A New Journey
January 8, 2010 2 Comments
Bright and early Sunday morning, Erin and I will be leaving the cold winter weather behind. We fly out of Minneapolis at 7 am and by early afternoon will be in Miami on our way to a cruise ship headed for the western Caribbean. Originally we were planning a trip to the Keys however, after researching the price of a hotel, food and entertainment for a week, the cost was comparable to an all-inclusive cruise ship.
Cost wasn’t the only deciding factor in our choice to take a cruise. Travel and adventure were the real motivators in our decision. While the Keys would be an unforgetable vacation, being able to visit Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Grand Cayman sounded even more spectacular. Our minds were made up, we booked our cruise and now, what once seemed like ages away has finally arrived.
I will admit, the idea of taking a cruise made me feel like I was lowering my standards of travel. To a degree, I continue to hold this opinion. When I was in Aruba, seeing the hordes of cruise ship tourists swarming the streets of Oranjestad in search of overpriced trinkets turned me off to the idea of ever participating in such blatant disregard for the culture and people of the places I would find myself visiting. By my estimates, many of the people never left the two block shopping area next to the pier.
I vow to do better. A cruise boat for me is nothing more than a means of getting from one place to the next. With less than a day in each place, it will be difficult to find the heart and soul of the islands but I will try. I have no interest in shopping for souvenirs and no reason to eat at American restaurants. With my precious few moments, I hope to experience real life in the places I visit, to share my time and surroundings with the people who live there, not thousands of other American tourists who think they are worldly travelers as they lay on the beach in the shadow of the cruise ship.
I already have some plans and ideas rolling around in my mind and no doubt I’ll find myself participating in some tourist activities but I want my experience to be different. I do not want to participate in further perpetuation of the stereotype that I hold in my own mind about “cruisers”. I hope I am able to live up to my own standards!
Bon voyage!
About Steven
Exciting. I hope my trip comes as fast.
You should just aspire to do something different, that you maybe can’t do anywhere else, or at least can’t do at home. Trying to have a “real-life” experience is difficult enough without a time constraint. Most local ppl will first & foremost see you as a tourist. It takes a lot of time & camaraderie to break that mold. Relax, have a good time. Let things happen! I hope you meet some cool ppl on the boat (I have a lot of the same ideas about cruise-goers as you, so good luck with that). I commend you for being one of the ppl to leave the tourist zone, but I am glad many of them do not. They can leave the rest of those countries for us.
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