Epilogue to our fifth winter at sea

When I said at the start of this season that it was time to change things up a bit, I couldn't for a moment have imagined just how our winter would turn out. The only cruises that we ultimately did that were originally in our sights were the first six on the Pacific Princess and the first two on the Caribbean Princess. The Grand Princess was never a consideration; we thought the Royal Princess was a certainty. And the Hotel Tiare Tahiti on the waterfront in Papeete?  We'd never even heard of it. But that's okay...we could never have sat at home and planned a winter of cruising as interesting and fun as ours ultimately was. This one needed to unfold 'on the run'. 

As for next winter ('cause people are already asking)...at this point, we're past our original five year plan for winters at sea, but we're still of like mind when it comes to moving (not yet) or owning a second home (never!). So we'll take it just one year at a time for awhile, and, life and health permitting, I predict we'll spend at least a portion of next winter on a cruise ship. Where we'll cruise is anyone's guess. We enjoyed the small Pacific Princess much more than we'd anticipated, and found short cruises in the Caribbean to be a heckuva lot of fun.

I am working hard right now to not become overwhelmed by all that needs to be done around here immediately. I could swear the piles of mail on the dining room table grew in our absence, and Martha had another box waiting for us in the foyer last night. While today was taken up mostly with double digit loads of laundry (and folding and putting away, the parts of laundry I like least), tomorrow we start the recovery process in earnest, with the grocery shopping and appointments and paperwork and phone calls and to-dos that make up our season at home. 

But I also know that, every so often, in the middle of a busy day, G will look at me and ask "Did we really do that?  Did we really spend three months in French Polynesia?  Did we really party our way through the Caribbean?  Did you REALLY get in 65 degree water to snorkel with sea lions?"

Yep, we did. And I've got the blog posts to prove it. 

Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Home. Land of high speed wifi and comfy bedding and large bathrooms...and ample clean washcloths.

;-)