Posted by: travadmin on Nov 19, 2003 – 02:24 PM
excursions  Many of you will identify with the fact that something seems to go awry whenever we have the unmitigated gall to run away from home.
Be it for one day or a weekend, invariably, crisis awaits our return. This time, one of the dogs decided to do some sightseeing for himself.

Still, it’s worth it.

Vacations are the whipped cream on hot chocolate, the 400-thread-count sheets on the bed, the correct answer for “massage is to the body as ——– are to the soul.” Humans are wired to require R&R — in fact, if you believe Genesis, even God needed a day of rest.

We recently returned from a cruise paid for by my husband David’s employer. It was a working weekend in that upper and middle management muddled through mandatory meetings while wives or girlfriends shopped, slept late and sunned. But given the sumptuous surroundings, nobody minded. Much.

If a typical vacation of visiting relatives or tourist attractions is whipped cream, an ocean cruise is Swiss chocolate curls sprinkled on top of the cream.

Musical and comedy shows, games, food, art auctions, casino gambling, dancing, swimming, duty free jewelry and booze, snorkeling, food, parasailing, waveriding, karaoke, food, international waiters who do everything but wipe your mouth when you drool, stateroom attendants who tidy up twice daily.

And did I mention the food?

Cruises are especially popular in Florida because (A) you can drive to the port, (B) the Bahamas are in our back yard, and (C) there are only so many trips to Orlando one can make in a lifetime.

Janet, at All About Travel in Fort Pierce, tells me that after 9/11, cruises immediately gained in popularity, a trend that will continue, no doubt, until terrorists attack a party ship.

Which they probably won’t do — even they can resist only so much temptation. Introduce your garden-variety suicide bomber to an all-you-can-eat midnight dessert buffet and it all seems suddenly like a really stupid idea.

At Port St. Lucie’s Travel Hub, Jackie says cruise packages account for 60-65 percent of the company’s total volume.

In fact, she’s cruising this week, a yearly treat for herself, her children and grandchildren. If prizes are given for “Nana of the Year” I’m not even in the running. Hmmm: Jackie takes grandkids to the islands, Ellen takes them to the park. Not much of a contest.

David and I keep reminding ourselves not to let go of the “cruise feeling” now that we’ve collided once more with reality, but I suppose if life wasn’t stressful, vacations would lose their appeal.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some chocolates to leave on the pillows.

By Ellen Gillette
Note: Ellen Gillette can be reached at egillett@ispez.net