It was a time for celebration for families whose children were graduating from high school and about to set off for college. I was responsible for booking approximately 150 people for this cruise from our high school. It was disappointment from pre-sail time until the end of the cruise.

Before sailing, our primary stop, Cozumel, got changed to being Calica, which I am aware is the cruise lines prerogative to do so. A limited number of ships were being allowed in due to hurricane damage that still existed. (I was dismayed when I returned home, to hear another sailor from the week before who was allowed to dock there.)

As we pulled out of Tampa, the rains began. This early June sailing crew was unfortunate enough to sail midst a tropical storm. There were no attempts to alter ports or the route, but we had constant reminders from the captain as to our distance from the storm. We needed no reminders as the waves were tremendous, the winds gusting, and the barf bags plentiful. For two days we were basically confined inside and not allowed on deck. There were NO extra activities planned to occupy our time inside. In fact, it was like the social staff went on vacation. Read more