Romance on the High Seas – Almost

With the Port of Miami only a short drive away and cruise ship deals bubbling over like champagne in an open bar, it was an easy decision to drive over, climb aboard, and discover what shipboard travel and other tropical islands had to offer.

When the ship first came into view, the Marco Beach Boy and Girl, who happened to be a married couple were overwhelmed. The ship was huge! Most everything online looks better on the little screens than in real life, but when one of the newest ocean liners emerged beyond the port authority and the buildings along the waterfront, a floating city that was obviously a waiting paradise was indeed much larger than life.

Boarding the ship was fun because even with the mobbed check-in and reception terminals, and the hundreds of soon-to-be-passengers waiting in line, a universal excitement was in the air that was undeniable.

The fact that romance was in the air was also without question. Passengers sailing for tropical islands with swaying palm trees and a balmy breeze at sunset have a heartfelt appeal that few can resist. Romantic getaways and honeymoons have beget large families and generations for as long as cruise ship travel has been underway, but on rare occasions, the idea of a romantic getaway and Romance on the High Seas can have a different meaning altogether. Especially when the unexpected arrives in the form of a holiday-wrecking torpedo of happenstance.

With most of the American kids back in school and spring break in the rearview mirror, the ship was crowded with couples of every age. A lot of the fun on shipboard travel was, and always will be, people-watching.

The passengers on Miami-based cruises are from everywhere. Some of the couples were from as far away as Asia. There were excited couples from India, China, and Japan. There were chatting couples from England, Germany, and France. There were polite Canadians and loving couples from South America, but on this particular cruise, there was another couple from Marco Island - a twosome other than the Marco Beach Boy and Girl who happened to be a married couple.

During the people-watching, when most of the fun-loving passengers were boarding the ship and stepping aboard for the first time, the Marco Beach Girl happened to notice another couple who were not excited to have their picture taken by one of the cruise ship photographers. This furtive twosome was obviously trying to sneak aboard without fanfare of any kind.

Because of the sly action of slipping past the photographers while everyone else was ready and excited for the first official and obligatory photo of the cruise, the sneaking man and woman were actually demanding as much attention as a whispering couple at church.

The moment when everyone near the photographers paused to look at the sneaking couple who obviously did not want an official photo was the precise moment when the Marco Beach Boy and his wife recognized a prominent couple from Marco Island - the couple who were most definitely married, but not to each other.

After the precise moment of recognition, when there could be no doubt of what was happening, the Marco Beach Girl grabbed her husband by the arm, also ducked the official boarding photo, and hurried inside the busy companionway.

Thinking they were unobserved by anyone who would recognize them, the sneaking and cheating Marco Islanders were standing in the vast lobby and main entrance of the busy cruise ship and were sharing a kiss as they were waiting for an elevator made mostly of glass.

When the Marco Beach Boy and his wife recognized the kissing couple again, the Marco Beach Girl grabbed her husband and began to steer him toward the kissing couple who were waiting for the elevator.

When the sneaking cheaters finally came up for air, the Marco Beach Boy and Girl were waiting beside them at the arriving elevator. When both of the Marco couples stepped aboard and fully recognized each other, a silence far beyond awkward descended as the glass elevator began to rise above the entrance of the ship and the floor of the luxurious promenade.

Finally, and just before the bell of the elevator sounded to announce the arrival of the sneaking couple to their stateroom floor, the Marco Beach Girl who was with her husband spoke up: “What a surprise to see you both here - with each other. What a small world on such a big ship.”

The steadfast silence of the sneaky couple became even more profound by the blushing of the devious woman and the obvious frustration, rising anger, and perhaps embarrassment by the man who was clearly cheating on his wife. When the elevator door made of glass finally opened, the sneaky couple fled without a word around the corner of a hallway of staterooms.

The first day of the cruise was at sea, and as the ship was underway and heading toward a steamy port on the island of Hispaniola, the Marco Beach Boy and Girl surprised the cheating couple again. The meeting was sheer happenstance and awkward for both couples.

Throughout the romantic cruise of nine fun-filled days and nights, to many ports of call, and many out-of-the-way and secluded venues onboard the giant ship with almost four thousand passengers, the two Marco couples continued to cross paths on a daily basis. Many sightings were at the pool. Other sightings were in the huge dining room, and in the lobby of the ship’s theater waiting for a show. Still another was when the sneaky couple was departing the ship hand in hand, but looking over their shoulders…