In no particular order, of course…

• Before departure, Jenny and I drove down A1A Beachfront Avenue in Miami, which some of you remember from the 90s hit “Ice, Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice. Unfortunately, we were in a Hyundai Accent rather than a 5.0 with the ragtop down so our hair can blow, but it was still a nice lightbulb moment when we realized where we were.
• I had/got to ride in the extra flight attendant jumpseat on the way home because the flights were so full. I sat beside one flight attendant who told me she’s going through menopause and normally gets hot flashes during takeoff and landing. What do you say to that? “Sucks to be you”?
• On the final flight from Houston to Dallas, our Captain was Doug Rider, an old friend of my dad.
• Our ship had a Johnny Rockets 50s-style diner. Unfortunately, it required a $4.95 cover charge. Per person. And you still had to pay extra for your shake or Coke. On the plus side, the food was good, the jukebox played most of our song requests while we ate, and our Indonesian waiter was a good dancer.
• We watched three innings of World Series Game 1 from the champagne lounge on Deck 14. During that time, the Rangers did great. We also watched the Cowboys game, the rest of WS Game 1, and most of WS Game 2 from our room. At those times, the Cowboys and Rangers played horribly. By that logic, we should either watch sports from the bar or not watch at all.
• I also ran about 5k on the ship’s jogging track, which was quite difficult at times. In calm wind, a cruise ship traveling 18 mph gives a jogger the sensation of an 18 mph wind on some parts of the deck. On the day of my run, we also had a significant northeast breeze. On one section near the bow of the ship, I was effectively running in a 30-35 mph wind. Running into the wind was tough. Running with it was dangerous because it kicked up so quickly and could run me into the railing if I wasn’t careful. The rocking action of the ship doesn’t help, either. But it was still fun, and quite necessary to burn off all the great food I was eating.
• Jenny and I got to eat alone at every meal in the main dining room, the first time that’s happened on a cruise. It was sooo much better.
• Since we returned our rental car to Miami International Airport, we were able to use the rental company’s free shuttle to the Port of Miami instead of paying another $24 for a cab ride. I got this tip from my buddy Rod, who has taken over 30 cruises.
• We both tried rock climbing for the first time and enjoyed it. Yes, the ship had a rock climbing wall. Being tall is definitely an advantage, as I had a much easier time on the wall than Jenny did.