Back to School

Our primary approach to tropical vacations comes down to relaxing in the sun and snorkeling clear waters.

Add some ice cold beverages, page-turning novels, casual meals, lush foliage, breath-taking sunsets and island music, and it's a tried and true sojourn in a world of rest and relaxation, a much-needed break from the daily grind.

Generations of American GIs found respite on sunny Pacific Islands from dangerous daily battles in Asia, from the sands of Iwo Jima to the Korean Peninsula to the jungles of Vietnam, making Hawaii almost synonymous with "R&R," leading the way for the rest of us.

Of course, Pearl Harbor certainly experienced the horrors of war first hand, and many return to pay respects to brave sailors and soldiers who fought and sometimes died in World War II, to learn why our country must be prepared to defend ourselves at all times.

History and other more scholarly pursuits, however, are generally left for European vacations, which of course certainly also have aesthetic charms beyond that.

On Princess cruises, as well as others, there are always guest lecturers who bring insights into regions being visited, even if their words fall on deaf ears.

When you have sea days, as happens to be the case on longer cruises through the Panama Canal or transatlantic voyages to Europe, you may find yourself watching a replay of a lecture on the flat screen TV in your room, perhaps even being enticed to attend the next live lecture.

Cruising to Hawaii, whether roundtrip from the West Coast or one way as part of a repositioning trip between Australia and Alaska, gives you more time to fill, but on your first such "once-in-a-lifetime" cruise, you may still spend more time lounging by the pool in the day before a sumptuous evening repast followed by sparkling entertainment.

Julie and I balance our time vegging out with a few more structured activities, but on our recent cruise aboard Star Princess, my approach of attending multiple "classes" daily was very much like going back to school.

Perhaps that sounds horrific to you, if high school or college were horrors you couldn't wait to escape.

Fear not!

There's no obligation to learn anything on a cruise except which side of the ship your room is on when you get out of the elevator (a lesson some of us never seem to learn!).

On the other hand, if you're like my niece Bree, who upon recently graduating said she wished she could go to college forever, then you can relive those "thrilling days of yesteryear" without any of the distasteful parts like tests and homework!

"Better service leads to better trips!"