Author: Deb L Waters

I always considered traveling the distance from the west coast to the east coast to be the longest I had ever traveled from home. I have traveled many times from Southern California to the Carolinas many times throughout my lifetime. First, as a child with my family growing up to see my paternal grandparents and later on, on my own to visit my paternal grandfather and my dad’s brother and sister and their families.

Thinking about the place which might be the furthest I have ever traveled from home, I began to wonder the actual distance in miles of places I have traveled from home to calculate where the furthest place from home I have traveled to.

After my calculations and deliberations I discovered that the furthest I have traveled from home occurred in 2020 before the pandemic lockdown was initiated.

At the beginning of 2020 I was still processing the deaths of family members which happened in 2019. I was lost and searching for whatever and wherever my life’s direction would be. I was at the time living in a tent in a local campground. I saw a post of Facebook from Monica, my sister-n-law’s sister, asking for someone to share a cruise to Mexico with her. I decided why not and sent her a message agreeing to share a cabin.

Initially I was at a loss on his to pay for it and what all it would entail. She made it sound so easy and agreed I could pay after after I arrived in Texas. The reason for the delay was I was waiting on approval and payment from the Social Security administration regarding my spousal retirement benefits. I also had to wait for my passport to arrive in order for me to be allowed to board the cruise ship out of Galveston, Texas.

In late January of 2020 I boarded a bus in Charlotte, North Carolina. First, however, I drove to my daughter’s apartment to leave my car there and then she drove my to the bus station to await my departure.

The bus trip took my from Charlotte, NC to San Antonio, Texas (approximately 1,231 miles) for the initial leg of my journey. This was the first time I had travelled long distance by bus. Normally I drove across country using a rental vehicle. The bus trip was not too bad. I actually had a seat in a row all to myself so it was not crowded and I could stretch out (the best one can on a bus) if I desired.

The bus stopped at many locations along the route and took approximately 32 hours to reach San Antonio. It was necessary for me to transfer buses in Houston to complete the trip to San Antonio. From San Antonio i boarded yet another bus to take me to San Marcos, Texas (another 58 miles) where Monica had agreed to pick me up and take me to her home in Canyon Lake (an additional 27 miles) to await the date to leave on our cruise.

Monica’s home was not as I had expected and I couldn’t hardly wait for the day we would board the cruise ship. I did get to sightsee a little bit in New Braunfels, Texas. There I walked around sightseeing while Monica went to a couple of appointments. New Braunfels was the closest shopping area from her home.

Finally, the day arrived to head to Port Galveston to board our cruise ship. The drive from her home in Canyon Lake to Galveston was 255 miles and took approximately 4 hours and 20 minutes. I was ready to depart long before Monica. I think I was a little anxious about arriving on time but also excited about the adventure I was about to embark upon.

Getting a late start from her home I was worried we would be late arriving at the port. I hoped we would not miss being able to board. I did not want to miss the cruise. Thankfully we were not too late and were processed (passports and identification checked and verified) an able to embark aboard our cruise ship, Enchantment of the Seas.

The cruise was full of amazing entertainment, food, and many activities for one’s participation. Surprisingly, to me, Monica chose to stay in our room instead of watching the entertainment or eating meals in the dining room. Everything was exquisite; the food was delicious, the service was amazing, the entertainment was spectacular. I could go on and on, it was incredible.

Our first port we docked in was Cozumel, Mexico. At this port Monica didn’t feel well and remained on board the cruise ship. She did not mind my going ahead and disembarking to look and the port. I saw many shops ( not far away as it is a tourist destination).

This was a 5 day cruise with stops in Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico. We were at sea for a little more than a day before reaching our first destination of Cozumel. Even though Monica stayed on board, I enjoyed myself walking around the port visiting the shops and just wandering around the area. Back on board the ship for another day at sea before reaching our second port destination of Costa Maya. I was never board while on the cruise ship or in port. There were so many options to choose to participate in including a walking track on the ninth deck. I try to walk everyday and walking the track was a good option other than walking up and down the stairs to get from our cabin to the dining room, or one of the various locations for entertainment.

In Costa Maya, I was surprised, Monica joined me in disembarking the cruise ship to walk around the port. I think she actually relaxed and enjoyed herself somewhat.

The entire trip one way was approximately 3,171.1 miles to reach the destinations for my cruise adventure to Mexico. Would I do it again? Maybe someday, however, the cost for a single person is rather high. All cabin prices a based on a two person occupancy. Therefore if a person doesn’t have anyone to share the cruise with you have the entire amount as an expense. I did enjoy the cruise and had a lovely time visiting the ports, watching the entertainment and devouring the delicious meals.

Daily Prompt

Photo Credit: ©️2023 Deb L. Waters … All Rights Reserved.

Thank you for listening and sharing your time and thoughts. I know this was rather long winded. I didn’t know how to make my adventure far from home into a short story.