Caribbean Cruise

Dorothy, I, and another couple decided to take a Caribbean Cruise in January many years ago. We scheduled a flight to arrive in Miami 2 hours before the departure of the ship. I thought that was enough time to get from the airport to the dock. Our flight was on time, leaving Chicago until we got over Orlando. Then the captain announced that there thunderstorms over Miami, and that we would be circling over Orlando for the time being. We asked the stewardess if they could call the dock to wait for us. She thought that they could do that for us. When we finally landed in Miami, we called the dock, and they said the ship just left. However the owner of the cruise line was there, and he wanted to talk to us. We told him that there were 4 in our party, and we had 2 cabins reserved. He said to stay where we were, and he would pay for all expenses in Miami. Then the next day we would be picked up, and we would fly to Kingston, Jamaica. Then we will be driven by limousine to Port Antonio which is the first stop for the ship. We will then board the ship.


Well everyone thought we were special friends of the president, and we got royal treatment. The hotel in Port Antonio had a red carpet leading to the entrance. The next day we were escorted to the ship with men carrying our luggage all the way to our cabins. At our dinner that night, there was a large bouquet of gladiolas in the middle of our table. We were the only people that had flowers on the table.

Now at the end of the cruise, there was scheduled a formal dinner with the captain of the ship. We all needed formal clothing to attend, and we were prepared. An invitation was extended to us to join the captain at his table. After everyone was seated, we walked in with the captain as his party, and we were seated at his long table.