The Love Boat

 Early last summer Brett was invited to attend his friend AJ’s wedding in Florida.    He was very excited about it and even more so when he found out that the ceremony would take place on a Carnival Cruise ship.  His options were to either attend the ceremony only or go to the wedding and stay for a four day cruise.  Brett decided that the cruise option sounded like a lot of fun and signed up for it immediately.

As Brett had never been on a cruise before and I hadn’t been in almost 30 years, there was definitely a learning curve to signing up for it.  Added to the stress was the pressure to make sure that all was aligned with the wedding plans as well.  Carnival Hub App, drink packages, excursions, and room assignments were all things that we learned about during the past few months.  I think there was a time that Brett was ready to call it quits, but thankfully Carnival had a helpful customer service department that guided him through it all.  

Earlier this week, Brett called to review everything that he had laid out for the cruise while I looked at the packing list that Carnival emailed him.  We both read and reread all of the directions from the wedding website.  We looked at different ways to get to Cape Canaveral from the Orlando Airport before deciding that a ride share vehicle was the best option.  It would be more expensive, but the most reliable.  Brett also confirmed his flight information and hotel reservation before calling Grandpa to get tips on a successful cruise.  

Brett landed in Orlando yesterday afternoon.  He took some time to check out the shops at the airport before getting an Uber.  His hotel was close to the port and there were a lot of shops and restaurants to check out there as well.  He found one to eat dinner at and enjoyed his meal.  The rest of the night was spent ironing clothes and preparing for the morning.

I talked to Brett just before he left for the port.  He was nervous and excited.  He texted me a little later to let me know that he was on the ship and had met up with the wedding party.  We made a few jokes about one of his favorite 1970s show, The Love Boat before he said, “All is good, Mom.  See you Monday.”  I was super relieved that all of the planning had worked out and very excited to hear about his trip.