Bahama Momma

I’ve resisted going on a cruise for so long sometimes I think I’m the only one who hasn’t given this a try but for anyone else who has not and is wondering what they’re like I’ll write some of my experiences to help you make up your mind.

First the facts – We’re on a 3-day Carnival cruise on the Fascination, a four star ship, and we’re staying in a standard state room with a picture window on the main deck. Our cruise goes from Miami to Nassau Bahamas on Friday and leaves the Bahamas on Sunday morning returning to Miami by Monday AM.

What I like –

The food – Of course everyone says it’s good and they’re right. Lobster tails, prime rib and Cornish hen to name a few of last nights entrees.

The strangers at our table – We’re seated with some very fun people: Drew and Linley met 9 months ago in Tampa and are really starting to “hit it off”. He’s a lawyer and she’s in her last year of college hoping to open a café featuring seasonal gourmet. Jim and Samatha are from Framingham MA. They have two kids and he’s a head hunter for civil engineers. Gary and Matika are from Maryland (we haven’t gotten to know them too well yet).

The exercise room – I’m not real big into exercise but having tread mills facing the setting sun on the top deck is pretty darn cool.

The weather – It’s actually not very sunny (please don’t expect us to come home with a tan…not gonna happen) but it is warm. Whenever you can take your shirt off and be comfortable in January it’s a good thing.

Time alone – Yah…that’s what’s most important. It’s so good to get away in the midst of this crazy busy season. We’ve been working on our Family Vision and I’ll post it when we’re done.

Atlantis – Geesh…that place is amazing. It’s like another world (and since our business is “Another World Enterprises” you can imagine how I feel about that). We just took a peak while we were in Nassau and the aquarium, architecture (complete with Atlantian runes), beaches etc looked amazing.

Not so fun stuff…

Believe it or not I wasn’t familiar with the term booze cruise until yesterday but believe me when I tell you – I’m now all too familiar with it… On the plane, in the shuttle, walking onto the ship all I heard was people bragging about how totally smashed they planned on getting. Minutes after you walk on you’re handed a heavily liquored margarita and it never stops. We were in the theater room last night and were offered drinks about every 2 minutes during the show. I was tempted to get one just so they’d stop asking. Don’t worry, I’m sticking to my 1 drink per day limit.

The Casino – I’ve never had a moral problem with gambling a bit for fun and I had always assumed that someday if/when I ever went on a cruise I’d play a little blackjack. All of our friends from the dinner table see the casino as the highlight of the cruise. So after dinner we headed up to check out the action. And…I couldn’t do it. Knowingly walking into a situation where it’s carefully engineered to take your money was more than I could stomach. I think my other problem is I’ve been praying a lot lately for God to bless our businesses. Asking our Lord for more resources to invest in His Kingdom and then taking some of those and gambling seemed inconsistent…am I wrong?

The spirit of the place – I’m someone who has grown increasingly sensitive to the way my spirit seems to react in new physical spaces. Sometimes I feel peace, I feel evil, I feel light, I feel darkness etc. It’s always hard to describe. This time I have to say the feeling I get when I’m honest about this place is disgust. I was laying on the sun deck looking at the 200+ foot yachts come into the harbor and the largest one I saw was named “Just One More Toy”. That’s when the bile starts to rise. I can almost hear my friends say “Relax and just have a good time” but I can’t help but think that’s like telling a Native American to relax and enjoy what the white man has done to your country. God’s gorgeous creation is just another play thing for the filthy rich to consume and toss aside. I long for God’s Kingdom to cover this place but I sense He would be most unwelcome. And why – this is His, and so I sense the jealousy of God in the face of blatant idolatry.

So we’ll see how it turns out in the end. April asked me if it’s what I wanted and I told her that, if when I get back, I have more energy to face all the things we have to do when we return, it was a success. We both needed this change of pace so we can hit the ground running in Ft. Thomas.

Your Bohemian for a Day