Cruise Happy

We own stock in Royal Caribbean. Besides offering full disclosure, I wanted to make the point that we are firm believers in cruising. Luckily plenty of other people are believers as well. We got our stock report this week and even during these difficult economic times, even with gas prices climbing, Royal Caribbean's stock has held pretty steady.

We went on our first cruise in 1986 with best friend Chuck. We have laughed ever since that if we had spent that money on stock in a cruise line we would be far wealthier today. Financially that is undoubtedly true, but we are incredibly richer for having taken that cruise. The three of us have memories that cannot be replaced. And as often happens when we travel, that adventure led us to others. Snorkeling on that cruise led all three of us to what is now our favorite past time: scuba diving. Chuck is even an instructor.

I ran into an old friend this week. As we chatted, the conversation turned to cruises we had taken. Talk to almost anyone who's ever cruised and you'll get the same reaction: our eyes got dreamy, the pitch of our voices raised a bit, and our laughter bubbled forth.

Still cruising 25 years later. This time with Mom Crow and our friend Chris.

If you haven't cruised before, consider giving it a try. If you have cruised in the past, pull out your old photos and relive the journey. It's almost guaranteed to put a smile on your face.