I'm referring to that camaraderie that quickly develops on a cruise ship, where in a matter of days we develop closer ties within our onboard community than we have in our neighborhoods where we have lived for years. I'm convinced that desire to return to this Community of the Seas is a major reason why so many of us become addicted to cruising.
At first glance, it may seem absurd that we don't just as easily form these bonds back home, but when you think about life in the 21st century, it is understandable. Consider our lifestyles. Most of us eat breakfast in our own kitchens, and we don't walk to work, but instead get in our cars to battle freeway traffic. Most spend days with co-workers who become our Community of the Job but who arrive daily from diverse geographic areas. Some of us don't even speak with people face to face at work, but live in a virtual reality of e-mails, phone calls and independent research, isolated from true inter-personal interaction. Perhaps we eat at our desks or with co-workers, but few head back home for lunch. After work, it's back on the freeway to return to our “pods,” which is the term I use to describe that conglomeration of grocery stores, shopping malls, fast food restaurants and big box stores that are accessed from our neighborhoods. We may pick up food at a drive thru, but mostly eat dinner in our own homes and spend the evening watching our favorite TV shows. In fact, a good argument could be made that we form a stronger relationship, albeit one-sided, with Bill O'Reilly, Simon Cowell and our favorite soap opera stars than with real people.
Lest I be misunderstood, allow me to stress that we are blessed to live in a world of such freedom, abundance and technology. A mere century ago, most Americans spent dawn to dusk doing hard physical work and, if they had the strength to stay awake much after dark, might re-read a favorite book by candlelight. We are blessed to live in this time.
However, compare that day-to-day reality to live on a cruise. In the morning, we walk leisurely through the ship to dine with others. Our task for the day is to enjoy life. If we stay onboard, we might participate in dance classes, art auctions and pool activities with the same people. Lunch often finds us seated with strangers, with whom we soon find common areas of interest. We learn these strangers actually have a lot in common with us. Prejudices melt away as we interact with people seemingly quite different from ourselves but who all find themselves starring in this real life version of “The Love Boat.” If we have a port, then we end up sharing a cab with fellow cruisers, or take one of the ship's informative shore excursions. We smile when we recognize others we have seen on the ship. When we return to the ship, we are greeted by our smiling waiter who knows us by name, and then we sit with our new friends to share what happened on shore along with our daily bread. We then head out for a night of gala entertainment, and we build up more shared reference points. Within a few days, we have shared more experiences with our cruise companions than we may share with our neighbors in a lifetime.
When we were heading to our room on embarkation day for our recent Mexican Riviera cruise, Julie and I saw a man whose distinctive long beard and Greek fisherman's cap made him immediately recognizable as someone with whom we cruised the Mediterranean previously. Like Jeff Spicoli in “Fast Times At Ridgemont High,” I pointed and said, “I know that dude.” That's just how it is on cruises. When you've cruised once, you can't wait to cruise again so you can return to that Community of the Seas.
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