What I Learned On My First Cruise

Posted on June 25, 2026 by TheJessicaness

I got invited onto a Royal Caribbean Cruise to Costa Maya and Cozumel to take the place of my friend’s kid who had to stay behind for college obligations. I got to share a room with his two sisters, aged 14 and 16, while mom and dad were six decks up. Brandi got a room with a view on the deck above me.

There is plenty of staff available to help with:
Retaking passport-like photos to get guests through security: the family I was traveling with.
Changing passenger phone settings to use the ship’s wifi underway to chat with others onboard: I struggled, as did the first person in their tech department.
Replacing wet towels daily to reduce the humidity in the room: because you bump the shower curtain and water soaks the floor.

Squeezing sanitizer onto diners’ hands to decrease the spread of disease: while singing Washy Washy to encourage the little ones and inspire the teens to get pictures with them.
Polishing railings and picking up dishes: constant and thankless tasks.
And the ones behind the scenes ensuring guests stay fed, entertained, and afloat.

There are many activities on board:
A majority of people will spend their time drunk by the pool, sleeping it off in their room, or watching the Deck 4 entertainment: live music and dancing (70s, 80s, and Latin nights), coloring pages of turtles and bears, an egg drop competition from Deck 8 and 10, a balloon drop party, a parade of the 52 flags represented by the crew, and Veterans’ appreciation with a cupcake flag.

The drunk and sunburned people help provide entertainment by dancing to the DJ, screaming at the big screen for their soccer team, cannonballing into the pool (women), while the men belly flop and then strut their stuff in another competition, before also competing in the Battle of the Sexes. Teenagers sit around the hot tubs under the awning with their feet in the water. And the adults-only pool is inside.

The ones I didn’t participate in: rock climbing wall, sports court, arcade, hair salon, casino, conference center, and the medical facility (though I did wander down and get close to the entrance). And the ones I did: a scavenger hunt in the art gallery, performances in the theater (comedian: Derrick Cameron, unicyclist: Rick Novell, ballet: City of Dreams, The Price is Right), music trivia, and putt-putt (with Fallon, Ryan, and Brandi).

There are plenty of food and drink options:
Guests are offered drink packages (for unlimited booze or non-alcoholic) up until the first day on board. There is a specialty coffee shop for a fee, along with unlimited tea, coffee, water, and iced tea, milk, and lemonade during meals. The buffet was open for six to eight hours a day, with soft-serve ice cream available for ten hours a day. I had fresh watermelon, a variety of bread, and desserts consisting mostly of whipped cream for breakfast and lunch.

Dinner was served at 530, 645, and 8pm in the main dining room. There was always a bread basket, or four, depending on the appetite of the guests. Three courses were served, and some plates appeared to be worth the amount of silverware on the table, while others were simply thrown together. The good news was that we could share our plates or grab something from the buffet or snack bar after, but I left full each night, except for the one we missed due to a tight schedule between a shore excursion and a theater performance.

There are shore excursions:
Costa Maya: I found our activity for this port visit through a local company, La Leyenda ECO-TOURS, which would entertain us for three hours once we arrived via taxi. The water was not calm due to a recent storm and a possible earthquake, but that didn’t stop us from seeing tropical fish, coral, sea grass, each other, and the tortuga (turtle) that our guide pointed out as Brandi swam by in another group.

On our small boat, we were given fresh fruit and cold drinks, but we would need to return to shore for the guacamole as the chips had been left behind. Lunch was had at El Tacolote: 3 carnitas tacos and 1 shot of tequila for $10 is the menu option. The family enjoyed one of the many pools available in the port area while I walked through the shops.

Cozumel: Fallon booked this activity through the ship because it offered guests the opportunity to pet sting rays, snorkel with nurse sharks, and eat endless tacos. Brooke French-braided my hair, and there were only 16 snorkelers on the boat and four crew members. The ray pen came with a multitude of photo opportunities as a way for the attraction to make more money. Even though the girls licked the rays, no one wanted to pay the $100+, even with a framed picture of our choosing. We got to participate in a hermit crab race where the people won chips.

Some people have been on board before:
The ones with secure bag tags, not just the folded paper stapled to a handle.
Have magnets on their doors celebrating a birthday, a dad, a marriage, or a graduation.
Collect their towel animals during the cruise for a post-sailing group photo.
Have food delivered to their rooms so they can eat on their balcony, not at the buffet.
Get their picture taken against every background on the ship, and with the evening backdrops.
Prepared with an outfit for each themed night (hence the extra baggage for shoes and dresses).

Random:
There is more jewelry and art on board than I thought there would be. Thanks tax and duty-free.
Guests get mail reminding them to spend money at the store, spa, and gallery.
The TV is on when you arrive (wash your hands) and on the last day (pack your bags).
Little ducks can be spotted taking the stairs, taking a break, and hiding in your room.
Guests’ room cards are scanned every time they board or leave the ship.
Some shops give you deals for being on a cruise. Others know they can charge more.
Many people take the stairs as they get tired of waiting for one of the five elevators.
Certain areas got crowded at times, but I always found plenty of space to be alone.

  • Costa Maya
  • Costa Maya
  • Costa Maya
  • Cozumel
  • Cozumel
  • Costa Maya
  • Costa Maya
  • Cozumel
  • Cozumel
  • Cozumel
  • Costa Maya
  • Costa Maya


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Can I Get a Ride?

Posted on June 17, 2026 by TheJessicaness

After we pack up camp, we stop at the Tioga Gas Mart, but are saving our appetites for lunch in Bishop at Erick Schat’s Bakkerÿ. Then Caleb can introduce his sister to the Manzanar National Historic Site, which I visited in May and August of 2013, and in September 2016 and 2021. Caleb and Jessi get us set up at Lone Pine Campground, then we ride to Whitney Portal and talk with some day hikers. Down in Lone Pine, we find five hikers needing a ride in the morning.

Manzanar

Jessi goes first, then Caleb joins her on the next round of rides. We will rotate like this so we can get a signal in town as our numbers get passed to more hikers as they approach our service area. At camp, there are lizards, a butterfly, a hummingbird, and a few ground squirrels (hence the bearproof box). There is reading, s’mores, planet gazing, focaccia eating, cocoa and cookies, showers, a bit of rain, and watching ants go about their day (even if at night).

view from Lone Pine Campground

When I make it to Cottonwood Pass Trailhead Campground, just a 3.5-mile hike one-way from the PCT, I see Lyric, a kid I met on Day 14 of my PCT hike last year, surrounded by his new trail family. We deliver at least 25 hikers either to town or back to the trailhead, a 23-mile ride one-way. Some are lucky enough to get a ride with one of us going both ways, saving them the $60 one-way fee that other drivers are asking.

Caleb knitting pants Caleb and Lyric

Jessi and I approach a guy at breakfast, and he seems weirded out that we offered him a ride. We find a guy, trail name Battery, whom we will take to Kearsarge Pass Trailhead, a 29-mile ride, one-way. Jessi will leave us in town while we talk with Jordan from Ridgecrest, who hiked 90+ miles with his friend Joshua, but is excited to get home to his kids. We hike to Mobius Arch in the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area.

Horseshoe Meadows Road Alabama Hills NSA

We break down camp, even as messages are coming in asking for rides, and promptly get a flat tire. We aren’t alone for long as I’m able to get a jack and wrench while Caleb and Jessi get a new tire. I read aloud from Get Well Soon by Jennifer Wright as we drive through Nevada. Someone’s little brother waves at me from the backseat when I mention little people. We stopped to check on an SUV that was on its side parked into the bumper of a semi, some bruises, but no one broken. We stop at Lud Drexler Park Campground in time for mating grasshoppers and sunset.

Alabama Hills NSA

We make great time by leaving camp early, being the last car through a one-lane road, and crossing the railroad tracks just as the arms descend (20-30 seconds before the train’s arrival). We celebrate in Missoula with a homemade Thai salad. Jake makes us pancakes in the morning and gifts us with a coffee cup each — that he made! Now, if we could only get him to part with one of his paintings.

Mt Whitney Salmon Falls Creek Reservoir

Jessi re-gifts me an orange cup that she doesn’t like after hearing that I do. It makes a great home for six stickers. I’m grateful for the coffee and airport sandwiches with our flight delayed. We change planes in Denver instead of Chicago and arrive home almost two hours later, but I made a new friend from Salmon, Idaho, because Missoula is closer than Boise.

gopher snake no snake

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Chilly Milly

Posted on June 11, 2026 by TheJessicaness

We leave Missoula earlier than I expected on Tuesday morning after enjoying the cooler weather, kitchen conversations, buying stickers, baking cookies by the bucketful, and watching Over the Garden Wall.

Jessi paints little horses, Jake catches dinner on fire (on the grill) and starts over, Lyra is taking finals this week (as a high-school freshman), and Sam is still unpacking from an adventure in Anaheim.

We make it to Portland to stay the night with Rachel and Chris (and their three kitties) and have Nathan join us for dinner at Farmhouse Kitchen. We stay long enough this time to shower and for Jessi to put her nursing skills to use.

She walks into the kitchen on Wednesday and, upon seeing a red, still wet puddle, asks Rachel if she had spilled some wine. Rachel’s reenactment of her sloshing about with breakfast booze led us to another, bigger pool of blood.

The injured kitty got his holey leg wrapped, and we left for coffee, car fuel, pee stops, and walking every chance I got. We listen to part of TimeSuck, episode Pig Farm Killer, because the description of his family’s disgustingness is a modern marvel.

The Bootleg Campground has a gallon of water next to each fire pit. I’m sure the trees hope that this idea will spread, as it’s great. I start watching the stars emerge, but I will have better luck seeing them a couple of hours later.

I’m the first one up, so I’m able to enjoy a hike with the quiet robins and noisy blue jays. I’d have kept going over the pine needles, feeling them shift underfoot, but after a mile, I was over having to empty trail treasures from my shoes.

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Fly West, Fly East

Posted on June 6, 2026 by TheJessicaness

We packed our two checked bags, one carry-on, and two personal items over the course of the day, making sure batteries were charged and our camping gear was compressed. We went to bed at 8 pm while the sky still had light and I couldn’t help but think of all those times as a kid wondering if I was being punished as the day went on without me. This was the sentiment Caleb expressed as I asked him not to wake me if he chose to stay up.

He preferred to help me sleep and wake before me, as is our usual, but 3 am is still early. We had gone out for dinner (as an anti-dishes excuse) so I had some pineapple salsa mahi mahi on our way out the door and a fruit popsicle to help with my breath. I check on our frog friend and send them to the dark side of the plant in my excitement at seeing their little eyes. In the Uber, I realized I had been attacked viciously and was growing a second lateral malleolus (aka a mosquito bite).

We ride to the airport in silence while I read about Uber’s new audio recording option for more safety as a passenger at night and Caleb looks up the weight of a Tesla battery vs other cars’ engines. I also wonder if our driver is falling asleep as he continually shifts speed and lays his head on his pillow. Tesla makes a ding to alert drivers that the light has turned green, such convenience. In the security line, a guy turns around to find out I’m not his wife, but I let him know we could still chat.

Caleb lets the couple rejoin and then we get to deal with the TSA trays. Historically, the passenger had to stay with their bag, but now the agent pushes the bins along in no order as I’m told to wait as I make room for mine as he continues to push them forward. Our carry-on gets flagged for the mango (I found on a walk that’s not ripe yet) in a reusable mug and we are on our way to do a crossword puzzle on the plane until Caleb’s neighbor decided to talk through the boarding.

Up in the air, I switch between reading about Madame Restell and staring at the ever-changing sky: dark shades of orange, bright blue, and white streaks creating another sea over the Gulf of Mexico (or whatever it’s called now). The clouds constantly ask for my attention and I’m willing to oblige until the white sun pierces my eyes and convinces me to get back to reading if I want to keep my vision, which is still 20/20 at my appointment this week.

The optometrist also fully dilated my eyes – I would not recommend it, as I spent the morning with my mydriatic glasses on under my sunglasses, and most of the afternoon with my shades on. Anyway, we land in San Francisco, grab a meal, and walk a few terminals until Caleb has the idea to sit by our gate so I can get some writing done. He saw how long our trip to the Netherlands took to post with me just taking notes. I love that he makes space for my interests.

The plane we get on is a flying Motel 6. My “window” seat is actually where two panels used to come together, so I take a peek inside… omg, why would I be ok with that… because everyone else seems to think we’re on Spirit Airlines or a child’s art project too. Though, I worried on the first flight that the seat in front of me was going to fall back into my lap at some point as the woman in it tossed about to get comfortable. Caleb is able to sneak up on Jessi while we wait at baggage claim.

I was still hiding behind a column by the rental car desk and laughed. This provided amusement to the man behind the counter as well. Jake drives us to the house, where their street is in ruins (piping under repairs), to drop our bags. Then the six of us make a trip to the store so we can have brownies and lasagna for dinner, in that order. We watch Onyx the Fortuitous as our evening entertainment, which it definitely provides. Caleb and I will for the second night climb into bed while the sky is still lit, if less so.

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Imprints of May

Posted on May 31, 2026 by TheJessicaness

I partially unpack my suitcase over a few days. I’m not sure why the hesitation, but I’m in no hurry to put my clothes away. I’ve been accepted to USF and will be going to the St Pete Campus. For this reason, I must attend to my medical needs — actually going to my doctor (because the school needs my immunization record) and setting up an appointment with a new optometrist, which should be right on schedule. I get my teeth cleaned, and one out of 28 gets a “Keep an eye on this.”

Caleb was surprised that I hadn’t watched Watership Down (1978) in my childhood, so he quickly corrected that. The film is the bloodiest children’s story I’ve seen, but I’ve also never watched videos of Grimm’s Fairy Tales (the bedtime stories of mutilation, cannibalism, and infanticide). We go to bed early a few nights to account for the jet lag. I developed a heat rash that lasted two days — welcome back to the humidity that gets blown away in the Netherlands.

While I’m writing about our trip, I take breaks to talk with Fallon (over four hours) and Dad (67 minutes) on the phone, bring in a package for Christine B. and brush her kitties, and help Helen while her place was flooded — take pictures for insurance, collect pools of water, and move other things to dry — until the contractor could arrive hours later. We try to get our walking in before 7 am or after 6 pm, depending on the evening rains, but we still get sweaty.

I get concert tickets from Lisa U. to see Bush and invite other couples to join, but they all give their reasons, so Fallon and I will go. We had a great time listening to James and the Cold Gun, and Mammoth, with the sun in our eyes, and the crowd went wild when Gavin Rossdale (61-year-old singer for Bush) walked through the audience, still singing. I attend a three-hour online orientation (even with a technical difficulty) and finish the required hazing prevention course for USF.

Three days later, Caleb and I ride our bikes down to Coachman Park (where the concert was) to attend Sharkapalooza, complete with manatee art, mini donuts, flavored lemonade, a scientist speaking on stage, stickers, shirts, jewelry, and other ways to raise awareness for the animals of the sea. Susie’s 19-year-old cat, Molly, passed, so when she invites me to go on a walk with her, I gladly join, as I love walking, talking, and exploring somewhere new.

Caleb will walk Sarah’s dogs so I can go to the Bush concert with Fallon. I forgot to walk them one night and called hours later. Luckily, she thought I was out of town and already had a backup. I remind her that I don’t leave for two more weeks, so I’m still available to walk them twice a day for a week while her usual walker, Carrie, is on vacation. Caleb will book us flights to Montana, so I have one less trip to plan. I’ll be back in time to join Fallon on a cruise with stops in Costa Maya and Cozumel.

I read Walking Home by Rick Rogers and Madhouse at the End of the Earth by Julian Sancton. One adventure is definitely a walk in the park compared to the events that unfolded in surviving Antarctica, especially in the 1890s. I’m currently reading Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks (the author of Awakenings, which led to the film with Robin Williams) and am constantly impressed with how the human brain works for us and against us, as apparently not all malfunctions can be considered a superpower.

Susie gifted me some puzzles, so I spent a couple of hours completing a mountain scene with horses and another Amsterdam one. It feels good to play the piano again and have my fingers be hesitant until memory kicks in and the tune comes more easily. We watch two prison documentaries, one in Norway and the other in Germany. One looks like a hotel, and the other comes with many locked doors. The hostess worked in the British prison system, so she has a different perspective on what works.

I’m glad I didn’t bother reading the suggestion for book club this month as the table of eight gave mixed reviews. One has gone on to read two more in the series, one hated the theme and didn’t read it either, and two thought it was not a well put together book. I won’t be here for next month’s reading, but I’m told it’s better, so I still might read it. Besides trying Cricketers with the ladies, Caleb and I will go for coffee, chicken, and sushi.

We went to Marshall’s because they have hidden treasures, like a face mask sampler pack that makes my face feel like it has been to the spa, and to Target. After all, I had a $5 gift card. We bought another tea sampler box, and the acai berry green tea tastes better cold. We spend Memorial Day at Mary Jo and Roberto’s, eating waffles and burgers, drinking coffee and cider, and talking about travels past and future plans. Our neighbors are inspirational, thoughtful, and generous.

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