Pre-cruise obsession

Obsession

I’ve been thinking about obsession, specifically my fixation—and that of my fellow CruiseCritic members—on our upcoming world cruise. The dictionary defines obsession as (this worries me just a tiny bit) “a persistent disturbing [!] preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling.” Another dictionary defines it thus: “the act of an evil spirit [!] in possessing or ruling a person or such a persistent idea, desire, emotion that cannot be gotten rid of by reasoning.”

Hmmhhh. So maybe I’d rather use a different word to describe my fixation, fascination, passion, fancy, craze, delusion, mania, infatuation, fixed idea, compulsion, fetish, bee in one's bonnet, hang-up, or—neurosis. I’ll have to think about that.

I was reading on a blog that there might be a martini demonstration. Randy & I will have to be front and center for THAT!

We are now down to 30 days until we leave our house, about (I don’t have a countdown for this which means I actually have to subtract!) eight days before we fly to Oz. I think it’s eight days, we lose a day so that makes the subtraction more difficult. Anyway we leave the US on May 8th, 2012 and arrive in SYD on May 10th.

I am shamelessly cribbing from Joanne’s blog:

"Just a reminder if you are reading this blog please click on the follow button at the top of the page or the subscribe to button at the bottom of the page.... the more the merrier ....this will be my incentive to be very diligent to keep the blogs going on a regular basis... I work better under pressure....

"I have added a flag counter on the blog site too... thought it would be exciting to see where everyone who reads this comes from...

"For those who want to be alerted every time a new post is made , click in follow by email  at the right side of the page & add your email address....this sends you and email when and only when I post."

I get SO many great ideas from others’ blogs, like this one about how to handle a looooong cruise:

1. To be successful, it requires effort and commitment. If you are traveling with a partner or spouse, make sure you both have the same level of commitment. Compromise might work for a 7-day cruise, but not for over 3 months.
2. Do breakfasts in the dining room. The omelets are to die for.
3. Avoid the laundry. It’s a hotbed of unfounded rumour and discontent!
4. Talk to the crew as equals, and get to know them. They are lovely people, and over time you will hear some amazing stories.
5. Try to make friends with people who are different to your friends back home. This will enrich your experience.
6. Take some tours from the ship where they are the best option, but do your own thing sometimes too. Do your homework before you leave so you know what you want to see and do.
7. Chill. You’re on a cruise ship, and at sea. Shit will happen, as it would in the same period of time at home. And once you start moaning, it’s a downhill spiral…
8. And if you do need to complain about something, do it with a smile and you may well find you get a better result.