We're half way theeere, living on a praaaayer.

Bon Jovi said it best. "Woah, we're half way there, Woah, livin' on a prayer. Take my hand, we'll make it I swear. Woah, livin' on a prayer"

In the blink of an eye, we're half way thru the cruise. Day 56 of 111. It's so hard to believe. This trip that we dreamed about for 10 years; planned on and off for 4 years; booked, unbooked, rebooked several times due to covid; and made peace with the hardest part...leaving our wonderful family for 4 whole months. And now it's halfway over.

Like many roles in my life, it makes sense to do a mid-cruise assessment.

THE PEOPLE - For the most part, the people have been great...including the fellow passengers, the crew and the people at our destinations. The staff makes it a point to remember our names, our favorite drinks, where we like to sit or play cards and anything else that might help them serve us better. There are however quite a few habitual complainers I stay away from. On the ship, we all know who they are because they post their grievances on the 2023 Facebook group page. Then there's a flurry of activity, both pro and con, and then it dies down. I call this a floating city but it's really a small town.

THE PORTS OF CALL - most fall into the category of "glad I came but no need to return". That includes Categena, Panama Canal, Puerto Vallarta, Oahu, Tahiti, and moreton island. In the category of "we could have skipped that port", puntarenas, American Samoa, Arlie Beach and komodo island. That last one is simply because I didn't like dealing with the Indonesian gov't. (We all just got a surprise charge of $60 each in visa fees with no warning for our 6hrs on an uninhabited island). We LOVED Hualtuco, Moorea, all 3 ports in NZ, Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns.

THE FOOD - the food is good, and at times, great. But it's a 4 month cruise and it's difficult to keep it fresh and exciting. Breakfast at the buffet is the most standard...very little changes. So the recent addition of stellar monkey bread is welcomed. Lunch is usually spent at the buffet and dinner is in the diningroom. It's nice being served, white glove service and all. But I miss cooking. My favorites are still the pizza, the calamari, the salmon, the porterhouse at the Bayou and the smoked prime rib they carve off the bone at the buffet, unlimited fresh fruit, hummus and veggies.

THE ENTERTAINMENT - cruises in the past have had a greater variety of performances. We have a lot of singers, albeit good ones. On previous cruises, there were acrobats, magicians, comedians and even an ice skater. We're going to fewer of the shows in the theater, instead opting for the smaller, more intimate venues.

WOULD WE DO THIS AGAIN? yes, for sure, but not for another 10 years. I think we're just a bit young for the world cruise; and the demographic I see around us supports that notion. I do worry a bit about the concept of mobility and ADLs, (activities of daily living), and want to get in one more major cruise before such issues arise. As we get older and perhaps need walkers or scooters, is a cruise a better or worse option? For me, it's a worse option (or at least a more complicated option) but for many it is a better option. I know this because my toes are run over at least once a day in the elevator 😉

And that's my "midterm" assessment. I hope it is helpful