Gamer Cruise, part 5
by Dan Repperger

All good things must come to an end, and in about 12 hours, I’ll be leaving the ship behind.  After dinner tonight I have quite a bit of packing to do.  And tomorrow — while my family is having Easter dinner — I’ll be sitting bored on an airplane.  But I still have a few hours left tonight to really live it up!

I mentioned in a previous post that I go on Gamer Adventures for the company of gamers as opposed to the actual games.  As such, I skip the Catan tournament, etc, but still participate in a lot of the social events like the cocktail party and recordings with other podcasters that happen to be around.  Unfortunately, I woke up late and was a bit confused about where everything was (both were 100% my own fault), so I missed all of that.  At least I still get to see everyone at dinner in a few minutes.

Also, I can’t exactly say the time was wasted.  I played Blackjack for a while and turned $60 into $300.  Karla’s very good about limiting what I spend and pocketing winnings as they come in, so I was cashed out before the casino could win anything back.  (Incidentally, I realize gambling is a contentious issue and a terrible addiction for many people.  I’m not encouraging any sort of behavior so much as honestly reciting the events of the trip.)

Looking back, the trip started off a bit cold and dreary, but it really picked up a couple of days in.  I had a blast, and I fully intend to sign up for future trips that Kim organizes.  I already have some people that are considering the cruise next year, and I hope they’ll come.  If you’re still on the fence, keep up with Kim’s site!  The trips available change every-so-often and I believe Don is helping her make a video to better capture the experience.

That leads right into a couple of random points I’d like to close this out on: some cruising tips for people that have never done it before.

First, the cruise staff does an excellent job of creating an environment in which you can have fun.  But they do not create fun as if it were some tangible force.  You need to either be a very self-motivated person — or travel with people that are — to get the most out of the trip.  Karla and I learned early on that cruising is a very social thing, so we always try to get at least one couple we know to go with us.

Second, the beginning and end of the trip are the worst parts.  Just before the cruise, you spend 48 hours feverishly packing, attending to household details, getting things wrapped up at work, and then going through the nightmare of airport and maritime security.  The end of the cruise is the exact same process in reverse: you feverishly repack, go through maritime and airport security, and arrive back home with a ton of dirty laundry and dozens (maybe hundreds) of unread emails and unanswered voice messages.  The trip is worth doing but prepare yourself mentally for the early and late chaos.

Finally, even if you never intend to cruise, you should catch some TV specials on how these floating monsters operate.  The ship we’re on right now is about 1,000 feet in length and would absolutely dwarf the Titanic.  There are around 2,500 passengers and another 1,000+ crew, and the feats of housing, feeding, and entertaining this many people are impressive to say the least.

I’d like to give a big thanks to Kim for taking the time to organize trips for our little subculture, and I’d also like to thank the gamers, islanders, and the ship’s staff for making it such a memorable experience.