Vay-Cay-Shun

 My parents took Daryl and I on a celebratory graduation and marriage reunion cruise to Mexico this May. After final exams and being apart for so, so, so long, this was the perfect present. Sleeping, eating, relaxing by the pool, reading novels, exploring Mexico - it rocked.

Because I have to eat GF, vacations can be stressful. Eating at a new non gf-savvy restaurant takes a lot of work. A LOT (inform the waiter of my issues, quiz him/her about the menu, ask again when the food arrives, and about half the time, get sick anyway...). Often it isn't restful or enjoyable at all, and I'll just sip a Coke while everyone else eats and then snack on my gf granola bars or bag of trail mix after dinner. Many areas have few (if any) restaurants that understand gluten free cooking or the dangers of cross-contamination. From a dietary standpoint, this cruise was amazing. I ordered my dinner the night before so that it could be made gf, and they cooked me special desserts on nights when everything else had gluten. Two words: strawberry pavlova. Oh. My. Goodness.

If you are a gf-er, THIS IS YOUR VACATION. Explain your food issues to your travel agent and call the cruise line in advance. Then tell your waiter and assistant waiter about your gf-status. Then sit back and eat. And eat. And eat. And feel normal like you haven't since your diagnosis. And be happy. Oh so happy.

For all other reasons (relaxing, vacationing, enjoying time together, and getting a little bit tan), it was also amazing. I had a ridiculously good time. Where else can you lie in the sun all day, get dressed up and eat a fancy dinner, and then see a show all without your wallet in hand? Our boat even had a climbing wall (which I beat Daryl up in a climbing race, I must tell you) and an ice skating rink. Ridiculous.

Parts of it were hilariously campy (i.e. the cruise director: "Are you having a good time? Are you? Huh? I can't hear you!" and the awful band by the main pool playing calypso music on a Casio keyboard...), parts were much classier than expected (who knew the ice skaters in the show would be able to do triple jumps?), and all of it was fun. Daryl had just as much fun as I did, enjoying a dodge ball tournament (crew vs. passengers!), lots of reading in the sun, and the unlimited frozen yogurt. He also found out early that there's no extra charge for additional dinner entrees. Enter steak and lobster and chicken night. Free room service for breakfast didn't hurt his affection for this vacation, either. Good thing he has a fast metabolism...

 My parents (thank you!) were paying for this vay-cay (I need not remind you of our grad-student status), but even they kept commenting that it was an amazing value. The only way you can turn a cruise into a crazy-expensive time is to frequent either the bar or the casino regularly. Otherwise it is a seriously good deal. We can't wait to go on another one, and are already talking about what we want to save for in the future... Perhaps Alaska? Anyone want to come with us?