Cruisers

The best thing about this cruise was the chance to meet and spend some time with my delightful new friends. From the top left they are: Pamela, Margaret, Tim, Patricia, Lisa and Marc.


We were all scheduled for the late dinner sitting and were hanging out in Tim's America Bar on the first night. Patricia and I first started chatting with Pamela and Margaret. They are two friends from San Diego who were on the ship to celebrate Margaret's 30th birthday in style. We took to each other so well that when dinner started we asked the Maitre de to reallocate us to the same table so we could keep talking. In a striking demonstration of Paradise hospitality, he obliged.

Pamela and Margaret are two smart and impressive women who really sucked the marrow out of the cruise. From the birthday cake, through the Sombrero, all the way to the sunglasses and Bloody Mary breakfast they were fantastic fun.

We also met Lisa and Marc on that first night in the America Bar, but it wasn't until the following night that we really had a chance to bond with them. We'd wandered past them on Santa Catalina Island just as they were about to brave the cold to go diving. I was so jealous that I interrogated them extensively in the bar later. So, in our continuing mission to make life difficult for the Maitre de, Patricia and I arranged to hop tables again and joined Marc and Lisa for dinner.

On Wednesday, while Margaret and Pamela were conserving their strength for the impending birthday, Patricia and I hooked up with Lisa and Marc again for the excursion to Ensenada.

Over the course of the day we planned a surprise birthday party for Margaret at midnight. We even ordered a cake and arranged for it to be delivered at 12:01 am.

In Ensenada we bumped into Tim and discovered that it wasn't just Margaret's birthday the following day, but his as well. Because Tim was on duty, his availability for socialising with the guests was profoundly limited, but we still managed to include him at the beginning of the celebrations. Even after he had to retire from the guest floors, Tim was still part of the gang in spirit as we partied on.

We all had such a good time together that we parted with plans for a reunion cruise in the summer. I really hope it works out, because I love these guys.