My wife and I went on a cruise recently, and we have joked with friends that we are “cruise people.” After all, it was our second cruise, however, our first cruise was during our honeymoon, more than 33 years ago.

We didn’t know if we would ever have the desire to go on a cruise again, because the first time, my wife had motion sickness the whole time and the Dramamine tablets weren’t much help. However, we decided to give it a shot, and this time she got a prescription for the Scopolamine patches, and they seemed to help, for the most part.

We really enjoyed ourselves, and only experienced the effect of rough waters on our last day at sea. That really set my wife back a bit, but she battled through and try to do as much as she could that day.

Our cruise happened to be a five-day Carnival cruise to Mexico, out of New Orleans. This gave us an opportunity to have coffee and beignets at the Café Du Monde near our hotel, before heading to the port. The only other time we were in New Orleans, we didn’t get a chance to take in these famous French pastries and chicory coffee.

We stopped in a couple ports, Cozumel and Progresso, but did not splurge on any of the excursions. We wish we had in Progresso, because the beach wasn’t within walking distance from the port and the shops at the port were loaded with pretty much the same stuff we saw in Cozumel. Next time, if there is a next time in Progresso, we’ll do an excursion.

The entertainment and activities on the ship were pretty good, however, we didn’t have any interest in gambling in the casino or playing bingo. I just don’t understand the fascination of playing games of chance on a cruise, when you can waste time and money back home doing that. Our approach was, let’s take in as many of the shows and entertainment as we can. That’s what we paid for, instead of giving the cruise company more of our money in the casino. On the flip side, one of the gentlemen at our dining table did win a pretty big jackpot in the casino, but it was his 90th cruise and he had pretty much seen and done everything else.

Zack, the cruise director, did a phenomenal job, and I made sure he knew that. As a broadcaster, entertainer, and master of ceremonies, I have a ton of experience in this department, so I can truly say, this young man has a great future working in front of people or in front of a camera. He is only 25, but has the poise and personality of someone much older. He did a great job hosting the game shows and events in the main theater, and his ad libs seemed unrehearsed, but he has probably made some of those same comments to other contestants, dozens of times. That’s one of the keys of good comedy; making it seem like it is off the cuff. We struck up a friendship, talked a lot about hockey, and I’m looking forward to following his career.

We really enjoyed a small ensemble identified as the rock band, but they did a good mix of music from several eras and a wide variety of artists. The two lead singers, a female named Gem and a male named Marion, were strong vocalists, and their band was top-notch. The guitar player, Juan, from Argentina, was extremely talented. Gem was the first crew member we met on the ship, as she was our muster station instructor. She’s a very sweet young lady, in her 30s, from London, and she was kind enough to befriend a middle-aged couple who just really enjoyed her music and her outgoing personality.

As a person who has performed comedy, I really wanted to see the comedians, but their show times conflicted with the big stage productions and the one time we went to enjoy a comedy set, the room was packed and we had to stand. Also, the early comedy show was rated PG and family friendly, however, the late show was proudly promoted as R-rated. That was of no interest to us, however, I am glad they gave the warning that the late show would not be suitable for all audience members.

The food was hit and miss. Some stuff on the buffet was good, but the best meals were the evening meals in the dining room, and from some of the specialty restaurants onboard, like Guy Fieri’s Burger Joint. Regardless, I still think I put on at least 10 pounds.

Overall, we really enjoyed our time at sea and a relaxing day in Cozumel. If you’ve never been on a cruise, now is the time to go. The prices are very low, especially if you compare it to airfare. That is part of the reason why we did it. Would we do it again? Yes, but we would likely choose a different itinerary.

TULSA BEACON WEEKEND

My guests this week on the “Tulsa Beacon Weekend” radio show will be State Senator Nathan Dahm, and former NHL great Garry Unger. The show airs on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. CST on 970am KCFO.