December through February I posted columns about the cruise experience: the advantages, disadvantages, and tips.  Cruising to a warm exotic port was a delicious fantasy on cold winter days full of holiday and post-holiday stress. My dream escapes took me on month-long journeys around and through Africa and South America. I imagined myself on a Tanzanian safari, and then I continent-hopped for a wild week of celebration at Rio’s Carnival. As part of my daydreams, I ate like a sumo wrestler and came home slimmer than when I left. 

The reality was a shorter holiday dictated by prior obligations. Central America with a quick stop in South America (Cartagena) volunteered an opportunity to thaw on sunny beaches for ten days.  Our voyage began and ended in Fort Lauderdale. Our host was Celebrity Equinox, a ship with a 2850 passenger capacity and a staff of more than 1200.  In other words, we boarded a small 4000-citizen community to let the pampering begin.

Celebrity Equinox on the Left

Celebrity Equinox Passenger Capacity 2850

Because accommodating my husband’s eating restrictions factored in to the equation, it comes as no surprise we were delighted by the dining opportunities. But we weren’t the only guests with a hunger for information about the food service. So many passengers are captivated by the immense task of feeding a floating village that the cruise ship offers a behind the scenes look at their “Culinary Playground,” and it was the most popular activity onboard.  The amount of food prepared in the kitchen is staggering. During the course of a week and a half the staff peels, slices, dices, mashes, and fries 12,300 pounds of potatoes. They poach, scramble, fry, and make omelets and baked goods with 27,600 eggs.

Besides the galley tour, the culinary staff offered a series of other food related activities including wine lectures and tasting, a chef cooking competition, and food as art demonstrations.

Main Dining Room before the Rush

Edible Art

Cleanest Kitchen You’ll Ever See 

As with any great cruise ship, there were pools, hot tubs, spa, fitness center, jogging track, outdoor games, and a kid center.

The Hot Glass Shows fascinated us. The Corning Museum of Glass set up a studio and provided intimate live demonstrations. With the azure waves as a backdrop and the Atlantic’s gentle breezes keeping us cool, we watched talented glass-blowers create magnificent pieces of art.

Hot Glass Show

For us, port exploration is a main ingredient of the cruise experience.  We generally set our own itineraries and the opportunities are a virtual smorgasbord.  However, we encountered travelers so enamored by the social activities aboard that they never disembarked at ports of call.  They filled their days lolling in deck chairs, or with Sushi Making, Dancing with the Crew, Scrapbooking, Karaoke, Slot Challenges, Art Shows, High Teas, Cake Decorating, shopping, and even a session on constructing towel creatures.  I picked and chose from shipboard opportunities, enjoyed beating a social director at Scrabble and attended a writing series hosted by a guest author.  In the ship’s theatre we even caught a couple movies we’d missed.

Onboard Casino

Onboard Games

We met a couple who had sailed 50 cruises and wouldn’t travel any other way.  I’m open to other avenues of travel, but there is something to be said for the convenience and affordability of a cruise.  Over the next few months I’ll give you a taste of our ports of call: Cozumel, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Colon, Panama; Cartagena, Columbia; and Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.

For our next holiday we want to try a smaller, more intimate river cruise.  So, any of my friends out there who have enjoyed this experience and want to share some tips, I’d be grateful for the info.

Dinner: Always a Chance to Meet New Friends (Julie on the right.  Dottie on the left.)

Julie Albrecht Royce, Travel Adventures Editor, is the author of Traveling Michigan's Sunset Coast and Traveling Michigan's Thumb, both published by Thunder Bay Press. She writes a monthly column for Wandering Educators.

All photos courtesy and copyright Bob and Julie Royce.