What do you do for entertainment without a big band, or Broadway production? Ask a child. They can turn a cardboard box into a cruise ship, or motor home. That's what life onboard was like on our first cruise. Read on to learn about entertainment on Yankee Trader, a Windjammer Barefoot Cruise.
Windjammer Barefoot Cruise
Yankee Trader
Our first cruise was a 3-day trip to the Bahamas on a small sailing vessel which could travel under mast or by motor. See our previous article, How Our Love for Cruising Started, for the beginning of the story.
Entertainment
Unlike the modern cruise lines that have all sorts of entertainment from small lounge shows to Broadway-style musicals, nightly entertainment would be provided by the Captain, crew, and passengers. The "stage" was the upper deck which also served as the main dining room, bar, and meeting area.
In the center image at the top left is our captain with his magical elephant. You can't see it in the picture, but there is one of the passengers laying on the ground and about to get a surprise shower from the elephant. Props for the entertainment was whatever you could find onboard the ship including towels and other supplies. We had some creative crew and passengers.
Another event was the rowing contest where all the passengers grouped on the wooden platform beneath the main mast (their row boat). I'm not certain they made much progress "sailing" but the beer that was flowing certainly kept the spirits high as they fought the high waves.
Thanks for Starting Our Amazing Journey
Captain Jon S. Helmick was the skipper on our first cruise. We owe a great debt of gratitude to him and the rest of the crew for making our first cruise so special. It is now more than 30 years since that first voyage and we can remember the events as if they happened yesterday. That certainly says something about the dedication of that crew to providing a great experience for their guests.
We hope that your first cruise is as memorable as ours. And for those that have been sailing for years, we hope that you have many fond memories like the ones we've shared here.
You haven't lived until you've Cruised ....
(Updated: October 23, 2021)
We are feeling a little nostalgic as the first chapter of our professional travel adventure, as a Cruises Inc. independent contractor draws to a close. We've begun the transition to our new franchise with Dream Vacations, another of the CruiseOne companies that are part of World Travel Holdings.
Also we are excited because in just a couple more weeks we will be onboard Celebrity Apex with our fellow agents, owners, and associates for our 2021 National Conference. One of the best parts of the conference is sharing stories from our adventures. We hope that you have some memories to share and would welcome the opportunity to assist you in creating new ones as well.
National Plan A Cruise Month Promotions
Cruise lines are offering special promotions and pricing on popular cruises to encourage consumers to plan their next cruise vacation now. We'll be featuring promotions on our website and social media.
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