Will We Get Sick?!

Fort Lauderdale to Falmouth - at Sea

Although around 21 couples were going on the cruise, only about seven couples were actually from the Caravan. The others were Airstream members. Our caravan leaders opened the trip up to anyone who was in the club.

The 7 couples were picked up by a van on April 1st around 10:00 AM and dropped off at the cruise port leaving behind our Airstreams! It took about 30 minutes. We expected check in to be long and boring. However, it was quick and easy.

Once on the ship we headed right for our rooms. This was also unexpected because we were told that most likely we would be dragging our luggage around and waiting for our rooms. We decided to pack lightly, each pulling a small wheeled bag and a small backpack. This was the trickiest part about organizing clothing before we left. We needed not only camping and touring clothing, but also

cruise wear. Tim needed a sports jacket, Pat dresses. We pre-packed most of these items in our suitcase left untouched until the end of the caravan. We then packed some of the clothing we used on the caravan.

The room was a pleasant surprise. It was small but comfortable. Having a balcony was wonderful. We’re so glad we upgraded. It was efficiently laid out with enough storage for all of our clothing (we didn’t have a lot!). But even for couples that would bring more, it would be fine.

We departed at 4:00 pm for Falmouth, Jamaica. From the deck we watched the Ft. Lauderdale skyline fade. We talked about the strong worry we both had about the possibility of sea sickness. We stocked up on wrist bands, ginger capsules, and Bomine which is an OTC motion sickness medication. What the heck, we thought, we might as well be proactive. We put our wrist bands on, took a couple capsules and downed the Bomine. There was no way we would get sick!

Another pre-cruise decision was where and what time you eat. Breakfasts can be enjoyed in your room, a sit-down restaurant or a buffet. As a group the Airstreamers decided to eat together for a sit-down dinner at 5:00 each evening.

Each morning, we received an on-board bulletin call the “Princess Patter.” Besides an array of activities that began at 8:30 am and went until midnight, the dress for dinner was noted. It could be “smart casual” or “formal.” Breakfast and lunches were all casual.

We had lunch at the buffet and dinner with our group. We sailed on the Caribbean Princess. Our room was on Aloha deck in cabin A627 which was on Deck 12. The buffet was on the Lido deck which was on Deck 15. When you hear that there is lots of food, this is very true. It is available 24/7. We enjoyed it but tried to moderate our consumption.

There are bars, restaurants and live entertainment. You can keep busy all day with dance lessons, knitting and a myriad of other offerings. Or, you can do nothing. You can sit and watch the water (which, by the way, was very enjoyable) or lounge by one of the 3 pools. At one pool there was usually a feature-length movie or band performance being shown on a huge screen.

After dinner we took a short walk around the Lido Deck and then headed back to our cabin.

Unfortunately, in our zeal to prevent sickness on our first day at sea, we began to feel the side effect of drowsiness. Watching the beautiful water from the deck and the non-rocking of the ship gliding through the smooth waters caused both of us to yearn sleep. We were both sound asleep at 8:30 PM. But not before Tim set the alarm for 8:30 AM knowing that we should be up well before this. He also ordered coffee delivered at the same time (this was wonderful) to drink on our balcony.