THE END

We arrived in San Diego in the pre-dawn hours on July 3rd, 180 days since our departure from Miami on January 5th. It was a funny feeling to look out at a city that we are so familiar with after such a long series of new places.

We were very sad to leave the ship in the morning. Not only did it mean an end to an incredible adventure, it meant leaving the friends we’d made. At the beginning of the cruise we were told that the ATW passengers would become like family. We scoffed at that a little at the time. But it absolutely came to be true. It took a little longer for us to form these bonds because for the first several months we were not as available as others due to our schooling responsibilities on sea days. As we wrapped up the school year and had more free time during the day, we were able to spend more time with people and get to know them. As we did we realized what an incredible set of folks we were with. So many interesting stories and so many strong, smart, fascinating people! As we debarked in San Diego we walked through a collection of ATW passengers who were staying on until Miami or New York. Dressed in their Oceania bathrobes, they clapped and hugged us as we left. I don’t think there were many dry eyes.

Our main goal for the trip was to see a bunch of new places and to introduce the boys to them so they could potentially return to those they liked later in life. That happened as we’d hoped. What also happened was that they grew and bloomed in ways we hadn’t anticipated. As the only kids on the ship for the vast majority of the cruise, their interactions were all with adults. That led to a big boost in confidence and them becoming comfortable talking with anyone. I never would have guessed that they would be performing in front of large groups on the ship: Devin from early on with Sing Out Loud, and both of them in the magic show near the end of the cruise.

I’d like to think this has made them, and us, better people. We live in a fractured society, with people living isolated lives and interacting online only in their echo chambers. The cure for that is not to blacklist those who are not like you, it’s to get to know people better. The better we know each other the more likely we are to care about one another. And this starts with basic social skills, like listening attentively and being nice even when you don’t really want to. I saw the boys doing that and it filled me with pride. Liz and I were talking on the way home and said that after the decision to have kids, taking this trip was the best thing we’ve ever done.Read more