CHARLOTTE – As the crew rescued the 8 just below us, we could see they were malnourished, in tattered clothing, and in poor health. We next saw them as the Coast Guard boarded them from our ship, at sea, four at a time. This time they had fresh clothes, held bottles of water and food and were waving to us in joy. We all felt this was an amazing experience.

For Barbara and I, we have never rescued people at sea in over 90 cruises. We felt there was more to our vacation than just “fun”. We had “done well”.  Breakfast in the galley was eggs to order, tons of coffee, and good conversation. We had lunch on the deck at the Pizza Stop. Great personal Pizza with some choice of toppings. We found the pools were so laid back you could actually strike up a conversation with a stranger and hear each other talk. We found 2 active pools and 2 more quiet pools. We found two shuffleboards on deck 7, two Hockey games, and a room full of video games. We also took an opportunity to do some duty-Free Shopping on board.

Phil and Barbara have owned Leisure Travel experts here in Mint Hill since 1994 and are proud members of the Mint Hill Chamber of Commerce. Contact them at (980) 406-1650 or phil.angelo@leisuretravelexpert.com.