Our Last Night - A Floating Family

The cruise has surpassed anything I could have imagined.  We’ve been fortunate with weather, and the scenery and wildlife has been truly amazing.  A part of the cruise that I hadn’t thought a lot about, though, has been the highlight.  I LOVE THE PEOPLE!   I hadn’t really thought about the type of people this cruise would attract as guests and as crew.   That, to me, has been the biggest treat.  On a cruise with under 30 people, by the end of the first night, we know each other, and by the end of the nine days we’ve spent together, we’re like family.  We’ve shared amazement with our experiences, visions for our futures, fears and frustrations of our pasts, and just a lot of fun. 
Captain Jeff Behrens sets the stage for the atmosphere on the ship.  He’s selected an amazing crew.  I don't know whether this cruise attracts a different type of person than the big cruise ships or whether we’re the same type of people but with more time to relax and get to know and appreciate one another.  Either way, I’ve SO enjoyed spending time with this group.  
We’ve had a general itinerary, but Captain Jeff has adjusted it frequently.  Weather changes constantly in this part of the world, as does the daily flow based on wildlife sightings, how long we feel like kayaking and various other considerations.  We've all felt comfortable leaving itinerary decisions to the Captain’s discretion.  What doesn’t change is our daily happy hour, attended by everyone whether for lemonade, Coke, beer, wine or other cocktails and appetizers – but mostly for the camaraderie that’s continued to develop with this group.  
Passengers include teachers, farmers, nurses, retired military, clergy, business owners, writers and doctors - all open minded, interesting and fun.   Happy hours and dinners include discussions like ‘What was your most embarrassing moment?’ and ‘Where were you in 1967?’, then transitioned to ‘Where were you in 74? for those of us who were still in high school in ’67.   Sharing amazing experiences like watching whales breach or glaciers calve tend to make people bond and this group is no exception.  
Our last dinner together brings tears to my eyes.  A woman who’d come on the trip alone shares with all of us that she’d planned to take this trip with her husband well in advance in celebration of her retirement, but had been widowed 10 months prior to departure.  It had been a big decision for her to come alone.  She didn’t want her situation to impact our relationship with her, so held til this last night to share her situation with the group.  She reiterated what all of us were feeling – that this group was special, and that we’d all miss each other.  
 
Before leaving home, I have to admit I had fleeting thoughts – wondering if foregoing our bed, our cats at my feet, and our regular routine should take precedence over this excursion to Alaska.  Now – experiencing the magnitude of the mountains, the glaciers, and the free-spirited baby boomers we’ve met, I wonder why I ever questioned the wisdom of coming here.   

We’ll miss our ‘home’ on the Island Spirit.