Time Well Spent
Take a cruise and you're sure to spend more time
relaxing and enjoying life. Cruising gives you real quality
time with family, in ways other vacations never could. Unlike a
land based vacation, you pack and unpack only once and don't have to worry about
all the details like dining and lodging arrangements each night of your vacation.
Best of all, on a cruise you know most
of your costs up front, which instantly makes this a better vacation choice for the one picking up the bill.
Today's cruises are truly ideal for a family
reunion, because there's something to please every generation and plenty
of leisure time to meet together to discuss the day's adventures. While grandma may be at a cooking demonstration
or ballroom dancing class, Mom might be relaxing in the spa
or reading a book by the pool, Dad could be playing
a game of basketball or watching a movie while Junior may be on
a scavenger hunt with a group of kids he just met in the youth program. Cruising is all
about doing what you want to do, when you want to
do it.
Let's take a look at what a day on a family cruise looks like :
8 AM |
Boyhood buddies Jim O'Donnel and Mike Caroll meet for coffee and talk about the old neighborhood.
They vow to meet on a cruise every year and to keep in touch
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10:30 AM |
Allen Rodriguez shoots a round of hoops with his 13 year old son, Brian. They
laugh a lot, miss the basket completely most of the time and agree to do this
more often at home.
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12 noon |
High School "best friends for life" Cathy Moran
and Denise O'Brien reminisce about 4th hour Biology Class at lunch
in the Dining Room. They wonder why in the 19 years since graduation no one
ever asked them "what is the difference between a pistil and a stamen?" And
they make plans to invite the whole class to cruise for their 20
year class reunion.
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1:30 PM |
9 year old Nancy Stein tries her hand at a video game with her new "best buddy
in the world" Melissa Carpenter. They've already exchanged e-mail addresses
and are plotting how to convince their parents to cruise again next year.
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3 PM |
Betty Thompson and daughter Samantha, age 16 visit the ship's spa. They race each
other on the stationery bikes and giggle about "boys". Suddenly they realize
that the old days were not really that different.
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4 PM |
Angela Morales has known Rose Dominguez for almost 40 years. Today they exchange
pictures of their grand children at afternoon tea and conserve their energy
for a rousing Bingo session that starts in a few minutes.
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7:30 PM |
The entire Santini family assembles for a group photo before heading for dinner �
all 42 of them. From family patriarch Angelo who just turned 79 to the
youngest family member, Jessica, who just turned 7, everyone agrees that this
first family re-union cruise won't be the last.
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9:00 PM |
Rudy Martin dances with 10 year old grand daughter Michelle to a Benny Goodman
classic. Michelle has no idea who Benny Goodman is. Rudy's smile looks like he
just won the lottery!
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Midnight |
The kids safely ensconced in the teen disco, Bill and Jenny Donovan take a stroll
on the deck in the soft moonlight. Jenny hasn't seen her husband's eyes
sparkle like that in 18 years. Hmmm family vacation AND second honeymoon.
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