Inspired by Some Life Loving Guests

I am sorry it has taken me so long to get this posted!!  It has actually been written for about four days but the internet has been on almost a constant blackout for about a week and that makes it rather difficult to post.  I am hoping it will get better but seeing as we are pretty far north (Norway…which is another story) for a few weeks I am just going to assume it will be just as bad.  If it can happen it will:)

ALSO, WE ARE OFFICAILY OUT OF CODE RED!!!  Sigh of relief!

  

While there were three sea days with not much to report and I am currently in Norway, (this I am looking forward to telling you about!) there has been something that has really struck me about ship life and it is the guests. 

There are the guests that are just on for just a simple vacation from life and work.  That is all fine and not to be judged because who doesn’t enjoy a lovely vacation occasionally.  What struck me though are the people that do it as their last ditch effort.   

I need to tell you about some people that I have met so far.

Mama Lou, her stuffed animal, Tito, Brian, and I

First of all, Mama Lou, this woman can only be described as a Texas fire cracker yielding a walker and an over-sized stuffed animal of the day.  You can see/hear her coming from a mile away, the can be considered the “hostess” of the ship, and she refuses to come to my ENCORE show because she says, “It is too hoity-toity for me.”  She is a character and actually LIVES on the ship.  That’s right, day in and day out, and when I asked her what her reasoning was behind it she said, “It’s because I pay the same as a nice nursing home and at least I’m not gonna die in a bed all by myself…plus I get to see the world from my window.” This made sense and I am finding this mentality to be more common than I expected.

Ok yes, cruising can be stereotyped, at least on Holland America Line, to be an “older person hobby.”  It is known that our median range of cruisers generally is around 50-80 yrs of age.  I’m finding that cruising for some is not just an endless food buffet and ports, it's much more.

That being said, I was talking to this lovely older woman in the Ocean Bar at about 10pm at night.  She was funny and with it, and had more energy than I had at that time of night, but as she opened up I learned about the fact that she was terminal with cancer.  She was supposed to be gone about three weeks prior and decided to spend the last of her life savings to come on our cruise.  She had no plan after and not even for the next day but she was living life day by day and all of this I learned over a glass of wine.  Whoa, instantly I felt really dumb and thankful at that same time.  Dumb for even feeling tired and thankful for many many reasons.

This was not the only person I have met like this. Why I am inspired to write this blog now was mostly because of a family last night.  Up in the Crow’s Nest, the dance floor was hopping and there in the middle was this family; a mother, father, brother, and an older sister.  They were having a ball and looked as if they were going to party until the sun came up.  They even initiated a conga line (yes, these things still happen:)).  Two other guests were sitting with me and told me about the fact that they were on the ship because both sons of the family had cerebral palsy and that this was the FIRST family vacation they have ever been able to do since the late teen boys were born.  

I guess I am learning a lot more than I even bargained for on this ship. I am ok with that.

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Today, Ulvik, Norway for just a short walk and maybe a $10 coffee (yikes!) and tomorrow Stavanger, Norway to hike one of the worlds wonders and sought after bucket-lister, The Pulpit Rock.  Can’t wait to tell you all about it!