For vacationer, first time on a ship provides important reminders.
By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle
COZUMEL, Mexico — God’s creation is amazing and even breathtaking.
That’s true all the time.
But sometimes I need reminding.
My wife, Tamie, and I recently joined our son Brady, daughter-in-law Mary and grandchildren Bennett, 4, and Norah, 1, on a Caribbean cruise.
In my 55 years, I’ve helicoptered across Israel, ridden a train through Europe and driven past “Moose Crossing” signs — and even stopped to snap a photo of an actual moose — in Alaska. As a kid, I enjoyed donning an orange life jacket and fishing from my grandfather’s motorboat on the Mississippi River.
But the closest I ever came to a ship was watching reruns of “Love Boat,” the popular TV series that aired from 1977 to 1987.
We boarded the Grandeur of the Seas — owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International — in Galveston, Texas. The first thing that struck me was just how big the ship was. It’s 916 feet long with 11 decks and room for 2,446 passengers, according to an online profile.
For any experts reading this, I realize (thanks to my wife) that Grandeur, built in 1986, is actually Royal Caribbean’s smallest vessel and its oldest still sailing. Nonetheless, it sure impressed me!
The cruise experience itself provided a few important reminders:
This story appears in the December edition of The Christian Chronicle.
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