1996: Caribbean Cruise with Kids 

John and Mom had the great idea to treat the entire family to a vacation aboard a cruise ship.  They thoughtfully chose one that included a supervised play area for kids, so that Caren and I woule have a little free time for ourselves.  This would be our first cruise ever, and we were very excited.  

Not so with other family members: first Len and family backed out, followed by Bruce and family.  It seems everybody was too busy, or some such excuse.  Then our parents canceled: this was supposed to be a family vacation.  That left just me and my family.  Cancel a free cruise like everyone else?  No way!  So we sailed off from Florida, headed for Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and Cozumel Mexico.

The kid's play area was terrific, but unfortunately both kids got sick and were in and out of the infirmary for several days.  Meanwhile the weather picked up, so the ship was unable to stop at the Cayman Islands, a big disappointment for would-be Scuba divers.  Caren and I were so busy with kid issues we never had a chance to have a sit down meal; instead we grazed at the endless buffet, and grabbed ice cream cones by the pool.  I entered the splash contest, but was beaten by a guy twice my size.  And Rachael's day was made when she had her hair corned during our stop in Jamaica.  

The biggest success were the upper cabin beds, which Rachael in particular really liked: