Make it Easy to Do the Right Thing

One of the great things about living in Michigan in the winter is that we get to look forward to occasionally traveling somewhere else. For the last six years my family has been enjoying Caribbean cruises for spring break and we do not plan for this year to be an exception. 

The anticipation is palpable and we typically have a great experience. Sharing 183 square feet is a great way to become closer as a family and the variety at the buffet allows the kids to eat the same food they would if they were at home. Other enjoyable activities are watching the kids flounder around trying to find activities that don’t require internet access, having the obligatory photo with the ship’s captain, and hearing the kids call the muster drill the “mustard drill”.

All this fun does not come cheap. In addition to the actual cost, there is a price to pay in terms of planning, organization, and rule following. Well before the trip, passports need to be updated, air and ground travel scheduled, excursions selected. Closer to the cruise, bags packed then checked, TSA body screened, and airplane boarded.

With a capacity of nearly 3000 passengers and another 1500 crew in a single thousand foot container one can imagine the safety precautions needed on board the cruise ship. Hand sanitation is not voluntary. The staff squirts the antibacterial gel onto passengers’ hands as they enter the boat or any restaurant on board. It is a more stringent process than in most hospitals.

Worldwide the cruise industry is large, nearly $40 billion annually.  A single outbreak of gastroenteritis can devastate the operating margin for a significant period of time and runs the risk of tarnishing the reputation of not only a single cruise ship or cruise line but the whole industry. Helicopter evacuation for a medical emergency can cost $25,000 or more.

Fortunately my kids follow the rules pretty well and we have not had many problems. This frees me up to consume six to eight meals per day, peruse the overpriced photos the onboard photographers are selling, shop with my wife for things we don’t have enough room to pack, watch my kids eat several dozen soft serve ice cream cones before dinner everyday, purchase the next cruise at the discounted on-board rate and finally to look forward to getting home where I will receive the inevitable question when I show friends my camera roll: “If the captain is down taking photos with the passengers, who is steering the ship?”