January 1997: Jenny Jones Show in Chicago

Fontrise Charles and I drove to Chicago to see a taping of the Jenny Jones show.  We got to sit in the front row which was so cool.      This was the first time I had been to a taping of a talk show.      It was taped at NBC Studios.   We stayed in one of the rooms at the University of Illinois.  Peter hooked us up with a room there. It was quite cheap, too.      Then, we wandered around Chicago.   We went to the Excalibur which was a dance club near Chicago Ave.       

January 3, 1997: Grand Cayman

Arrived at the Grand Cayman Island.  Charlene, Grandpa, Kelsey, and I went on the snorkeling tour. We looked so funny in our goggles and flippers.  I was having a lot of problems with my goggles, but once I got a new one, snorkeling was a lot of fun.  Saw a bunch of colorful and large fish. We even saw a shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean. It was about as long as our cruise ship. Kelsey and I swam out quite far and a boat came between us. Those flippers sure get you far.



Grandpa went back to the ship to stay with Grandma, so Charlene, Kelsey, and I went down to Seven Mile Beach. Some of the hotels were luxurious. This island was a classy place. We went into the Holiday Inn on the beach. The movie, “The Firm” was filmed outside the Holiday Inn where the bar was.

The ocean was a gorgeous blue color and the water was in the 70s. We walked along the beach and saw the Governor’s house. Then, we went shopping in the downtown area. I got a wrap for my swimsuit. Charlene got some T-shirts.


Tonight was formal night. I wish we didn’t have so many formal nights. I like to be casual when I am on vacation. I love the cruises, but wish they were more casual.



The entertainment tonight was pretty good. They did music from Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and Garth Brooks.

I went to take pictures of the Grand Midnight Buffet. I didn’t eat because I was so full. Charlene and Kelsey fell asleep in their dresses. That was quite funny.

January 2, 1997: Jamaica

Our boat anchored in Jamaica today. I’ve always wanted to see this island. My cousin Kim and her husband, Owen, came to Jamaica for their honeymoon this past September. Mom and I took the tour from Montego Bay to Ocho Rios. They drove on the left side of the road. It’s hard to get used to seeing people drive on the opposite sides of the roads.


Went to Dunn’s River Falls and Mom and I climbed it. It wasn’t easy climbing the slippery rocks. Our tour group held hands and climbed the rocks. It was so neat how we all worked as a team to get up the rocks. I had to get a kick out of my mom walking on the rocks, as she fell all the time. She had never been good on her feet. We got our picture taken at the end of the falls and it turned out cute.

We had lunch at the ‘Almond Inn’ which was next to the ocean. It was beautiful. It’s so cool being in 80 degree temperatures in January and everyone back in Michigan having to suffer the cold temperatures.


We had great entertainment tonight. The comedian, Rich Ceisler, was quite funny. He seemed to appeal to everyone. Kelsey and I walked around the ship to see what was going on.

January 1, 1997: New Years Day

Had breakfast on the veranda and Kelsey and I went up to the deck to sit in the hot tub and soak up the sun. At 11:15 a.m., I gave Peter Schumacher a call from the ship to wish him a Happy New Year’s.  He wished me a happy New Year’s, too.  He sounded interested when I said I had seen the Tulum ruins in Cozumel. He said he had to work last night and had to get a couple of beers after work. He said he’d call me on Monday night to hear all about my trip.  Told him we were off to Jamaica tomorrow.  For that 2 minute phone call, it cost me $19.  I guess it was worth it.

Charlene, Kelsey, and I watched “Karoake” after dinner. This one gal sounded just like Reba McEntire. There were at least 200 people watching so we didn’t do it.



Later on, Kelsey and I went to the Stratosphere Lounge and had some drinks and listened to the country music. We did the electric slide. Kelsey got drunk and we got back to the room around 1:30 a.m.


Grandpa made a toast that I would get a full-time job this year after I graduated from Western Michigan University.

December 31, 1996: Playa del Carmen

Mom and I took a tender to Playa del Carmen, Mexico and took a tour of the Tulum Ruins (Mayans) in the Yucatan Peninsula.  We had some funny Canadians on our bus. The ruins were overlooking the ocean and it was gorgeous.  Bought a Mexican blanket on our way there.   Then, we had a box lunch for the way back.  The roads were bumpy.  Took a boat over to Cozumel.  We went to meet Charlene and Kelsey at this neat bar where they have drinking contests, but it was closed to a private party.  We decided to walk around and look for a place to have a drink.  We found this neat tropical looking restaurant.  Then, we went to find a telephone to call some people.  The phones weren't working. A lady came up to me and told me about this business in which you give them the number you want to call and they dial it for you. Then, you go to this private room and talk on the phone.  It cost $2.50/minute. I called Peter, but he wasn’t home. Kelsey called Matt to check on Devon and then Charlene called Steve.



Then, we went through the shops. Tonight was New Year’s Eve, so we wore our formal gowns.

Kelsey and I went to the Stratosphere Lounge at about 10:30 p.m. We had a lot of drinks. Later, Charlene came up and joined us. The Stratosphere was all decorated for New Year’s Eve. We did the chain all around the lounge. We got party favors and hats and counted down to the New Year---1997. Both Kelsey and I were drunk. Charlene and Grandpa came by and we all hugged and danced. Then, Kelsey and I took a breather outside on the deck.  It was the best New Year’s I’ve ever had. I will never forget the fun time I had with Kelsey tonight.


I slept part of the night out on our veranda. The sound of the water was so soothing.

December 30, 1996: Key West

The ship’s first stop was in Key West, Florida. That was 150 miles from Miami and 90 miles from Havana, Cuba. Ate breakfast with Kelsey, Charlene, Mom, Grandpa, and Grandma.



Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, and I took the Conch trolley tour of Key West. It was a neat little town. We were at the southernmost point in the United States. Went with Grandpa and Grandma to an aquarium and shipwreck museum. Then, Mom and I walked 10 blocks to Ernest Hemingway’s House. He used to have around 55 cats at this home that were all named after famous people such as Shakespeare. Saw where Ernest Hemingway did his writing. Kelsey and Charlene did a sailing race and their sail broke.

On our way back to the ship, we found out that the movie ‘Speed 2’ was filmed in the harbor. Also, Arnold Swarzenegger was there. Parts of the movie “True Lies” was filmed in the port of Key West where our boat was anchored. That’s the movie Pete and I watched at this parent’s house in Ann Arbor.



Kelsey and I sat up on deck to soak in the sun. Then, we went to an aerobics class at 4 p.m. Kelsey said she was proud of me for keeping up with the routine. Another guy in the class had never done aerobics so he got lost. He’s about our age.

Tonight was a formal dinner. We all looked pretty nice.  We went for the entertainment and saw some excellent Beijing acrobats.  Hung out at the Savoy nightclub.  Kelsey and I had some drinks.  The club had black and white leopard seats and floor.  Chatted with some people from Portland, Oregon.  

December 29, 1996: Miami

Mom and I stayed at Charlene’s house last night.  Kelsey met us at Charlene’s house and Steve drove us through the thick fog to Kent County International Airport.  Grandpa and Grandma Thomas stayed at a hotel on 28^th Street and met us at the airport.  We were all in line to check in our baggage and found out that our flight to Chicago was the only one cancelled.  That meant that we had to change our connecting flight from Chicago to Miami to 10:20 a.m.  Also, that worried us because our ship was set to leave at 4:30 p.m.  Anyway, we ended up getting transported by bus to the Chicago O’hare airport.  The driver missed the exit to the airport and ended up going down a one way street.  We made our connecting flight to Miami.  Kelsey and Grandma sat next to me on the plane.  Kelsey and I played some card games---speed and hearts. We were given box lunches, which I thought was so cheap for an airline.

Got to Miami and waited to be sure our luggage got there. Then, a shuttle bus took us to the boat in Fort Lauderdale. It felt so good to be in a sunny place with warm temperatures when we came from dreary weather in Michigan and Chicago. We got to the boat at 4 p.m. When we got on the boat, they were doing the emergency and lifeboat alarm.



I was quite impressed with Celebrity Cruise Line (Galaxy boat) as they thought of everything. You could access your tours and your bill right from the TV in your room. That made it handy for ordering our tours and such.
Kelsey said she liked the blond highlights better than my red highlights in my hair. We wore jeans to dinner because our luggage hadn’t arrived yet. One of the waiters was from Croatia.



We walked around the ship after dinner, which was a tradition of ours. Grandpa had always been a walker and kept in shape.

Went to the show at 8:45 where a lady from England sang. Her name was Jane McDonald.



At midnight, I went by myself to the movie ‘Nutty Professor’, starring Eddy Murphy.