Voyage of the Good Ole Boys

Know what's bad about being pampered on a luxurious cruise ship for 5 days enroute to Cozumel, Mexico? Nothing.

That was my case last week aboard Carnival's funship, The Holiday. If you live in Mobile, you've seen the ship, docked on the Mobile River. But if you haven't yet, you gotta ride this boat.

My article, "Taking A Holiday" is underway, soon to be published locally, but until then here is what I learned about cruising, deep South style:

Most passengers are from "around here." In other words, it is a voyage of the good ole boys . My favorite was a gentleman from Mississippi I met during the mandatory lifeboat drill. Standing side by side with 1700 other passengers, we donned life jackets. I explained to the new pal that my life jacket, unlike the others, did not have a whistle. His words were comforting: "Buddy, dont worry about that whistle, all it does is signal the sharks that dinner's ready."

For the rest of the trip, I was nervious.