Cruising is an interesting way to travel. I got the bug early on when one of my Martha Cook friends (from the University of Michigan) and I took our first cruise on the Royal Caribbean ‘Song of America.” it was my first year as a teacher at McKinley Middle School in Flint and the teachers had negotiated a full week off in February-most likely because Easter was late that that year. Barb and I did our research and we decided on an itinerary that included St. Thomas, Saint Martin, and Labadie, which was Royal Caribbean‘s private resort in the Caribbean. What a fun time. The following year, my husband and I took our first cruise together on our honeymoon aboard the Carnival fun ship, The Celebration. A few years later after my father-in-law began cruising as a dentist for Holland America, we too began our tenure as my husband worked, usually two contracts a year, also as ship’s dentist to take care of the crew primarily and the occasional passenger who broke a tooth or needed minor dental work in an emergency situation. That gig lasted about 12 years and it allowed us to take our three children when he worked and we saw some very interesting ports of call around the world, with our young family that we normally would not have had or would have spent the money on, that early in our married life. It really was a great experience for us all and Brad was able to help some really good people working aboard the ships who had come to work from primarily Indonesia and the Philippines (officers were from a variety of countries) then the make-up of the Holland America crew covering the bar, food and maintenance service staff, respectively. Many of these young crew members came aboard having not seen a dentist their entire life-we’re talking 35 or so years ago-so to take staff on shore while in port was costly and could mean time off work, so for the cruiseline to provide a dentist on board, give the dentist an available very basic cabin, like what ever was open, was a very smart business and Human Resources decision.
You either like cruising or you don’t. It is nice to unpack once and travel from destination to destination while you are sleeping, waking up in a new port. Yes, you’ll miss the ambiance of staying in a location for a length of time and getting to know the area and seeing inland sites. Cruising can give you a ‘flavor’ for an area that you might later choose to make your destination. Someone once told us on a cruise, that “if you are on the right ship, it doesn’t matter where you are going.” I could not agree more. There is a cruise line for every style, size, generation or interest for cruising. There are the ships that focus on non-stop fun at a reasonable cost that attracts a younger crowd, like Carnival. The Big ships with lots of amenities for a family like the Royal Caribbean ships, Princess, which seems to attract a passenger who likes nice, but not too formal, a variety of amenities at a reasonable pass, large but not too large (although they have recently launched a Big ship). There is Holland American for the older, quieter crowd and there are the smaller ships that focus on more personal service, and attention to details. There is something for everyone.
If you are familiar with cruising, you may know that Holland America is a line known for its excellent service and catering to primarily an older crowd. Although I’ve never cruised the QE2, Holland America, in my mind is maybe a notch down from that, but similar in the attention to detail and quality service. With long formal dinners, tea in the afternoon and seeing to the utmost in catering to passengers’ needs. On a Holland America ship you won’t find a disco or an active nightlife, but you will find passengers who have become accustomed to their first class service and attention to every detail. Their ships are sometimes humorously referred to as the ‘Dam Ships’ as in the Noordam, the Statendam, the Westerdam, the Volendam and the Rotterdam all Dutch names, hence Holland America Cruise Lines originating from The Netherlands.
Having said all of this, Holland America is now trying to be more competitive in the cruising industry market by becoming a little more diversified. The trend now in cruising is offering additional packages, on top of the cruise fair per person. Some of these packages include drinks, internet and tips and/or additional perks like on onboard ship credit, excursions and spa services. Holland America has come up with a catchy name for these additional options, “HAVE IT ALL,” referring to totaling your entire cruising experience, food, lodging, and anything else you might need into one nice price. And it is nice to pay upfront and depending on how much shopping you do, how many excursions you choose to take you could walk away spending very little after you pay that upfront price, at the end of your cruise. “Have it All.” I like that and it’s a very enticing and catchy phrase. It makes a cruise experience more like an all exclusive resort, should you choose this option for your sailing vacation.
It seems as if we live in a time where many people in our country want to live the “HAVE IT ALL” experience. We see people going ‘overboard’ into debt to have all the options in life. We see young adults, whose parents go to every extreme to make sure they’re grown children can live in their 20s with luxuries beyond, which they themselves can afford without the help of mom and dad. We see people who want to have it all from the get-go when maybe paying their dues would serve them better. We see politicians who get into government to pad their own pockets, we see judges, who want to bend the rules as far as they can to serve their own good. I could go on and on, but you see it yourselves in your own communities.
Can anyone really have it all in life? You may be able to have that corner office with the excellent view or the home of your dreams or the car that you’ve hoped for, but can you realistically have it all right away or all at the same time? There’s a lot to be said for working your way up and enjoying the journey along the way. The journey and the hard work it takes, is a good part of the fun, has been my experience. Moving into that first apartment and putting up with the people upstairs making too much noise, or hanging onto that first car for years until you could afford to pay for the next one wasn’t all bad and it made us appreciate saving for a down payment and buying for ourselves our first house. . Sometimes we see people who have it all early on, and unless they have some wisdom, they may not truly appreciate what it takes to buy the nice car or work for the down payment for the first house. Sometimes when young adults are given too much, they don’t truly appreciate the gifts they’ve been given. There’s a lot to be sad for “sweat equity”. When you work hard for what you have, you appreciate it. If you work hard for that first car, you are more likely to take care of it. When you work hard to get that first job, you appreciate it. When parents freely give their kids more and more, it robs or cheats their grown children of the feeling of doing it themselves. That feeling is something you cannot buy. It’s something you have to work for yourself, and it gives one a sense of accomplishment and pride. There’s nothing wrong with a little help along the way if it’s help the partners with your kids. Maybe you see them buy their first house, getting a mortgage and you give them a gift to help them with the painting or a new fridge. You are letting them do the ‘heavy lifting’ your gift doesn’t tell them that you don’t think they can do it on their own, they obviously did, but the gift of a new appliance or a check to help them with painting their first home or another home improvement project says to them, we are proud of you and are glad to help/partner with something to make the move a little easier. A young couple with small children may greatly benefit from a little babysitting for a date night or a weekend away at a time when they might not be able to afford it. There are ways to help your adult children, without doing it for them.
When you are young into adulthood you most likely have your health. You may have the time to travel, unattached or unencumbered with a family/children but you may not have the money, so the travel might be on the budget end or finding a way to travel and work at the same time. As you get older, you may have the money, but you may not have the health or the ability to get up and go when ever because you may have obligations of family to care for, like aging parents or responsibilities like college to pay for.
Life is sort of like that, everything is a trade off. ‘Madison Avenue’ or social media may make us feel like we need to or should “HAVE IT ALL.” We may see adds for things we think we ‘should have’ or ‘Friends’ on line ‘living the good life,’ that we think we should be living. People sometimes get depressed or just down because they cannot ‘HAVE IT ALL.’ Newsflash: No one really has it all and we all are going to facehardships in life. That’s just the way life is and no one is immune to that. It’s just part of life on earth. Fortunately, we all don’t go through the tough stuff at the same time and sometimes it seems like, when we are experiencing hardship, everyone else’ has it all’ or ‘has it all together.’ NADA.
I listened to an interview with Matt Walsh, author of four books, podcaster and star of the films What is a Woman and Am I a Racist? In his documentary film What is a Woman” he interviews a woman from Africa who is asked if she is happy with her role serving her family as wife and mom who lives in a straw hut caring for her children and she sort of is surprised he asks. She answers in a tone of what else would she do implying that she is very happy with her role, despite its demanding toll it an take. In interviewing a man from his community about cases of depression, he describes that they do not have that problem in his country. People are happy with their roles in life. Whether this is official true, that their are no cases of clinical depression in their country, I do not know, rather the point is that people in their country are happy with very little, they find happiness in the work they do and the responsibilities they have.
Many in western civilizations feel they need so much to be happy or to ‘get through our days.’ I’ll admit, I like a nice cup of coffee when I get up in the morning and a few moments to enjoy it before starting my day. I like my car with heated seats and air and conditions in the warmer months. I like a nice outfit to workout in and a nice gym to go to. I like our pretty kitchen and a nicely set table with a nutritious meal to provide for those who sit around around our table. Most people do. I think it’s the QUEST for more and more and when the ‘things’ become an obsession, that’s where the problem starts.
What is enough? How much is enough? Each of us is left to answer these questions on our own. We might like the thought of “HAVE IT ALL” but do we really want it all and all that comes with it? Do we really want to “HAVE IT ALL” to give our kids it all and the consequences that come with it? Having it all may mean missing out along the way. It may mean not having the struggles that make us appreciate reaching the goals. In life, you may be able to have it all, but just not all at the same time…And that’s not all bad…In fact, it may make for some great days along the way…Maybe even greater than you think ❤️
