Caribbean Vacation: Canceled Flights, Lost Wits & New Connections
Welcome to CompassChaos13(CC13): A Real Travel Podcast where Compass Plans, Chaos Rules - Connections Happen; Memories of Global Adventures
HEATHER (V.O.): I’m Heather, your adventure narrator and the warm body for the hosts of this podcast.
Today, we’re diving into a 48 hour survival mission, with our boyfriend of just about 10 years in order to make it to our 7 day cruise!
It started when the simple connection from BWI to Tampa was cancelled, then went to a few glasses of Jack at the airport bar, someone almost losing a limb and ending with a suitcase full of clean unworn clothes.
HEATHER (V.O.): Before we depart on this adventure, a few safety checks. First: any brand we mention is one we actually use and trust. We get zero monetary gain for these—if that ever changes, we promise total transparency. Second: this flight is for adults only. Expect questionable language and emotional turbulence. Finally, there are no warnings when the unexpected happens, because there are no warnings in real life…
HEATHER (V.O.): Meet your dueling hosts: Compass, the one with the plan—and Chaos, the one who burns it. Together, they find the magic in the mess.
COMPASS (V.O.): I’m Compass. My plan was to experience the normal tourist things. But, as always, my head-space companion Chaos has other plans. Only this time, she didn’t even have to try; the universe did it for her, in the form of Mother Nature.
CHAOS: Hey Hey, Chaos here! I am the patron saint of "we’ll figure it out," I bring the unexpected, and the reason you want to hear travel tales that are actually worth listening to!
COMPASS (V.O.): Together, we bring the connection.
CHAOS: Thanks to Mother Nature we made a wonderful connection with Southwest West Palm Beach airport baggage staff!
HEATHER (V.O.): Sit back, relax, and push that subscribe button……
CHAOS: "So, buckle up buttercups, for this recent tale of JUST TRYING TO CATCH A SHIP……, because honestly the best stories aren't planned."
COMPASS: Honestly, It's a miracle we made it to this point…(sound exasperated). Together, Chaos and I forge global connections. Today’s adventure, we are taking you back to the very beginning of our...inconsistent partnership!?.
CHAOS: Back to the first time when we realized what we were truly dealing with!? That is too far back, no one wants to go that far or maybe they do….
COMPASS: [interjects] No they don’t!
CHAOS: Don't worry, Global Kin, we are not starting on a bad note—just a truly chaotic one! MY Best Foot Forward…(with a touch of smart ass) but I’m going to let Compass start us off …. cause it always STARTS with a plan….
Segment 1: The Best Laid Plans of Mice, Men And Cruisers (5 minutes)
COMPASS: (sound annoyed) It was a perfectly executed plan with a nicely detailed itinerary. No carry one for this one, just a checked for our darling and one for us. It was a short flight early out with an early enough connection. Here’s a tip: just in case, throw a few pairs of underwear, a pair of shorts, a tank top and a bathing suit in a personal bag (we have a carpet bag). There was only 1 pre-night booked in Tampa before the seven-day Caribbean cruise, then a post--night in 2022. Easy enough
CHAOS:[ injected] Who wants to feel like herded cattle..moooo
(low frustrated moan from Compass before continuing as if nothing happened)
COMPASS: You loved it, now shh. An early morning flight from Providence landed in Baltimore with hours to spare before the connection. A buffer, naturally.
CHAOS: Moan at someone else…… A buffer…….. for what? A buffer for Jacks! Mmm, delicious, delicious Jacks. Boyo, bellied up to the bar, and Compass, watched her meticulous plan begin to unravel. It was beautiful, I was in my prime. Let the shenanigans commence!
COMPASS: The trouble started with a low murmur, a collective sigh from other passengers checking their phones. The word “cancelled” was whispered, and before I could process with my paralegal brain, I watched the flight board change. Every flight to Tampa was actually delayed, for now. And I hear Chaos laughing.
CHAOS: AND COMPASS LOST HER SHIT! I had other priorities. Not being soft spoken, let slip some funny but completely inappropriate comments about the cancellation. A nice woman from our home state named Jessica overheard and joined our party, bonus she was heading for the same cruise.
COMPASS:[Interjects] Funny??? The things you said were not funny they weren’t even socially acceptable
Chaos: who cares about socially acceptable; society can’t get it right and if it wasn’t funny then why did she stay?..(sound of crickets) mmmmmm… What a sweet, unexpected human connection moment. For some more than others!
Segment 2: Bar Back Rub (10 minutes)
COMPASS: This is where things get...complicated.
CHAOS: (laughing nicely but in a controlled evil) This is where things get hilarious. The Jacks were flowing. Boyo, bless his heart, thought he was still at home on the deck, as he mindlessly watched the muted T.V. at the bar. His right hand, which is usually on my back, found its way to Jessica's and began to rub mindlessly.
COMPASS: I felt myself freezing. Chaos was stirring, I knew what would happen. There would be a scene. We would end up on the national news. I had to prevent it.
CHAOS: Break his ARM!!! Just utterly thrilled! This was my moment! The chaos I lived for! But she shushed me. That tiny voice of reason. I hate that bitch.
COMPASS: eh hum…. May I continue …….So, in my calmest, most diplomatic voice, I leaned in…… we tapped our darling on the shoulder “Your girlfriend is over here, love," I said. "I'm pretty sure Jessica doesn't want some strange man she just met to rubbing her back.”
CHAOS: The look of utter astonishment that flooded his face when Compass nicely pointed out what his hand was up to PRICELESS…. And Jessica! The poor soul! Her eyes widened, probably thinking that we are going to blame her for his actions…..ABSOULTLY NOT, she was a good sport about it….. Which Compass, if you remember Jessica and I did even more bonding… this time over bad and/or drunk boyfriend stories.
COMPASS: I remember (sound slightly embarrassed) This is one of those connection and community moments that we want to highlight rising from the unexpected. These are bonding moments, even amid or with Chaos.
CHAOS: But the moment of calm was short-lived....Boyo did it AGAIN!
CHAOS: "Dah dah dah, here I come to wreck your day!" was the song in my head. Thanks to Compass working the mouth it came out more like "Sweetie, rub her back again and I will break your arm and leave you here. Jessica, switch seats with me.” He looked at his hand, looked at me and went to the defenseless puppy face, Jessica looked relieved.
COMPASS: It was a controlled, mayhem avoided moment, but it was over and behind us. Jessica switched seats with us. Ryan, a bit more sober now, was left to contemplate his choices in the same seat, since he already found his sea legs.
Segment 3: The Race to West Palm (15 minutes)
COMPASS: At this point, it was well into the afternoon. The flight app, the only source of information, was now just a sad string of "cancelled" notifications of all our rebookings in the last few hours. With a liquid lunch in me and dinner rapidly approaching, my sanity window was shrinking by the second.
CHAOS: GLORY!! ABSOLUTE GLORY!! I hauled ass to the last known ticketing gate. I was half-running, half-skidding, powered by indignation and my own liquid sacrament, Rum. Not paying attention, Almost domino’d the rest of the neatly rowed herd. THAT would have been fun to see…..
COMPASS: (An over-excubated sigh) Noooo……. That is not how we treat living beings. (softly mumbling) tired of having this conversation with her, Goddess’ she needs deliverance…. By the time we reached the ticketing agent at the counter I had Chaos under very loose control so she would at least not jump the counter. I knew it wasn't the right move, we worked in the industry too long to become that traveler. The gate agents are not the problem, they are the solution. Kindness is always the best negotiation tool.
CHAOS: She's such a buzzkill. Kindness? Ignorance of the law is not a defense, Compass!
[TRAVEL TIP SOUND} COMPASS: Here are a couple of useful tips for canceled flights:
If you have to connect, look for connection airports that are within a decent driving scope of your final airport…… If you can drive there in less time than it would be to wait, why not drive and get reimbursed along with keeping that portion of the flight that was cancelled as a credit for future use.
Always know the closest airports & their 3 letter airport code (BWI, DCA, BOS, JFK etc)... this will save time trying to find when the flight is cancelled.
Always look at the flights after yours going to your same destination & the surroundings… this will also save time since you know what your top choices are before everyone else
Always have the Department of State Travel Cancellation website at the ready so that you know what your rights are as an airline passenger… Start with Air Consumer Rights then also pull the air consumer dashboard both are linked here and on our website
https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/airline-cancellation-delay-dashboard
Always have the airline app that is OPERATING the plane, NOT THE ONE that you necessarily booked with. They will have the information first since it is their pilots, staff and plane that is on the FAA list to operate.
MOST IMPORTANT: BE KIND, COURTIOUS AND THANKFUL to the person behind the counter, phone or chat that is helping you…. It is NOT THEIR FAULT, and you are probably the millionth person that has yelled at them about a cancelled flight in the last 4 hours…..
COMPASS: (Softly) Dear Goddess, why is she still here?...(to the people) I managed to negotiate for the last two seats on a flight to West Palm Beach, over three hours away. After trying every other airport closer, no luck. It was our only hope. As for us, the pre-night buffer POOOFFFF. [TIP SOUND HERE] ALWAYS BOOK 1 PRENIGHT & 1 POST NIGHT]
Segment 4: The Hangover and the Hope (10 minutes)
(Soundscape: plane taking off and fading into the soft hum of inside a airport late at night)
COMPASS: It was past 6 p.m. by the time Chaos and I settled back at the bar. Darling was visibly more sober. “So where to next?” he asked. I smiled and told him, West Palm. He checked his watch. It was after 6. “What time is the flight leaving?”
CHAOS: And I just loved this part. Compass smooth as a glass with a sip of our drink., "Currently 8 p.m." Ryan’s face showed physical pain, apparently it was hangover time……. We ordered dinner and another round. He was still in denial and chasing the hair of the dog.
COMPASS: We had dinner. Jessica, having secured her flight, did join us again. Her flight was around 8pm…
CHAOS: you remember that stuff better than I do
COMPASS: what!? How!? We are the same person, you do comprehend this right? You know what, never mind, you are annoying me. …quite! Back to the story; Then ding a text, "Delayed. New time: 9 p.m."
CHAOS: Yeah, that continued for a while. Compass and I walked Jessica to her gate, leaving behind Boyo, so he could keep the bar from falling down, thoughtful of me. I wondered if she would actually LET US see her on the ship. Back at the bar, Boyo, already practicing for his sea legs, had to be encouraged to walk to our new gate. Ding. Delayed again. This time until after 10 p.m.
COMPASS: Poor Darling was done.he muttered "I don't even want to go anymore," defeated. The hangover had solidified, and the money they’d lose wasn’t a thought to him. I didn't poke angry bears, that is Chaos fortay. I just sat.
CHAOS: I, was itching too. The stick was in my hand. Ready to use Boyo like a good ole fashion pinata! So what he looked so defeated, there were times he showed no mercy on us! But she held me back. The collateral damage would not justify the cause.
COMPASS: For the next hour, I fought with Chaos. Mid brawl, The speaker crackled. "Attention all passengers, Flight 495 to West Palm Beach will begin boarding..."
CHAOS: Hahaha! The music of redemption! The sweet sound of our chaotic vacation continues!
COMPASS: Thank the Goddess’
COMPASS: We made it. It wasn't perfect, hell it wasn’t even pretty if we are being really honest. In the last 16 hours, we lost our pre-night, our partner embarrassed us in public, you knew we were not getting our luggage on this vacation, but we still had the cruise And the most important part we made a connection. Sometimes, even the worst travel days have a silver lining.
Segment 5 Holding Back Homicide
CHAOS: Oh WE MADE IT ALRIGHT!! After midnight…running through the parking lots, across the street at the airport looking for an open car rental WHILE, on phone with the hotel in TAMPA getting your deposit back because you were supposed to be there already with hungover boyo on my tail grumbling “Let’s just go home. I don’t want to go anymore. I don’t care about the money” …..
COMPASS: Yes, he was not in the most connecting of moods. That was in the 7/11 parking lot while we ate our snacks and I was silently planning how to tell our darling that we were sleeping in the airport.
CHAOS: Sadly we did not get the chance to relay this wonderful news to him. In All our travels, Compass and I never slept in an airport, it was a FIRST!! IF WE SLEPT. At our age we are running out of first, so I celebrate them..
Compass: Correct, we did not have to tell him. He heard our conversations with several hotels looking for a quick comfortable sleep. No rooms. He knew. Somewhat fed and a bit more sober, back to the airport we walked. Darling took a bench and Heather, paced, the baggage knowing full well we were not going to have clothes, while Chaos and I argued.
CHAOS: Oh Compass was HOT….. her plan had gone to shit, pre-night stolen from her, and boyo ……. Oh boyo (giggles).... For ONCE I was… reason, he had pulled a pin with his little tantrum at 7/11, it was extremely hard for ME…. not to let go of the spoon. All Compass kept saying was; he is sleeping, we could put his little bag over his face, we could just kick him off the bench, why does he get to sleep and not us. Oh she went off but was never heard.
Compass: Thank you for that, yes I was not myself. I got ruffled for a short time
Chaos: {snort] short time, please you didn’ come down until we got to the bar on the ship, hours later…
Compass: Anyway, as darling slept it off on the bench, Chaos and I walked it off; back n forth around the baggage claim till the lost baggage area opened. Standing in the lost baggage line, there was a passenger being serviced in front of us by a very nice woman trying to help and explain to the passenger that she may get her bags by the end of the day at the hotel due to the flight change. As it was our turn, the passenger became unreasonable, she wanted the woman to cut her a check right there and then for clothes she had not bought yet. As we walked by her up to the gentleman ready to help us, Chaos almost snatched the passenger by the hair for being so rude to the attendant.
CHAOS: No one would have said anything, we were all in the same dam storm what makes that passenger think they are better than everyone else? Money, F off…. Power… Eat it…. Don’t care, an ass is an ass, done.
Compass: George was amazing, we explained that we would be on a cruise out of Tampa hopefully by 2pm time we needed to be on board. He took our phone number said if he could not get our bags there before the cruise ship leaves he would call, if not hold the bags for our return. Even making me feel better… reminding me that at least laundry will done!
CHAOS: George, WE LOVE GEORGE at WEST PALM BEACH SOUTHWEST LOST BAGGAGE he is awesome and we told corporate about YOU!!!!
COMPASS: Yes we do and did. With baggage still in Baltimore, we headed over to the car rental places that opened at 5am. Walking back through parking lots we were the first in line for a car rental.
(Tip): Book online asap, then go to rental as soon as it open or when you are done). Having the keys in hand, our darling advises he doesn’t think he can drive.
CHAOS: DOUBLE KABOOMMMMM……… There goes Compass, once again silently making choice combinations of words that would have any navy seal turn red. As much as I want to say it was fantastic, it was a bit scary honestly. As we got into the car the shit running through her head, I had to remind her…. that WE really do love him and WE are in the car also, so no matter how she tries to play it out… It happens to us too. Once again I was the voice of reason, scary!
Compass: Yes, ok I was not happy. I was tired, I was hungry, I required COFFEE DAM IT!!!
Sorry… this part of the story is a bit of a trigger for me.
CHAOS: [giggles] Really wouldn’t have guessed. Holding back homicidal rage, First stop Dunkin Donuts (New England girl) to fuel up. Now.. the coffee wasn’t the only thing keeping Compass and I awake, there the million and 1 ways boyo can disappear on a 3.5 hour tour (drive)…. It was entertainingly dark and comical at times…. I mean picture a huge Florida bug flying right into a snoring mouth and getting stuck…. Like I said darkly comical
Then the sweet redemption of The Norwegian Cruise Ship on the horizon and satisfaction that we wouldn’t have to re-make a live rendition of Weekend At Bernie’s 2022.
COMPASS: Transparency Disclaimer: We do NOT profit in any way by mentioning any products or vendors, when/if we do Chaso and I will be very transparent about it) … Thank you Chaos, yes the ship on the horizon. We dropped our rental off and started the embarkation process for the ship.
CHAOS: Embarkation process, just another fancy word for “holding pen” … they checked our docs, passports and gave us our cards then put us in a warehouse, instead of stalls there were seats…
COMPASS: We arrived at the peak of boarding time, after making a few stops for safety reasons. Arriving around 11am we sat for another hour to be called to board.
CHAOS: MOOOO…….
COMPASS: STOP!!
CHAOS: That's not the only place we waited, when we finally did get on the ship, instead of bed, it was TO THE BAR!!
COMPASS: Yes, your priority, while mine was clothes as was our darlings. As we were grabbing our drinks our phone rang. It was GEORGE!! Not with the best of news, which had been expected since it was already close to sailing time. We, Chaos, darling and I, meandered our way down to guest services. They were amazing; they gave us a day's worth of personals, enough to get by until we got to the first port. I really hate myself for not remembering their names now, but they did go on our NCL HEROS card, as did several others for this cruise, which will be in another story.
CHAOS: I remember the bartenders names does that count!! [giggles] There was I, not spelt as sounds, he was from the Philippines, has a wife and two kids and lives with his extended family which he helps support by tips ..and then there was Liz, she was awesome, from Columbia… Cali to be precious…. She gave us some great tips and pointers and even some connections for when we go… LIZ if you’re listening I still have the napkin with the information, it will be used!!!
COMPASS: Wow, I am impressed…..
CHAOS: Are you Kidding that whole crew at the Sugar Cane Bar was fantastic…. We still have the video on our phone when they borrowed it to take a selfie…..(I had to post it) they had us peeing our pants everynight!!
COMPASS: Charming! Now that we had the essentials our cabin was finally ready. However, with Chaos and Darling now having fresh clothes and another wind; Out they dragged me. Honestly, this whole day, The wait to check in at the cattle pen, the blessing of the Norwegian bartender when they hand us our sacrament, to the call that you're going natural for the next 7 days I had lost too much already to put up another fight.
CHAOS: You heard it folks, she said “cattle pen”!!!
COMPASS: {groans] You changed my words… I hate you.. So Sorry NCL, it’s not a cattle pen, it is a nice waiting facility with A/C and refreshments.
COMPASS: After having a final night cap, and still getting accustomed to the ship we found our wonderful cabin…… finally……. and sleep …..could not come fast enough.
HEATHER: Compass was not wrong… we hit that pillow hard. I am going to pause here for a quick moment before telling you how this absolutely horrifying full of first’s… got flipped on its ass by an unexpected Life Adventure Goal. Here is a great time to hit subscribe before you pause to pee……. If you haven’t already …. and then come back for the finale..
CHAOS: Hey..Hey.. we’re back, or you’re back??… no matter… kin is all here to finish this fiasco we call a memory.
Compass: (sigh) what the horrid third means to say is thank you for continuing the journey with us. Without you; poor Heather, she would just be talking to herself.
CHAOS: Ahhh… love being captain obvious, anyone that knows or meets Heather clearly already knows she does, thanks to me!! so this podcast will actually explain a lot for them…(laughing)
COMPASS: let's focus please…
CHAOS: so NO on the psychological diagnosis… how about a “mother's little helper” … no on that as well…Fine! On with the adventure… I only remember pain….and light…. Light lots of light.
That Gulf of Mexico Sun.. YEAH I said it… That sun… brutal, I personally despise sunscreen.. absolutely required. After slamming back those Raspberry Ginger Mojitos @ the sugarcane Bar the night bar before all I wanted was black silent death.
COMPASS: I recall wanting 1…. just 1 light drink…. Then there was a vote, out voted because our NCL apparel came with empathy drinks… from all around. And light drink was subjective..
CHAOS: ( giggles) @ some point we all lose a vote compass… welcome to democracy where majority is supposed to rule .. let's be real, Heather took the full brunt…
COMPASS: Nursing ourselves slowly back to health, we rose from our cabin in time for lunch. Only thing after a night of adult indulging that is appetizing is pizza… and coffee is still required
CHAOS: we were back in college; the difference it hurts, slower bounce back, and the pizza was fresh and hot… now well fed and caffeinated, Boyo and Heather decided without a vote that bingo was today's choice entrainment… Blahhhh.. look if it were drag bingo or Athena bingo… bitch I'm all for it….
COMPASS: Bingo wasn't that bad… the cruise director did make it entertaining enough for adults as well… It wasn't Deal or No Deal but I couldn't deal with the yelling as it was… could have had something to do another than drink…
CHAOS: No driving.. confined to the limitations of the ship and can sleep on any chair or couch, none bat an eye…. Point of the cruise … missed
COMPASS: it's so much more than that you know it, stop being a jackass… losing at bingo we headed up to the pool deck for some vitamin D … After a couple of hours Chaos and Darling where ready to walk through the ships clothing store for something a bit less conspicuous…
CHAOS: Matching NCL t shirts was killing us both…. 9 years of dating and never once matched like that… I hope we never do it again…. As he browsed for clothes, I looked at for shiny objects to keep me occupied.
CHAOS: Sadly nothing of interest for me. Compass was geeking out over the ships Itinerary map & fun facts, when thankfully boyo’s voice rang out "Heather see anything” which broke my boredom.
COMPASS: (Annoyed and a bit embarrassed) You're such a jackass. She is our Raven….. And, I was geeking out and proud. Knowing the berth, tonnage, capacity, how many passengers & crew; all this makes for a more informed travel consultant & planner. Not everyone books by “that looks interesting” which are always the famous last words.
CHAOS: We’ve been to incredible places, had amazing experiences and made great connections because of “that looks interesting” …… Do you regret it?
COMPASS: No not at all. Can we get back to the story please, for the love of the Goddess……
CHAOS: SHINEY……What, Yes! So nothing of interest in the ship store, but there is always shiney in Effy’s the jewelry store on NCL.
COMPASS: That sounded like a very amature & shameless plug…..
CHAOS: Your right on both counts, but that doesn’t make it less true. It’s all about the shiney!! Oh, I’m Chaos, I have no shame …. Nice to meet you
COMPASS: Darling and us browsed the jewelry. He having an affair with chains and rings…. For us it was stones and settings.
CHAOS: There it was…… SHINEY…. Two tone diamond with x setting marking the spot!! “Precious”.... It call to me. It looked so "dainty" on our fingers.. Made me almost want to act like a refined lady…. ALMOST
CHAOS: Sticker Shock is a downplay…. For white gold 18K; just over .25k white and over .25k black diamonds………. just Nope…… Nada….. La….. not for that price…….
COMPASS: Knowing Chaos’ triggers ... .overpricing is one of them, so I jumped in and started negotiating prices. I haggled a bit with the Effy sales rep. Asking her to call the office to ask about my final price on the ring…… I was going to walk, Heather was going to walk….. Chaos well, the word temper tantrum comes to my mind….. As we were wrapping up our negotiations our darling walked up.
COMPASS: bringing him up to speed he re-sparked the negotiation over the ring and got her down to what they thought was a fair price. …. I was not so convinced….. Chaos however, proceed to drool all over the counter
CHAOS: I was not!!
COMPASS: OK!!……. See, Heather does not like it when people spend money on her, even her boyfriend of over 9 years at the time, and opted for an escape route.
CHAOS: I was SOOOO PROUD!!! Until it back fired….. Then truly all of Hades opened up
COMPASS: Such a drama Queen…. All that was said was “If your going to pay that much for a ring for me; it better be an engagement ring”
CHAOS: Heather THOUGHT she was clever, I did too… BOYO, wasted no time in firing back if you want the ring I’ll buy you the ring…. Heather again “only if it’s going to be an engagement ring”.... Back and forth in the middle of jewlery store on the ship. I think he had been just waiting for the right opportunity…….
HEATHER: Excuse me….. Sorry to interrupt today’s entertainment, but I think some background may be in order. Just to be clear, it was not an escape route…. If I wanted the ring for that price I would have paid for it….. And I didn’t want our darling to waste his money on a piece of jewelry that we could buy for ourselves, if we could have come to better terms…..
HEATHER: Darling (who’s name is Ryan) and I have been together out closer to 10 years at this point… (Feb 2013 to this point Nov. 2022). I have always said I would never be foolish enough nor a man stupid enough to want to tolerate me for life…..I don’t believe in divorce, only death…. Natural or otherwise…
CHAOS: Is this a therapy session….. A pity party…… I’m confused?
HEATHER: Travel AND LIFE, remember ….. Cause I can’t get rid of either one of you!
COMPASS: Don’t drag me into this; I don’t need to dry my laundry. If I did I’ll do it inside thank you.
CHAOS: I was in the middle of the story!!!!
HEATHER: Our experiences Chaos also means our background….. WE know where these roots come from, our parents loved each other, but weren’t the best role models when we were really young, for marriage. Teenage years, 100% our fault, Chaos had full control with Compass held hostage to do the evil planning. That was then, I was perfect with that.
CHAOS: Again with the pity party therapy… no one wants to here this
HEATHER: Ok smartass’ …. Continue…. Sorry Global Kin for the “pity party therapy session”
CHAOS: awwwwweeee she is pouting….
COMPASS: That was slightly embarrassing…. Let’s get back on track, shall we.
CHAOS: I really wasted my witch laugh on that crap, whatever… By this point we're 43, turned down 3 men, 6 different times for marriage over the years, have an adult daughter, traveling again with someone we not only love but can TRAVEL with and not have one of us go for a “walk-about” ….
COMPASS: It was all unbecoming of both parties, really. Neither wanting to admit that they found their ride & die… It was the Effy Rep. that finally called the ping pong match…
CHAOS: [Laughing hysterically] We were ENGAGED!!! I think… wait…. Neither asked each other…. Neither said yes or no …. I’m not the paralegal here but I don’t think that is an offer of marriage nor an acceptance thereof?
COMPASS: Legally speaking as a paralegal only NOT AS AN ATTORNEY in any way… you could be correct….. Neither interested party made the offer nor accepted or denied an offer made by a highly motivated third party for financial gain. Leaving the offer null and void. UNTIL, he paid for the ring and we accepted it by putting it on our finger, taking two photos, getting congratulated by a few onlookers without correction …. Thank the goddess…. And walking out of the store……
CHAOS: Details….
COMPASS: What I thought was perfect was when we got back to the cabin … still shocked after that craziness… you and Heather decided to pounce on him before the door was even shut…
CHAOS: You make it sound so dirty…..
COMPASS: I didn’t……..I meant verbally pounced … don’t mind out of the gutter… You both bombarded him with the question before the door was even shut! “Are you about this?” No hesitation on his part “Yes”.... he reciprocated the question astonishingly no hesitation on our’s… All three of us were in agreement with him… Poor guy little did he know it was 3 to 1 …
CHAOS: He has everyman’s fantasy…. More than 1 woman at a time… [laughs hes.] Your Welcome Love {still laughing}
COMPASS: And you wonder why Heather & I put the warning in the intro…. There was just 1 more question that needed to be answered before totaling securing his place… Why? …The answer needed to be the only one we would take. Not love, money, healthcare, kids .. etc…
CHAOS: Yea… it was the perfect answer I have to admit, even when we reminded him that there is no divorce….. Only death, natural or otherwise …. Like the mob.
COMPASS: That is the point … Tell them and stop dragging out the story…. DAM A.D.D. squirrel… Sorry Everyone.
CHAOS: IT’S called DRAMATIC EFFECT!! Anyway without a backward step, breaking eye contact and no hesitation Boyo says “your my ride & die; I love you just the way you are; crazy and all!!”
COMPASS: There were three things in his reply… Why not, the acknowledgment of our crazy and the embracement of it. Not to change us (though honestly he tries sometimes) he understands we will always be feral…. Of course a vote had to be taken.
COMPASS: The vote tallied…. Can’t lie I was relieved, it was unanimous. No coup, no dictatorship….. Just democracy at its finest. It had to be all or nothing. We were engaged!! A second Unexpected Life Adventure Goal (1st was our daughter)!!!
CHAOS: And that was just the first 48 hours of our adventures. We still had the next 6 days and a shit ton more stories just from this 1 cruise! Don’t worry those will come out as well…. Eventually.
HEATHER: Before we bid our farewell’s for this week; I’m going to take the time to summarize this memory and possibly pity party therapy session…. Without any assistance from my nut factory. What we hope our global kin has taken away from our memory is:
The Real travel tips that we gave in this episode
Plan for the worst, hope for the best… usually you will bounce off your ass and land on your feet
A pre-night when having to fly to your cruise destination is Non-Negotiatable
What is shown on the outside is not always what is going on inside… control is necessary.
The past does not dictate who you are; people change, like death it’s inevitable; but your past does not.
Travel is the endless professor of change and a vital necessity for that change to be positive.
Above all, be kind to all the travel industry staff, they can make or break your vacation.
Once again, I’m Heather, your adventure narrator and the body for the hosts of this podcast. I hope you enjoyed this memory with a glimpse into my mind.
COMPASS (calm, professional tone)
On that note… we hope you enjoyed this episode of CompassChaos13.
Join us every Sunday at 1 p.m. Eastern, or 1300 hours for our fellow travelers in time zones unknown.
Next stop: CROATIA — this time, we will be adventuring with [DARLING], and you can bet we’ll be forging even more unforgettable connections.
CHAOS (excited, playful)
Oh, it’s another great one! This is another that I have nothing to do with, Mother Nature wanted to give us her honeymoon gift — and somehow, we still make it out alive. But hey, the chaos? Always memorable.
COMPASS (mock patience)
Listeners, help me out here — please engage with us.
Share your travel tales, lessons, and even your “what-was-I-thinking” moments.
Tell us where you found connection through chaos — or where you just found chaos. We can help you find the humor….
CHAOS (interrupting, smirking)
Or let me make it worse!
COMPASS (cutting in, mock sigh)
No… just stop. The show’s over.
Head down on the desk until next time.
I’m Compass — bringing the planned direction.
CHAOS (proudly)
And I’m Chaos — bringing the unexpected!
COMPASS & CHAOS (in sync)
Together, we make global connections.
[Sound: plane engines ramp up — airport ambience fades in, laughter + chatter]
HEATHER (narrator / flight attendant tone)
Welcome back to the present. On behalf of your dueling hosts, Compass and Chaos, thank you for adventuring with CompassChaos13.
Before you stand, please make sure your pants are dry, your eyes are clear, and your snots are wiped — we don’t do refunds for emotional turbulence.
Some of what you heard today may sound unbelievable, but rest assured — it’s all true, and no one on this adventure is innocent.
For photos and travel tips read our blogs wander over to www.CompassChaos13.com.
Follow the journey on your favorite podcast platform, and share your story with us using #CompassChaos13 — because the world’s full of chaos, and we’d rather laugh through it together.
Thank you for connecting with us today. We hope your layover in our world brought a little curiosity, a little laughter, and a lot of connection.
This is CompassChaos13 — signing off.