Early this November, My Sweetie and I joined 1,800 other veterans, active duty, and family members onboard the Caribbean Princess for a short cruise to Progreso, Mexico, in support of US Veterans!
Princess Cruise lines teamed up with Operation Homefront and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund to create this very special cruise. Princess Cruise donated a portion of each passenger's payment to the two charities.
After a short flight to Houston's Bush Intercontinental, we were met by a Princess Cruise representative who got us on a shuttle to the port. As we entered the new facility, we delighted in the red, white, and blue balloons, welcome signs, flags, and a band from Texas A&M at Galveston, the Aggie Sea Band!
Check-in was painless and the wait didn't seem to be very long. Ball caps with "World War 2 Veteran" and "Vietnam Veteran" abounded as did those with specific ships or units. Everyone was extremely patient and polite. And I doubt there were 15 kids under 18 on the entire cruise. I suspect the average age of the cruisers was 55.
During the cruise, we attended presentations about today's Cyberwarfare and about how to get a veteran to record their story for the National Archives. We continued to meet veterans who served in the Phillipines, France, Vietnam, Cambodia, Panama, Grenada, Irag, Afghanistan, Somolia, Kosovo, and plenty others.
We did not run across any other cryptologists but the former general in charge of the Air Force Cyberwarfare wing (who just retired 1 Oct 2013) was onboard. But when we stated we were naval cryptologists, most everyone knew something about us!
The trip to Progreso was filled with real heroes spending time with their friends, brothers & sisters, and family. Once ashore in Mexico, we visited one of the Mayan ruins and enjoyed a great Mexican buffet at a local ranch. The show by the charros (cowboys) began with a presentation of flags (U.S., Mexico, Texas, Yucatan) and continued with singing, dancing, and really cool rope tricks.
Overall, the cruise was way too short! We slept well and enjoyed the time we experienced with the other veterans. I think I will go on this cruise again if Princess Cruise Lines decides to repeat it.
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