Before you cruise to Hawaii from Los Angeles or take any transoceanic cruise, you better be sure enjoy days at sea. It's not unusual to find a few people on such cruises who love sea days so much that they skip some ports of call entirely.
My friends Brion and Rita cruise to Hawaii every Christmas, but their primary focus is the on-board experience. They enjoy the great meals and entertainment, but their biggest passion is ballroom dancing. Julie and I took fun Latin dance lessons taught by Oz on Star Princess on our recent cruise, but I can't say we're devotees.
Taking a holiday cruise can be an opportunity for a family reunion at a time when kids are off school and salaried workers receive paid holidays that save valuable vacation days. Multi-generational family members can do what interests them alone or together and gather around the dinner table to share their experiences.
For other folks who opted to focus on careers rather than families, there's a sense of belonging among travelers exploring the world together on all cruises. That's true in spades for holiday cruises in particular.
Drs. Christian and Caroline, the psychologists we briefly encountered on the rental car bus in Hilo, spoke about 7 kinds of love for the modern world in one of their presentations. Among their list was enjoying shared interests together and the sense of belonging to something greater than ourselves. I don't recall all of the details, but the exact categories as defined by Christian differed from those carried forward from classic Greece. It's good to remember that just because a relationship isn't hitting on all cylinders doesn't mean that love ceases to be. This is especially important for couples should Eros love that sparks the initial attraction may wane. Other types of love remain, and of course we can also experience with people beyond our soulmates.
Christian actually began that presentation by recounting an intermittent conversation he and I had on the Promenade Deck when we passed as I did laps. Julie had opted to do the aerobic dance class that morning, which I also enjoyed on a couple of other days. As always, we are forced to make choices on cruises between interesting activities, which is why I only attended two of the psychology presentations despite quite enjoying both of them.
The prior day, the Heims presentation had been that "Laughter Is the Best Medicine," and it was hilarious as well as educational.
Julie was reading by the pool when I attended this very funny seminar, but she came to mind as I laughed together with the audience, and she was the topic of my interaction walking laps the next day.
Some early jokes humorously attributed to Aristotle made fun of Cretans, and Julie's grandfather happened to come from Crete. More current jokes of this type made fun had British making fun of Irish, and Julie's mother's maiden name is associated with a castle in Northern Ireland, so Julie is both Cretan and Irish.
Then, there were some jokes about lawyers, and Julie spent many years essentially acting as a lawyer in negotiations with lawyers.
Of course, there had to be some blond jokes, and Julie is blond. Christian also told a couple of jokes about strong-willed redheads like his wife Caroline, which actually are much applicable to Julie than blond jokes.
Anyway, I revealed an element of this with each lap, which amused both Christian and me, so when he started his presentation the next day, he spoke about how he had insulted one person in every way possible within five minutes of starting his presentation the day before. As he recounted them, I wished Julie had been there, but she was reading in a lounge chair in the sun, with Shania Twain in concert on the poolside movie screen.
Music on board is always important to us. Each time, we tend to gravitate to some particular performers who we follow during the voyage. One was the Hawaiian duo Makani E, made up of my Ukelele teacher Kimo and his wife Lokelina, who taught Julie the hula in a separate class. As family friends of the late Hawaiian music icon Bruddah Iz (famous for his version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"), they carry forward his gentle style of island music.
We rarely missed a show of the Ukranian violinists, the Adagio Trio. I especially enjoyed their renditions of Strauss and Mozart, whose music was prominent on our Danube River cruise, but they also did shows based on other themes, including one based on "The Sound of Music," which for me also brought to mind our AmaWaterways excursion to Salzburg.
The incredible orchestra band did some great jazz concerts outside of their usual venue of the Princess Theater, where they back guest performers as well as production shows. It's always so amazing how these band members gel as a unit and produce flawless back-up for guest performers and production shows even if a replacement band member has only arrived on board the day before.
The production shows were also outstanding, with a gifted group of performers where all were stars, and as always there were guest artists to keep add to the variety.
I personally enjoy movies, and in addition to "Yesterday," which we both loved, I enjoyed seeing another great movie I'd missed in theaters, "Once Upon a Time In Hollywood."
The meals aboard our cruise were all delicious. A highlight this time was at the alternative dining venue, Crown Grill, where we savored 8-ounce Filet Mignons cooked to perfection and great sides. I must say the similarly prepared Princess Medallions in the dining room while smaller were quite excellent, and as usual, I enjoyed all the savory seafood dishes.
I think Julie wanted to take this cruise primarily to get away from the kitchen, and of course another dining highlight was Thanksgiving Dinner. Some other guests skipped turkey for other tempting entrees, but we went with the traditional meal.
Our kids had gathered at Gina and Laszlo's new home in Pennsylvania, and I must confess I would have rather been at that feast.
However, we had flown to four family reunion vacations already this year, and also had Emma in California stay with us for an extended visit during the summer, so at the time when flights needed to be booked and seemed very expensive, we somehow talked ourselves out of going.
While I love travel, nothing beats spending time with our family. I'm excited to be getting together with Jay and Sasha plus my sister's family for Christmas.
Make no mistake; we definitely enjoyed this entertaining two-week escape to paradise.
Our final port was Ensenada, where we took our morning walk but then returned to enjoy our final afternoon and evening aboard the ship.
With a simple Lyft home from the port, we returned home totally relaxed and renewed, which I'm not sure would have been the case had we endured holiday airport hassles for a quick turnaround trip east.
Alongside Jewel of the Seas After Arriving in Key West
It seems no one needs arm-twisting to choose Royal Caribbean. RCCL makes a compelling case for itself with exciting TV ads that appeal to the young and young-at-heart.
When Royal Caribbean introduces a new generation of ships, the excitement is palpable.
Quite frequently, that newest ship claims the mantle of World's Largest Ship.
Even when they aren't the largest, the on-board features can be jaw-dropping, allowing guests to ice skate, surf and sky-dive while cruising between ports.
Oasis-Class ships in particular immediately intrigue guests who return again and again. Past passengers want to share the amazing on board experience with loved ones who missed their last trip and also want to do things they missed.
Sometimes, they've seen someone on the balcony of a special suite viewing the multi-story diving show and decide they must try that. And of course, most want to re-live favorites found nowhere else on the Seven Seas.
Knossos Palace, Crete
That's why I have never gotten around to writing about why someone would want to choose Royal Caribbean.
If anything, a travel counselor's difficulty comes in convincing clients whose budgets won't allow them to take that fabulous two-bedroom suite on the most mind-blowing ship in the world that every single aspect may not be essential for them to enjoy a great vacation.
Other Royal Caribbean ships also deliver great cruises, too.
Julie and I love cruising with Royal Caribbean, especially with our family, but believe it or not, we've never been on the latest generation or largest ships, or at least they weren't the world's largest by the time we cruised on them.
No matter which Royal Caribbean cruise you choose, you can expect a well-conceived on-board concept to greet you.
When we first cruised Royal Caribbean, it was on their worst ship, one no longer in service, which was doing weekend trips from Los Angeles, and we always had a great time.
Some of our favorite cruises have been on Vision Class and Radiance Class ships, which at 70,000 and 90,000 tons, respectively, now seem rather smallish in the mega-ship world of today.
Just remember, if you've never been on a cruise, one half that size still seems remarkable in terms of its features at sea and all the wonderful places it will take you.
And if you're like Julie and me, looking primarily at destinations and then seeing which cruises take you there, Royal Caribbean is often a very strong choice.
Firenze (Florence), Italia
While the Caribbean by mega-ship is obviously their claim to fame, Royal Caribbean also shines in other itineraries, too.
I've always thought their Mediterranean itineraries are outstanding, which is why we've chosen them three times for our own family vacations in that amazing region. Whether you choose the Western Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean or Greek Isles, it's hard to find better itineraries than those offered by Royal Caribbean.
And you'll even have a choice of ship size. Maybe even the world's largest!
“I have found out that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”
--- Mark Twain, from Tom Sawyer Abroad
Traveling together often makes a relationship stronger.
Julie and I have been sharing vacations for 35 years. While we may have spats in the air port over trivial non-sense or waste precious moments in paradise on a snit over some subjectively perceived slight, we have come away with a much richer relationship. That includes plenty of shared insights and inside jokes to accompany our shared experiences in unique places.
However, as my friend Sam, on the throes of a mid-life crisis, humorously said at his daughter's wedding toast, "Some relationships last, some don't. Believe me. I know."
When our family returned to the Greek Isles in search of Julie's paternal roots, a trip on which Gina, Laszlo and their 1-year-old daughter Emma did not join us for long forgotten reasons, we successfully connected with wonderful Greek cousins who made the experience magical.
None of us will forget those special memories. Jay's ex-girlfriend Katie, who traveled extensively before and after this cruise, recalled it years later as "the best vacation ever."
Amy's ex-boyfriend Jordan, who studied Latin, probably found the vestiges of the Roman Empire most fascinating.
As happens with many a family's old photos, I worry if sharing my old blog posts may offend someone, but below are links to the way it was back in May of 2011.
Each excursion unfolds uniquely, even if the description in the brochure reads the same.
For our second bus stop of our all-day tour from Madrid, our guide focused like a laser on the Primate Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo, which she said was second only to St. Peter's Basilica in Rome regarding the value of the accumulated treasures.
Based on the many grandiose Cathedrals around the world we have seen, I'm not sure how she can be so definite about that, but it is impressive.
In its art gallery, there are several works by El Greco, an artist born on the Greek Isle of Crete. His greatest works came after relocating to Toledo after developing his talents in Venice and Rome. Personally, I have never been a fan of his paintings, which seem dark, but they're certainly valuable. There are also works by Italian artist Raphael and Spanish artist Velázquez
The greatest treasure, one deemed to be priceless according to our guide, is La Gran Osternsoria de Toledo, also called the Monstrance of Arfe, after the silversmith who created it. Enrique de Arfe sounds like a Spanish name, but Enrique was actually born near Cologne with the Germanic name of Heinrich von Harff.
As my dad used to say, "I never got a job from a poor man," and with the great wealth that flowed into the Spanish treasury from the Americas following Queen Isabella's gamble on Columbus, Spain's rulers and of course the Catholic Church itself became great patrons of the arts, attracting the finest artists from all around Europe.
The Monstrance of Arfe looks something like a giant victory trophy, with jewels inset amid the lavish silver and gold design, but it is a religious ceremonial piece designed to hold the "Consecrated Host," the bread that represents the body of Jesus as He directed at the Last Supper.
"Is it bigger than the average bread box?"
Yes it is.
The Great Monstrance stands over ten feet tall, and it is quite dazzling.
I have to wonder what Jesus would think of this, compared to the plate on which he ate his last meal or even the much sought-after Holy Grail, which was probably a humble chalice suitable for a carpenter.
During the annual Feast of Corpus Christi of Toledo, The Monstrance de Arfe is carried through the street.
Catedral de Toledo itself is also magnificent, considered to be the finest example of Spain's Gothic Cathedrals.
It is said to have been built on the site of a Catholic church that stood there about 1,400 years ago, during the age of Saint Eugene of Toledo, but Toledo was not always ruled by Catholics.
Like almost all of Iberia, Toledo was under Moorish rule for hundreds of years, beginning about the year 711.
In the particular case of Toledo, King Alfonso VI reclaimed Toledo on May 25, 1085, with little bloodshed by promising to maintain the libraries, schools and religious traditions of the Muslims, allowing them to continue living about the same as before the change in government.
In 1087, however, Alfonso went out of town to handle the affairs of state, and while he was gone, his wife, Queen Constance, and their archbishop took it upon themselves to seize the mosque by force, "cast out the flithiness of the law of Mohammed" and hang a bell in the minaret of the former mosque.
This, of course, triggered a Muslim riot that could have become a revolution.
Alfonso may have been angry about returning to the chaos caused by his wife's actions behind his back, but in 1088, Pope Urban II named the former mosque as the Primate Cathedral of the Kingdom.
In 1226, construction began on a new Cathedral on the same spot. It was essentially completed in 1493, the year after Columbus sailed the ocean blue to the West Indies, but adornment continued over centuries to complete the Cathedral as we saw it on our visit.
Before our extensive tour of the Cathedral, we were released to find lunch on our own in town.
Our guide recommended Carcamusa, a pork and vegetable stew that's a specialty of Toledo.
The sit-down sidewalk cafes seemed so busy that we worried we might not make it back to our appointed meeting time in an hour, because in Spain, meals are not rushed, but we found a little restaurant with extra tables and a reasonably priced menu where I could have that as my main course Caramusa with another Spanish specialty, Paella, as the starter course.
Let's just say that when the food came, I understood why we had no trouble getting a table. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't delicious either. Plus, it was indoors, whereas we probably should have enjoyed an outdoor table on such a beautiful day.
At least by skipping dessert we finished with time to spare.
Toledo is perched atop a hill, from which we enjoyed beautiful views of the surrounding area. In these modern times, we actually took elevators from where we parked to the city.
Unknown to us at the time, it turns out that beneath some parts of the city are ruins of the ancient Roman city of Toletum, including Roman baths. In a way, that's the perfect metaphor of how one civilization builds upon prior civilizations.
The Romans had not been in control of the city when the Moors conquered it in 711.
In 378, Germanic tribes collectively known as Goths shocked the Roman Empire by routing their famed army at the Battle of Adrianople, killing Eastern Roman Emperor Vallens who had personally commanded his forces. The Romans derided Goths as "Barbarians," making fun of their speech which instead of being in a civilized language seemed to be nothing more than repeating "bar-bar-bar."
The Barbarians continued to harrass Greece and Italy, eventually sacking the city of Rome itself in 410, though by that point the Western Roman Empire had moved its capital to Ravenna.
Many of these Barbarians moved west and became known as Visigoths (as opposed to the eastern branch called Ostrogoths).
The Visigoths settled first in Gaul (France) and upon losing that land to the Franks, subsequently migrated beyond the Pyrenees to modern day Spain and Portugal, where they ruled their adopted land for a couple of centuries from their capital in Toledo.
While they were not Catholic initially, they had adopted a different form of Christianity called Arianism. Among other beliefs, Arians did not believe in the Trinity as accepted by the Nicene Council in those early centuries of Christianitya. Rather they reckoned that if Jesus had been created by God the Father, He certainly had a different beginning point, about 2000 years ago for us. Therefore while He may have been one with God from that point forward, Jesus by Arian reasoning was not in existence from the Beginning of time like God the Father.
The ruling Visigoths hosted several religious Councils of Toledo, where church leaders determined doctrine and administration, so even back then, the city could have been called Holy Toledo.
Over time, the Visigothic leaders adopted the Catholicism of the people they ruled. In 589, King Reccared dramatically converted from Arianism to Nicene Christianity at the Third Council of Toledo.
Unfortunately, little was recorded from this time period beyond what happened in the Councils, which is probably why our guide in Toledo and other parts of Spain spent little time talking about the Visigoths.
And there are many more layers of Toledo that could be revealed.
Toledo was known as the "Imperial City," for being the main court of Spanish King Charles I who was also Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
Toledo is also in the land of La Mancha, bringing to mind the story of Don Quixote told by the greatest Spanish-language writer and one of the premier novelist in world history, Miguel de Cervantes.
And even on the subject of religion,Toledo is known as the City of Three Cultures for the impact of Christian, Hebrew and Muslim cultures, and of course we barely scratched the surface of the latter two.
Can you experience all of Toledo in a day?
Obviously not, but then again, it is a huge, fascinating world, and you will never have time to experience all it has to offer.
