In my younger years, (aka decades ago) my peer group all felt the same way about cruises. As a friend put it then, cruises are for the “newly-wed, overfed, or nearly dead.”
Have cruises gotten better or as we baby boomers aged, have we become more enamored with them?
My husband and I are cruisers and proud of it. I am adamant in my position that the cruises we take today are not our parents’ cruises. The literature supports that. Cruises have more activities and offer low-carb food options to attract guests who were born during or around the Eisenhower administration. I suspect the “all you can drink” packages evolved with baby boomers, as well.
One might ask me as a retiree “living the dream,” why do retirees need/want to take a vacation. We want a change from our routine. We want to be challenged. We want to learn new things. We want to check off bucket list destinations. I just returned from a river cruise in the Provence region of France. No surprise. No one on that boat was under age 55.
In between immersing myself in the beauty of the region and drinking an incredible amount of French wine, I had time to reflect on the fact that living at Robson Ranch is akin to being on a cruise ship.
There is an abundance of activities for Type A’s. Couch potatoes can hear about their active spouse’s day at the Grill, a comfortable and relaxing place for a good ‘tablecloth’ meal. We have the opportunity to take a yoga class or learn to paint or participate in or listen to a lively book club discussion. We can go bird watching or teach our dogs to be more obedient. We can hop on a bus through the Road Runners Travel Club or Women’s Club and go on a private day tour. And every Thursday, we can dance to the music in the bar at the Grill. Morning, noon and night, we can promenade with our spouse, friend and/or favorite canine companion around Ed Robson Drive or Michelle Way.
Of course, I would be remiss, if I did not also mention that just like a cruise ship, we have amenity fees for the enjoyment of our resort style community. How lucky we are to go on our cruises and be just as excited to come home.
