Full disclosure of a cruise for the first time

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Cruises have always seemed like something other people do, even if it’s millions of people, repeatedly. So I decided to find out why, boarding the Carnival Freedom for a six-day Western Caribbean cruise, landing in the Florida Keys, Grand Cayman and Jamaica.

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My first impression: holy smoke, this ship is huge. Cruise veterans may think a 110,000-ton, 900-foot, 13-deck ship is par for the course, but I found her so big she was impressively overwhelming. I’ve been on small ships before, and they don’t have purple elevators, a sushi bar, a casino, a jogging track, or a miniature golf course. I quickly realized that this was an all-inclusive hotel that could offer better views, better service, better food, and better activities than its land-based counterparts. A five-star floating hotel, which fights the waves with stabilizers.

I was among nearly 3,000 guests who frequented several restaurants (19 possible places to eat), 11 bars, live music, a piano bar, a nightclub, a Victorian theater, four swimming pools, and nine hot tubs. And there was almost one service member for every three passengers.

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Seventy percent of Carnival customers are under the age of 55, so much so because of the myth that they are all grandmothers and grandfathers. It’s no wonder the company once had a category called “Fun Ships.”

The Carnival Freedom was designed to reflect various eras of history, and she does so with the sparkling glitter of Las Vegas and the ostentatious luxury of Dubai. In fact, the atrium resembled the lobby of the Burj al Arab, Dubai’s iconic hotel. Meanwhile, the Chic Restaurant could easily fit inside the Wynn in Las Vegas.

My cabin was larger than most European budget hotel rooms, and the view from the balcony stretched to the horizon. The food, well, the food didn’t stop, 24 hours a day. Fine dining, deli, pizza, sushi, fish and chips, a Mongolian grill, a sweet shop, a Mexican cantina, a monstrous buffet – the choice is notoriously excessive.

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I tried to wrap my head around the fact that 18,000 meals are served every day on a week-long cruise. Twenty-two thousand beer bottles aren’t on the wall, they’re on the Carnival Freedom.

I tried to understand how the large multinational crew could be so genuinely upbeat and friendly when they live and work on 8 month contracts. I tried to understand how everything is recycled or incinerated, how the system works so perfectly, how the boat remained impeccable at all times. It’s a beginner’s curse to wonder “how the hell do they do this?” Instead of sitting back and just enjoying it. It took me a couple of days, but cocktail in hand, sitting aft in a Jacuzzi with a 180-degree view of the sea, I relaxed and stopped taking notes.

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On an adults-only comedy night, I talk to a man who was enjoying his tenth cruise. After trying an all-inclusive on a family vacation in Mexico, he felt trapped by the location and limited options. For those who want to relax but still see something new every day, even if it’s just a different segment of the ocean, cruising is the answer. Relax being the key word. Sure, there may be dozens of activities going on every day, from big-budget competitions and shows to live music, karaoke, gambling, and fitness seminars, but it was remarkable to see how many people were just lying engrossed in zzzzz, reading a book. , or simply looking at the horizon.

Activities on land ranged from snorkeling to shopping excursions, but it’s really just something to do, as opposed to any meaningful cultural exchange. The cruise ports were filled with duty-free shops, tour guides, a Hard Rock Cafe, and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville. Technically, I was in Jamaica, but I found the best experience on the cruise itself, not the ports of call, which is something I’ll keep in mind for next time.

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Next time? For years, people have been asking me where travel writers go on vacation. Traversing the jungle to tropical beaches is an adventure, and an adventure is a great story, but a great story is not a vacation. The holidays are reaching a point where you fall asleep, overfed, too cold and out of your mind, you can’t wait to get back to your work and attack it with a renewed sense of purpose.

We all need a vacation, even those of us who are paid to travel. My first cruise experience left me feeling relaxed, unexpectedly satisfied, curious to know more, and wondering why I’ve been holding back all these years.