AM Class Expository Essay: Cruise Vacations

Some people enjoy them and some people hate them, and I’m not talking about sushi bars. I’m talking about cruise ship vacations. You may think cruises are all about sea, sailing, and sunshine, but there is also a dark side to those sleek Leviathans.

I’ll be the first to admit that cruise vacations can be a lot of fun! Because my father is a cruise wholesaler and can get tickets at heavily discounted prices, my family has taken many cruises and enjoyed most of them. There are innumerable reasons to love cruises, but I especially enjoy the on-board activities, the never-ending supply of food, and visiting exotic ports. The last cruise my family took was a five-day tour of the Western Caribbean on the Carnival Inspiration, and the experience could not have been better. On our first day at sea I decided to participate in the no-boundaries scavenger hunt. I didn’t win, but I had a blast exploring that monstrous ocean liner. When we finally arrived in the Mexican port of Cozumel, we took a day trip to the San Gervasio Mayan ruins. The jeep trip through the jungle and touring the ancient temple was an unforgettable experience. All cruises have food available 24-hours a day, and I always eat my fill. But the best dining experience to me on this trip was the Captain’s Dinner. I ordered steak AND lobster while watching the entertainment provided by our servers. As we left the dining room that last evening on board, the ship captain shook everyone’s hand. I remember thinking, wouldn’t it be great if all cruises were like this one.

Unfortunately, all cruises are not as heavenly as the Inspiration. In fact, some cruises seem to have surfaced from Davy Jones locker. My first cruise on the Carnival Liberty almost ruined me because I was sick the entire time. To tell you the truth, 700 people, including passengers and crew, came down with the Norwalk virus. The symptoms were headache, stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea. Everyone on the ship who was sick had to be quarantined in their rooms. My family had reserved a tiny inside room in the belly of the ship, and that led to my next problem---claustrophobia. I thought I would climb the walls! Sad to say, I had no strength to even move. Without a balcony or porthole, I was trapped. Even after I started to feel better and went out on the Lido deck, I still felt imprisoned because I had two days left at sea. Then I started worrying that the ship would sink. To make matters worse, the featured movie that night was Titanic. Unlike most of the ship, my illness lasted only three days. That’s when I realized that the ticket price was not all-inclusive. At every turn, ship staff members were bugging us by taking our pictures and then trying to sell them to us, hawking souvenirs, and advertising spa treatments. (Not that I didn’t need one.) In desperation, my dad exclaimed, “These people are going to nickel-and-dime me to death!”

Even though I’ve had some bad experiences on cruise vacations, when I remember them now I can look back and laugh. And I can’t help getting excited whenever my dad walks in the room with a big smile on his face and announces, “We’re going on a cruise!”