying with the waves. Not enough to get sick, but I had never been a cruise ship and did not know what to expect.  This ship was large.  In my mind, I was thinking, “if this big thing is rocking, we must be in a hurricane. I have brought my family out to the ocean to die.”  Needless to say, I did not sleep well that night.  

         I woke up early the next morning and went to the top deck to see firsthand the tempest to which I had doomed my family.  To my relief, it was just hard rain with some choppiness in the water. Not anything near the hurricane I expected.  The Captain made an announcement later that morning and apologized for the rocking ship because they did not have the stabilizers set properly overnight.  

         We pulled into the port of Key West that morning. I called my Dad from the deck to tell him because he had been stationed in Key West during his Navy days. I enjoyed that nostalgic moment with my Dad talking about his memories of being there.  When the rain finally dissipated, we were able to enjoy the beauty of the scenery and the shops.  

         The ship set sail again that afternoon and we headed to Cozumel, Mexico for the family’s first experience out of the US.  We had another great meal and enjoyed a show that evening.  It was a collection of short acts from the entertainers on board for the trip.  We were told it was the family friendly version.  It wasn’t too friendly to a family with elementary age kids.  Kathy kept giving me the look of “Well, are we going to leave?”  We eventually did and went on the deck to enjoy the ocean views.  Thus ends day two, and the sleep went better that night. To be continued in the next Weekly Travel News.