whafford (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} whafford) wrote,@ 2008-09-07 11:15:00 |
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| Entry tags: | diving, travel 2008 |
Back in Florida
21 August
Back in Tampa. We got in around 6:30 this morning but had to wait quite a while to disembark. We were supposed to start the debarkation process at 7:45 but they kept calling various people to the US immigration onboard so we didn’t start getting out till 8:15 or later. Homeland Security at work.Overall the trip was good but this cruise as all cruises was at least partly scam. They have a captive audience and they know it. Gratuities are automatically added to every bill and every day at sea ‘for your convenience’. Isn’t it nice when people take extra money from you and say it’s easier for you that way? I suppose, they could have been more invasive but they should have been less.
The last sea day wasn’t too bad. I’d brought a book of word games and we played a bunch of those, then played both of the trivia games offered by the cruise that day. And we won them both. Now we have several cheesy gold-painted plastic trophies. But it was fun.
We played some more slot machines and discovered that the table games had all raised their minimums. Looks like my question of raising the stakes has been answered. I guess they try to hook you at first and then take back the money you won early in the cruise. In the afternoon, we went up to the top deck to play putt-putt golf. The course was short but many of the holes were listed as par 3. “How could this little thing possibly be a par 3?” I thought. But there’s a difference in putt-putt at sea. Especially today in the wake of a tropical storm. The wind was quite strong and the boat was listing, adding to the difficulty. With the added pitch and roll, it was quite difficult even to keep the ball from wandering away from the tee, let alone go straight towards the hole.
So I had a good time and I think my mother did too. We may be a year older, but it doesn’t mean we can’t do interesting things. I’m particularly impressed with her for getting her diving certification and going on a rather deep dive with me. My brother got certified many years ago and first interested me in diving, then I eventually got certified and now she has too. Some people get to be sticks in mud as they move to retirement age, but not her and I’m very proud of her. Of course, the great thing about being an artist is that you don’t have to retire at all and I’m sure she’ll continue creating, traveling, diving, and doing all sorts of interesting things for many, many years to come.
