We left central Texas in the early Monday morning hours to head for the Galveston pier to board the Carnival cruise liner, Celebration.  The weather was a little rainy, but driving conditions were not too bad.  Parts of Houston had some significant rain the evening before, but most of the road-closing problems were cleared by late morning when we drove through. However, by afternoon, the rain increased in intensity and more Houston flooding was experienced by many coming in to board the ship. Fortunately, our trip was very uneventful in that manner.  Those who spent at least part of the weekend in Houston at the Hotel Galvez, also had a very smooth transition from the hotel to the pier.  We began boarding around 12 noon and everyone was aboard by 3:30.  So we were on our way at our scheduled departure time of 4:00.

The thunderstorms had continued to increase in intensity during the afternoon and Galveston Bay was a little choppy.  By the time we cleared the bay, the seas and winds were fairly strong.  This was an unfortunate occurrence for many passengers, including many of the almost 150 Texas music compadres in our AAA Travel Cruise on the Range excursion. Many took to their staterooms, the infirmary, or purser’s desk for some medication to quell the demons that had apparently taken up residence in their innards.  The rest of us proceeded to enjoy the many diversions on the ship.

Dinner in the dining room was an experience in pampered luxury.  Each night provided a gourmet selection of appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, and desserts, while being catered hand and foot by the most courteous and attentive wait staff, who even provided a mini floor show on most nights, to entertain and tickle our funny bones.  If that wasn’t enough to keep our spirits soaring, we also had demonstrations of napkin folding in animal shapes to amaze us.  Our dining room companions were the same each time, so we had an opportunity to get acquainted and swap excursion and ship experiences with our fellow travelers.

There were many entertainment choices after dinner each evening: Vegas-style reviews; the casino; shopping; dance lessons; nightly midnight buffets; talent show; many different theme lounges (like 50s sock hop, karaoke, piano bar, disco); and for us lucky Texas music cruisers, frequent private party concerts where we were able to get plenty of great music from the likes of Tommy Alverson, Gary P. Nunn, Brian Burns, and Nathan Hamilton.  These guys were absolutely amazing in the way in which they accompanied and harmonized with one another.  All the concerts were set up in a song swap format, so each one had his choice of song in which the others could participate if desired.  There were so many selections from which they could choose, due to the incredible experience and talent level of our featured artists.  It was truly amazing that one song would spark a theme that would be carried a full 2 or 3 rounds, each artist contributing multiple selections.  When we finally took our weary bodies to bed, we were greeted by turned-down beds, mints on the pillows, and towels folded in animal shapes.  What a rough life we led for a week!

Our first full day at sea dawned gray, windy, with continued strong seas.  That was bad news for the still queasy folks, but the rest of us gamely carried on without them.  Even though the sun was elusive and the pools weren’t yet filled (due to the rough seas), the ship had plenty of daytime activities.  Many of the same options from the evening were also available during the day, plus Trivia competitions, spa, gymnasium, jogging track, beauty/barber shop, bridge, shuffle board, bingo, art auctions, full screen movie presentations, informative briefings about shopping, excursions, and tips for our 2 ports of call, Cozumel and Calica.  For those still state room confined, there were some continuously running movies and some of the briefings were broadcast live or taped for later viewing.

Tuesday afternoon our fortunate Texas music excursion took over the Endless Summer Lounge and enjoyed soul inspiring and glass tipping music from our four most talented compadres.  Gary, Tommy, Brian, and Nathan gave us plenty of tunes to keep us happy for another few hours.  This obviously merry group was starting to get plenty of envious glances from other passengers that wanted to join the fun, but were held in check by the "private party" sign at the door.  When our music session was complete we all had to hurry away to don our fine apparel for our formal evening.  We enjoyed a marvelous dinner, then more evening festivities.  Tommy Alverson retired, but Tony Alverez (and a few friends) visited the lounge featuring karaoke and had a fine time entertaining all who wandered that direction.

Wednesday morning we docked at Cozumel for a full day of shopping, tours, excursions, and more glass tipping experiences.  The weather worsened during the day and some of the afternoon & early evening excursions were cancelled due to a little rain, lots of wind, and rough seas.  Even though we had until midnight in Cozumel, most of us didn’t linger too late in port, because we had another private party with our 4 favorite Texas music fellas at 10 PM.  This time the lounge we confiscated had a bit more room and much more comfy seats. So we settled in for some great music, wonderful company, and delicious drinks.  Since our party was in the stern or aft of the ship, we got quite a different feel from the engines on our departure at midnight from Cozumel.  Tommy asked us all if we all had vibrating seats, or was just his special.

Thursday we docked in Calica and scattered to various shopping, tours, and excursions in Carmen del Playa and Cancun.  This day the weather behaved beautifully, and we all congregated back aboard late that afternoon with sunburned and tired bodies.  A quick shower to rinse off the sand and a change of clothes found us back in one of the lounges for a cocktail party with open bar and our 4 special musical friends.  This time we all just visited and took advantage of the open bar.  Then onward with dinner and the usual evening festivities as we began our journey back to the Texas coast.

Friday was another full day at sea to enjoy all the diversions of the Celebration.  At 2 in the afternoon, we again reconvened for a marvelous private concert.  Everyone was starting the wind down for our return and starting to regret that the memorable trip was coming to an end. Tommy, Gary, Brian, and Nathan outdid themselves in keeping the special mood alive for all of us.  It truly was a magical musical afternoon.  We all feasted on our last dinner together for the cruise and packed our bags (being picked up by midnight).  Then we all reconvened in the large ship’s theater for a final concert.  This time, we took pity on the rest of the passengers and made this party open to all.  The crowd was great and ready to cut loose.  Our 4 fabulous entertainers gave us all a night for the memory books. Gary P. Nunn closed the show well after midnight with "Friends for Life."  We all joined the 4 on stage and joined in the singing and swaying of this perfect cruise closer.  It was evident that none of us wanted it to end, yet.  So we sang another chorus, then another.  Still no one was really ready to leave the stage and all the good friends and memories that had been forged during the past week.

Saturday morning found us back in Galveston and the process of debarkation, immigration, and customs to complete.  Then we all scattered in many directions in search of cars in parking lots/hotels, taxis, shuttles, and airline flights.  Each of us were carrying a special warm spot in our hearts for all the good friends we had made, renewed, or intensified.  And especially for the 4 wonderful Texas music artists that really made our cruise so special and one of a kind, Tommy Alverson, Gary P. Nunn, Brian Burns, and Nathan Hamilton.  Special thanks to Melissa DelFierro of AAA Travel who put together such a great package and made things flow so smoothly.  Thanks also to Janie Alverson, Veronica Burns, Ruth Nunn (even though she couldn’t be there, she was there in spirit), and Sarah Hamilton; Bruce and Norma Bubel (roadies extraordinaire); Mark Smith (roadie/bouncer); Mark Akins (website copy); Jana Gillespie (merchandise); Karen Needham from Carnival.  Also, Love and War for hosting pre-cruise show; Texana Grill in Addison for hosting document party; and Heather Ramirez from Galvez Hotel in Galveston.  It took many folks to pull off such a wonderful experience. Our hats are off to all of you.  When do we go again?

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