Bermuda Triangle Cruise 2026 - Bermuda Day #2 (04/19/26)

Yesterday, I supplied the cipher.  Today, I supply the quote.  Can you tell me what this wall says?

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Again, we didn't start moving until 11 am, and this didn't leave us much time to do anything in Bermuda before the ship was scheduled to leave at 3 pm (ship time).  If the crew hadn't planned to clean the balconies this morning, we would have left the drapes open and let the sun wake us up.  Instead, we had a good healthy sleep - something I usually need very much.  When we finally got up, we decided NOT to walk to a local store where I could buy some jewelry for my Marian presentation.  Given how slow things were going when we went upstairs, we decided to stay on the ship until we reach Nassau.   

For a bit of the day, RQS rested on the balcony hammock, and then we went for dinner at The Wake (the steakhouse on this ship.)  The food was excellent, but I was too full from earlier eating to appreciate everything put in front of me.

I'm glad that I didn't order this seafood dish - it was $85 extra, but well worth it.  The gentleman who ordered it had cruise credits to burn, and he shared the food with a nearby table.  RQS wouldn't have accepted his offer, but I might have done so at another time - I was way too full from lunch to finish what I had already ordered.  But this gave me the opportunity to share my cruise blog's business cards with several people.  Hopefully, they will enjoy what they see.

After dinner, we walked down to "Sailor Services" (the purser's office) to get a shore excursion ticket printed for Charleston.  And then, it was back to the cabin for the evening. 

 

 

Bermuda Triangle Cruise 2026 - Final Preparation (04/15/26)

Twas the day before cruising, and all through the house.
Two partners were stirring, one using a mouse....

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As you can guess, one of the last things I do before a cruise is to double check that I have everything with me, as we won't be able to recover once we're on the cruise.  Do I have enough socks, underwear, shirts, trousers, etc?  So many questions to answer and check off a packing list. 

This morning, I had to do some last minute packing before going out.  And then, I had to type up last night's co-op meeting minutes.  This would be a busy day.  Yet, I'd be able to rest once at RQS's place.

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For the most part, virtually everything is packed - including my CPAP machine.  My passport is inside my carry-on, and virtually everything is ready to go.  Yet, I won't leave the house until after the rush hour, as I'm not really ready yet to go on the cruise.  Too many small things are different for me to feel comfortable with this trip.  But I always seem to feel ambivalent before every cruise I take lately.  This could be that part of me fears new things.  And maybe this is why I force myself to go - I need to keep overcoming challenges, no matter how small, to keep growing.

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Last night, we had a co-op board meeting.  As I might have noted, we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel with our most pressing problems.  But we won't be out of the woods until next year (or, I hope so.)  Although I had several weeks to record the meeting minutes, I rushed to take care of them while I could remember the subtle nuances that needed to be captured, and those that needed to be left out.

Examples of things that need to be captured include:

• Key Topics being discussed
• Decisions made by the board (applicant approvals, financial issues, etc.) 

 Examples of things that should be omitted include:

• Opinions regarding individuals or organizations. (e.g.: No slander or libel.)
• Identification of individuals, save where information recording is necessary.
  (e.g.: Do not name people whose issues are covered by privacy laws.)

This Tuesday, we had to deal with a mental health issue in the middle of a public shareholder meeting.  What should we do?  What must I record?  According to the examples above, it makes sense to list that we had a disruptive shareholder cause trouble in the meeting, but not identify her by name.  Because other shareholders have issues with this person, and have complained about her, we had to include minimal identification information in the minutes, but not this person's name.  This way, any person who needs to review our meeting minutes can do so, while preserving the privacy of this disruptive person as much as realistically possible.

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I am looking forward to visiting Bermuda again.  But the timing of our visit stinks.  Having an overnight stay coupled with a 4 pm arrival time makes it hard for us to enjoy the capital of Hamilton.  There are places we'd like to visit in Bermuda which we'd try to reach with a 9 am arrival that we won't bother to visit with a 4 pm arrival.

Nassau, to me, is a wasted port stop.  But then, in the 3 or 4 times I've stopped here, I was totally bored.  Yet, others find this port a place worth visiting.  But, this cruise is redeemed by the opportunity to visit Charleston, SC again.  Sadly, I would not be able get the chance to visit Fort Sumter or the USS Yorktown on this stop.  But, RQS and I will be able to visit historic parts of the city.  (I'll report on this in a future post.)

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Tomorrow, we'll be leaving for our cruise.  

Keep your fingers crossed.  

By now, I should be back from my cruise.

 

By the time you read this, I should be back from Bermuda.  Last year, I took this ship from the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and had an almost forgettable trip.  But then, I'd have liked to forget it, as it was mostly 7 days of bad weather sailing, with a port diversion geared to place us in safe waters in between two nasty weather systems.  (I'm glad I wasn't on the cruise after this, as the ship ended up cruising to Canada in Med-December, instead of the Bahamas as originally planned.)

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RQS and I planned on taking only one Bermuda cruise this year.  But we ended up scheduling two Bermuda cruises.  This will give me a rare opportunity to compare two ships, two cruise lines, two sets of dining & drink packages, and two equivalent cabins.  It's going to be interesting, as we will find out whether RQS likes the price/value equation on MSC enough to consider another trip on this line.

As I'm writing, I am taking care of last minute packing, laundry, and other little things I need to do before going away.  When I get back, I hope to be able to have some interesting things to say about this cruise and entertain you with my commentary. When I sort things out at RQS's house, I'll bet that I've packed way too much for my own good, and may prune things before we go to the pier. 

Although this trip will be done with me presenting as Mario, we're hoping that the next trip will be done with me presenting as Marian.  It'll be nice to wear some pretty dresses for gala nights....

By the time you read this....

By the time you read this post, I should be back from my cruise.  I figure that I'll have a lot to write about in the time I was gone.  Did I overcome my anxiety?  Did I really have anything major to worry about?  How did our time in London go with my niece?  So many questions, and I hope to be able to answer them here.

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There's a part of me that wishes that my friends could all get their acts together and live the best lives that they can live.  Unfortunately, I often meet people who can't get out of their own way (such as DCD) or who are afraid to leave their comfort zones (such as MAR).  This can be frustrating, as one invests a certain amount of emotional energy into every friendship, and it's frustrating to see people fail when success should be in their grasp.  For example, do I expect to see DCD get his car on the road?  No.  Given the screw-ups he has had in getting the car out of my parking lot and getting to DMV to register the car, I expect that the car will die of neglect.  MAR has a similar method of failure, as she is unable to follow through on advice given to her to escape her current dead-end career.  Do I expect to see her apply for a job at the post office?  No.  She'll likely make excuses for why she hasn't done so.

The key difference between me and these friends is that I eventually leave my comfort zone to grow.  Going out and about as Marian was scary at first.  But it is now second nature.  The other day, I wrote to the Bermuda board of tourism and found out that I should not have any problems with being gender non-conforming.  However, I am waiting for a response from their Immigration department to be safe. (If I don't get one, I'll ask the security people at the pier when I'm there in Mario mode.)  Growth is not always comfortable.  And by the time you read this, I'll have grown a little as a seasoned traveler..

My last day of packing, and I still can't find some things.

 

This is one trip that I'm glad to be traveling as Mario.  I don't have the right 3-season wear to travel as Marian.  And even as Mario, I  still have problems packing clothes that would take me from Summer to Winter and back during a single day.  What makes things worse, is that I misplaced (or donated) some of the cold weather gear that I bought (or was given) when I was with XGFJ.  

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My mind has been spinning in regard to what unknown unknowns could trip me up.  One of those things is what happens when we get off the plane and have to go through customs.  Another is what happens when we get to the cruise ship with different documentation requirements than I've needed for all of my other trips.  And then, there are the many currency/credit card issues that I have yet to experience for the first time.  AARGH!

Once I've gone through this experience, I'll be more relaxed for future trips.  Yet, I still have to do some research for future international trips to be taken as Marian.  When I go to Bermuda, I'll try to find out for sure whether it will be safe to go there as Marian, though my ID will say Mario.  Assuming that I end up going there as Marian, I still have a goal: To cruise around the British Isles as Marian, then return home on the Queen Mary. I'll be able to enjoy "Dressing to the Nines" and live even more of my life as Marian than I could have dreamed when I was much younger.

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But back to packing....

Now, I'm finishing up my packing.  Most of my electronic gizmos (chargers, wires, etc.) are going in my knapsack along with a week's worth of pills.  The rest of my medicine is going in my carry on bag.  I'll have a change of clothes in the carry-on, as well as enough underwear and socks for 3 days.. All of my paperwork will be stashed in the carry-on, as that will be the safest place to store them while in transit.  Once I arrive in London, I can put the passport in my trousers for when I reach customs.

Hopefully, I haven't missed anything major.  If so, I'll be writing about it soon.

Cruise shopping

This is an example of a cruise I want to take in the next 3 years.  It would give me an opportunity to both see my uncle, as well as being able to see a friend in Florida.  Its drawback is that I would need to travel as Mario for this trip, instead of traveling as Marian.  Unfortunately, the world is not yet safe enough for a transgender person who has not legally transitioned. Even with this headaches, I still like to travel - even if I have to travel as Mario.  

Right now, I am scheduled to take a California coastal cruise this summer, as well as a Bermuda cruise later this fall.  Next year, I am planning to take two cruises: a western Caribbean cruise out of Tampa, and a combined Norwegian Fjord/Iceland cruise out of Southampton.  If possible, I may figure out a way to take another cruise in the fall of next year.

Ideally, I will find a cruise which I can take in Marian mode.  It would be easy for RQS and I to do another Canada run.  But it would likely be a bit of a bore for me, as I've done this route at least 5 times. However, I could get into doing the California coast a few times, as the cruise I'm taking this summer goes to cities I'd like to know more.  And on this cruise, I could go as Marian (on future runs), as I would not be obligated to meet with my uncle in LA.

I don't think I'll be cruising alone for a while.

 

The above is the itinerary of the last cruise I took with my former cruise partner.  Almost everything about cruising will have changed by the time I take my next cruise due to the pandemic. Until they address the needs of solo travelers on cruises, I guess I won't be going on a cruise anytime soon.

This cruise was a disaster because of the problems my cruise partner and I had.  She had broken up with her boyfriend and I was ambivalent about taking this cruise.  If I had to do it all over again, I'd have passed on this cruise and spent my money on a trip to Washington, DC. At least, I'd have had an enjoyable trip and have had one more friend I could talk to during the worst of the pandemic.

Recently, one of the ladies I've been dating scheduled us for a cruise to Bermuda sometime next year.  Although she may have been jumping the gun a little, it is early enough for her to get her entire deposit back if things go sour between us before then.  Yet, it will be a strange cruise for me.  First, it'll be a cruise where I'll have to present as Mario for several days.  Second, it'll be a cruise with the new pandemic protocols - things I don't like, but would live with to cruise again with a partner. For example, the embarkation/debarkation routines will be much more rigid, so that people can be socially distanced while getting on/off the ship. Once on the ship, social distancing will be enforced. And there will likely be no sharing of tables between multiple groups/individuals.  One of the things I liked most about cruising was the opportunity to meet new people. That will be much harder to do when the cruise line is trying to keep people apart for health reasons. At least, I'll have a travel partner for this upcoming cruise, someone I can talk with while enjoying the cruise.

When I am alone on a cruise, I like to chat up people I meet while dining. Sometimes, I'll go to the bar to have a drink, and meet people there. One of my pen pals is a woman I met on a solo cruise, and I never would have met her while pandemic health protocols are being enforced.  From what I've read, the lounge chairs at pool side will be limited, and one may need to schedule time to be in the pools.  I can only imagine whether the ships will limit people in the hot tubs as well.  It will not be as much fun to be on a cruise as it was before the pandemic.

There is a phrase which is almost always true in any situation:

This Too Shall Pass.

And I'm hoping that by the time I turn 65, that we will have returned to a new normal, and that most of the pandemic protocols can finally be relaxed because they are no longer needed.  We can only home, and work towards that goal....