Why Am I So Addicted to Cruising?

That’s a good question.  What is it about cruising the Caribbean that has me hooked on it?  Why do I start looking for my next cruise as soon as I get off the ship….or even before I get on the ship?  What makes it so addictive to me?

Navy in my blood

I guess it could be that my dad was a sailor at the end of World War II, and loved the sea.  He used to tell me stories of sailing a Navy ship, the USS Warrington, and how the dolphins would follow in the wake of the ship.  And how the sailors told the weather by the old saying “Red sky in morning, sailors take warning….red sky at night, sailors delight.”  I know that he had wanderlust, and absolutely loved the ocean and traveling and seeing new places. And maybe I get it from him.  And maybe he got his from his father, who was also in the Navy.

Or Vikings

Or maybe I get it from my Viking Ancestors.  In doing my family genealogy, I discovered that some of my ancestors were Vikings.  And not just any Viking, but the one on the TV series Vikings….Rollo, Duke of Normandy.  I realize that the series is not really what life was probably like for the Vikings, but I do know that Vikings loved the sea, they had it in their blood, and while I have no plans on raiding anyone, I do love to discover new places. And I know it’s in my blood.  So, maybe I am a Viking at heart.

Mayflower ancestors

Or…it could be from my Mayflower ancestors, Pilgrims Stephen Hopkins and his daughter Constance.  Thankfully ship travel has come a long way since the days of the Mayflower.  I can’t even imagine how horrible the trip from Plymouth, England to the new world was on that small ship.  Sixty six days cooped up in the hull of the ship, in terrible storms.  I can’t even imagine what the smell would have been like.  No Stewards to make them comfortable, no fancy dining room and food.  Just everyone stuffed in together trying to make the best of it and just survive the trip.  I don’t think I’d have liked being a Pilgrim on the Mayflower.

The sound of water is soothing

It could be all of those things put together in my blood that makes me want to sail the seas.  There is just something about the ocean, and water in general, that is incredibly calming to me.  I think that it’s the sound of the water falling or the waves splashing.  The aquamarine color of the water is gorgeous, and the whitecaps are soothing.  And standing on a ship, you realize just how small you are in this universe. It makes you think.

And Cruise ships are amazing

Or, maybe it’s the ship itself.  The minute that you walk onto that ship, you’re in a different world.  A world where you can relax and forget all about your problems.  And a world where you have your every need taken care of.

Where you never have to cook or clean, and when you’re hungry, food is just a walk or a phone call away.  You don’t have to drive to get where you’re going, and entertainment is everywhere.  And where everyone is nice to everyone else, everyone gets along, and new friends from so many different countries are to be found. And where towel animals magically appear on your bed every night.  It’s a fantasy world, and you’re part of it.  And sometimes it’s incredibly hard to go back to reality afterwards.

No Cruise-holics anonymous for me!

So, no matter what the reason is that I am addicted to cruising, I don’t plan on going to Cruise-aholics anonymous anytime soon.  I really do not want to be cured of this addiction, I kind of like it.  Instead, I want to cruise as much as the world that I can on a cruise ship, sailing the seven seas, like my father, and his father before him.